The Avengers of the Uzumaki Family

But Tsunade clearly doesn't see it that way.

"A chaotic fate? Hmph, I don't think this is a chaotic fate. Shikaku, first tell the three elders about the current situation of Konoha."

Tsunade snorted coldly, not retreating at all, and gestured to Shikaku beside her.

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

After Shikaku bowed in response,

He then turned to Danzo, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu, who had already taken their seats, and said, "Elders, this is the intelligence that the Anbu has gathered so far, as well as information from the border garrison."

As he spoke, he handed a notebook to the nearest person, Mitokado Homura. After the three of them quickly read through it, their expressions all became serious.

Shikaku cleared his throat and continued, "Just as the intelligence reports indicate, Kumogakure has recently deployed additional troops to the Land of Hot Springs region. Combined with their previous forces, their total strength has reached over three thousand. They are frequently causing conflicts and skirmishes in the border area. In the past few days, there have been two or three clashes between reconnaissance personnel. Fortunately, there have been no casualties yet, but Kumogakure's aggressive posture is quite evident. In the northwest, Iwagakure troops have also appeared near the Land of Grass and the Land of Waterfalls. The intelligence reports seem to have detected traces of Iwagakure's Five-Tails Jinchuriki. Of course, this cannot be confirmed at the moment, but the number of Iwagakure ninja has also reached nearly three thousand."

Speaking of it.

Shikaku paused deliberately.

Meanwhile, the expressions of Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu in the lower positions had become extremely serious. Konoha could indeed withstand the pressure from the two great ninja villages in the past, but now the difficulty was much greater, not to mention that the Iwa ninja were showing signs of deploying the tailed beasts, which was beyond Konoha's current capacity to bear.

Danzo's expression also became even more gloomy.

In his heart, Danzo was cursing these ninja villages furiously. In his words, he had let these bastards live too comfortably in the past. Now, seeing them so arrogant and disrespectful, Danzo's anger had clearly reached its peak. This was directed not only at these major ninja villages, but also at the deceased Hiruzen Sarutobi. In Danzo's view, it wasn't because Hiruzen Sarutobi was weak; these ninja villages had no right to be so arrogant now!

Konoha was the victor in all three Shinobi World Wars!

But what did we ultimately gain?

Nothing at all.

This is what makes Danzo most infuriating, and it's also the only thing many fans of the original work believe Danzo insisted on was right.

When dealing with foreign countries, you have to be tough, right?

The dignity of a nation or a ninja village is built upon the valiant struggle of its own ninjas, upon the sharpest swords.

Instead of mutual understanding and mutual recognition, that's just a complete joke.

However, Danzo's behavior was clearly unique in Konoha, from the First Hokage to Naruto's rise to power in the original story.

The strategy they always adhere to is that ridiculous 'mutual understanding'.

Of course, it cannot be said that such practices are entirely wrong. In specific situations and at specific times, they can still play a very strong positive and active role.

But it's crucial to address the root cause and tailor the approach accordingly; you absolutely cannot act haphazardly.

"In addition, there's the Sand Village side. It's like they're going all in, deploying a full five thousand ninjas in the area near the Land of Rivers. Although there's been no movement from the Hidden Mist Village, we can't let our guard down."

"Did you see that? Did you hear that? Three elders, our Konoha is in a very dangerous situation right now. We need a calmer situation and a stable alliance. We can't provoke the Sand Village any further. Stabilizing the Sand Village is the best course of action."

Tsunade snorted coldly, clearly suppressing her anger as she spoke.

She had already exhausted all her efforts to alleviate the current situation in Konoha, and these three old men not only didn't come to help her, but also interfered. Tsunade herself was a person with a fiery temper, and the fact that she could forcibly endure it was the result of her self-cultivation over the years.

"The Cloud Ninja and the Iwa Ninja have actually suppressed their power to this extent?"

Mitokado Homura said with a solemn expression.

"We definitely need to be more careful then."

Koharu, who was turning the bed, also sighed softly.

This is the latest intelligence.

Before Tsunade returns, the first information about Konoha will be directly passed on to the two advisors.

But after Tsunade was already the rightful Hokage.

All information and intelligence must first reach Tsunade.

The two advisors can restrain Tsunade to some extent, but as mentioned before, Tsunade's prestige and the choices of those ninja clans are enough for her to wield the vast majority of real power.

Mitokado Ero and Utatane Koharu naturally had to fall half a step behind.

At that very moment, the two advisors relapsed into their old habits.

That is, one's judgment is easily influenced by the situation, and one is more likely to make choices that are swayed by both sides.

Danzo was also 'one glance at Dingzhen'.

It was clear from this that his two old friends had once again 'betrayed' their initial stance.

Danzo instantly felt disgusted again, and his expression became 'extremely interesting'.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 154 Danzo's Resentment

Unable to contain himself any longer, he spoke up first: "Hmph, let them come if they want. It is precisely at times like these that we cannot show weakness. This will only embolden them. We, Konoha, absolutely cannot show any weakness. If they are tough, we will retaliate tenfold. Konoha has never been afraid of anyone's threats or challenges!"

This is clearly militant ideology.

We cannot say that Danzo was wrong.

When facing an enemy, one should not show weakness.

That would only make the enemy think you're easy to bully, and then they'd become even more aggressive. But you can't just blindly confront them without any bottom line or reason. If Danzo's actions regarding Sunagakure and Menma were correct and beyond reproach, then...

Now they face the combined pressure from the three major ninja villages.

It would be extremely foolish to continue to resist like this.

This isn't confidence; it's downright arrogance.

Can Konoha still face the three great ninja villages at the same time?

The answer is clearly no. The current Konoha is not as powerful as it was during the reign of the Third Hokage. Back then, Hiruzen Sarutobi was in his prime, and he had Sakumo Hatake, Jiraiya, Tsunade, Orochimaru, and the rapidly growing Minato under his command. He could indeed fight against two or three ninja villages, and even win.

But Danzo clearly did not realize this.

He still firmly believed that Konoha was still the same Konoha. Even without these people, Konoha could still dominate the entire ninja world. He always felt that Konoha was stuck in the same place not because of a lack of strength, but because of an incompetent leader. He believed that as long as he led Konoha, he would be able to easily crush the entire ninja world.

Tsunade clearly couldn't possibly have such so-called 'confidence'.

She would never be like Danzo, attempting to be an enemy of the entire ninja world, let alone wanting to dominate it. He was the granddaughter of the First Hokage, her former lover and younger brother, and now Naruto, who embodies the will and shadow of these people from the past. They were all passionate and righteous individuals. Tsunade naturally shared the same hope that the entire ninja world and her own Konoha could maintain peace. Therefore, after Danzo's words fell...

Tsunade's expression changed instantly, and she could no longer contain her dissatisfaction, saying, "Forced!? Elder Danzo, do you know what you're saying!? The number of ninjas gathered at the border from the three major ninja villages alone already exceeds ten thousand, and that number could increase at any moment. Iwagakure has dispatched the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, and what about Kumogakure!? Won't they!? And Kirigakure, your actions are dragging Konoha into a war of destruction. If such a situation arises, who will bear the responsibility!? Will it be you, Elder Danzo? But can you bear such responsibility!?"

It was a completely blunt and uncompromising response.

This was only because Tsunade controlled her emotions.

Tsunade was practically pointing her finger at Danzo and yelling at him for overestimating himself.

Upon hearing Tsunade's merciless words, Danzo's expression darkened.

He's just a junior.

The atmosphere was noticeably more somber.

Just as Danzo was about to say something more...

"Yes, this is indeed a matter that needs careful consideration. We cannot bear the pressure of three ninja villages. So, Tsunade, what are your thoughts?"

Mitokado Yan, who was sitting opposite, spoke first.

"Use the captured Sand Village ninja and the One-Tailed Jinchuriki to negotiate with the Sand Village. As long as the Sand Village withdraws its troops, restores the previous alliance, and compensates us for our losses, the One-Tailed Jinchuriki can be returned to the Sand Village. In this way, the threat to our western side can be eliminated. Furthermore, the Cloud Village and the Iwa Village already have irreconcilable conflicts after the Third Shinobi World War. We can take advantage of this. If we don't eliminate all the pressure, we can at least keep it within our tolerance range."

Tsunade composed herself and then spoke calmly.

This wasn't just her idea.

Rather, it was an overall outline plan proposed by Shikaku. In practice, there would certainly be more detailed arrangements, but for now, this is the best option for the three ninja villages.

There were concessions, but also assertiveness.

It has a strong sense of lineage from the Hokage of Konoha.

"Yes, that is indeed a very reasonable approach."

I think so too.

Upon hearing this, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu also felt a sense of familiarity.

That's exactly how it should be.

At this moment.

The two looked at Tsunade with satisfaction and approval in their eyes.

This is the Hokage they truly acknowledge, and he is indeed Hiruzen's disciple.

The two consultants were satisfied.

Danzo was naturally unhappy about this.

In his view, there was no need for Konoha to make any concessions!

Even if we take a step back and say we really have to compromise, it's not impossible. Danzo isn't so stupid as to think he can't see the threat from the three great ninja villages, but there should be limits to how much we can compromise, right?

How could we possibly give up such an important asset as a tail?!

This is based on the fact that Konoha has already lost the Nine-Tails. How can the largest ninja village be without a tailed beast and a Jinchuriki?

This is something that cannot be allowed!

Danzo's expression immediately turned even colder.

However, with his two advisors and close friends having 'betrayed' him, Danzo knew very well that no matter what he said, it would be of no use.

Subsequently, regarding the issue of facial paralysis, Tsunade swiftly and directly stated her position.

"Finally, there's the issue of Uzumaki Menma. After all, he's Minato and Kushina's son, and it's not advisable for Konoha to deal with him in a high-profile manner, as that would be detrimental to internal stability. I think it's most appropriate to entrust the entire responsibility to Jiraiya. After all, Jiraiya is Minato's teacher, and I believe there's still some leeway for him."

This doesn't need to be explained in too many words.

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu also understood instantly. After exchanging a glance, they slowly nodded.

"Since you've said so, Tsunade, let's leave it to Jiraiya for now."

We should still have some hope, because from the perspective of the two advisors, they also feel that Menma is the kind of person who has been bewitched by Orochimaru, so there should still be some room for maneuver.

Besides, no matter how bad the situation gets, it's still the same, isn't it?

This is clearly another situation where an agreement has been reached.