By the time Bing San arrived at the meeting room in the Hokage Building, it was already packed with people.
At a glance, there seemed to be seventy or eighty of them, all jōnin captains who were still in Konoha.
When Bing San walked through the door, he no longer had to stand as he had the first time he'd been questioned.
A seat had been specially reserved for him beside Nara Shikano.
It was clear that Bing San's status had changed considerably.
His clones often met with Sarutobi Hiruzen, but those meetings had mostly been brief summonings, and he hadn't had much chance to observe the old man closely.
Now, he noticed that the Sarutobi who should have been at the peak of his life had a few white hairs on his head, and many more wrinkles on his forehead.
He had also replaced the cigarette in his hand with a pipe. His once-thick hair had grown much thinner.
It seemed the Third Hokage hadn't had an easy time of it over the past year or so.
Bing San watched Shin'nosuke Sarutobi handle logistics at the camp every day, so he understood all too well.
Sarutobi Hiruzen tapped his pipe lightly against the table and said, "It looks like everyone's here. Let's begin."
"Yes, Lord Hokage." A man dressed in ANBU attire, with a small wooden tag marked "One" on his sleeve, spoke up. "Since Captain Mitarai Zixiao is currently directing operations on the Rock Ninja front, I'm temporarily taking charge of ANBU affairs."
The man cleared his throat. "Eleven days ago, Rock Ninja front commander Tsuchiemon began withdrawing his forces from the Land of Rain, heading toward the Land of Fields. The Intelligence Division's analysis suggests the Rock Ninja may attack the interior of our Land of Fire directly.
"Nine days ago, a Konoha outpost spotted an elite Rock Ninja unit. Its leader was suspected to be Taiseki.
"The unit is estimated to have around one thousand to twelve hundred shinobi. The outpost was completely wiped out, and we lost track of them. Their objective is still unknown. We're urgently searching for them.
"Also, eight days ago, the Raikage of the Land of Lightning appeared in the Land of Rivers. The Daimyo of the Land of Rivers formally sent a letter to the Land of Lightning, declaring his willingness to submit.
"For reasons unknown, however, the Raikage killed the Daimyo of the Land of Rivers. The daimyō of the other nations are now furious and are demanding that the Land of Lightning punish him severely.
"The situation within the Land of Lightning remains unclear. The Raikage and his forces are still in the Land of Rivers.
"Three days ago, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire sent a notice to Konoha. He is gravely ill and wishes to see Lord Hokage. That's all."
Sarutobi Hiruzen tapped his pipe. "That's the current state of the war. The Land of Water's intentions are still unclear.
"Thanks to Orochimaru and Bing San, we defeated the Sand shinobi, and the western front has had a chance to recover.
"Still, the situation isn't optimistic. Let's discuss what we should do next. Everyone, speak freely."
He then looked toward the first row, where only a few people were scattered among the seats.
Bing San glanced around and realized he was the first person in the row. The seats to his left were empty. Nara Shikano was on his right, and everyone was looking at him, waiting for him to speak.
Bing San was only ten years old, but he had absorbed years of scattered memories from an adult's life. Instead of feeling nervous in this situation, he was actually a little excited.
Bing San stood and cleared his throat. "Lord Hokage, and esteemed seniors, I don't have any good suggestions, but there's something I'd like to ask.
"Since the Sand shinobi are now in no position to resist, what should we do with them?"
The Third Hokage thought, This kid really holds a grudge. The Sand shinobi are already reduced to chewing roots because of him, and he's still thinking about them.
But this was a formal meeting, so he had to give a proper answer. "Chiyo suffered a devastating blow and has left the front lines. Her whereabouts are unknown. Rasa and Pakura are now leading the Sand shinobi.
"At present, we have around eleven hundred troops left on the western front who are fit to fight.
"The Sand shinobi live in a remote region and have few strategic resources. So for now, we intend to set the matter aside and discuss it later."
Bing San understood. They thought the Sand shinobi were poor and had little to offer, so they weren't interested in continuing the attack. They'd just exploit them a bit after the war was over.
It was true what they said: those with nothing to lose feared nothing. The Sand shinobi had fought Konoha again and again because they were poor, and they'd lost again. Yet Konoha didn't even want to keep attacking them because they had nothing. Hah. Politicians.
Bing San's eyes shifted as he came up with a devious idea. "Lord Hokage, Pakura of the Sand is vicious and utterly deranged. She attempted to murder our Konoha elder, Shimura Danzō, then fled.
"If Rasa is willing to execute Pakura, I think we'd be more than happy to support him as the next Fourth Kazekage, given his reputation and ability."
When Bing San finished speaking, the Third Hokage rolled his eyes. The assembled jōnin were speechless, thinking, Does this kid take the Sand shinobi for fools? If they kill Pakura now, more than half of them will rebel immediately. The Fourth Kazekage? More like digging a grave.
Sarutobi Hiruzen coughed twice. "Our western-front 'commander' does have a point. Deputy Captain Kurama, remember to write Rasa a letter later and explain the matter.
"And make sure to clarify that this was a suggestion from the western-front 'commander,' Shimura Bing San."
The Third Hokage was a real old fox. He wasn't just trying to sow discord among the Sand shinobi—he was also making sure the "Sand shinobi's target" drew even more of their hatred.
Nara Shikano lightly tapped Bing San's foot, signaling for him to sit down and stop talking, before the Third Hokage set him up again.
Bing San had no choice but to sit.
Shikano stood and said, "We're currently fighting on three fronts, and our forces are stretched thin. All our fresh troops have already been deployed. I suggest sending some newly promoted Genin squads to patrol the interior of the Land of Fire.
"I'm worried enemy shinobi might sneak in and try to sabotage us. The Land of Water's actions and intentions are especially unclear."
A group of jōnin then began talking over one another. Bing San listened from the side. In truth, he'd only been invited out of consideration for the unconscious Danzō and Orochimaru.
Before, Bing San had only been Shimura Danzō's child, so it hadn't mattered much if people tried to put him in his place.
Now Orochimaru and Bing San had defeated the Land of Wind on the western front, and the teacher-and-student pair were growing more famous by the day. Even ANBU members were saluting Bing San now.
And since Danzō had used himself as bait and ended up seriously injured and unconscious, plenty of people were grateful to him.
(Danzō: Pakura, you bitch! You hear me? You bitch!)
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. The assembled jōnin fell silent. An ANBU member hurried in and saluted Sarutobi Hiruzen. "Lord Hokage, an urgent report."
Sarutobi Hiruzen leaned forward. "Go ahead."
The ANBU member replied, "Yes, Lord Hokage.
"Three hours ago, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist from Kirigakure—Jūzō Biwa, Fuguki Suikazan, Jinpachi Munashi, Jinin Akebino, Kushimaru Kuriarare, and Raiga Kurosuki—broke through Konoha's defensive line and surrounded the Genin Might Guy, Shiranui Genma, and Ebisu.
"At the critical moment, Guy's father, Might Duy, arrived and confronted the Seven Ninja Swordsmen using the special ninjutsu, the Eight Inner Gates Formation. This gave the three Genin a chance to retreat. They've returned to Konoha and are urgently requesting reinforcements."
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