The Third's Compromise, Hanma Mobilizes

Land of Rivers border, Sand Shinobi Battlefield.

Hatake Sakumo rarely roared as he directed the Konoha ninja to retreat.

Chiyo manipulated the Chikamatsu Ten Puppets, her fingers moving in rapid succession as she frantically attacked the surrounding Konoha ninja. She had already fallen into a frenzy.

Bunpuku stood in the middle of the battlefield with his hands pressed together, while the yellow sand extending beneath his feet continuously claimed the lives of Konoha ninja.

Thick yellow sand wrapped around his body, shielding him from the Konoha ninja's surprise attacks.

He had turned the entire earth into a desert. On this battlefield, no one could stop Shukaku and his power.

"Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullet!"

"Wind Release: Sand Scattering Bullet!"

Yellow sand fell like torrential rain, blanketing the entire battlefield and hurtling toward the Konoha ninja with terrifying momentum.

With no room to fight back, the Konoha ninja could only flee in panic, while the Sunagakure ninja pursued them with high spirits.

Hatake Sakumo frowned deeply. He had no good way to deal with such an almost perfect Jinchuriki.

The old man before him seemed to have fully obtained the Tailed Beast's power.

Not only could he transform his torso into that of a Tailed Beast, but he also possessed an advanced Fuinjutsu.

Sakumo had tested him many times already, but he had been unable to successfully injure Bunpuku.

Hatake Sakumo's fighting style still leaned toward that of a Samurai, and enemies of this type were his weakness.

And Bunpuku was not the young Gaara, blindly trusting in some so-called "absolute defense."

With his own Fuinjutsu paired with Shukaku's sand shield, Bunpuku's defenses could be called airtight.

Since there was no way to counter Bunpuku on the battlefield, the Sunagakure ninja's morale soared under the inspiration of the Tailed Beast's power.

Konoha's forces retreated steadily. They could no longer hold the border defenses of the Land of Rivers and began withdrawing toward the Land of Fire itself.

Konoha's defensive line on the Sand Shinobi Battlefield had completely collapsed.

Hokage Building.

The Third, who had yet to calm down from the good news of a month ago, looked at the new situation on the Sand Shinobi Battlefield with a face as dark as iron.

He had thought they had already achieved success on the Sand Shinobi Battlefield and had been planning to send Hatake Sakumo to support the Land of Rain battlefield and end the war as soon as possible.

Who would have thought those Sunagakure ninja would be so vicious that they had even brought out a Tailed Beast!

The One-Tail Shukaku's participation in this battle was the first attempt to use Tailed Beasts as conventional weapons since the Battle of the Valley of the End.

The current Kage of the Five Great Nations were all shocked by the success of this experiment.

So even without the Ninja World Asura and the God of Shinobi, it was possible to control a Tailed Beast and wield such formidable power?

From then on, the Five Great Nations secretly accelerated their respective Jinchuriki training programs.

If one side lacked such battlefield weapons of destruction in the next shinobi war, it could only wait to be beaten down by the other four.

The Third looked toward the distant Senju Ancestral Residence and sighed inwardly.

Although he knew the Nine-Tails' power was among the greatest of all Tailed Beasts, he absolutely could not allow Uzumaki Mito to come out of retirement.

If he had to ask the First Hokage's widow to protect the village, it would no longer merely be a matter of losing face. He might as well commit seppuku after the war to apologize.

The Third tapped the desk, signaling for the remaining three members of Team Tobirama to voice their opinions.

The Sand Shinobi's deployment of a Tailed Beast had stirred the other three nations into action.

The forces of Iwagakure and Kumogakure had already begun patrolling Konoha's borders.

If the Sunagakure ninja brought Shukaku into the Land of Fire, the situation would become irreversibly dire.

Shimura Danzō stepped forward. No matter the occasion, he was always the first to play along with the Third, though not necessarily with anything pleasant to say.

"Hiruzen, this is the bitter fruit you planted. You bear primary responsibility for the defeat on the Sand Shinobi Battlefield!"

Well, this was Danzo for you. The moment he opened his mouth, he started accusing people.

"I asked you for suggestions, not for you to accuse me!" the Third snapped angrily.

The Third felt utterly exhausted by Danzo's behavior of still engaging in infighting with a Tailed Beast right in front of them.

Seeing that no one had said what he wanted to hear, the Third could only speak himself.

"At this point, we can only mobilize the Uchiha Clan. But Uchiha Setsuna must remain in the village, in case he uses the Mangekyo to gain the Tailed Beast's power."

"Danzo, go negotiate with Uchiha Hanma. Bring our sincerity with you!"

Danzo snorted unhappily. Looking at the Third, he said mockingly,

"Do you think Uchiha Hanma is like the Uchiha of old? He may be Kagami's son, but he is nothing like his father."

"Hiruzen, you don't honestly think he'll obey your orders just because you're the Hokage, do you?"

"Offer him benefits. Without benefits, that guy will never lift a finger!"

At that moment, Danzo seemed like Hanma's ally, helping him fight for better terms.

It was not because they had any friendship, but because Danzo understood a simple truth: some people could not be moved with gentle words or moral coercion.

Utatane Koharu stood up and demanded angrily,

"Contributing to the village is every Konoha ninja's duty! Allowing the Uchiha to take the battlefield is already a concession from us!"

In the original Second Shinobi World War, the Uchiha had not even been given the opportunity to fight and had been ruthlessly isolated.

It was not until the Third Shinobi World War, when the village could no longer withstand the pressure, that Minato Namikaze had been allowed to become Obito's teacher, showing them a slight measure of goodwill.

Shimura Danzō showed a disdainful expression and sneered inwardly.

The so-called Will of Fire might fool others, but it absolutely could not fool oneself.

Even Danzo himself believed that given how they treated the Uchiha, how could any Uchiha possibly believe in the Will of Fire?

Unless several mentally ill members appeared within the Uchiha Clan, otherwise, trying to persuade Hanma with the Will of Fire was something even Danzo could not bring himself to say.

Mitokado Homura spoke softly. "Then could we use his relationship with Tsunade as leverage?"

The Third impatiently waved his hand, rejecting the suggestion.

"Mito-sama has yet to state her position on this matter. Don't you understand what that means?"

The atmosphere once again fell silent.

After a long while, the Third spoke.

"Danzo, lead Root out. Root must gather intelligence on the remaining three great nations and guard against sudden attacks."

"Also, bring the Eight Inner Gates and the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing Technique as our bargaining chips. Make Uchiha Hanma give his all and drive back the Sunagakure ninja."

These two techniques were the result of the Third's careful consideration.

The Eight Inner Gates was a ninjutsu Hanma had always wanted, and it showed their sincerity.

As for the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing Technique, a ninjutsu that even Uzumaki clansmen rarely practiced, the Third believed it would not offer the Uchiha much help.

Danzo snorted and flicked his sleeve as he left.

It had to be said that among these people, only Danzo truly got things done.

Utatane Koharu still refused to let it go and questioned the Third.

"We cannot compromise with the Uchiha like this. You're aiding the enemy, Hiruzen!"

The Third gave Utatane Koharu a cold look and said in a deep voice,

"What do you mean, aiding the enemy? The Uchiha are also a shinobi clan of Konoha!

"They have the duty to defend Konoha, and we have the responsibility to reward them!"

Mitokado Homura adjusted his glasses. As though he had not heard the Third at all, he analyzed calmly,

"Given the current balance of power within the village, the Uchiha Clan has no allies."

"It does not matter if we let them gain some military achievements. Besides, Uchiha Hanma may not necessarily defeat a Tailed Beast."

"And if he survives, we can blame the Tailed Beast's attack on the Hunter-Killer Unit's failure, severely damaging the Uchiha's reputation."

"As long as most of the village's shinobi clans still support us, we need not worry about the Uchiha's ambitions for the time being."

The Third quietly listened to Mitokado Homura's analysis and nodded slightly.

Was I writing too many supporting characters? scratches head