The Entire Uchiha Clan Enters the Fray?

The next day.

Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzo, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado arrived at the village gates early in the morning, as decided in yesterday's meeting.

It had been determined that Shimura Danzo would lead the troops, with each clan required to provide no fewer than thirty jonin, fifty chunin, and one hundred genin—meaning every clan had to contribute at least one hundred and eighty ninjas.

Counting all the various clans, large and small, this Konoha army would consist of at least six thousand ninjas.

Sarutobi Hiruzen stood there calmly waiting, while Shimura Danzo appeared somewhat anxious.

"Hiruzen, tell me, do you think we can actually scrape together these six thousand men?" Shimura Danzo's eyes were dark and inscrutable; he did not truly believe those clans would send their core assets to the battlefield.

"They will," Sarutobi Hiruzen said slowly. "There may not be that many jonin, but there has never been a shortage of chunin and genin. Even if there were a deficit, there are plenty of civilian ninjas to fill the gaps."

Shimura Danzo nodded. "These great clans all cherish their own feathers and hoard their strength; expecting them to contribute jonin is unrealistic." He sighed; the Sarutobi and Shimura clans had been close allies since the Warring States period.

As elders and heads of their respective clans, they understood the mindset of the ninja clans perfectly. However, unlike the other high-ranking officials, Shimura Danzo and Sarutobi Hiruzen were also the top leadership of the village.

They had to think of the village and the war. In truth, if one looked closely, there was no such thing as completely dissolving the barriers between the great clans; every clan harbored grudges against the others.

The idea proposed by Senju Hashirama—to build a village, forget past hatreds, and allow people to coexist in peace—was far too idealistic.

Of course, while Senju Hashirama was alive, when one man could crush all opposition, his words were the will of the ninja world.

But not long after he died, the First Shinobi World War broke out. Although he believed in peace, the ninjas of the world believed in strength.

"Monkey, look, it seems a clan is arriving over there!" Koharu Utatane tapped Sarutobi Hiruzen on the shoulder. Sarutobi Hiruzen snapped out of his thoughts and looked into the distance.

He saw the Hyuga ninjas, dressed in plain clothes with long hair draped over their shoulders, approaching slowly. Leading them was Hyuga Akagi, who walked toward the village gates with a warm smile.

"The Hyuga clan's thirty jonin, fifty chunin, and one hundred genin are all present. I ask the Hokage to inspect them." His voice was extremely confident, and a hint of pride lingered on his face.

The Hyuga clan was worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as the Senju and Uchiha; they produced these ninjas without batting an eye, though they were all branch house members.

Even so, this was a force on the battlefield that could not be underestimated.

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded and smiled at Hyuga Akagi. "The Hyuga clan is truly worthy of being a great clan; you've gathered so many ninjas in just one day."

"There is no need for an inspection. I trust the Hyuga clan, and I trust Clan Head Akagi!" Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled.

Hyuga Akagi nodded. "Yes!" He then stepped aside and stood with his hands behind his back.

Following them, the heads of other clans arrived one after another with their ninjas. How to put it—Sarutobi Hiruzen had been right; basically, they were short on jonin and made up for it with genin, each one crying about their clan's lack of strength and insufficient numbers.

Those who knew, knew. To this, Sarutobi Hiruzen still smiled and nodded, comforting them, "It's alright, I know everyone did their best."

Shimura Danzo's expression remained unchanged, but he felt a surge of anger inside; they were all holding back.

Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned as he looked at the ninjas present. Where was the Uchiha clan?

The moment this thought crossed his mind, the ground began to vibrate. Over a thousand Uchiha ninjas marched toward the village gates in perfect unison.

The heads of the other ninja clans tensed up. When they saw the number of Uchiha, their expressions shifted. Had the Uchiha sent their entire clan?

Sarutobi Hiruzen was stunned at first, then filled with wild joy. Even Shimura Danzo couldn't help but widen his eyes in surprise and disbelief. Had the Uchiha gone mad?

"Hokage-sama!" Uchiha Xiao waved. The other elders and clan leaders of the Uchiha had not come today; they had only sent Uchiha Xiao to lead the men.

"Xiao, you've come. What is this?" Sarutobi Hiruzen was delighted at first, then frowned and gestured toward the Uchiha ninjas.

Uchiha Xiao realized he should be formal, so he stepped back two paces, bowed, and saluted. "Uchiha Xiao, bringing two hundred Uchiha jonin, three hundred chunin, and five hundred genin, pledges the full strength of the clan to protect the village and defend the nation! We shall resist the Sand Dogs!"

Uchiha Xiao's voice was loud and resonant. The surrounding clans were all shocked. Was this the Uchiha they knew? They were actually committing their entire clan to fight for the village!

Sarutobi Hiruzen felt Uchiha Xiao's sincerity. He scanned the Uchiha ninjas and finally looked at Uchiha Xiao. "I thank the Uchiha clan for your full support!"

He moved to bow, but Uchiha Xiao, not daring to accept it, rushed forward. Sarutobi Hiruzen waved him off and bowed to the Uchiha ninjas instead.

"You are the Uchiha of Konoha—you were in the past, and you will be in the future. Your contributions are seen by me and all the villagers. As Hokage, I, Sarutobi Hiruzen, thank you for your sacrifice!" Sarutobi Hiruzen bowed to the Uchiha clansmen.

The Uchiha members were deeply moved and knelt on one knee. "For the village, for the villagers—it is our honor!"

Even Shimura Danzo felt his blood boil; he began to change his view of the Uchiha clan. Meanwhile, the previously proud Hyuga clan head looked somewhat embarrassed.

Regardless of how the Uchiha had been in the past, the fact that they had committed their entire clan to fight for the village was a level of resolve that no other clan could match.

After this battle, regardless of the outcome, the Uchiha clan would become the benchmark for Konoha.

Nara Rokumei's eyes lit up as he witnessed this. He admired Uchiha Xiao and the Uchiha clan, for even he would not have dared to make such a firm decision.

Tsunade was not here at the moment, or she would have been equally stirred. Due to her proposal regarding medical ninjas, she had been assigned to manage the village's medical corps and was serving as the medical commander for the war, not participating in the front lines.

The Senju troops stood to the side, watching Uchiha Xiao and the Uchiha clan with a sense of emotion. Indeed, a different leader could change the spirit of an entire clan.

The Uchiha now gave them the impression of being united and responsible.

The Third Hokage watched this with satisfaction and patted Uchiha Xiao on the shoulder. He smiled slightly, then gave a look to Shimura Danzo, who understood.

This was Sarutobi Hiruzen telling him to consult with Uchiha Xiao more often; he was here to assist him this time.

Shimura Danzo naturally understood. He looked at Uchiha Xiao and forced what he considered a sunny smile, and Uchiha Xiao responded with a smile of his own.