The domineering Uchiha drove the Third Hokage mad!

Inside the command center, people whispered among themselves, and arguments rose and fell.

At this moment, a commoner ninja stepped forward and said loudly, "How about we change our plan? I don't think these three lines of defense are very reliable!"

Upon hearing the questioning, a mature Uchiha Jonin suddenly stood up and roared angrily, "As ninjas, when have we ever carried out a mission without danger? Why not use such a good plan? Are you perhaps afraid of death?"

Seeing that an argument was inevitable, Uchiha Mitsunori coughed twice: "Cough, cough!"

In an instant, the command room fell silent.

Then, with a smile, he said slowly, "Actually, there are two more crucial steps. First, have Commander-in-Chief Fugaku use his Mangekyou Sharingan to activate Susanoo, and then have him lead the pursuit of the Iwagakure ninja. Susanoo is tens of meters tall, and ordinary ninjutsu cannot break through its defenses. The Iwagakure ninja have just been ambushed by numerous traps, and if they encounter a powerful and invincible monster chasing them, their morale will inevitably collapse. At that time, you only need to lead a few thousand ninjas to beat them when they are down on their luck."

Upon hearing that they also had the trump cards of "Mangekyou" and "Susanoo", the breathing of many Jonin became heavier.

Uchiha Mitsunori took in everyone's expressions.

He exuded immense confidence, saying, "Next comes the most crucial step. I suggest using the Uchiha Fire Formation to cut off the Iwagakure ninja's retreat. This way, we can capture these thousands of Iwagakure ninja alive. At that point, Iwagakure will have no choice but to surrender. Furthermore, I suggest demanding 300 billion ryo in war reparations from Iwagakure!"

Upon hearing this, even the usually domineering Kurama clan chief began to waver: "Capture thousands of Iwagakure ninja alive, force Iwagakure to surrender, and pay 300 billion ryo in war reparations... is that really something we can do?"

The Eighth Hokage of Uchiha tugged at his sparse beard and explained, "As you all know, we Uchiha are skilled in Fire Release techniques. The Uchiha Fire Formation is extremely powerful. Four Jonin working together can block a Tailed Beast Ball attack. If more than twenty people work together, it can indeed trap thousands of Iwagakure ninja for a period of time."

Fugaku Uchiha was not only the head of the Uchiha clan, but also the head of the Konoha Police Department. He knew a bit about the village's annual income, expenses, and surplus.

He tapped his fingers lightly on the table, gathered his thoughts, and said, "30 billion taels? Isn't that too much? Our Konoha Village's annual income is about 300 billion taels, and after deducting all expenses, we have a surplus of about 130 billion taels. Iwagakure is much worse off than Konoha; they're lucky if they can save 40 billion taels a year. 300 billion taels is equivalent to 10 years of their total income; they probably won't agree to that!"

Under normal circumstances, as Fugaku Uchiha said, Iwagaku Village definitely couldn't afford the money, but...

Uchiha Mitsunori exuded strong confidence as he stated, "On the Iwagakure battlefield alone, we lost 3226 Konoha ninja. Including the battlefields of Kumogakure, Sunagakure, and Kirigakure, the number of Konoha ninja killed is conservatively estimated at around 1.1. Adding the thousands of seriously wounded or disabled Konoha ninja, the village will need to pay approximately 400 billion ryo in compensation for casualties after the war."

Upon hearing the figure of over 400 billion ryo, the ninjas present gasped in shock.

"As Commander-in-Chief Fugaku just mentioned, Konoha has an annual surplus of over 40 billion ryo, but that's income during peacetime. Now, with more than half of the village's ninja casualties, the village's income will decrease in the next few years. At that time, the village definitely won't be able to afford the compensation for casualties, so I'm proposing to claim 300 billion ryo from Iwagaku. This is also for everyone's benefit. With this money, not only will the families receive compensation for casualties, but the survivors will also receive the bounty they deserve."

Uchiha Mitsunori's analysis was logical, well-founded, and quite bold.

The Kazami clan chief exclaimed in surprise, "But... this is a staggering 300 billion ryo! How are we going to get Iwagakure to come up with this money? Are we going to make them pay with their mineral resources?"

The Kurama family has suffered more than half its casualties in this war. If they do not receive compensation for the casualties after the war, the family will inevitably decline.

Seeing an opportunity to get money, Chief Kurama quickly chimed in, "The Land of Earth is the largest of the five great nations in terms of land area, and its mineral resources are quite abundant. A solution of using minerals to pay off debts is naturally feasible!"

A commoner ninja whispered, "It's feasible, but transporting these minerals back to the Land of Fire will be quite troublesome."

Uchiha Mitsunori glanced at everyone and said, "After we capture these several thousand Iwagakure ninja, Iwagakure will only have 6000-7000 ninja left. They definitely won't be able to withstand Kumogakure's attack. Under the threat of village annihilation and country destruction, Iwagakure will have no choice but to obediently pay up. However, that money will probably have to come from those pampered nobles of the Land of Earth!"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked as if they had suddenly realized something.

"Yes, Iwagakure can't afford it, but the nobles of the Land of Earth are rolling in money!"

Knowing that there would be a bounty after the battle, many Jonin began to rub their hands together, full of enthusiasm.

Suddenly, Uchiha Yakumi rushed into the command room and said urgently, "Report: Jonin Mimura Yomaki encountered 50 elite ninjas led by Higashi Shijin near Kannabi Bridge. As a result, 96 of our men were killed, and the remaining 4 were rescued by Jonin Namikaze Minato."

Upon hearing that 96 of our soldiers had been killed, the atmosphere in the room instantly became tense.

Uchiha Mitsumine glanced at the time and frowned slightly: Mimura Yoru had led more than 100 civilian ninjas to the vicinity of Kannabi Bridge at around 10 a.m., but by 3 p.m., 96 of them had already died. It was truly a case of sending people to their deaths from afar, a small gift but a great sentiment!

The Eighth Hokage sighed and said, "Minato Namikaze, could you return to the base with them?"

Uchiha Yakumi calmly replied, "No, it's said that Minato Namikaze went to rescue his three disciples and didn't return with Yoru Mimura and the others."

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Sanfeng thought to himself: He was familiar with this plot. Uchiha Obito was crushed on the right side of his body by a boulder, then he transplanted his two-tomoe Sharingan to Kakashi, and finally the cave collapsed completely before Namikaze Minato arrived to save the day.

The command room fell silent again. The clan chiefs of Kurama, Kazami, and Uchiha Yatsushiro exchanged glances.

Fugaku Uchiha tapped the table lightly and said, "Gentlemen, let's conclude the meeting here! Let's proceed with the three-line defense setup we discussed earlier. It's already 3:21 PM, and time is running out. So, each group, quickly take your positions and prepare traps and ambushes. We must prepare tonight to properly repel the night attack from Iwagakure. Also, the medical team and the wounded must be properly evacuated. Gentlemen, tonight we must win, not lose. I hope you will all strive together."

Upon hearing this, the numerous Jonin stood up straight and obeyed the order...