Mizukage's Pokémon Ninja Scroll

Chapter 500 The Weakened Leaf Village

At this moment, only the four elders of Konoha were sitting in the Hokage's office.

However, none of the four spoke first; they all stared at the intelligence report on the table with grim expressions.

In the end, it was Danzo Shimura who broke the silence first.

"Hiruzen! Move out!"

Upon hearing someone make the suggestion, Koharu, who was turning the dorm, could no longer hold back.

"Hiruzen! The Cloud Village army will arrive at the front lines of the Land of Hot Springs in less than a day! What are you still thinking?!"

Mitokado Homura, standing to the side, was more direct, decisively stating his current suggestion.

"We only have about two hundred ninjas at the front line. Even if we add the other troops that can arrive within a day and are temporarily transferred from the border, the total number will not exceed five hundred."

"My suggestion is to have the frontline completely abandon their positions and retreat directly back into the Land of Fire, maintaining vigilance against the Cloud Village forces along the way and awaiting our subsequent support!"

However, when Mitokado Homura said this, it only earned Danzo a furious shout.

"You're talking nonsense!"

"Abandon the front lines. Within two days, the Cloud Village forces will be able to reach the village directly. What's the point of you mobilizing any more troops?!"

After saying that, he quickly looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was still hesitant, and spoke rapidly.

"Hiruzen, have the five hundred ninjas who can gather at the front line hold their positions and delay the Cloud Village forces."

"In just two days, our reinforcements will arrive at the front lines, and we will surely be able to completely crush the Cloud Village forces!"

Xiaochun, who was switching dorms, chimed in.

"We cannot allow the Cloud Village troops to enter the Land of Fire, otherwise countless civilians will die, and we will not be able to explain this to the Daimyo."

However, Mitokado Homura remained steadfast in his opinion, his gaze fixed intently on Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"It's impossible to hold out. If we fight head-on, these five hundred men will surely be wiped out."

"Moreover, the so-called 'arrival at the front line within two days' would definitely require a non-stop, full-speed march. Even if such a follow-up force arrived at the front line, how much combat power would it have?"

"Furthermore, the Five Kage Summit is underway, and the Cloud Village forces may not choose to directly invade the Land of Fire."

Danzo's cold gaze swept over Mitokado Homura as he spoke, and he said in a mocking tone.

"These are all necessary sacrifices!"

"And you said they wouldn't invade the Land of Fire? The news from Root says the enemy is led by the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki. If even a Jinchuriki has been deployed, do you think they're just here to intimidate us?"

"Hiruzen, I suggest that while organizing the troops, we also send a message to Minato Namikaze at the Five Kage Summit, instructing him to unite with the other Kage and capture the Raikage on the spot!"

The three people's argument continued incessantly, yet Hiruzen Sarutobi was still unable to make a decision.

It wasn't that Hiruzen Sarutobi, the former Hokage, was truly afraid of war and hesitant, unaware of the urgency of the situation.

Rather, he is now truly facing a situation where even a skilled cook cannot make a meal without ingredients.

The lower-level ordinary ninjas were in relatively good condition, although most of them were out on missions as they had not anticipated the actions of the Hidden Cloud Village.

However, with the emergency mobilization and the addition of ninjas from the ninja clans who remained in the area, Konoha could still muster a force of two to three thousand men.

However, what troubled him was the issue of high-end combat capabilities.

According to the intelligence reports, the Hidden Cloud Village has clearly dispatched Killer Bee, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, but it is unknown whether the Two-Tails Jinchuriki has been deployed.

However, earlier intelligence also revealed that the Two-Tails Jinchuriki of Kumogakure had already begun to possess combat capabilities.

But what about Konoha?

The three top-tier ninjas, and his own disciples.

Orochimaru defected.

Tsunade's hemophobia is still not cured, and she recently announced that she would give up her identity as a ninja and leave Konoha.

Jiraiya never returned after his mission to Kirigakure; he only sent back a letter. Nobody knows where he is now, and we can't contact him at all.

When the younger generation, the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze, went to attend the Five Kage Summit, he was able to make contact, but it would take half a day for the communication to arrive.

Moreover, they are facing off against the Fourth Raikage, so they may not be able to get directly to the battlefield.

Kushina Uzumaki, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, is currently in the stage of about to give birth, regardless of her combat experience.

Forget about participating in battles, they can't even leave the village. Instead, they're a burden and someone has to protect them in the village.

Let's take a look at the older generation.

Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced sadly at the three who were still arguing.

Mitokado Homura proved during the last battle against Kirigakure that it's already remarkable that he can retain the strength of an ordinary Jonin.

Even if Koharu and I, two old buddies, got together, they probably couldn't withstand more than a few moves from the Jinchūriki on the other side.

And himself and Danzo

Both of them lost an arm, which greatly diminished their strength, especially for a profession like ninjas that requires hand seals.

In particular, Hiruzen Sarutobi himself, even his most important summoning partner Enma-oh, died in that battle.

He may not have retained even 30% of his former strength.

In this situation, there must be enough experts to protect the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, in order to prevent them from being attacked from a diversionary tactic or from being ambushed by the organization hiding in the shadows.

On the battlefield, they may also have to fight against one or two tailed beast jinchūriki.

At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes were filled with helplessness and desolation.

"When did Konoha, the strongest ninja village in the world, fall to this state?"

However, this thought only lingered in Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind for a moment before his somewhat aged eyes gradually sharpened again.

Turning around, the ninja hero who had controlled Konoha for decades seemed to have returned once again.

With a firm tone, he began to quickly issue orders to the other three.

"Yan, send a message to Minato. If it's confirmed that the Raikage attended the Five Kage Summit, then have him find a way to unite the other ninja villages at the summit to force them to cease hostilities or to control them. If the Raikage didn't attend, then have him go directly to the front lines. At the same time, contact Jiraiya through the channels of Mount Myōboku and have him go to the front lines as soon as possible!"

"Koharu, notify the frontline troops and all ninjas in the surrounding defense lines to immediately assemble at the border of the Land of Hot Springs and observe the movements of the Cloud Village forces! If they halt their advance, remain in place and await reinforcements. If they intend to continue advancing, harass them with all your might and delay their progress!"

Danzo.

When Danzo was mentioned, Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes revealed a complex expression.

If possible, he really didn't want to leave his old friend alone in the village.

It wasn't that I was worried about anything going wrong in the village, but rather that the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Kushina Uzumaki, was currently in the village awaiting childbirth.

And his old friend had never hidden his covetousness of the Nine-Tails' power.

Allowing the other party to stay in the village to protect the Nine-Tailed Fox is tantamount to treating the weasel as a hunting dog and delegating the responsibility of guarding the chicken coop.

However, Hiruzen Sarutobi was also worried about letting the enemy lead troops to support the front line at this time.

It is very possible that a conflict that was originally unnecessary could turn into a life-or-death battle between the two villages due to the other side's decision.

After letting out a deep sigh, Hiruzen Sarutobi continued speaking slowly.

"Danzo, go and notify the major ninja clans to coordinate their troops. After that, I will lead the village's combat-ready ninjas and support the front line together with En, and hold out until Minato or Jiraiya come to support us."

"And you and Koharu, you two will be responsible for leading all the Anbu and Root members to protect the village and the Nine-Tails!"

After a series of orders were given, the three people who had been arguing just moments before fell silent surprisingly quickly.

Surprisingly, no one dared to object to Hiruzen Sarutobi's orders.

A moment later, all three of them set off and left without prior arrangement.

The Hokage's office returned to calm.

Only Hiruzen Sarutobi remained, sitting alone in the Hokage's seat, looking out the window at Konoha in the night.

(End of this chapter)