Transmigrating as the Third Hokage: Make Konoha Great Again!

Or am I overthinking it?

There was no way around it; the little lesson Hiruzen Sarutobi had given him earlier had made this dark figure of the ninja world a bit suspicious.

"Koharu, En, you two also need to spread the word to the higher-ups in the Land of Fire that Konoha has made significant progress in human science, and that I, as the Hokage, have clearly benefited from it."

"This involves a major project that will greatly benefit the village's future, so it must be carried out with absolute dedication and with timely feedback," Hiruzen Sarutobi said solemnly.

"I'll discuss the specifics with you at a later time; let's proceed now."

Koharu and Homura seriously agreed.

"I want to promote Sakumo Hatake to vice-captain of the Anbu."

Danzo Shimura looked surprised, but a hint of dissatisfaction lingered in his heart.

Wouldn't that mean they're on the same level as me?

After the Root organization was disbanded, Hiruzen Sarutobi, in front of everyone, appointed him to this position.

"Danzo, you've shown me that you have the ability to manage a large department effectively."

"If you want to do more for the village, prove it to me," Hiruzen Sarutobi said in a deep voice. "Of your two tasks, one is urgent, and the other can be done over the long term..."

"The Tsuchikage Onoki's Light and Heavy Rock Techniques have too high strategic value. We need to find a way to collect relevant information... After all, it is a secret of Iwagakure. The diplomacy between the two countries is still relatively normal at the moment."

Danzo Shimura replied, "I understand."

That makes sense...

I didn't make things difficult for myself.

"Find out information on the Jinchuriki of Kumogakure, by any means necessary!"

"Since they dared to attack Kushina Uzumaki..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi unexpectedly revealed a fierce glint in his eyes:

"I must kill at least one of their Jinchūriki!"

015 An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth! (Seeking monthly votes!)

Hiruzen Sarutobi exudes a strong killing intent.

So much so that Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado were both stunned.

We were just talking about reform, how did we suddenly switch to talking about war?

Moreover, Hiruzen Sarutobi was a traditional pacifist who had never been interested in war…

During the Second Shinobi World War, although Sunagakure was at a disadvantage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, in order to end the war as soon as possible, adopted an equal peace negotiation approach and did not demand terms such as reparations.

This practice caused considerable controversy in the village at the time.

Upon hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's words, Danzo Shimura's eyes lit up instantly.

As the former leader of the largest martial arts faction in Konoha, he has always been interested in war.

“Leave it to me!” Danzo Shimura said immediately.

"Should we reconsider?" Mitokado Homura pondered before speaking. "Should we wait until the reforms are initially implemented before carrying out this retaliatory action?"

Koharu Tsurugi's expression was grave: "What if we start a war? Is the village prepared to respond?"

Danzo Shimura turned his head fiercely and shouted, "You two, stop being so conservative! Giving in won't work!"

"Danzo, you're being too arbitrary!"

"War is not child's play; we must consider all aspects!" Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu retorted to Shimura Danzo.

"Don't make noise."

Hiruzen Sarutobi gestured for him to listen: "Revenge is inevitable. This is not to start a war, but to prevent one."

Mitokado Yan and Utatane Koharu looked puzzled.

Kill the enemy's Jinchūriki and stop the war?

"To use an inappropriate analogy, please don't overthink it."

Hiruzen Sarutobi pointed at Danzo Shimura: "Suppose Danzo takes all the power of the Anbu, and I remain silent, what do you think he will do next?"

Mitokado En and Utatane Koharu gave awkward smiles.

Is that even a question?

Then I'll sideline you!

Danzo Shimura's expression froze.

No, is this an example?

"He would come and scold me, reminding me that as Hokage, I should pay attention to consolidating power and fulfilling my duties as an assistant, but he would definitely focus on criticizing my weaknesses."

Hiruzen Sarutobi laughed and patted Danzo Shimura on the shoulder: "Aren't you right?"

Danzo Shimura forced a couple of dry laughs: "Haha, of course."

Is Hiruzen really joking?

"Danzo is my good friend. Even if I do this, he'll think I'm weak..."

"But what if it's the enemy? The enemy won't come to remind me, remind you, or remind Konoha!"

"They'll think we're weak and easily bullied, that we'll back down even when it comes to the Jinchuriki!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi said in a deep voice, "Therefore, we must retaliate as soon as possible! When dealing with enemies, we must not yield an inch and let them feel the cruelty of Konoha's iron fist!"

Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado thought for a while and then expressed their opinions.

"If that's the case, I agree."

"Agreed. Is there a specific plan, Hiruzen…"

Hiruzen Sarutobi gestured for them to raise any objections they might have.

Based on past memories and recent contact.

His two advisors and former teammates were not inherently problematic; they were simply too conservative in their thinking.

Such people can be very useful if used in the right place.

"How about starting with infrastructure? Human jinchūriki might not be a good target."

Mitokado Homura further stated, "Or perhaps an important ninja, a relative of the Raikage?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi pondered for a moment and said:

"Judging from the fact that Kumogakure plundered Kushina Uzumaki, I speculate that there is most likely something wrong with their Jinchuriki."

"Danzo, do you have any specific information regarding the intensity of the conflict between Kumogakure and Iwagakure in recent years?"

“I’ve done the statistics. In the last two years or so, Iwagakure has been the one provoking us the most, while Kumogakure has been much more restrained,” Shimura Danzo quickly replied. “The Root has relevant data.”

“Very good.” Hiruzen Sarutobi gave Danzo Shimura an approving look.

"The villages of Kumogakure and Iwagakure have a long-standing feud, a historical issue determined by their ninja clan composition and geography. Given Kumogakure's style and nature, the fact that they are willing to restrain themselves suggests that there are likely significant internal threats."

"Furthermore, the situation in the ninja world is becoming increasingly tense. Their willingness to break the unspoken rules and target our Jinchuriki indicates that their problems have reached a point where they must be addressed!"

In the ninja world, there are no explicit rules.

However, there are still some unspoken rules to limit the intensity of the struggle and avoid meaningless waste.

Within the borders of various countries, infighting among the secret agents is tacitly permitted, but when it comes to important figures, especially when the crucial concept of 'tailed beasts' is involved.

In essence, it's not much different from a declaration of war.

"The fact that the Hidden Cloud Village did this does indeed reveal some things..."

"If they are militarily strong and deliberately provoking war, why would they actively reduce friction with Iwagakure?"

Koharu Utatane analyzed, "This is unreasonable. The conflict between Kumogakure and Iwagakure is not so easy to suppress, and it will affect the Raikage's prestige."

"That's right..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi said in a deep voice, "Therefore, considering all these factors, the Jinchūriki of Kumogakure are very likely on the verge of collapse!"

The three people present were immediately impressed.

This logic is reasonable...

"Danzo, we need to verify this hypothesis as soon as possible."

Hiruzen Sarutobi took in the expressions of the three men and continued, "My opinion is that we should not kill them by force, but rather release the Eight-Tails inside them secretly, without leaving any evidence."

"Konoha today cannot bear the image of actively provoking wars and assassinating enemy Jinchuriki."

"Internally, we let the key people know, and that's enough."

"As for Yunyin, having suffered such a blow, they will naturally become suspicious of everything without us having to remind them."

Danzo Shimura nodded in agreement.

He's a fighter, but not a mindless one.

He also didn't want Konoha to use this as an excuse to launch a full-scale war against the four hidden villages.

"Once you have confirmed the intelligence, we'll hold a meeting as quickly as possible."

"They must pay a bloody price. This is the small compensation we must give to Lady Mito and the Uzumaki clan."

What do you think?

The atmosphere sombered when Mito Uzumaki and the Uzumaki clan were mentioned.

During the Second Shinobi World War.

Konoha is mired in war and is in a state of chaos on all sides.

They neglected to look after their allies.

Although there were various reasons for the tragedy in Wochao Village.

For example, Uzushio Village is located on an isolated island between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water, and it is unwilling to move inland to join Konoha, which greatly limits the speed of support...

Ultimately, however, it was a major mistake by the Konoha leadership.