"Right now, Jiraiya is active along the front line in the Land of Grass."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's finger landed heavily on the spread-out map.
"Moving north will let us hold the southern route into the Land of Earth for Iwagakure Ninja. Moving south will let us support the front in the direction of the Land of Wind at any time."
He paused briefly, then continued with the deployment.
"Orochimaru will lead the newly assembled ninja force, standing by in the village. As a mobile force, they'll be ready to head out and reinforce any front line that comes under pressure."
Finally, his sharp gaze turned to Shimura Danzō, who had remained silent with his eyes closed. His tone brooked no argument.
"As for the threat from Kumogakure in the Land of Lightning... Danzō, I'm entrusting that front to you and your Root."
Sarutobi Hiruzen had decided to send Danzō to the front rather than leave him in the village to control Root from afar. One reason was that Konoha was surrounded by powerful enemies, and its top fighters were stretched thin. Every Kage Level fighter had to be put to the best possible use.
The other reason was his dissatisfaction with what Danzō had said earlier—
Since you insist that every dirty deed in the shadows rests on your shoulders, then I'll put you on a battlefield in broad daylight.
You won't have to worry about those "dirty jobs" you mentioned for now.
Shimura Danzō was no fool; he naturally understood the unspoken rebuke from his old friend.
He couldn't openly defy the Hokage's official orders, so he could only scowl and snort before making a counterproposal.
"I have no problem going to defend against those brutes from the Land of Lightning. But the standing forces on the northeastern border are too thin. Facing Kumogakure's advance, I'll need reinforcements."
The permanent border forces Konoha had stationed along the borders of the major nations were limited to begin with.
Based on assessments of potential threats, the northwest, facing the Land of Earth, had 2,500 ninja stationed there.
The southwest, facing the Land of Wind, had 2,000; the northeastern line facing the Land of Lightning had 2,500.
The eastern coast, which might have to deal with the Land of Water, had 1,500 stationed there.
The expenses for this total of 8,500 full-time troops were covered entirely by the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.
In addition, Konoha had roughly 3,000 regular ninja who made their living carrying out missions.
Two thousand had been called up as reservists and placed under Orochimaru's unified command.
The remaining 1,000 still had to keep everyday missions running throughout the Land of Fire.
War was war, but they couldn't just ignore the nobles' commissions.
This was true not only of Konoha; the ninja villages of the other great nations were the same.
This was not only an important source of income, but also a key part of maintaining good relations with the Land of Fire's ruling class and ensuring continued financial support in the future.
This was one of the absurdities of the Shinobi World.
Put another way, it was like a general commanding a large army and the imperial guards in the royal city having to bow and scrape to officials for funding.
Wasn't that ridiculous?
Now Shimura Danzō wanted even more men, and Sarutobi Hiruzen furrowed his brows.
He knew Kumogakure was powerful and coming on strong. He was genuinely worried that once his old friend reached the front, Kumogakure might crush him in a lightning-fast attack because he lacked troops.
Whether for the village or personally, he couldn't simply refuse.
But Sarutobi Hiruzen had no one to spare, so he just moved his lips and said,
"Konoha doesn't have any extra manpower to assign to you right now. However..."
When Sarutobi Hiruzen changed tack, the three men who had been classmates and colleagues for decades knew he was up to no good. They heard him say,
"Danzō, you can visit the major ninja clans yourself and ask whether any of their clan members are willing to volunteer for the northeastern front for the sake of the village."
From the very beginning, Konoha had established a rule: Konoha's affairs belonged to Konoha, and the ninja clans' affairs belonged to the ninja clans.
At the same time, to limit the clans' influence in Konoha, it had always restricted the number of Jonin positions available to clan ninja.
As a result, many clan ninja with Jonin-level strength simply never became Konoha Ninja. They stayed in their clans and took private jobs instead.
These elite forces hidden within the various clans were the true foundation of the ninja village of Konoha.
The powerful Uchiha Clan was a perfect example. Even the Hokage himself had no authority to give direct orders to its clan members.
Shimura Danzō's face darkened until it looked as though water might drip from it.
How could he not understand Sarutobi Hiruzen's calculation? He was clearly being sent to play the villain and test the limits of the various clans first.
After Danzō hit a wall, Hiruzen would step in as Hokage and smooth things over.
By then, even if the clans had refused him, they would find it difficult to refuse again for the sake of the Third Hokage.
"Heh. You get to keep all the good reputation. What a fine Hokage, so devoted to Konoha!"
In response to Shimura Danzō's sarcasm, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu exchanged tacit glances, then sat in silence like monks in meditation.
Sarutobi Hiruzen merely turned his head slightly and glanced at Danzō from the corner of his eye.
He slowly took a drag from his pipe. The acrid smoke swirled in his chest for a moment before emerging as a long stream of white vapor.
Through the haze, Hiruzen's voice was calm. "Danzō, I'm the Hokage."
Shimura Danzō's body stiffened. His sinister eye flew open, staring at the calm face beyond the smoke.
A blaze of humiliation, anger, and years of resentment surged through him, sweeping away his usual gloom. His gaunt body trembled despite himself.
He had spent his whole life chasing that position, building Root, and bearing Konoha's darkness. He believed he had sacrificed no less than Hiruzen.
Yet in the end, the one sitting there, able to say those words so casually, was always Sarutobi Hiruzen!
How could he not hate him?
How could he not be furious?
It was only because I lost my nerve when the teacher ordered us to stay behind!
Danzō roared inwardly, his hand at his side clenched into a fist.
His knuckles turned bluish-white from the strain, and veins stood out across the back of his hand as if they might burst at any moment.
In the office, now sunk in dead silence, the only sound was the faint crackle of tobacco burning in the pipe.
Then came Shimura Danzō's heavy breathing.
He stared at Sarutobi Hiruzen and forced out the question that had been lingering in his mind for so long.
"What about the Uchiha Clan? What exactly do you plan to do about them? Leaving them at the heart of the village is like planting a disaster waiting to explode!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze sharpened behind the smoke.
He had no intention of letting Danzō meddle in Uchiha affairs during the war, and he absolutely would not allow it.
"This has nothing to do with you anymore."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's tone was hard. "Do your own job and prepare to leave."
"Hiruzen, you'll regret this!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Shimura Danzō spun around, his wide robes whipping up a gust of wind.
BANG!
He slammed the Hokage's office door with enough force to nearly smash it. The crash echoed through the empty corridor for a long time.
Seeing the anger on Sarutobi Hiruzen's face, Utatane Koharu couldn't help saying softly,
"Hiruzen, don't take it to heart."
"Danzō will understand your good intentions one day."