The chamber was silent.
And yet, despite the tension, the only sound that followed Tadashi's words was a quiet scoff.
Hiruzen barely suppressed the derisive huff that nearly escaped him, shaking his head slightly as he leaned back in his seat. The absurdity of it all almost made him laugh.
And he wasn't the only one.
Across the room, the Raikage let out a snort, crossing his massive arms over his chest, his biceps flexing with irritation. The Mizukage, though more composed, raised a brow, the corner of his lips twitching as if fighting the urge to smirk. Satetsu exhaled through his nose, a slow, measured breath, but even his usual icy demeanour could not fully conceal his discontent.
Even Tadashi, the supposed neutral mediator of the summit, looked as though he had bitten into something sour.
'Because of course. Of course, it had come to this.'
The deciding vote now rested in the hands of the man who had spent decades mastering the art of indecision.
Onoki.
The Fence Sitter.
Hiruzen inhaled deeply through his nose, suppressing the urge to rub his temples. He should have expected this outcome the moment Tadashi called for the vote, but part of him had still hoped—hoped that for once, Onoki would not live up to his infamous reputation.
The title was not undeserved.
Of all the Five Kage, none were as notoriously reluctant to take a stance as Onoki. The Fence Sitter, they called him—a man who, despite his stature in power, had made an art out of neutrality. His leadership style was as frustrating as it was effective, a delicate balancing act between wisdom and hesitation, between caution and cowardice.
In many ways, his refusal to take decisive action had shielded Iwagakure from unnecessary conflicts and internal upheavals. Unlike the hot-headed Raikage, who stormed headfirst into battle, or the cunning Kazekage, who played his enemies against each other like a master of shogi, Onoki had chosen a different path.
Patience. Observation. Waiting.
Like a stone that refused to be eroded by the rivers of war, he remained in place, unmoving, unyielding, untouchable.
But there was a cost.
Because a leader who hesitated was a leader who could not be relied upon.
A commander unwilling to commit was a commander who invited distrust.
And a Kage who could not pick a side was a Kage whom no one could trust in war.
Iwagakure, despite its formidable strength, had been isolated for years. Onoki's refusal to take sides had made it difficult for the other villages to collaborate with him. The Kazekage, the Raikage, and even the Mizukage had long since learned that dealing with the Tsuchikage was like trying to grip sand—he would slip through their fingers when it mattered most.
At times, the minor villages had proven to be more reliable allies than Iwa.
It was a damning reputation.
A suffocating weight that Onoki had carried for decades.
And now, it threatened to define this moment.
Across the room, Satetsu was watching him closely.
The Kazekage's golden eyes flickered with cold calculation, his sharp gaze scrutinizing every twitch, every breath, every subtle shift in the Tsuchikage's expression.
But there was nothing.
No reaction. No sign of intent. No shift in body language that might betray what Onoki was thinking.
The short man simply sat there, as still as a mountain, as immovable as stone.
Satetsu resisted the urge to click his tongue in frustration.
'Damn it.'
He had seen this before.
Onoki was unreadable when he wanted to be. He had long since perfected the art of stillness, of masking his thoughts behind that unimpressed expression.
But Satetsu knew that if there was ever a time for the Tsuchikage to take action, it was now.
This was the worst possible scenario.
If Onoki remained undecided, if he refused to vote, the delicate balance of power would spiral into uncertainty.
Satetsu had hoped that Kirigakure would also stay neutral, allowing Kumo and Suna to maintain their majority. But the Mizukage had betrayed them, aligning himself with Konoha at the last moment.
'That snake.'
Satetsu had suspected it could happen, but he had hoped—hoped that the Raikage's paranoia about Kiri had been exaggerated.
But he had been wrong.
Now, their only hope lay with Onoki.
And that was not reassuring.
Surely, surely, the stubborn old man would finally pick a side. He had no love for Konoha. No love for Hiruzen.
If he had even a shred of logic, he would tip the scales in Kumo and Suna's favour.
Because if he didn't—
Satetsu exhaled slowly through his nose, his mind shifting toward their contingency plans.
If Iwagakure refused to take a stance, they would have to proceed with other, less diplomatic measures.
From the corner of his vision, he could see the Raikage tensing slightly.
Ay had not spoken since the vote had been called, but the look in his eyes told Satetsu everything he needed to know.
The Raikage was furious.
Not just irritated, not just annoyed.
Furious.
And while the Kazekage might have been cold in his calculations, the Raikage was fire.
Hot-blooded, short-tempered, and currently restraining himself from slamming his fist into the table.
The damn Mizukage had screwed them over.
He had trusted Hiroshi about as much as one trusted a venomous snake, but he had hoped the man would at least have the decency to keep Kiri out of it.
Instead, he had sided with Konoha.
And now, the decision was left to Onoki.
The Raikage barely swallowed back a growl.
He knew what the Tsuchikage was like. A man who took no risks. A man who refused to commit.
And yet, somehow, A still felt a sliver of hope.
Onoki had no reason to side with Konoha. No reason at all.
So why was he taking so long?
His patience thinned further.
'Hurry up and say it, you bastard. Just give Tadashi an answer.'
Hiruzen, on the other hand, was feeling something much closer to relief.
Despite his own irritation with Onoki's infamous indecision, he had done the calculations in his mind.
If the Tsuchikage had any sense, if he was even remotely pragmatic, he would vote against Kumo.
And if that happened—
A flicker of satisfaction stirred in Hiruzen's chest.
'Onoki was not a fool.'
He would see the inevitable outcome.
He had to.
Because if he did, then Konoha would have the majority.
And Kumo would suffer for it.
But despite his logic, Hiruzen did not trust Onoki to do the reasonable thing.
Which meant that, for the first time in a long while—
He was hoping Onoki would take a stance.
The Mizukage, meanwhile, was watching the proceedings with an almost amused smile.
Unlike the others, he did not care about who won this vote.
He only cared about the result.
Because for him, there was no losing scenario.
If Onoki sided with Kumo, then war would break out, and both Kumo and Konoha would exhaust themselves fighting.
If Onoki sided with Konoha, then Kumo would be weakened, leaving them vulnerable to his ambitions.
And if Onoki abstained—
A slow smirk ghosted across Hiroshi's lips.
That would be perfect.
It would mean both Kumo and Konoha entering war without limitations.
It would mean there would be no "aggressor."
It would mean that Kirigakure could profit.
His gaze flickered toward Onoki, unreadable.
He had made arrangements with Hiruzen nights ago.
And no matter what happened today—
Kirigakure would win.
Tadashi exhaled through his nose, his patience wearing thin.
He was supposed to be the neutral party, the mediator of this summit. But even he was growing irritated by the silence.
Onoki had not moved.
Had not spoken.
The room was suffocating in its anticipation.
He cleared his throat.
"Onoki-dono," he said, his voice carefully measured. "I ask again—what is Iwagakure's decision?"
A long pause.
Onoki did not sigh. He did not huff. He did not frown.
He merely lifted his gaze.
Met Tadashi's eyes.
And spoke.
"Iwa will abstain from the vote."
Silence.
Thick. Heavy.
And then—
The Raikage grunted, looking away, his teeth clenched in barely restrained frustration.
Hiruzen exhaled sharply, shaking his head.
The Kazekage muttered a quiet curse under his breath.
The Mizukage merely smiled.
And Tadashi…
Tadashi closed his eyes.
'Of course. Of course, he would.'
=====
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