They're promoting the "Konoha threat" theory, and spouting nonsense about the Hidden

Chapter 106 The Game Between Uchiha and Danzo!

"...That concludes all the information available at the moment. Therefore, everyone, the Second Shinobi World War has officially begun."

Hiruzen Sarutobi solemnly announced the order to begin the war, but given the farce that had just transpired, the atmosphere in the hall was far from serious.

Hiruzen Sarutobi clearly sensed this as well, so after giving Jiraiya another fierce glare, he moved on and began to change the subject to war planning.

"According to intelligence, although the three ninja villages have formed an alliance on the surface, they are actually still fighting independently and advancing separately. Therefore, I am now making the following deployment in response to this situation."

Upon hearing this, everyone present knew that the crucial moment had arrived, and they immediately perked up and listened attentively.

"With Danzo as the commander-in-chief, three thousand men will hold off the Cloud Village's troops from the direction of Kumogakure, and we will surely stop them outside the borders of the Land of Fire!"

"In the direction of Sunagakure, Akimichi Torifu will lead two thousand men as commander-in-chief to hold off Sunagakure and intercept them at the border between the Land of Rivers and the Land of Rain!"

"As for the rest, I will lead the village's elite forces to take down Iwagakure first!"

When facing three different enemies alone, it is impossible to divide your forces to defend them all at the same time. You must concentrate your superior forces to take down one enemy before you can talk about the others.

Of the three enemies, Hiruzen Sarutobi did not choose the strongest, Kumogakure, nor the seemingly weakest, Sunagakure, but instead chose Iwagakure, which had the largest population.

The reason is simple: Onoki can fly.

He couldn't guarantee that while he was leading his troops to attack Kumogakure or Sunagakure, there wouldn't be a flying little potato following him from afar, occasionally unleashing a Dust Release attack on him.

So it would be better to take down Iwagakure first, force them out of the game, and then talk about other things.

Moreover, although Iwagakure appears to have the largest population, the entire ninja world knows that Iwagakure has many ninjas because they lack elite ones and have to compensate with sheer numbers.

But what happens when ordinary troops encounter elite forces?

Isn't it just like butter melting the moment it touches a hot knife?

But coincidentally, Konoha may not have many other things, but it has a lot of elite troops.

Besides, Kumogakure is, after all, the second strongest ninja village in the world, so whether they can quickly defeat their opponent is another matter.

Although Sunagakure has a small population, the combination of desert, puppetry, and poison is really too troublesome, and from the perspective of rapid advancement, it is not a good choice.

Based on the above considerations, Hiruzen Sarutobi ultimately made this decision. He then turned to look at his old comrade, his expression grave.

"Danzo, the task of resisting Kumogakure is extremely difficult. No one in the village but you can do it."

With a force of three thousand men, they were tasked with holding off the second most powerful force in the ninja world and preventing it from entering their territory. This task was undoubtedly arduous.

Although Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo had disagreements for various reasons, it was clear that at this crucial moment, Hiruzen still trusted Danzo Shimura very much.

Because he knew that although his old friend might disagree with him on political views and have different opinions, their starting points were the same.

Both Shimura Danzo and he were people who inherited their teacher's will and deeply loved Konoha.

As Hiruzen Sarutobi had predicted, Shimura Danzo's mind was now filled with other thoughts.

However, faced with the life-or-death situation of Konoha at this moment, he was not so extreme and was still able to prioritize the overall situation and put aside his personal grudges with Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Faced with his old friend's request, he nodded slightly, made a promise, and then put forward his own request.

"However, among these three thousand people, the ninjas of the Uchiha and Hyuga clans must be included."

This request is reasonable, after all, it was the second best in the ninja world, and it would be unreasonable not to give it to the elite. Therefore, Hiruzen Sarutobi could understand Shimura Danzo's request.

However, Hiruzen Sarutobi hesitated for only a moment before agreeing to Danzo Shimura's request to hand over the Uchiha ninjas to him.

"Okay, I'll give you half of the Uchiha and Hyuga ninjas."

After speaking, he turned to Hyuga Tofu and Uchiha Homura, asking for their opinions: "What do you two clan leaders think?"

Hyuga Tofu certainly had no objection to this. After all, those going to the battlefield were all from the branch family. It didn't matter where the branch family fought, so why go against the Hokage?

So he simply nodded, indicating that it was pointless for him to do so.

Uchiha Homura's response, however, was somewhat intriguing.

"Our Uchiha clan naturally fully supports the Hokage's proposal. However, many of the clan elders are getting on in years, and the rest will likely be accompanying the Hokage on the campaign against Iwagakure. We really don't know who to lead the team for the time being... How about this, we'll have Fugaku lead the team to support Danzo-sama? What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, the entire room fell silent. Everyone present looked at him with disbelief, unable to believe that these words came from the mouth of the Uchiha clan leader.

Danzo Shimura's hostility towards the Uchiha clan was no secret within their circle. Yet, under these circumstances, Homura Uchiha still entrusted the hopes of her clan to him—wasn't she truly unafraid of unforeseen consequences?

Do you really believe in Danzo Shimura's character so much?

Only a few people had thoughtful expressions in their eyes, clearly understanding Uchiha Homura's thoughts.

Fugaku Uchiha, the Hokage's disciple, was the hope of the Uchiha clan and the only bridge between the Uchiha and the village.

The Uchiha clan knew this, Hiruzen Sarutobi knew this, and Danzo Shimura knew this as well.

That is why, unless Konoha really wants to turn against the Uchiha at this crucial moment, Fugaku Uchiha cannot possibly get into trouble with Danzo Shimura.

It can be said that unless Fugaku Uchiha leaves Konoha, he will be very safe staying with Danzo Shimura.

Even if Shimura Danzo wanted to, Sarutobi Hiruzen wouldn't let him do it.

Danzo Shimura narrowed his eyes. He clearly understood Homura Uchiha's thoughts, and this feeling of being manipulated was truly unpleasant to him.

Uchiha Homura, however, met his gaze without flinching, showing no fear whatsoever.

This was his bottom line, and also his response to what Danzo Shimura had done before. After all, the Uchiha clan had suffered too many losses in silence due to Danzo Shimura's schemes.

He had his own suspicions about Uchiha Kagami's death, but he couldn't make any claims without evidence.

Therefore, he wanted to make this guy who hated the Uchiha clan so much that, for the sake of the village, not only refrain from secretly harming Uchiha Fugaku, but also force him to suppress his disgust and do his best to protect the hope of the Uchiha clan.

Only in this way can he quell the hatred in his heart.

Of course, his reasons for choosing Shimura Danzo were not limited to this; more importantly, it was to pave the way for Uchiha Fugaku's next step.

In terms of pressure, the Cloud Village defense line is under the greatest pressure.

After all, they had to use 3,000 troops to hold off the attack of the second-ranked ninja in the world and buy time for Hiruzen Sarutobi's actions, which was of paramount importance.

And it is foreseeable that if they succeed in the end, the credit for this front will naturally be the greatest.

When the time comes, Fugaku Uchiha, as the Hokage's disciple and the hope of the Uchiha clan, will be credited with a great deal for risking his own safety to bravely charge into the most dangerous front lines. Wouldn't that be too much to ask?

Having made contributions naturally means getting one step closer to becoming Hokage.

Being on the front line, which is ostensibly the most dangerous but actually the safest, not only brings rewards but also guarantees safety. Is there a better job than this?

Especially since this credit was obtained by stepping on Danzo Shimura's face, it was even more wonderful for the Uchiha clan.

Looking at Homura Uchiha's calm expression, Hiruzen Sarutobi guessed what she was thinking.

Knowing that these were the conditions for the Uchiha clan to send troops, he looked at his old teammate, wanting to warn him not to cause trouble at this time.

"Danzo, you..."

"I know exactly what you're going to say, Hiruzen, don't worry."

Danzo Shimura interrupted Hiruzen Sarutobi's speech, stood up, and looked at Homura Uchiha.

"The village was facing a life-or-death situation, and everything else had to take a backseat to the greater good. I knew what I had to do."

Danzo Shimura, towering above, looked down at Homura Uchiha, who sat below the stage, and said in a cryptic tone, "After all, he is an outstanding talent who, like Kagami, has comprehended the Will of Fire. Rest assured, given the lessons learned from the past, I will definitely be able to protect him."

"I believe that under Lord Danzo's care, Fugaku will be very safe. He may still remember his experience under your command even after he becomes the Fourth Hokage."

Uchiha Homura smiled from her seat, her expression also carrying a hidden meaning.

In the quiet meeting room, the two men's sharp and confrontational words echoed continuously.

This scene was witnessed by everyone present, their thoughts unspoken to outsiders.

"Alright, since that's the case, then I'll entrust Fugaku to you, Danzo. If anything happens to Fugaku, I'll hold you responsible!"

Seeing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi pretended to be confused and quickly changed the subject, focusing on the overall objective of the war.

"Although the overall action plan is structured in this way, and it seems quite likely on paper, the final outcome of the operation depends on everyone's efforts."

"I don't want to say anything more. We survived the critical moment of the First Shinobi World War, so there will definitely be no surprises this time as well."

Finally, I have only one sentence for everyone here.

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood up, looked around the entire venue, and focused his attention on the heads of the various ninja clans.

"Konoha is not just my Konoha, but the Konoha of everyone here. Therefore, the outcome of this war will determine whether we can continue to sit here. I hope everyone will give their all, not worry about the gains or losses of one's own clan, and prioritize the greater good."

"That's it, let's break up the meeting!"

(End of this chapter)