"Only by crushing them with an iron fist can we make them understand where the line is—and what must never be touched."
"Make them understand that in the Shinobi World, when Konoha speaks and celebrates, they must lower their heads and bow!"
A feverish fire blazed in Danzo's eyes, and his voice grew more and more impassioned.
At last, he cast off his useless disguise, tearing away the outer layer to reveal the savage, greedy eyes beneath.
"Don't go too far..." Hiruzen Sarutobi cautioned softly.
"And we still need more manpower. The forces we have now won't be enough against the Mist Ninja. We'll have to pull a large number of people from the village and send them to the front."
Danzo steadied himself, then raised a weighty issue.
At his words, Hiruzen felt a headache coming on. After such a long war, the village's reserve of ninja had long since dwindled to a dangerously low level.
"First, we have to send the Ninja Academy graduates to the battlefield. There's no avoiding it. We held back two graduating classes because the war had eased and because of your own wishes."
Danzo spoke firmly, with a hint of reproach in his eyes.
"We've gone two years without replenishing our ninja reserves. Without new blood, the war will only get harder. I understand how you feel, Monkey."
"It's cruel to send the new generation into war, but we can't evade this path or reject it. It's part of a ninja's responsibility. It's the foundation on which we stand."
"If we keep hesitating like this, the next generation—and the one after that—will only grow more fragile, and their circumstances will change with them. The Shinobi World isn't child's play, and being a ninja isn't a performance. You understand..."
Shimura Danzō spoke earnestly, trying