Konoha's Decision (2)

Danzo's voice remained devoid of any ripples, yet the sinister ruthlessness revealed in his words sent a chill through everyone present.

His left eye, not covered by bandages, swept coldly across the room, and a cold, oppressive aura unique to Danzo shrouded the entire council chamber. Some of the Konoha high-ranking officials who usually feared him even lowered their heads, not daring to meet his gaze.

Seeing that his presence had cowed the crowd, Danzo continued, "Kumogakure has actually taken the initiative to throw their entire village's strength into attacking Sunagakure; this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our village! Over these years, Kumogakure has grown increasingly aggressive, showing signs of overtaking Konoha as the number one village in the shinobi world. We can take this chance to completely eradicate Kumogakure and eliminate the threat once and for all!"

"The most important thing right now is to immediately contact the Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, to form an alliance. At the most critical moment when Kumogakure and Sunagakure are locked in battle, we will join forces with Iwagakure to annihilate their main strength, and then proceed to completely wipe out and partition the Land of Lightning and the Land of Wind!"

Upon hearing Danzo's strategy, the Konoha high-ranking officials fell into a deathly silence, and the Third Hokage furrowed his brows, not immediately expressing his own view.

Although Danzo's strategy was incredibly insidious and unscrupulous, the probability of success was extremely high. Iwagakure and Kumogakure had been bitter enemies since their founding, and countless tragic wars had occurred between them throughout history. As long as Konoha took the initiative to unite with Iwagakure to launch a simultaneous war against Kumogakure and Sunagakure, Iwagakure would certainly agree, giving them a massive advantage to settle the outcome in one stroke!

"Danzo-sama, this plan would make Konoha the target of the entire shinobi world."

At this moment, a young voice rang out. The speaker was Namikaze Minato, who had been promoted due to his outstanding performance during the Second Shinobi World War.

At this time, his expression was solemn, his eyes fixed directly on Danzo, showing no signs of retreating despite the pressure of Danzo's aura.

Rising from his seat, Namikaze Minato continued, "Taking action against Kumogakure could be considered a sanction against the aggressor of the war, but if we also attack Sunagakure, who is our ally, how will the rest of the shinobi world view us?"

Danzo sneered upon hearing this, "Short-sighted and womanish!"

"Konoha is located in the center of the shinobi world. For years, we have been surrounded by enemies on all sides, making it difficult to develop. As our power has waned, we have gradually lost our ruling status in the shinobi world. It can be said that the geographical position, which should have been extremely advantageous, has instead become more of a burden than a benefit to the village."

"However, if we can eliminate the Land of Lightning and the Land of Wind, the situation will be vastly different. The Land of Earth, tucked away in a corner, will find it extremely difficult to compete with us for the land of the other two nations. Located at the center of the shinobi world, we can easily reap the greatest benefits after the war. From then on, three-fifths of the shinobi world will be under the rule of the Land of Fire!"

"By that time, neither the Land of Earth nor the Land of Water—that tiny island nation far away overseas—will be able to match our national strength, and annexing them will only be a matter of time!"

The louder Danzo spoke, the more his previously calm expression grew somewhat agitated.

"No one understands war better than this old man. I will make Konoha great again!" Danzo concluded loudly.

His hands spread slightly to his sides, as if the future he envisioned were already within reach. At this moment, his ambition—or perhaps his aspiration—was laid bare.

The entire council chamber fell silent once more. Even Namikaze Minato was shocked by the latter half of Danzo's plan, momentarily at a loss for how to refute it.

Everyone had initially thought Danzo was merely playing a game of the snipe and the clam fighting so the fisherman could reap the profit, but they had not expected him to have planned out the post-war layout as well. It was indeed a golden opportunity for Konoha—or rather, the Land of Fire—to rise again and become the most powerful force in the shinobi world.

At this moment, Danzo felt his heartbeat racing faster than ever before; his entire heart felt as if it were about to burst from his chest.

As the proposer of the plan, if it were to be perfectly realized under his own promotion, he would be the greatest hero of the entire Land of Fire, and becoming the Fourth Hokage would be a matter of course.

Whether in times of war or peace, expanding territory and opening borders is always the highest achievement for a politician or a strategist!

Because he was too agitated, Danzo did not notice the Third Hokage, his old comrade at his side, observing him from the corner of his eye, nor did he realize that his inner thoughts had been completely seen through by the Third Hokage.

Although Danzo was highly capable and ruthless, he was still a notch below the Third Hokage, who was always inscrutable when it came to political maneuvering.

The Third Hokage also knew that Danzo's plan had a very high feasibility. Even though it would affect the village's reputation and carried many risks, it still held immense value to attempt.

However, it was a pity that this plan was Danzo's initiative, and therefore, he would absolutely never allow it to be carried out!