My Shadow, Your Regret

"Currently, Jiraiya is active on the front lines in the Land of Grass."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's finger tapped heavily on the spread-out map.

"Moving north, he can hold the passage for the Iwagakure Ninja of the Land of Earth; moving south, he can provide support to the front lines in the direction of the Land of Wind at any time."

He paused slightly and continued the deployment.

"Orochimaru will lead the newly prepared ninja army, standing by in the village as a mobile force, ready to rush to any tense front line for support at a moment's notice."

Finally, his gaze turned sharply toward Shimura Danzō, who had been sitting with his eyes closed in silence, his tone carrying an irrefutable decisiveness.

"As for the threat from Kumogakure of the Land of Lightning... Danzō, that front line is entrusted to you and your Root."

Sarutobi Hiruzen decided to send Danzō to the front lines rather than letting him remotely control Root from within the village. One reason was that with powerful enemies surrounding them, Konohagakure's top combat strength was stretched thin, and every Kage-level power had to be used where it mattered most.

Another reason was his dissatisfaction with Danzō's previous remarks—

Since you insist that all the dirty work in the shadows rests on your shoulders, then now, I shall place you on the battlefield under the sun.

Those "dirty jobs" you speak of will not require your concern for the time being.

Shimura Danzō was no fool; he naturally understood this unspoken reprimand from his old friend.

He could not openly defy the official order of the Hokage, so he could only scowl, let out a cold snort, and take the opportunity to set a condition.

"It is fine for me to go and guard against the barbarians of the Land of Lightning. But the standing army on the northeastern border is insufficient; facing the military might of Kumogakure, I need reinforcements."

The number of standing border troops that Konohagakure deployed toward the major nations was already limited.

Based on an assessment of potential threats, the northwest front facing the Land of Earth was garrisoned with 2,500 ninja.

The southwest front against the Land of Wind had 2,000 troops; the northeastern front directly facing the Land of Lightning had 2,500 troops.

The eastern coast, which might need to deal with the Land of Water, had 1,500 troops.

The expenses for this total standing army of 8,500 full-time soldiers relied entirely on the financial support of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.

In addition to this, Konohagakure also had about 3,000 regular ninja who made a living by performing missions.

Among them, 2,000 were conscripted as reserves and placed under the unified command of Orochimaru.

The remaining 1,000 still needed to maintain the daily mission operations within the Land of Fire.

War was war, but the requests of the noble lords could not be ignored.

This was true not only for Konohagakure but for the ninja villages of the other major nations as well.

This was not only an important source of income but also a key link in maintaining good relations with the upper echelons of the Land of Fire to ensure continued financial appropriations in the future.

The absurdity of the ninja world lay precisely in this point.

To put it in another perspective, it was equivalent to a great general holding heavy troops and the imperial guard in the royal city, yet still having to respectfully beg for money from the bureaucrats.

Isn't that ridiculous?

Now that Shimura Danzō wanted to add more men, Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned deeply.

He knew that Kumogakure was powerful and aggressive, and he was indeed worried that once his old friend arrived at the front line, he would be crushed by Kumogakure's thunderous momentum due to a lack of troops.

For both public and private reasons, he could not flatly refuse this request.

But Sarutobi Hiruzen had no men to spare either, so he simply opened his mouth.

"Konohagakure has no extra manpower to allocate to you right now, however..."

Seeing Sarutobi Hiruzen change the subject, the three people present who had worked together for decades knew he was up to no good, only to hear him say.

"Danzō, you can personally visit the major ninja clans and ask if there are any clan ninja willing to volunteer for the northeastern front for the sake of the village."

Since the founding of Konohagakure, a rule had been set—what belongs to Konohagakure belongs to Konohagakure, and what belongs to the ninja clans belongs to the ninja clans.

At the same time, in order to limit the ninja clans from having too much say in Konohagakure, there had always been restrictions on the number of Jonin slots for clan ninja.

This also led many clan ninja with Jonin-level strength to simply not become Konohagakure ninja, choosing instead to work privately within their families.

These elite forces hidden deep within the major clans were the true foundation of the ninja village of Konohagakure.

Just like the powerful Uchiha Clan, even the Hokage himself had no right to directly issue orders to their clan ninja.

Upon hearing this, Shimura Danzō's face turned so dark it could drip water.

How could he not understand Sarutobi Hiruzen's scheme—it was clear he wanted him to be the villain and test the bottom line of the various clans first.

After he hit a wall, Hiruzen would then step in as the Hokage to mediate.

By then, even for the sake of the Third Hokage, those ninja clans would find it difficult to refuse again.

"Heh, you take all the credit for the good reputation; what a Hokage who truly cares for Konohagakure!"

Facing Shimura Danzō's sarcasm, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu kept their eyes on their noses and their noses on their hearts in tacit agreement, remaining silent as if they were old monks in meditation.

Sarutobi Hiruzen only tilted his head slightly, sweeping a faint glance at Danzō with his peripheral vision.

He took a puff of his pipe unhurriedly, the acrid smoke swirling in his chest for a moment before turning into a long, white trail of mist that he exhaled slowly.

Amidst the swirling smoke, Hiruzen's voice was calm, "Danzō, I am the Hokage."

Shimura Danzō's body stiffened abruptly, his sinister single eye widening suddenly, staring fixedly at the calm face behind the smoke.

A surge of evil fire, mixed with humiliation, rage, and years of pent-up resentment, instantly shattered his usual gloom, causing his withered frame to tremble uncontrollably.

He had spent his entire life chasing that position, managing Root, and bearing the darkness of Konohagakure, convinced that his sacrifices were no less than those of Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Yet in the end, the one sitting there, the one who could say those words so dismissively, was always Sarutobi Hiruzen!

How could he not hate this?

How could he not be furious?

Isn't it just because I was cowardly when the teacher asked for someone to cover our retreat back then!

Shimura Danzō roared in his heart, his hands hanging at his sides clenching into tight fists.

His knuckles turned a ghastly white from the excessive force, and the veins on the back of his hands bulged as if they were about to burst at any moment.

In the deathly silent office, only the faint crackle of tobacco burning in the pipe remained.

Then came the heavy, ragged breathing of Shimura Danzō.

He stared fixedly at Sarutobi Hiruzen, squeezing the question that had long lingered in his heart out through his teeth.

"What about the Uchiha Clan? How exactly do you intend to deal with them? Leaving them at the core of the village is planting a seed of disaster that could detonate at any moment!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze sharpened behind the veil of smoke.

He had no intention, and absolutely could not allow, Danzō to interfere with Uchiha affairs again during the war.

"That matter no longer concerns you."

Sarutobi Hiruzen said coldly, "Do your own job and prepare to depart."

"Hiruzen, you will regret this!"

As soon as the words fell, Shimura Danzō turned abruptly, his wide robes whipping up a gust of wind.

With a loud "bang."

The door to the Hokage office was slammed shut with enough force to nearly destroy it, the reverberation echoing through the empty corridor for a long time.

Seeing the look of anger on Sarutobi Hiruzen's face, Utatane Koharu couldn't help but whisper.

"Hiruzen, don't take it to heart."

"One day, Danzō will understand your good intentions."