PS: I will upload 5,000 words first, and there will be more in the evening. The number of words in the update two days ago is a little less, and I will make up for it today. In addition, I would like to thank all the book friends for their continued support. I was originally a die-hard fan, but I didn't expect that now high-end orders can break 6,000, and the average order is 1,700, and it goes up all the way to 2,000. I will definitely update a little more today to express my gratitude to all readers!
Sarutobi Hiruzen is sitting on his seat.
In the most concise and concise words, he introduced to his three close friends the current situation that his village was facing, especially the attitude of the two major ninja villages, and the power deployed by the two major ninja villages on the east and west borders.
The Kumogakure side seems to have stopped the corresponding military operations, but the force previously dispatched to Land of Hot Springs has not decreased at all, and there is a faint intention to further increase and suppress it. Let alone the quality, in terms of the overall number of the Kumo Ninja army, the Konoha side can detect a ratio of more than 3,500 people!
This legion strength already occupies at least a quarter, or even a third, of the number of ninjas in Kumogakure today. When it comes to Konoha today, it is close to one-fifth!
Although the forces deployed by the Iwagakure side in the Land of Grass area are not that aggressive, the number of Iwagakure Ninja detected is almost reaching the peak of two thousand people., Not to mention too many, compared with Third Shinobi World War, the troops used by Iwagakure this time are already about three or four times that of Konoha. If Konoha is slightly careless, the two sides will go to war!
It will only slide completely into an uncontrollable abyss.
You know, not to mention too much, compared with Third Shinobi World War, let alone the middle and low-level forces, at the Kage Level level alone, the current Konoha cannot provide as many solid united front commanders, unless Jiraiya and Tsunade can be recalled as soon as possible.
Otherwise, we really need to force old guys like Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō to go to the battlefield in person!
Therefore, the analysis and judgment of the current situation must be perfect. Sarutobi Hiruzen really doesn't want to see another disturbance in his Ninja Village.
His old bones can no longer withstand too much torture.
"Although this is expected, isn't Kumogakure's appetite a little too big? We are required to completely withdraw from the entire Land of Hot Springs, Hiruzen Sarutobi. Is this the bottom line for Kumogakure? Is there any other gain in Iwagakure? Can it be judged that Iwagakure's side is just Are you bluffing? If I am not mistaken, Iwagakure has deployed a large number of defensive forces on the two borders due east and south of Land of Earth, just to prevent Kumogakure and Sunagakure from making any changes. It is hard for me to believe that in this situation, Iwagakure still has the confidence to attack us!"
Although Mitokado Homura generally belongs to the conservative group who prefers Third Hokage, in the past few decades, many of the concepts and decisions have been the same as Sarutobi Hiruzen, hoping to use the safest way to deal with any problem. It is not as hot and strong as Shimura Danzō, but in comparison, Mitokado Homura is a type who is not willing to give in easily.
Especially in this situation of being threatened, it is naturally best to take a step back if the sea and the sky can be opened up, but what if it is not the case? And you have to consider whether the opponent is deliberately trying to fool them, hoping to gain nothing!
Mitokado Homura attaches great importance to this point.
"Iwagakure There is no specific information yet. Since the first day we came here, Uchiha Shōji, including the Iwagakure delegation below, seem to be staying in the hotel very quietly. Even if the Kumo Ninja delegation arrived today, only Uchiha Shōji came out to investigate and then went straight back. From the surface, there is nothing strange, it is difficult to tell anything."
Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned slightly and said with a hint of difficulty.
"Then we will..."
"Humph, if you have anything to think about, first agree to the Kumo Ninja side, and then completely suppress the Iwagakure side. This is the best choice!"
In the left position.
Shimura Danzō snorted coldly, then opened his eyes with a cold look in his pupils, and said disdainfully.
"Huh?"
"Danzo?"
This sudden opening, and such a clear opinion, made Sarutobi Hiruzen, Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu, as well as Shikaku and Inoichi who were standing on both sides of the back, their expressions moved slightly.
"Danzo, this is an important decision that affects the whole village, but you can't mix too much personal emotions!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Shimura Danzō with a very serious look and said, in his opinion, the reason why his close friend is so decisive must be because of the Uchiha Clan. A year and a half ago, Uchiha Clan When planned to merge with Iwagakure, Danzo clamored to hold Iwagakure accountable and forced them to hand over Uchiha Clan, otherwise they would directly declare war on them.
The malice shown by this bare fruit.
Sarutobi Hiruzen originally had some opinions, but now when it comes to the most important life and death issue of Konoha, Danzo has brought such deep personal emotions, and Third Hokage's face also shows a stern look of dissatisfaction.
"Hmph, Hiruzen Sarutobi, you are looking down on me too much. I admit that wanting to deal with Iwagakure is indeed due to my hatred for the Uchiha Clan, especially Uchiha Shōji. However, it is more out of consideration of the overall situation that it is best to negotiate with Kumo Ninja and then jointly suppress Iwagakure, which is in line with our current interests Konoha!"
Shimura Danzō squeezed his wooden staff slightly tightly, knocked the ground hard, and said coldly.
Sarutobi Hiruzen in the first position also had his eyes slightly condensed as Danzo said these words. Nara Shikaku in the side position had a faint flash of different color in the depths of his pupils.
"Why do you think so? Danzo?"
Mitokado Homura, who was sitting opposite Danzo, also leaned forward slightly at this moment and looked at Danzo with a very solemn expression and asked. Utatane Koharu also opened his slightly narrowed eyes and looked at Danzo with a steady expression.
"It's very simple. Why is Uchiha, Iwagakure putting pressure on our border at this time? Why is the leader of the mission that Uchiha Shōji? Don't you think this is Uchiha Clan Is it an act of revenge under instigation? I dare to guarantee that Iwagakure, or Uchiha Clan, is seeing that Konoha and Kumogakure are now in a fierce battle, and plans to take this opportunity to take action against us!"
"The so-called negotiating mission is here to spy on us. Once they detect any weakness in our Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi, believe it or not, the Iwagakure border forces will take immediate action. By that time, it will not only be a problem for Land of Grass, but even the stability of our Land of Fire border will have major problems!"
Danzo looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen with slightly deep eyes and said.
Not to mention, even though most of Danzo's judgments this time are his own arbitrary guesses without any real evidence, quite a lot of them are correct.
However, Danzo has too much dark history, not to mention the problems of the Uchiha Clan, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu It's really hard to believe Danzo's judgment. You have to say that this is Danzo's rational judgment based on the current situation. I'm sorry, but it's really hard for the three of them to choose to accept it.
Even if this statement sounds like that.
"Shikaku, what do you think?"
He did not refute immediately, but pondered for a while.
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked up at Nara Shikaku and asked.
When Danzo cannot be easily believed and it is difficult for oneself to make a judgment, asking Shikaku is the most direct and effective way.
Sarutobi Hiruzen also believes that Nara Clan's 'wise general', who can be called the highest intellectual leader in his ninja village, will definitely give a relatively correct and rational judgment or suggestion.
"Yes, Lord Hokage!"
Shikaku could have anticipated this a long time ago, and felt that Third Hokage of his family should probably ask himself, and he had made a plan in his mind in advance.
"I also agree with the movements of the Iwagakure side that Lord Danzo said. It was precisely because we saw that our village and Kumo Ninja were in a deadlock in the collision of Land of Hot Springs, and some additional information that was detected, that we decided to put more pressure on us Konoha. If we insist on what the probability is, I personally prefer a 50-50 split."
Nara Shikaku bowed slightly to indicate, and then pointed out in relatively obscure words the previous loss of Root elites in Land of Earth, and the arrest of a senior spy from the village codenamed Wandering Miko.
It is emphasized that the dynamics of Iwagakure are still relatively controllable.
This seems to agree with Danzo's judgment.
In fact, it leaves some room for discussion.
Shimura Danzō's expression also darkened. When he looked at Nara Shikaku with a deep look, the leader of the Nara Clan also shuddered slightly, but he still maintained a calm expression on the surface and continued, "So, Iwagakure, I think we can still focus on stability, and further explore Iwagakure mission, let's see if we can extract more information, but Kumo Ninja needs to focus on dealing with it. I think Kumo Ninja has a similar intention to Iwagakure, that is, to use the pressure exerted by Iwagakure to achieve the purpose of convincing us!"
It's not easy to judge Iwagakure. The key point is that Uchiha Shōji's attitude is a bit intriguing, but Kumo Ninja's intention is simply not too obvious from Nara Shikaku's perspective!
This is the weapon Chi Guoguo wants to defeat without fighting.
Use the pressure of the two major ninja villages to force Konoha to agree to their conditions and voluntarily withdraw from the territory of Land of Hot Springs. In this way, further collisions and losses can be avoided. While making profits, there is still room to sit back and watch the tigers fight.
"You mean the Kumogakure side must win Land of Hot Springs, right? Shikaku?"
Third Hokage's original movement of raising the pipe paused, and then he slowly put it down and asked with a hint of solemnity.
"Yes, Lord Third. I personally think that the Kumo Ninja side should 100% want to take down Land of Hot Springs. The previous military operations have stopped. They don't really want to have peace negotiations with us. They just saw When Iwagakure Ninja took action, on the one hand, he did not want to attract too much firepower from us and let Iwagakure take too much advantage. On the other hand, he also felt that he could get it from us without paying too much, so he made this judgment!"
Nara Shikaku nodded and continued.
"Is that so?"
Third Hokage nodded thoughtfully.
Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu on the side also looked thoughtful.
"What's your suggestion?"
"My opinion is, try to stabilize Iwagakure's side, don't provoke them first, don't show off, and then gradually advance negotiations with Kumo Ninja. If Kumo Ninja's side can take the initiative to retreat, I think we can really advance the negotiations. Of course, some details and issues will also depend on the follow-up development!"
Nara Shikaku said in a deep voice.
Some words cannot be said too clearly, especially when it comes to major military strategic issues. Kumo Ninja's request is for Konoha to completely withdraw from Land of Hot Springs's field. Such a major military concession is necessary, and only Third Hokage can make the decision. No one else can act on his behalf!
Shikaku is also very cautious in this regard and does not express his opinions easily. Whether he gives up or supports him, this is the right of Hokage and it is not his place to comment.
Even if Shikaku is 99% sure that Third Hokage has deliberately planned to abandon Land of Hot Springs's stronghold and withdraw the power of his own village back to the Land of Fire border, he will never speak easily.
And this is something Third Hokage values and appreciates very much about Nara Shikaku.
Including Shimura Danzō on the side looked at Nara Shikaku with a trace of pity at this moment. Why can't this resourceful person work for him? Danzo has wanted to bring Shikaku into Root under his command several times, but Sarutobi Hiruzen would not agree to it; The leader of the clan, Nara is also a well-known Ninja Clan in Konohagakure. With such an identity, it is impossible to enter Root.
His mind was spinning very quickly, and he paid great attention to the technical skills of his words. He seemed to agree with Danzo's meaning, but in fact, he refuted Danzo's approach in a core aspect. Anyway, in Shikaku's view, both sides can talk, and there is no need to really force one side.
Shikaku admitted that what Danzo said made sense, but with his acumen, he could tell that his elder Danzo must have his own plans. The target is nothing more than Uchiha Clan, and he can even further target it as Uchiha Shōji!
After all, Shikaku still feels that his elder Danzo is too arrogant. Obviously his own village has experienced so many accidents, and the situation the village is facing now is like walking on thin ice. Why can't this elder calm down?
Once the riot expands, it will be a scene that Konoha cannot bear!
Shikaku I really don't know what words to use to describe this elder in my family. Is he really stupid to the extreme? Or does he really have some trump card?
At least Shikaku does not want to see his Ninja Village and Iwagakure collide head-on at this point, even if they Ino–Shika–Chō Trio and Uchiha Shōji have a deep hatred. As a wise man and the patriarch, he needs to consider the common future interests of Nara and even Ino–Shika–Chō Trio.
The most correct approach is to choose a roundabout route and use softness to overcome hardness to solve the problem.
The people present are all experienced old foxes, and Yamanaka Inoichi is Nara Shikaku's best friend, so they can easily understand these implication.
Naturally, Danzo only feels pity after admiring it.
However, this time he was not in a hurry to refute Nara Shikaku, because he had already made corresponding preparations. Even if it did not go smoothly here, he was sure that the next situation would develop according to his wishes.
Because Danzo knows his Hokage best friend so well!
He will definitely negotiate a compromise with Kumogakure, and that is his chance. For this reason, Danzo even said that he is willing to negotiate with Kumo Ninja against his will, which is proof. You must know that this old guy is a proper hawk, the kind who will not compromise with anyone.
"Shikaku's opinion, what do you think?"
Although he already had corresponding plans, Sarutobi Hiruzen still planned to go through the process. He leaned forward slightly, crossed his hands on the table, looked at Danzo, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu and said.
"Well, I also think we can take a look first. This is not a temporary thing. The key point is indeed on Kumo Ninja's side!"
"I agree!"
Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu also nodded in agreement.
Danzo snorted coldly and said, "My opinion is still the same. As long as the core interests are not involved at Kumo Ninja, everything can be discussed, but Iwagakure must be strongly suppressed. Uchiha Clan is the problem that we Konoha must be 100% vigilant about and deal with!"
This is an attitude that must be revealed. Danzo is very aware that his three close friends now have a certain degree of 'distrust' in him, and for his own plan, necessary cover-up is still needed. Anyway, Danzo is very confident in his next arrangements.
Just Uchiha Shōji, Danzo still feels that it was only suddenly last time that caused Uchiha Clan to escape smoothly. This time as long as he plans more carefully, there will be no accidents!
After successfully winning Uchiha Shōji, isn't it up to you to decide the next situation?
This Shadow of Konoha has long made up his mind and will not miss this opportunity that he considers to be the best.
"Then let's settle it like this for the time being. Shikaku, the Kumo-nin mission is still the same as before. You will be responsible for the detailed negotiations. The bottom line is that we can withdraw from the stronghold in the Tangquan Mountain area, but the area covered by the frontier garrison at Fengqi Mountain adjacent to the national border cannot be lost. If the Yun-nin is really sincere, we can give priority to withdrawing a group of members, and our side can start withdrawing troops and let the Tangquan Mountain area be transferred to Yun-nin!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen finally chose a limited degree of compromise and gave up the most important Hot Springs Mountain Outpost, which meant that if a war broke out again in the future, Konoha would no longer be able to obtain the power to actively attack from Land of Hot Springs. Unless the entire army was pressed, there was a high probability that Mount Fengzui would only be able to rely on the defense line around Mount Fengzui for defense.
Just like losing your own Northern Fortress Sunagakure, although not as miserable as Sunagakure.
But the properties are the same.