Traveling through three generations: Making Konoha great again!

"Are you sure it's us?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi gestured to the two not to rush.

"The Cloud Village hasn't mentioned any evidence, but their attitude is very tough and firm, insisting that we are highly suspicious..." Koharu Utatane quickly replied, handing the Cloud Village's condemnation to the Hokage.

"The major powers and hidden villages are all waiting for our response!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at it carefully.

A moment later, he gave a cold laugh.

"Teacher, shall we discuss this another day? There are still some things I need to report to you." Orochimaru stood up and nodded to the two advisors.

"No need to leave, you can watch too." Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand, put his pipe in his mouth, and slowly stuffed some tobacco into his mouth.

"Then I'll listen to my teacher." Orochimaru smiled knowingly.

A moment later, there was a frantic knocking on the door.

As soon as Hiruzen Sarutobi finished speaking, Danzo Shimura strode in: "Hiruzen, prepare for all-out war! Mobilize all the ninjas!"

Upon seeing him arrive, Orochimaru naturally handed the documents to Shimura Danzo with one hand.

Danzo Shimura frowned; his instinct was to suppress this rival.

This is a meeting of Konoha's high-ranking officials!

But seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi standing to the side, Danzo Shimura gave up.

He wasn't an idiot; of course he could see that Hiruzen Sarutobi was supporting Orochimaru to compete with him...

Danzo Kashimura simply couldn't muster any anger.

Because Hiruzen Sarutobi had already made things clear to him beforehand.

It's about ensuring he's 'qualified,' not about finalizing his selection as the next Hokage.

He would intentionally or unintentionally teach him how to be a Hokage on a regular basis, not to take sides...

Fairness has power.

This was also true for Danzo Shimura.

"Orochimaru, did you leave any traces on your side?" Shimura Danzo asked sternly. "There's absolutely no way the Anbu could have any problems. I've checked repeatedly!"

This isn't a deliberate targeting, but rather an intelligence leak, and the source must be found and held accountable.

Orochimaru scoffed, "There's no way there could be a problem on my end. Also, you should address him as the Third Hokage, not by his first name!"

The tension between the two instantly escalated.

It was like a clash of titans, neither willing to give in!

"Since you both say there's no problem, then I think there's no problem." Hiruzen Sarutobi tapped the table, signaling the two to calm down, and said calmly:

"Everyone, don't fall into the trap of panicking just because the enemy has tricked you..."

Orochimaru and Danzo Shimura both snorted coldly, pondering Hiruzen Sarutobi's words.

Mitokado Homura pondered for a moment before speaking, "Third Hokage, are you saying that Kumogakure is bluffing us?"

"It is highly likely."

"See? They didn't say that the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki was dead, and although their words were angry and rough, if you look at the core of it, they were just putting pressure on him."

Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a puff of smoke dismissively: "Put yourself in their shoes. The Hidden Cloud Village has lost its Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, the village has suffered a major blow, and they can't find a target..."

"What are they going to do? Lie low? Obviously not."

"Hiding will only make the enemy, and potential enemies, think they are weak!"

"So they have to take a tougher stance."

"We need to announce to the entire ninja world that their village is still powerful, and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki is ready to strike at any time..."

"Our Konoha has always been known as a pacifist in the ninja world, a so-called 'easy target.' If we back down, they will have achieved their goal."

"They might even be able to extort money from us."

The room fell silent as everyone pondered what Hiruzen Sarutobi had said.

Koharu and Mitokado's faces were a little hot.

On the one hand, it was because of his haste and rashness just now, which was not in line with the image of an advisor.

On the other hand, during the last Shinobi World War, the two of them were doves who strongly advocated against excessive reparations and wanted to end the war as soon as possible.

"Times have changed..."

"Past decisions were made with reference to the circumstances at the time, so you don't need to overthink it," Hiruzen Sarutobi said, waving his hand.

"We shouldn't think about starting a war so easily. Our core advantages are technology and talent, and these need time to accumulate value."

Being overly tough is not a good thing either.

The so-called doves and hawks are just different perspectives on things; it's not a matter of one being better than the other.

Danzo Shimura, his face dark, still spoke up in agreement, "I agree with the Hokage's opinion!"

This is a call to action...

Danzo Shimura was starting to regret his actions. He hadn't actually intended to start a war immediately; he just wanted to exaggerate the situation and shift the blame to Orochimaru…

"Teacher, I think your analysis is correct." Orochimaru looked at his teacher, who was smoking, with an appreciative gaze.

This is what he envisioned a Hokage should be like…

Stay calm at all times.

"The provocation from Kumogakure is an opportunity for Konoha to buy time; we must see that."

"We must take this opportunity to intimidate the other hidden villages as well."

Hiruzen Sarutobi said in a deep voice:

"For a long time, Konoha has had a consensus in the ninja world that it is 'inclined to peace,' and other hidden villages are unlikely to believe in Kumogakure."

"This time, we must show enough strength to demonstrate that while Konoha upholds the First Hokage's belief in peace, it is not weak, but rather hopes that other hidden villages will adopt a similar attitude."

"If anyone dares to disrupt the peace, Konoha, having already suffered once, will use everything to defend our home, including but not limited to forbidden techniques, to make our enemies pay a price they will never regret, in accordance with Lord Tobirama's will!"

In his left hand, he held a Hashirama Peace Card; in his right hand, he held a Tobirama Forbidden Technique Card.

In the outer villages, the Thousand Hands Brothers' reputation scores were extremely polarized, with one side being positive and the other negative...

But who says the negative has no value?

The Hokage intends to make full use of it to enhance his own prestige!

"Draft a statement according to my instructions, with precise wording, and inform the entire ninja world!"

"At top speed!" Hiruzen Sarutobi commanded, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado immediately replied, "Understood!"

The two people from the administration department took action.

"Orochimaru, please continue with the project," Hiruzen Sarutobi said. "There's no need to postpone it."

"Yes, teacher."

Orochimaru reported: "The modified medicine can now be produced on a preliminary scale. Samples are ready. Nara and Akimichi have done a great job."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded slightly.

Once we establish a diplomatic advantage with Kumogakure, it will be much easier to travel to the Land of Fire and negotiate with the Daimyo.

"And your idea is excellent, but it will take time to come to fruition."

"In some specific cases, it might be faster, but to achieve universal applicability..." Orochimaru shook his head: "It's not simple."

This refers to the deactivation of interstitial cells.

Orochimaru used ambiguous language when speaking to Shimura Danzo.

He did it on purpose…

The goal is to make this assistant aware that they are doing something, but not know what they are doing…

You're going to be so anxious!

"Take it one step at a time. This is a long-term project, I understand."

"I will prepare the materials for you."

As Hiruzen Sarutobi said this, a thought suddenly struck him.

Specificity is enough...

Judging from the notes, the compatibility between Uchiha Izuna and Senju Tobirama is surprisingly good.

"Thank you for your understanding, teacher. I'll get back to work now!" Orochimaru glanced at Shimura Danzo, smiled, and walked out of the office.

Danzo Shimura silently ground his back teeth.

He secretly remembered this grudge throughout the ninja world!

Just as Orochimaru had predicted, when Shimura Danzo discovered what he was doing…

An anxiety welled up from the bottom of his heart.

With Orochimaru directly engaging Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo Shimura couldn't even manage to spy on him, let alone interfere...

Although his secret service subordinates were under his command and obeyed his orders as the department head…

However, they also obey the orders of the various squad leaders and deputy ministers!

These are all people of Hiruzen Sarutobi.

If he were used like the private soldiers of Root in the past, just the fact that Hatake Sakumo impeached him before would be enough to give Shimura Danzo a hard time...

"Danzo, you need to take good care of the village's security and internal defenses recently."

"We also dispatched scout teams to the border to prevent enemy infiltration."

Hiruzen Sarutobi patted him on the shoulder: "Your mission isn't much easier than Orochimaru's!"

Shimura Danzo was immediately overjoyed.

As long as there's work to do, as long as I can see it, that's good enough...

But then Shimura Danzo felt something was off.

"I won't leave you out of the spotlight when it comes to things that require exposure..."

"Get everything arranged and get ready to come with me to the Land of Fire. I'll give you a surprise then."

Upon hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's words, Danzo Shimura completely stopped thinking about the source of that strange feeling...

"Don't worry, Hiruzen!"

Danzo Shimura complained again:

"You should also keep an eye on Orochimaru. How many years have I been calling your name? He's just a junior, yet he dares to question me! He's utterly lawless!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded with a smile.

He didn't say anything...

Without competition, where does the motivation to work come from?

Taking Danzo Shimura to the Land of Fire was also his true intention.

His reputation as the darkest figure in the ninja world carried considerable weight among the daimyo and nobles…

#

three days later.

Konoha's response reached the entire ninja world, causing a stir among the various hidden villages.

Such a tough stance?