At these words, everyone present felt the pressure mount.
That was because the so-called standing ninja forces didn't include some members of the various clans. With Konoha constantly embroiled in battles,
the clans of Konoha wanted to preserve their strength and avoid suffering too many casualties among their ninja,
so they would have some of their registered ninja "retire" under convenient pretenses. This took them out of Konoha's command structure, even though they were still in their prime.
Generally speaking, they could practically be considered each clan's private army.
With the major clans holding power in Konoha, this was practically an open secret. The Third Hokage had gone the furthest of all.
It wasn't as outrageous as the rumored three thousand Sarutobi ninja from later memes, but he still had around four hundred private soldiers.
Now, however, Sarutobi Hiruzen had a different soul and felt no attachment to the Sarutobi Clan. He didn't care if he drained the clan dry, and freely used its ninja.
So the requested three hundred amounted to most of the Sarutobi Clan's ninja. Sarutobi Hiruzen's proposal left the other clan heads in a difficult position.
"Our Uchiha Clan will provide two hundred clan members!"
Uchiha Fugaku gritted his teeth and spoke first.
Now that Sarutobi Hiruzen was letting the major clan heads participate in Hokage affairs and had promised to free Uchiha members from the constraints of the Capital Guard, the Uchiha stood to gain the most. Uchiha Fugaku felt he couldn't accept without giving something in return.
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded approvingly.
It was a good thing he had worked so hard to win Uchiha Fugaku over. His efforts were clearly paying off.
Now the Uchiha had made a substantial contribution, and the pressure immediately shifted to the other major clans.
"The Hyuga Clan will provide one hundred clan members..."
Hyuga Hiashi's offer was no less sincere; it amounted to committing most of the clan's fighting strength.
"The Ino-Shika-Cho will provide eighty clan members..."
As a loyal member of the Hokage faction, Nara Shikaku naturally wouldn't hold back. But the Ino-Shika-Cho were all small clans, and even combined, they had fewer members than major clans like the Hyuga and Uchiha.
Gathering eighty ninja was already the best they could do.
As for Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, neither came from a ninja clan, so they had no people or resources to contribute.
Seeing that all the clan heads had made their offers, Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded with satisfaction.
"As for the remaining ninja, we'll draw them from the Shimura Clan and assemble an army of two thousand..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen made the decision then and there. Danzo was dead, but the Shimura Clan's remaining value still needed to be put to good use.
The elders present couldn't help wincing at that.
To gather two thousand men, wouldn't that drain the Shimura Clan dry?
They exchanged glances, silently understanding one another, but their eyes now held a great deal more wariness.
Clearly, they would have to be more careful when dealing with the Third Hokage from now on. Since changing his ways, Sarutobi Hiruzen had become far too petty.
"I'll personally lead the army into battle against the Cloud Ninja..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen said,
"Uchiha Fugaku will be deputy commander, and Nara Shikaku will serve as my adviser."
"We leave in three days!"
Although Sarutobi Hiruzen had returned to his peak and wasn't afraid of fighting the Cloud Ninja, he knew Konoha was still weakened by the war and lacked the resources to sustain a prolonged conflict.
So naturally, Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted to end the war quickly.
After formally asking the elders whether they had any objections, Sarutobi Hiruzen adjourned the meeting.
Only Nara Shikaku remained behind.
"Lord Third..."
"Though we've gathered enough men,"
"many of the village's facilities need to be rebuilt after the Nine-Tails Rebellion, and the compensation for the ninja casualties will also be a huge expense..."
Nara Shikaku hadn't contradicted Sarutobi Hiruzen in front of everyone, but the problem still needed to be addressed.
War cost money.
Sarutobi Hiruzen naturally knew Konoha's finances were in poor shape.
"It's fine..."
"The Shimura Clan's assets are being assessed. We'll put all of them toward this war..."
"Uchiha Fugaku also offered to fund the war."
At the scene where Danzo had been killed, after confiscating the Shimura Clan's assets in front of everyone, Sarutobi Hiruzen had subtly lamented Konoha's poverty to Uchiha Fugaku.
Uchiha Fugaku was perceptive enough to immediately offer to help.
"If that's still not enough, the Sarutobi Clan can contribute money too..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen made it clear that the Sarutobi Clan was the Sarutobi Clan, and he was the Third Hokage.
"That's enough, that's enough!"
Nara Shikaku interrupted with a wry smile, lest Sarutobi Hiruzen actually donate the entire Sarutobi Clan's wealth.
"With funding from the Shimura and Uchiha Clans, we'll have more than enough for one war..."
Leaving the Shimura Clan aside, the Uchiha were indeed an ancient clan dating back to the Warring States period. They had never been short of money.
In Sarutobi Hiruzen's view, the later massacre of the Uchiha was probably partly because, after the Nine-Tails Rebellion, Konoha's finances were strained and the Konoha High Command wanted to kill the goose that laid the golden eggs.
After all, once the Uchiha Clan was wiped out, Uchiha Sasuke hadn't inherited much of an estate.
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded. He understood the implication behind Nara Shikaku's words.
They had more than enough for one large-scale war, but if the conflict dragged on, it would become a bottomless pit swallowing money.
But Sarutobi Hiruzen wasn't worried. He still had another option:
the Transmigration System. He could obtain money and supplies in other worlds, but doing so consumed Space-Time Source Energy and was a terrible deal. He would avoid it if possible.
"Don't worry, Shikaku."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze was profound, his tone certain.
"Unless something unexpected happens,"
"this war will be over very quickly."
Nara Shikaku was taken aback. Seeing the sharp glint in Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes, he felt he could no longer read the longest-serving Third Hokage.
"That old bastard Danzo is dead?"
"And the Third Hokage killed him himself?"
The Fourth Raikage found the news hard to believe.
He knew Danzo and Sarutobi Hiruzen were known as Konoha's branches and roots, interdependent with each other.
They had always been close—practically inseparable.
"The Third, old as he is, still had the nerve to make a decision like that?!"
The Fourth Raikage had only recently taken office. He had always looked down on the Third Hokage, who was hailed as the Ninja Hero but was also known for his kindness and leniency.
As the victor of the Third Ninja War, the Third Hokage hadn't even demanded terms for the spoils of war. He had accepted an unconditional ceasefire.
That was exactly why the Fourth Raikage wanted to take advantage of Konoha after the Nine-Tails rampaged and the Fourth Hokage fell.
"Lord Raikage..."
"What about our ninja on the border...?"
A subordinate beside him asked tentatively. The Third Hokage was now showing a ruthless side. Did that mean he wasn't such an easy target after all?
"Keep harassing the Land of Fire's border."
The Fourth Raikage waved his hand, adopting an aggressive approach without hesitation.
He had chosen Konoha not only because of the Third Hokage's weakness, but because Konoha truly was at its weakest point in history.
The Fourth Hokage had fallen, the Sannin had left one after another, and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki had only just been replaced.
Konoha's only top-tier fighter was the aging, frail Third Hokage. The scent of opportunity was unmistakable to the war-minded Fourth Raikage.
By contrast, although the Third Raikage had fallen, it had been to cover the retreat of the main force. The Cloud Ninja army had suffered virtually no reduction in numbers.
And all their top fighters were in their prime, whether the Fourth Raikage or the Jinchuriki.
"Once I've stationed some more troops on the border..."
The Fourth Raikage gave a scornful laugh. He had only recently taken office and needed victories to maintain his authority. He was determined to claim a piece of the cake from the Ninja World's strongest village.
"Konoha will collapse without us lifting a finger and come to us to sign a peace treaty."
Before you continue