Konoha's Commander-in-Chief - Shimura Danzo

"Now, let us discuss how to defend against the invasion from Sunagakure." Sarutobi Hiruzen coughed twice before turning his gaze toward his old friend, Danzo.

After receiving the signal from his close comrade, Shimura Danzo slowly walked to the front of the group. "Hiruzen, I am willing to lead the troops to punish the invading enemy from Sunagakure."

Who among those present would not address Sarutobi Hiruzen with the respectful "Your Majesty—Hokage-sama"? Only Danzo, the Hokage's teammate and his most intimate partner, would dare to do so.

At this time, Shimura Danzo was in his prime, his appearance at its peak. His face was resolute, with his bangs evenly distributed on either side of his forehead protector. His handsome face was nearly perfect; although there was a scar on his chin, it did not detract from his looks, instead adding a touch of cold, ruthless charisma.

Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled. Among his current advisors, the one he valued most was his good brother, Shimura Danzo—loyal to Konoha and capable in battle.

The only drawback was that he had inherited their teacher's prejudice against the Uchiha, often muttering in private about "those naturally evil Uchiha brats."

Now that the Uchiha had chosen their side, they were his own people, and he had to find a way to change his old friend's mindset. However, for now, he had to resolve the matter of the commander-in-chief; after all, Sunagakure had already mobilized, and war was imminent.

Since he could not directly propose Danzo's appointment himself, Sarutobi Hiruzen appeared to be deep in thought while actually signaling Uchiha Hirotomo and Uchiha Xiao.

I gave you face just now; now you must return the favor, right?

Uchiha Xiao smiled slightly. "Hokage-sama, the commander-in-chief for this war must be Lord Danzo. You need to hold the rear and oversee the entire situation."

"Lord Danzo was your teammate and is a direct disciple of the Second Hokage; no one is more suitable than him to lead this resistance against Sunagakure!" Although Uchiha Xiao felt some resistance toward Danzo, he could not ignore the Hokage's instructions.

Uchiha Hirotomo also nodded. "That is correct. I agree with Xiao's opinion."

Following them were the Ino-Shika-Cho clans, and then the ninja clans that had been close to the Uchiha and Ino-Shika-Cho since the Warring States period.

There were the Kurama clan, the Aburame clan, the Inuzuka clan, the Yuhi clan, the Gekko clan...

Seeing that more than half of the clans present had agreed, the remaining Hyuga clan and their associated clans naturally did not remain silent.

Just like that, the prominent ninja clans present basically supported Danzo's command of the troops.

Shimura Danzo took a deep look at Uchiha Xiao, but then turned his head to stare at Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Sarutobi Hiruzen pondered for a moment and smiled. "Danzo, since everyone recommends you as commander-in-chief, I will choose you. However, are you confident?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen was merely going through the motions; if he had appointed him directly, it would have seemed too hasty. He needed Danzo to state his position to everyone.

"I will surely lead the Konoha army to crush the arrogance of Sunagakure!" Shimura Danzo raised the corners of his mouth, carrying the spirit of a youth in his prime.

Seeing that the time was ripe, a smile appeared on Sarutobi Hiruzen's lips, though his expression turned serious in an instant.

He slammed his hand on the table and stood up. "I announce that the commander-in-chief of Konoha's forces against Sunagakure is Danzo. Please cooperate with his orders and fight this battle well; I will celebrate your victory then!"

"If anyone disobeys orders or acts recklessly, they will be dealt with by military law—no mercy!" Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice was loud and resolute, making the ninjas present tremble.

Watching Sarutobi Hiruzen, Uchiha Xiao couldn't help but sigh. In the anime, the elderly Sarutobi Hiruzen made one bad move after another, acting timid toward outsiders while being heavy-handed toward his own people.

But the Sarutobi Hiruzen of this moment was a true hero of the ninja world. If he said he would fight, he would fight. If you dared to come, he would make you pay until you knew when to stop.

What had caused such a change in Sarutobi Hiruzen? Uchiha Xiao pondered, and a flash of insight struck him: it was power, and it was age.

Once a person enjoys the sweetness of power, they do not want to step down, becoming corrupted by it. Coupled with his advanced age, the older he got, the more he feared death, losing the drive he had in his youth.

How was this any different from Dong Zhuo of Xiliang? In his youth, he traversed Xiliang and befriended heroes, eventually entering the capital to quell chaos and enjoying the benefits of power. As he aged, didn't he also make one bad move after another, losing his drive?

Uchiha Xiao shook his head, stopping these thoughts. The most important thing right now was the great war with Sunagakure.

If he remembered correctly, many things were about to happen in this war: Nawaki wandering into explosive tags, Kato being assassinated in the camp, the White Fang flashing and Chiyo weeping, Chiyo's night raid on the medical camp...

He was momentarily dazed. After Sarutobi Hiruzen finished his platitudes and announced the end of the meeting, Uchiha Xiao stood up to leave, but Tsunade grabbed his arm.

"Xiao-kun, why are you leaving already? Teacher just said he wanted you, me, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Lord Danzo to stay and discuss things in detail." Tsunade was a bit confused, but seeing Uchiha Xiao's expression, she realized he had been lost in thought.

Uchiha Xiao snapped back to reality. "Oh... oh." He had indeed been thinking about many things, to the point of being distracted the entire time.

Seeing this, Tsunade sighed. Uchiha Hirotomo walked over with a chuckle and bowed to Tsunade. "Lady Tsunade, I leave Xiao in your hands. I will head back now."

"It's only right, Uncle Hirotomo. Don't you worry!" Tsunade hadn't been fond of the Uchiha clan, but now that Uchiha Xiao was an elder of the clan, she figured she might as well call Uchiha Hirotomo "Uncle" out of love for the person—it wouldn't cost her anything.

Uchiha Hirotomo chuckled and gave Uchiha Xiao a look, which roughly meant, "I'll be waiting for you at the clan grounds. Good luck!"

Uchiha Xiao gave a helpless, wry smile. Orochimaru and Jiraiya, who were about the same age as Uchiha Xiao, were also walking toward Tsunade and him; after all, they were in the same grade and had plenty to talk about.

Jiraiya scratched his head in embarrassment, while Orochimaru remained calm. Once the people in the conference room had mostly cleared out, the Anbu closed the doors once more.

Sarutobi Hiruzen draped an arm over Danzo's shoulder and looked at the four of them with a smile. "Old brother, these four are the deputies I've left for you."

Shimura Danzo frowned. "What is this, Hiruzen? Do you not trust me? You need these green kids to supervise me?"

The three youngsters—Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya—all looked somewhat displeased, while only Uchiha Xiao remained calm, a faint smile on his face.

"How could that be! Old brother, you know how I feel about you!" Sarutobi Hiruzen patted Shimura Danzo's shoulder with a laugh.

Shimura Danzo snorted coldly. He was a proud man, and he knew exactly how Hiruzen felt about him, but he was still annoyed at being assigned a few wet-behind-the-ears brats.