News Returns

Dodai stood in the tent with an unreadable expression, staring at the map before him.

He had personally devised the Land of Lightning delegation's plan this time.

Its sole objective had been the Byakugan.

He, the Raikage, and the others had discussed it. Given Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen's personality, he should have swallowed this insult for the sake of the bigger picture.

Then they could obtain the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan, further strengthening the village's development of Nintaijutsu.

As for Sarutobi acting against their expectations and choosing to stand firm and go to war, they would not have minded that either.

Kumogakure had never feared trouble.

But Sarutobi had actually chosen to stand firm and fight, and his movements had been so swift. In less than a month, he had already assembled his army and silently reached the front lines.

Dodai could not shake the feeling that something was wrong.

This was not Sarutobi Hiruzen's style.

"Lord Dodai." Someone else hurried into the tent from outside.

"What is it?" Dodai asked with a frown, a bad feeling rising within him.

"Three of our squads have encountered Konoha forces in succession. They were nearly wiped out." Under Dodai's sharp gaze, sweat ran down the man's cheeks as he spoke nervously.

"What?!"

Dodai could no longer sit still. He lifted the tent flap and strode outside.

He was now certain that this operation was not being commanded by Sarutobi, nor by any of Sarutobi's subordinates.

Abandoning the option of taking prisoners and exterminating everyone instead—no one from the Hokage faction would use such methods.

"Recall the other squads outside. Have them all rendezvous with me at Si Ming Mountain. Send an urgent report to the Raikage. Tell him the front lines need reinforcements."

Si Ming Mountain was the tallest peak in the area, and Dodai's force was currently stationed at its summit.

From here, with Si Ming Mountain at the center, the sounds of battle could faintly be heard from every direction.

They had been surrounded.

Dodai's expression darkened. "Do we know who is commanding Konoha this time?"

"The enemy has concealed themselves well. Our men have not seen their overall commander appear. Most of those participating are from Konoha's smaller clans. The only medium-sized or larger clans are the four clans of Uchiha, Hyuga, Inuzuka, and Aburame," the messenger replied.

"Continue investigating who their overall commander is. Report to me immediately once you have the information."

Dodai's eyes were filled with worry. Konoha's two great clans had moved at the same time, with the Aburame and Inuzuka clans supporting them.

They had infiltrated this far and were only discovered after voluntarily revealing themselves. This overall commander was clearly no novice in either seniority or battlefield experience. Konoha was absolutely serious this time.

He could only hope the Raikage received the news soon and dispatched reinforcements. Otherwise, their advance force would have to consider retreating.

"Hokage, great news from the front lines!"

At the same time, Konoha also received the battlefield report from the front.

Under Danzo's leadership, less than a day after reaching the border, they had already destroyed three Kumogakure squads in succession and were pressing step by step toward the enemy's main force.

"That old Danzo is quite capable after all." Utatane Koharu beamed as though she had won the battle herself.

"Spread the news. Let the people in the village celebrate as well," Mitokado Homura said, stroking his beard.

The Anbu messenger scratched his head awkwardly. "The villagers already know. Every household has started celebrating."

Sarutobi frowned. The news had spread far too quickly.

He could not help rising to his feet and walking to the window. Opening it, he looked down below.

"Lord Danzo looks so young. Who knew he was actually this formidable?"

"What do you mean, young? My husband said Lord Danzo is from the same generation as the Hokage. The Land of Lightning went too far, so the Second Hokage's spirit appeared and restored Lord Danzo's youth, allowing him to lead troops into battle."

"So Lord Danzo is someone favored by the Second Hokage?"

Below, the Konoha villagers were all smiling broadly as they sang Danzo's praises.

Skill Points +1

Skill Points +1

Skill Points +1

The endless stream of notifications eased Danzo's slightly weary expression from traveling.

Traveling.

That was right. His fatigue came from traveling.

As the overall commander, Danzo only needed to issue instructions and confirm information such as the next route after each battle.

Such matters were second nature to him. He barely needed to think, and plans naturally formed in his mind.

He opened the panel to check his current total Skill Points.

--

Main Attribute Panel

Name: Shimura Danzō.

Age: Twenty-one.

Strength: C+

Body: C+.

Speed: A+

Spirit: A+

Skills:

Strength Amplification (Activated) Critical Hit (Not Activated)

Body Amplification (Activated) Endurance Amplification (Not Activated)

Speed Amplification (Activated) Sprint (Not Activated)

Spirit Amplification (Activated) Mental Resistance (Not Activated)

Skill Points: 123

--

Including the previous ten points, this battlefield report had caused more than a hundred people to acknowledge and respect him.

In the end, it was still because he lacked power. If he had led the troops into battle himself rather than remained behind the lines as an unseen commander, he should have earned even more points through his command.

Danzo sighed.

Although he was the overall commander, and every battlefield report began with some variation of "under Lord Danzo's leadership,"

the ones fighting desperately to the death were never him.

No matter how much thought he put into it, he had no way to claim all those achievements for himself.

Still, he was already satisfied with these results. At the very least, Danzo no longer needed to agonize over which skill to activate first. One hundred and twenty-three points were enough to activate all four skills.

"How is the battle going?" Danzo asked Yume Ryoma beside him.

After the first great victory, Danzo had ordered the force split into three groups. He led one group, while Uchiha Fugaku and Hizashi Hyuga each led another.

The three teams simultaneously swept away Kumogakure forces around Si Ming Mountain, surrounding Kumogakure's main force on the mountain.

"After splitting into three teams, our pace of killing enemies has increased. Those Kumogakure squads were wiped out before they could retreat to Si Ming Mountain," Ryoma replied.

Danzo showed no joy despite the favorable battle situation. He continued, "What about casualties?"

Ryoma said, "After dividing into three teams, our casualties have also increased. However, the wounded have all withdrawn to the rear as you instructed, where Medical Ninjas are treating them."

"Lord Danzo, shouldn't I go help too?" Everyone else in the village was fighting, while he remained at the rear of Danzo's unit. It made Might Guy so anxious that he scratched at his head and ears.

"I told you not to rush."

Danzo glanced at him. "Kumogakure is not like Kirigakure. They specialize in Nintaijutsu. Their physical training is no worse than yours, and they may have worked even harder than you."