Naruto: In Konoha Village, I awakened Wood Release at the start.

Leaf.

Hokage Building, conference room.

boom!

As Chiba finished speaking.

A slight commotion broke out in the conference room.

Fugaku Uchiha suddenly raised his head, his Mangekyou Sharingan almost activating uncontrollably.

Hiashi Hyuga gripped the armrests of the chair tightly.

Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado almost cried out in surprise.

Invite the Kage of the four great ninja villages to gather in Konoha?

How insane!

Nara Shikaku's mind raced.

He immediately understood Chiba's intention.

This is hardly a Chunin Exam.

This is clearly a blatant show of force!

The Hokage is about to flex his muscles in front of the entire ninja world.

Let the other villages see just how enormous Konoha really is!

This is a completely open and aboveboard scheme.

coming.

He sat obediently in the stands, feeling the oppressive atmosphere of Konoha.

Not coming.

That's cowardice, which gives Konoha a perfect excuse to launch an attack.

"Yes."

"Lord Hokage."

"The administrative department will draft the relevant documents and invitations as quickly as possible."

Nara Shikaku swallowed hard and immediately accepted the order.

"Regarding the details, all departments cooperated with Lu Jiu."

"The security is entrusted to the Uchiha and Hyuga; there must be absolutely no mishaps."

Chiba nodded in satisfaction.

Fugaku and Hiashi responded in unison.

"Let's adjourn the meeting."

The words fell.

The heads of the various families all stood up.

They bowed respectfully and then left the meeting room in an orderly fashion.

Koharu and Homura also stood up.

Just then.

Koharu Utatane glanced at Hiruzen Sarutobi beside her.

But they found the old man sitting in the chair, fiddling with an unlit pipe, showing no intention of leaving.

"Hiruzen?"

Xiaochun urged him in a low voice as he turned to his new room.

"You guys go first."

"I have a few more questions for the Fifth Generation Headmaster."

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head.

Koharu and Mitokado Yan exchanged a glance.

They didn't dare say anything more and hurriedly left the meeting room.

The heavy wooden door closed slowly.

Only Chiba and Hiruzen Sarutobi remained in the conference room.

Chiba sat back down in his chair.

He looked at the old man in front of him with great interest.

"What's wrong?"

"Does the Sarutobi clan chief have any objections to this Chunin Exams?"

Chiba emphasized the words "clan chief".

Hiruzen Sarutobi gave a bitter smile.

He took out a match, struck it, lit the pipe, and took a deep drag.

The pungent smoke swirled in my lungs before I slowly exhaled.

Since stepping down.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked as if he had aged ten years.

But his eyes were clearer than before.

"Lord Hokage is joking."

"I'm just a leisurely old man now, how dare I have any opinions?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi tapped his pipe, his tone calm.

He raised his head and looked directly at Chiba.

"I stayed behind only to confirm one thing."

Chiba remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a smoke ring.

"After the Chunin Exams..."

"Lord Hokage, are we about to take action against the other ninja villages?"

This question is extremely direct.

There were no roundabout or deliberate attempts to test the waters.

Because Hiruzen Sarutobi knew it all too well.

The young Hokage before me had no interest in playing those political games of deception.

as predicted.

Chiba nodded calmly.

"That's right."

"Konoha has a very strong foundation now, and it has enough talent."

"Hiding in the Land of Fire is a complete waste of resources."

Chiba leaned back in his chair, speaking as casually as if he were discussing what to eat for dinner.

"This Chunin Exam is their last chance."

"Let them see Konoha's true strength."

"If they know what's good for them, they'll relinquish their power voluntarily."

"That would be wonderful for everyone, and I guarantee they'll live even better lives than before."

Speaking of it.

Chiba paused for a moment.

A chilling glint flashed in those dark eyes.

"If they insist on resisting."

"Then I'll go to their village myself."

"Use violence to crush them completely."

Those who obey me will prosper, those who oppose me will perish.

There was no compromise, no negotiation.

Hiruzen Sarutobi tightened his grip on his pipe slightly.

If these words had been spoken six years ago...

He would definitely slam his fist on the table and berate Chiba for violating the Will of Fire and disrupting the balance of the ninja world.

But now.

He couldn't even muster the slightest thought of rebutting.

Because what Chiba said was true.

The current Konoha is terrifyingly strong.

The sheer strength of Konoha's ninjas alone is enough to create a generational gap with other villages.

Not to mention Chiba himself, whose combat power is comparable to that of a god.

Unify the ninja world?

This is not just wild talk, but a reality that is about to happen.

Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent for a long time.

The sparks in his pipe flickered.

Chiba looked at him.

In Chiba's original plan.

This old man, who values ​​so-called balance and compromise, will definitely jump out and launch into a long-winded argument to stop me.

After all, in Hiruzen Sarutobi's view, actively provoking a war that would sweep across the entire ninja world was absolutely outrageous.

however.

What Hiruzen Sarutobi said next surprised Chiba.

"Lord Hokage."

"I have a request."

Hiruzen Sarutobi put down his pipe and placed his hands, folded, on his cane.

Tell me about it.

Chiba was somewhat curious.

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath.

"When Konoha officially sends out troops to conquer the other ninja villages."

"Please be sure to bring the Sarutobi clan along."

Chiba raised an eyebrow.

He looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi with some surprise.

The Sarutobi clan?

Since I took office.

Although the old powerful families such as Sarutobi and Shimura were not completely wiped out.

But their core power had long been stripped away completely.

Nowadays, the ninjas of the Sarutobi clan simply take on missions in the village and live off merit points.

At this point, would he volunteer to go to the battlefield?

"Aren't you afraid of dying?"

"Or rather."

"Aren't you afraid that I'll use the pretext of war to use your Sarutobi clan as cannon fodder and completely annihilate you on the battlefield?"

Chiba asked in return with great interest.

Eliminate political threats without bloodshed.

This is perfectly normal practice in the ninja world.

Hiruzen Sarutobi laughed.

His face was covered in wrinkles, which looked somewhat comical, yet revealed a cunning slyness that belonged to an old fox.

"Lord Hokage."

"Although I am old, I am not blind."

"If Danzo were in this position, I would have led my clan to defect overnight."

"But you are not him."

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head.

He stared intently at Chiba.

"You're too proud."

"You possess power surpassing that of the First Generation Lord."

"You wouldn't stoop to using such underhanded tactics to harm the ninjas of your own village."

"When you want to kill someone, you always do it face to face, without even bothering to find an excuse."

Chiba couldn't help but chuckle after hearing this.

That old man has a good eye for people.

"Since you know I don't play dirty tricks."

"Then why did you volunteer to go to the battlefield?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi suppressed his smile.

His expression became extremely solemn.

"For the sake of a future."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice sounded somewhat desolate in the empty conference room.

"The current Konoha belongs to the Uchiha, Hyuga, and Ino-Shika-Cho clans."

"Our Sarutobi clan will be marginalized sooner or later."

"The Senju and Uchiha founded Konoha, and they deserve to enjoy the glory they have now."

"But I cannot watch the Sarutobi clan completely decline under my leadership."

"War is the fastest shortcut to achieving merit."

Even if it means sacrificing many of our people.

"But as long as the Sarutobi clan sheds blood and makes contributions in the war to unify the ninja world."

"When the Hokage rewards us for our contributions, he will never treat us unfairly."

"Use the blood and flesh of this generation to exchange for the Sarutobi clan's ticket to the new era."

"I think this deal is a good one."

This was Hiruzen Sarutobi's plan.

Without any pretense, they laid their family interests bare.

He's gambling.

Bet on Chiba's clear distinction between rewards and punishments, and bet on Chiba's kingly demeanor.

Chiba stared at Hiruzen Sarutobi for a long time.

This old man made countless mistakes in his position as Hokage.

But as the head of the family, he does have a keen political sense.

Rather than waiting for the family to slowly decay.

Why not take the initiative and jump into the tide of the times and give it a shot?

"Can."

"As long as the Sarutobi clan is not afraid of death."

"There is a place for you in Konoha's vanguard."

"As long as you can achieve the first merit, I will not shortchange you on any merit points or resources."

"..."