In the Sand Village, the clones are everywhere, and the Arkham game begins

Chapter 379 Konoha's Response

When he was young, Hiruzen Sarutobi was not afraid to step onto the battlefield and dared to take the initiative to cover the retreat when Konoha was in danger of survival. The 69-year-old Hiruzen Sarutobi was not afraid of death in the war that led to Konoha's collapse, not to mention that he still has not lost his spirit now.

It can be said that Sarutobi Hiruzen was not capable of being Hokage. He was too selfish, hesitant, weak externally and tough internally, and had a series of shortcomings. In his later years, he led Konoha into the most decadent period in its history.

But this cannot deny that his strength is outstanding among regular ninjas, nor can it be denied that he truly loves Konoha. If he thinks it is worth it, he really dares to risk his life for Konoha, especially in such matters that can indeed threaten Konoha's survival.

Neither Orochimaru nor Jiraiya can defeat Shimizu, so at this time only he, the strongest Hokage of Konoha at this stage, can take action!
"You went to the western battlefield. What if the Third Kazekage and Hanzo attack together from the northwest?"

Utane Koharu still shook her head.

How could she and Danzo alone stop these two powerful men?

The Third Hokage did not answer immediately, but glanced at the Anbu ninja codenamed "Otoko".

"Yihu, you go out first."

"Yes, Third Generation-sama!"

After reacting, Otoko realized that the next words were not for him to hear, and quickly left the Hokage's office.

"Monkey, do you want to..."

Utane Koharu suddenly realized something.

"We haven't been kind enough to Qu Feng over the years."

The Third Hokage sighed.

Akimichi Norifu is also a disciple of the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama. He is very powerful and even stronger than Utane Koharu and Mito Kado En.

However, among the disciples of the Second Hokage, except for Sarutobi Hiruzen who had become Hokage and Uchiha Kagami who had long since died, Akimichi Torikaze was the only one who did not become a senior advisor of Konoha.

This was certainly because the fat man from the Akimichi clan had a simple and honest character and was not too interested in power, but he was also secretly excluded by several other elders and advisors.

Konoha is so small, and the Third Generation has to secure the position of Hokage. The power that can be allocated to them is limited, and no one wants to have one more person eat the cake.

"It's because he doesn't want to fight for it, not because we don't want him to take this position."

Danzo snorted coldly.

He wished there was one less person taking a high position and snatching power from him. If that meant he would have less power, wouldn't his chances of becoming Hokage be even smaller?
"But the share that should have been given to him never reached him after all."

Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head.

"After we get out, we will go to the Akimichi clan's land first and say a few soft words to Qu Feng. For the sake of the village and the family, he will agree to come out of retirement again. Together with Chosuke, Lu Xing and Hai Xiao, if there is a war in the northwest, Danzo will lead the resistance. Xiaochun, you have to go too."

Danzo, Akimichi Tofu, Utane Koharu, and the older generation Ino-Shika-Chou.

Six old men and women who are over fifty but have not yet completely declined from their prime.

Even though it would be difficult for this lineup to defeat Hanzo and the Third Kazekage, they should at least be able to hold their ground and maintain defense.

"What about Kirigakure?"

Utane Koharu asked again.

"Let Minato go. It's time for the young man to take on the responsibility."

"Isn't he too young? Although he is Jiraiya's disciple, but…"

Utane Koharu hesitated.

“You have to believe in the young people in the village. We also came this far under the protection of Mr. Tobirama. He is better than we were back then.

Now he has learned Tobirama's Flying Thunder God. Before he sets off, I will give him some things left by Tobirama to strengthen his strength. He and Orochimaru are both suitable to inherit some of Tobirama's ninjutsu.

As for experience, we still have Yan to help. I will send Gongdao and Gujie to assist, so there shouldn’t be any problem.”

Both Kime Koto and Maruboshi Kosuke are veterans. Although the latter is a Genin, he is an elite Jonin. Both are members of the Hokage faction, knowledgeable and experienced. The former even served as captain of Tsunade and Kato Dan during the Second Ninja World War.

"Two final questions."

Koharu said.

"Now that Orochimaru and Jiraiya have been defeated, the village has lost a lot of ninjas. Even if we draw on the power of those ninja clans, it is still not enough. The village also needs someone with enough prestige and strength to take charge and stabilize the rear."

Sandai silently put the pipe back on the table.

"As for the candidate to take charge of the village... I have one. As for replenishing the troops... Now is the early stage of the war. It is really not appropriate to move the ninja school. If it is moved, it will affect the confidence of our allies. For now, the only solution is to send out the Uchiha."

"Hiruzhan..."

Danzo took a step forward, wanting to say something.

"Danzo, there's no need to say it. You just said that the Uchiha are also part of Konoha. Now that the village is in danger, it's time to send out the Uchiha."

The Third Hokage shook his head at Danzo.

The Uchiha clan is very powerful. Even though they have been restrained by the Police Department for many years, the number of their jonin and elite members is still the largest among all ninja clans in Konoha, and even in the entire ninja world.

These animals who go crazy on the battlefield are often more useful alone than several others.

Moreover, as the most powerful family in the ninja world, the Uchiha family's reputation is known throughout the ninja world.

Even though the Uchiha has a bad reputation in the village, no one will deny the Uchiha's strength.

If a large number of Uchiha are dispatched, it will have a certain encouraging effect on boosting the morale of both the ninjas in the village and the allies outside the village.

……

……

The Konoha high-ranking officials were extremely busy on this day.

First, they paid a collective visit to their old classmate Akimichi Tofu and invited him to come out of seclusion. Then they divided their troops into three groups. They sent Koharu to mobilize the troops and logistics, while Danzo "greeted" the major ninja clans one by one and invited out a large number of elite ninja teams.

The Third Hokage came to a house in the center of Konoha with two sealing scrolls.

Here is a seal carved by Uzumaki Mito himself.

Here, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's suppression of the Nine-Tails' chakra is the strongest.

"Minato, you are here after all."

Looking at the young men and women who opened the door to welcome him, the third generation couldn't help but feel a little relieved.

"Ah, now that the war has begun, I guess I may not have that much time later, so I want to spend more time with Kushina."

Namikaze Minato smiled gently and held the white hand of the red-haired girl beside him.

Kushina tightened her grip around Minato's fingers.

She knew that since the Third Hokage had come looking for her, her boyfriend beside her was most likely going to the battlefield.

"Sir, what do you want to see me about?"

"And I'm not just here to see you." The Third Hokage glanced at Kushina, walked into the house, took off the scroll he was carrying, and handed it to Minato.

"Third generation, this is..."

"The Thunder God Sword left by Tobirama-sensei, as well as the Mutual Detonation Talisman Technique and the swordplay handwriting he left behind."

Namikaze Minato was stunned.

"Jiraiya and Orochimaru have been defeated."

Namikaze Minato was stunned again.

"I thought it was a rumor spread by spies..."

The Third Hokage sighed slightly and said:
"It was spread by spies, but it's not a rumor because the village officials haven't announced it yet. It will only be announced after tonight, when the village has made all preparations and can reduce the panic as much as possible."

"Is Jiraiya-sensei injured?"

"Yes, it's not light, but it's not serious enough to cause any trouble."

The Third Hokage replied.

At this moment, Minato Namikaze's face was full of worry about Jiraiya.

The Third Hokage stroked his beard, which had not yet turned white, and pointed to the scroll handed to Minato Namikaze.

"This is exactly why I gave you the relic left by the Second Hokage. You have learned the Flying Thunder God Technique and have the ability to face the strongest men in the ninja world. But there is still a flaw that you need to make up for."

"Attack. A powerful attack that can be launched quickly with Flying Thunder God."

Namikaze Minato quickly continued.

"Well, it's true that your wind escape technique is already very good, but after all, you still need to form a seal. And there is no high-powered ninjutsu without seals and instant release in the village. Although I believe that you have the talent to develop such ninjutsu, the village is in a critical moment now, and there is not so much time."

As Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke, he was led into the house by Namikaze Minato and sat on a chair in the living room.

"I haven't learned much about Konoha swordsmanship before. Third-generation master, I'm worried..."

"But at least it's faster than developing a ninjutsu from scratch, isn't it? Although the ninjutsu you develop yourself may be more suitable for you, as a user of the Flying Thunder God Technique like the Second Generation, the swordsmanship he left behind is definitely not less compatible with you. With the Thunder God Sword, you can improve your strength at the fastest speed.

In addition, I will assign Kakashi to be your subordinate."

"Kakashi... is Sakumo-senpai's son?"

"Yes, the nearest swordsman in the village is Sakumo. Kakashi has the essence of the Hatake-style swordsmanship left by Sakumo, which will be very useful to you. I will arrange for Kosuke to be another of your subordinates. He has also received instruction from the Second Generation and is one of the few masters in the village who has mastered the essence of Konoha-style swordsmanship. He can give you the most guidance in swordsmanship."

Namikaze Minato lowered his head.

"I'm sorry, Sandaime-sama, it's my dream to give everything to fight for the village, but Kakashi... isn't it a little... dishonorable for us to do this?"

"Minato, it's up to you to decide on this matter."

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Namikaze Minato and said.

"But Kakashi is not in a good situation right now. Because of Sakumo's incident, he has become a little too extreme. In every mission, he has had big conflicts with his companions. I hope you can guide him."

"I understand, Sandaime-sama!"

Only then did Minato Namikaze nod at the Third Hokage.

The latter nodded slightly.

Since Minato Namikaze has a clear bottom line towards his companions in the village and respects others, it doesn't matter.

I believe that his charisma can infect Kakashi.

The latter is after all only an eight or nine-year-old child with a very innocent mind. By then, he can just fool around a little, set up a trap, and use some tricks, and he should be able to make this child willingly hand over the essence of swordsmanship left by Sakumo, and the child will be grateful to him.

After talking about Minato Namikaze, the Third Hokage turned his attention to Kushina.

"Third generation, why are you looking at me?"

Kushina felt a little flustered and quietly took a small step closer to her yellow-haired boyfriend.

"Kushina, I have a piece of news that I need to tell you."

Sarutobi Hiruzen paused and said:

"The Fourth Mizukage of the Hidden Mist Village became a Tailed Beast Jinchūriki like you, but the difference is that he can perfectly control the power of the Tailed Beasts and is extremely powerful. I gave these things to Minato so that he could assist Elder En in resisting the Fourth Mizukage.

So I want to know to what extent you have mastered the power of the Nine-Tailed Fox."

Namikaze Minato frowned slightly.

"Sandaime-sama, is Kushina... also going to go to the battlefield like the Jinchūriki of other villages?"

"If the village reaches the point where it must use the power of the Nine-Tails, it is inevitable. Otherwise, I am afraid that the village will suffer an extremely heavy blow."

Sarutobi Hiruzen said to Namikaze Minato.

"Sama Sandaime, I… I am still unable to completely suppress the power of the Kyuubi like Grandma Mito did."

Kushina lowered her head.

Just then, she felt some warmth in her palm.

Namikaze Minato tightly grasped Kushina's hand.

“My Lord Sandaime, I swear that I will risk everything I have to turn the tide of the war and prevent that from happening.

This is for the village and for Kushina."

Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled slightly, patted Namikaze Minato on the shoulder and said:
"Minato, I believe you can do it, but as the Hokage, I must be prepared for everything. This is also for the village and for Kushina."

Kushina looked at Minato, then at the Sandai, and said:

"Third-sama, if the seal is strong enough, I can stay awake in the state of Five-Tails. In the state of Six-Tails, there is a risk of losing control, and consciousness will be disturbed to a greater extent by Nine-Tails. If it is Seven-Tails, it will be close to a rampage.

(The picture is from the Minato legend. After Kushina leaves the barrier, she goes berserk and is in the Seven-Tails state)
But the key is that the Nine-Tails is too powerful, even the Four Symbols Seal cannot completely suppress it. Once it leaves the seal barrier left by Grandma Mito, the Nine-Tails' chakra will riot. "

"So, the key is that the seal is not strong enough? Is it possible to impose a stronger seal?"

The Third Hokage asked.

"The Uzumaki clan does have a stronger sealing technique, but it is a very difficult forbidden technique that requires the life of the caster to perform. It is usually used to kill an enemy who is too powerful."

"Then is there any other way?"

The third generation asked again.

"Yes, but it's not perfect. If you want to change the seal, the tailed beast is likely to suddenly riot during the empty period in between, so Grandma Mito left a solution."

Kushina hurriedly found a book with yellowed pages from the corner of the room.

(End of this chapter)