Just Messing Around

"Kumogakure wants to recreate the First Shinobi World War."

"They want to be the vanguard, bringing about a situation where all the major hidden villages join forces to attack Konoha."

After just a few short sentences, the conference room fell silent. Only the unhurried voice continued.

"Present-day Konoha can defeat Kumogakure, but it cannot withstand an alliance between Kumogakure and the other hidden villages."

Orochimaru swept his gaze around the room and gave a sinister smile. "Are you going to sit back and watch Konoha reach that point?"

Most of the smaller clan heads avoided meeting Orochimaru's eyes and remained silent.

Orochimaru's words had hit the heart of the matter and made a great deal of sense. But from another angle, they might also have been alarmist, raising the banner of "the village's survival" to force them into complete obedience to the village's plans.

The four great hidden villages surrounding Konoha... that hadn't happened yet, after all.

Since the Third Hokage and the other village leaders understood this, they certainly wouldn't stand by and let such a situation arise.

At that thought, the smaller clan heads covertly exchanged glances.

What they needed to consider was whether the methods the Third Hokage and the others were considering would make them sacrificial pawns.

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a puff from his pipe and spoke. "Orochimaru makes a good point. This battle must be fought and finished as soon as possible. We need to completely crush Kumogakure's attack in a short time. At the very least, we must leave them incapable of continuing the war.

What are your thoughts?"

Silence settled over the long table. Even Shikaku Nara, reputed to have an IQ above 200, said nothing.

He was only a jōnin representative, after all. How could he come up with a strategy that involved throwing lives at the enemy or launching a suicidal raid?

If it succeeded, that would be one thing. But if it failed, he would not only lose his standing, he would also bring resentment down on his clan.

Only the Hokage or the Hokage Advisors could bear the consequences of failure. A mere strategist could barely manage to patch up the plans handed down by the higher-ups. How could he dare take part in a decision of this magnitude?

With the village facing a crisis, everyone had their own thoughts. Danzo watched coldly from the side, unable to stop himself from sneering inwardly.

If this were Root, one order from him would have every Root shinobi willingly give their lives for the village. That was how the village's shinobi ought to be.

Hiruzen and his "Will of Fire"—what a joke. When it came down to it, people still backed away.

Only civilians with no foundation of their own, dependent on the Hokage's faction, would believe in that nonsense.

A trace of mockery gathered at Danzo's lips as he waited to see how the Third Hokage would handle things now.

But then a deep voice suddenly rang out from behind the long table, making Danzo's expression change.

Fugaku Uchiha spoke slowly, his face set. "The Uchiha Police Force is willing to take part in a frontal assault on Kumogakure."

At his words, the clan heads present widened their eyes in astonishment, unsure what the Uchiha were up to.

Under everyone's gaze, Fugaku remained unmoved. His expression was still, without a hint of emotion, as if he hadn't just committed his entire clan to the battlefield.

"It's good to see the Uchiha taking responsibility."

Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a plume of smoke and made the decision on the spot. "Then the Uchiha Police Force will serve as the main force in this battle against Kumogakure, with the other clans providing support..."

With someone taking on the most difficult and exhausting burden, the clan heads naturally had no objections. If anything, it was good news for them. But one person abruptly stood up and voiced his opposition.

Danzo's face was cold, his single eye fixed on the Third Hokage. "Hiruzen, do you understand what decision you've just made? The Uchiha Police Force's duty is to maintain order in the village. That has never changed since the Second Hokage."

The two Hokage Advisors also turned their gazes toward the Third Hokage, deeply dissatisfied.

Hiruzen had made this decision without consulting Danzo, and he hadn't even informed them beforehand.

"Just because it's always been done that way, does that mean it's right?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression was impassive. "The village is facing a war. The Uchiha volunteered. What's the problem?"

As he spoke, the Third Hokage lowered his eyelids and shot Danzo a sideways glance. "Or does Root want to go to war too and compete with the Uchiha for the main force's position?"

"You!"

Hiruzen's words had thrown him off, and Danzo's expression darkened with fury.

Of course he couldn't send Root to the main battlefield. Root had taken on so many dark, bloody tasks over the years partly to avoid open warfare and preserve its strength.

But Danzo couldn't possibly speak aloud about the higher-ups' long-standing suppression of the Uchiha.

It was something everyone understood without saying. It could be done, but it couldn't be said.

Especially not in front of so many clan heads.

Under everyone's gaze, Danzo's face fell, and he stopped objecting.

The Third Hokage's move had been aboveboard and had indeed disrupted some of his plans. At the same time, however, it had broken the long-standing understanding among the village's leaders. The two Hokage Advisors, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, clearly didn't approve of the decision either.

As fellow warped Uchiha haters, Danzo understood their thinking. Once the war was over and the Uchiha Clan had been weakened, perhaps they could achieve their goal by other means.

At the thought, the frustration in Danzo's heart eased. It was still unclear who would have the last laugh.

"Since none of you have any objections, we'll appoint the Uchiha Police Force as the main force," the Third Hokage said slowly. "Now, who will lead this shinobi force..."

"Lord Hokage, allow me to take command."

Orochimaru rarely used an honorific. He looked around the long table and gave a cold smile. "I don't think anyone will object."

No one dared meet Orochimaru's eyes, but instead of feeling threatened, they felt relieved.

War was terrifying, no matter the circumstances, and Orochimaru's strength would undoubtedly put them at ease.

"You'll take command?" The Third Hokage furrowed his brow, his face full of doubt. "This war is of great importance. Orochimaru, can you handle the responsibility?"

"I won't fail."

Orochimaru's lips curled into a confident smile, as if everything were under his control.

The two met each other's gaze, and the Third Hokage nodded. "Then you will lead this war."

With that, they began working out the personnel assignments, with the Uchiha Police Force as the main force, down to each individual jōnin and chunin.

Orochimaru occasionally interjected, specifying his requirements for the personnel.

Since no fundamental interests were at stake, none of the major clans wanted to oppose the village leaders. The assignments proceeded smoothly.

After each clan head confirmed their responsibilities, people began to leave one after another.

As he left the conference room, Orochimaru belatedly glanced at the Third Hokage, his face full of amusement. "Heh, things went fairly smoothly. But the Old Man really went to a lot of trouble for nothing."

That earlier retort had caught him by surprise, but now that he thought about it, if the war were lost, the Old Man could use it as an excuse to pin the blame on him.

The Hokage couldn't possibly make a major mistake!

To preserve his spotless image, the Old Man needed a scapegoat like him.

Orochimaru didn't care in the slightest.

Without Konoha, the Hokage would no longer be the Hokage. But Orochimaru would still be Orochimaru.

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