Unexpectedly, although Konoha's ninja had rushed to the front lines, battle did not break out right away.
The ninja from Kumogakure were merely operating quietly beyond the borders of the Land of Fire, showing no intention of invading.
For a while, this left Konoha at a loss.
Konoha's leaders held a special meeting over the matter. Elder Danzo naturally argued that they should strike first. If they didn't chop off Kumogakure's wandering claws, how could they maintain order in the Ninja World?
The Third Hokage and Utatane Koharu still placed their hopes in peace talks. After all, Kumogakure hadn't actually invaded the Land of Fire, while Sunagakure had troops massed to the south, watching like a tiger waiting to pounce.
If they had to fight on two fronts, Konoha would be at a serious disadvantage.
Minato Namikaze didn't side blindly with either faction. In addition to contacting Kirigakure at the first opportunity to discuss a secret plan for joining forces against their enemies, he decided to prepare for both possibilities.
If Kumogakure was willing to negotiate, Konoha would welcome them with open doors. If they wanted to fight, Konoha would see it through to the end!
Fugaku Uchiha, whom Minato had promoted to elder despite opposition, offered no opinion during the meeting. He simply stated that he wanted to lead the Uchiha Clan to defend the strategic northern strongholds.
His straightforward manner made Danzo take notice. The accusation he'd been about to make—that the Uchiha intended to build up their own forces and stage a "yellow robes on the emperor" coup—stuck in his throat.
After all, if Elder Danzo was truly worried about such a thing, Minato could simply order him to take Root to the front alongside the Uchiha Clan, keeping each other in check.
But would Danzo go