Let Sakumo Take the Lead!

Danzo watched the Third Hokage hesitate, his brow furrowing as a surge of intense disgust rose within him.

Can someone like this really be a good Hokage? Teacher Tobirama, even you made mistakes.

But he failed to realize that perhaps the Third Hokage had lost his drive, yet he had once stood forward when it mattered.

Danzo, who had always called himself Konoha's root, had shown weakness in the face of death, even if it had been for the sake of his teacher.

Danzo rose to his feet, swept a cold glance over the silent higher-ups, and headed for the door.

"What are you going to do, Danzo?" The Third Hokage's hoarse voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Anything is better than doing nothing. Hiruzen, I'm very disappointed in you."

This time, before the Third Hokage could respond, Danzo strode out and vanished at the end of the corridor.

The Third Hokage's expression darkened further. Danzo's criticism weighed heavily on him.

He let out a heavy snort and looked at the few people beside him, who remained silent. His anger flared, and the dissatisfaction in his eyes nearly overflowed.

Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura—how had Teacher Tobirama produced students like you?

The Third Hokage turned to Nara Shikaku beside him and barked, "Shikaku, tell me what you think. Even if it's a more aggressive proposal, that's fine!"

Nara Shikaku was the current head of the Nara Clan, as well as the Third Hokage's strategist and staunch supporter.

What a pain. Why do I have to come up with the plan?

It's just Sunagakure Ninja and Amegakure Ninja, yet it's turned into such a mess.

Shikaku rose, slightly hunched over while maintaining a respectful posture, and slowly said:

"Based on Uchiha Hanma's intelligence, we can't move against Amegakure for now. We can only start with Sunagakure Ninja."

"Although the situation on the Sunagakure battlefield isn't ideal either, if you give the order, I believe Hatake Sakumo will find a way."

The Third Hokage looked at Shikaku with displeasure. This was not the approach he wanted.

The casualty ratio for Konoha Ninja on the Sunagakure battlefield had already reached a rather grim level.

Shikaku keenly noticed the Third Hokage's displeasure. A trace of helplessness appeared on his face as he began quietly analyzing the situation.

"Look, Chiyo and Ebizo of Sunagakure are facing Hatake Sakumo and Dan Katō on our side. Although the battle is deadlocked, we still hold the advantage from the broader perspective."

"On the Amegakure battlefield, Orochimaru and the others are already struggling against Hanzo. Furthermore, Hanzo possesses large-scale destructive ninjutsu, making it difficult for us to counterattack the Land of Rain."

"If we want to change the overall battlefield situation, Hatake Sakumo must force open a breach. Hanzo is too great a threat to Konoha's rank-and-file Ninja. If we push from the Land of Rain, we could suffer unacceptable casualties."

Shikaku wisely avoided mentioning the Hunter-Killer Unit. This past year of constant dealings with the Uchiha had shown him the changes within that clan.

The Uchiha are no longer mere brutes who only know how to kill. They have produced a leader.

In Shikaku's mind, the Uchiha were not a field he should touch.

Every ninja clan had witnessed this clan's growth over the past year of war. They were sustaining themselves through battle!

No ninja clan was willing to clash with the current Uchiha, even in secret. Let the Hokage handle those matters himself.

The Third Hokage tapped his pipe, a trace of resolve flashing through his eyes as he said in a low voice, "I will personally go to the battlefield and end this war!"

Shikaku let out a deep sigh, feeling a touch of helplessness at Konoha's current precarious state.

What good would you do by going? Sunagakure has a Kazekage too. And their Jinchuriki can be deployed.

Shikaku suppressed his inner complaint, rose, and gave a deep bow as he advised against it.

"Third Hokage-sama, if you appear on the battlefield and we still cannot end the war, then things will truly become troublesome."

"If you deploy, the Third Kazekage on the other side will surely deploy as well. Sunagakure may even use their One-Tail, Shukaku! I never doubted that you could defeat the Kazekage, but Mito-sama cannot take action. We would be far too passive!"

"Please trust our Konoha Ninja. They have simply gone too long without experiencing war. If you need to personally intervene just to fight Sunagakure Ninja and Amegakure Ninja, the other ninja villages will certainly begin testing us!"

"For now, we should still have Hatake Sakumo intensify his offensive against Sunagakure Ninja, then observe how the situation develops."

The Third Hokage's newly resolute expression turned hesitant again. Facing the war map before him, he fell into another round of silence.

Shikaku said nothing more and waited for the Third Hokage's decision. As a smart man, he knew well that the Hokage could only make his own decision. No one could help him make it.

The Hokage's meeting room remained in that strange silence. Stranger still, everyone seemed to have forgotten Hanma. No one mentioned the Hunter-Killer Unit's deployment.

After all, according to the intelligence gathered over the past year, Uchiha Hanma had performed far too brilliantly.

As the Third Hokage silently considered the feasibility of sending Hanma out, he recalled his previous discussions with Hanma and shook his head.

Uchiha Hanma still puts his clan above the village. His sense of belonging to Konoha is insufficient. I can't send him out again.

Rather than let the frontline Ninja bleed some more, I cannot allow the Uchiha to grow beyond control. That is Teacher Tobirama's will.

The Third Hokage walked to the window and gazed into the distance. He took a deep breath of fresh air and felt a profound sense of powerlessness.

In his eyes, Hokage Rock in the distance seemed to come alive, its face carrying a faint expression of reproach.

Looking at Tobirama Senju's familiar and kindly stone face, the Third Hokage felt a trace of unwillingness and bitterness rise within him.

Back then, Teacher Tobirama could lead Konoha against the entire Shinobi World. How had Konoha become like this now?

Perhaps I truly haven't done well enough.

His expression then sank. He strode back to the Hokage's seat and gave a low-voiced order:

"Order Hatake Sakumo to attack Sunagakure Ninja with everything he has. He must break through at all costs!"

"Yes!"

Nara Shikaku lowered his head and, like an emotionless machine, relayed the order to the Sunagakure battlefield.

Sunagakure battlefield.

Several Konoha Ninja gritted their teeth as they cut the rotting flesh from their arms, cursing Sunagakure Ninja.

"Do we have any treatment bandages left? Those damned Sunagakure Ninja are even using poison-coated tricks!"

"Stop complaining. The village has no choice either. Tsunade-sama is still on the Land of Rain battlefield."

"If you ask me, we should withdraw. If they want the Land of Rivers, why is Konoha sticking its nose into it?"

Hatake Sakumo, who was inspecting the camp, heard the wounded Ninja's complaints. He frowned but said nothing.

He whispered to a nearby medical Ninja, who sent over a crate of medical kits.

At this rate, morale will become a serious problem.

Just as Hatake Sakumo was considering the troops' morale, Nara Shikayama entered carrying a new order.

"Sakumo, the Hokage-sama demands that we launch a full-scale assault!"

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