March to War! Blades Pointed at Kumogakure

Life did not show mercy because of certain misfortunes, nor could anyone stop the tremendous changes of the era.

In the largest conference room of the Hokage Building.

Konoha's three great elders, the heads of every major clan, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and the Elite Jonin of the Jonin Corps sat in the conference room. Dozens of Konoha's strongest people had gathered here. It was no exaggeration to say that this room possessed the strongest force in the entire shinobi world today.

Yet no one spoke. They were all waiting for Hiruzen Sarutobi, seated at the head of the table, to speak.

"Everyone, take a look at the scrolls in front of you first..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked grave. Furrowing his brow, he said nothing more and merely motioned for everyone present to examine their scrolls.

Hearing this, everyone silently opened their scrolls and examined them closely.

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes slightly and swept his gaze across the room. When he saw Minato Namikaze, a faint glint flickered in his eyes.

The three great elders—Shimura Danzō, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu—sat quietly. They had already learned the contents of the scrolls, and their expressions revealed neither joy nor anger. No one knew what they were thinking.

"This..."

There was not much information on the scrolls. Once they had finished reading, everyone wore different expressions. Most of them frowned deeply, their grave looks plain to see.

Wisps of smoke rose from Hiruzen Sarutobi's pipe, shrouding the room in a haze. Concern seemed to linger in his eyes as he looked around at everyone in the conference room before slowly speaking.

"Everyone has seen it. According to information sent back by our intelligence personnel, the Third Kazekage has mysteriously disappeared and is suspected to be dead. The Land of Wind has no leader. Kumogakure and the Stone Shinobi have joined forces and deployed troops against both the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind..."

As he spoke, he took a deep puff from his pipe.

"What are your thoughts?"

"Perhaps this is an opportunity for us?"

One of the Jonin who favored war began voicing his opinion, though it merely served to open the discussion. The heads of the major clans still frowned in silence, as though deep in thought.

"Indeed. Kumogakure has marched a long way and deployed troops against two major nations at once. They will inevitably lack the strength to sustain themselves. Ōnoki, the Tsuchikage of the Stone Shinobi, is a cunning man. He certainly will not work wholeheartedly with Kumogakure, and their alliance will fall apart at the first sign of trouble.

"Sunagakure is currently weak and urgently needs outside help. We can ally with Sunagakure, adopt a strategic defense against the Stone Shinobi, and concentrate our forces on wiping out Kumogakure's advance troops first."

Though Minato Namikaze was not considered a hawk, he would not simply watch another nation invade Konoha.

His voice was not loud, but everyone's attention focused on him. This powerful yet mild-tempered Jonin had already been regarded by the major clans as the mouthpiece Hiruzen had put forward.

As the Third Hokage's grand-disciple, Jiraiya's student, and a Root-bred direct heir of the Hokage's line, no one could ignore his views. To a certain extent, his words carried the Third Hokage's stance.

As everyone fell silent, a Jonin in the corner suddenly spoke.

"After defeating Kumogakure, if the Land of Wind falls into chaos over the struggle for the Kazekage's position, we can try joining forces with the Stone Shinobi instead. We can use military pressure to force the Land of Wind to surrender most of its mission resources and strategic strongholds. We might even... interfere in the selection of the Fourth Kazekage..."

The Jonin who spoke in a muffled voice—Shinta Yura—briefly exchanged glances with Danzo. His sudden words surprised everyone, since he was ordinarily inconspicuous. After discreetly looking around, they roughly understood that he was Elder Danzo's subordinate.

However, while his words sounded absurd, they seemed highly feasible. At the very least, the idea of obtaining resources was entirely possible.

"Wishful thinking! That old woman Chiyo holds great prestige in Sunagakure. Trying to interfere with the Kazekage election while bypassing Chiyo is simply unrealistic.

"Besides, I believe we need to strengthen our defenses along the border with the Land of Wind, in case the Sand Shinobi redirect their domestic conflicts outward and turn their attention toward Konoha."

"The Land of Wind is nothing but desert and barren wilderness. Kumogakure and the Stone Shinobi attacking Sunagakure is probably not as simple as it seems. Their target must be Konoha! Even the attack on Sunagakure may simply be an act meant to lure Konoha into the trap!"

The Inuzuka Clan's statement clearly failed to gain the approval of most people. Compared with Konoha, the Sand Shinobi were far weaker. In most people's minds, if the Sand Shinobi attacked Konoha, they would only be humiliating themselves. Besides, Kumogakure and the Stone Shinobi would not choose dead weight as an ally.

Yamanaka Inoichi shook his head slightly. The Inuzuka Clan was still too impulsive. He somewhat regretted speaking too much after leaving Shikaku's home yesterday.

Seeing that her words had not won everyone's approval, the Inuzuka Clan looked rather indignant.

Shikaku Nara looked at the Inuzuka Clan with some surprise, as though he had realized something. He glanced lightly at Yamanaka Inoichi, who, despite usually being an honest man, seemed faintly unwilling to meet his eyes.

"Cough, cough..."

As though he had been choked by his pipe, Hiruzen Sarutobi coughed softly. The conference room gradually quieted, and everyone looked toward the Third Hokage.

Perhaps because only a few years had passed since the Second Shinobi World War, Hiruzen Sarutobi remained deeply wary of war. Though he did not believe the Sand Shinobi would attack Konoha, he still nodded to the Inuzuka Clan. However, he clearly had no intention of supporting her proposal.

"It is right to remain vigilant, but regarding Sunagakure, our top priority now is to gather more intelligence. While collecting intelligence, we will observe the situation for the time being. Kumogakure and the Stone Shinobi are our primary targets..."

"Since you have raised the matter, a Jonin of the Inuzuka Clan will lead three sensing squads. While gathering intelligence, they will also strengthen our defenses against the Land of Wind. ANBU will also dispatch additional personnel to handle intelligence work."

"Yes!"

Perhaps the Inuzuka Clan had spent too long among beasts, but they were always hot-tempered. Though they were considered a fairly sizable shinobi clan in Konoha, they lacked any particularly outstanding figures. The clan as a whole was only considered second-rate within Konoha.

"What Minato said just now was right..."

"First, we must deal with Kumogakure's attack. This is urgent, and we should concentrate our forces to end the battle quickly."

"The Stone Shinobi have always been cunning. Even if we concentrate our forces, it will likely be difficult to decisively end the war on the Land of Earth front in a short time. Adopting a defensive counterattack strategy is appropriate..."

The Third Hokage puffed on his pipe, then suddenly fell silent. As though he were testing the waters, yet also as though he had made up his mind, he slammed his hand down on the table, drawing everyone's attention.

Within his not particularly tall frame, he seemed like a vast, savage beast that had just awakened, carrying an air of dominance and unquestionable authority.

"Jiraiya, Minato, Fugaku Uchiha, receive your orders! Jiraiya will serve as commander-in-chief of the Kumogakure front, with Minato and Fugaku Uchiha as deputy commanders. Mobilize five thousand shinobi and drive back Kumogakure as soon as possible!"

At the sudden sound of the Third Hokage's voice, Fugaku's eyes, which had been closed in rest, opened instantly. He looked at the Third Hokage with slight surprise, then seemed to think of something and turned his gaze to Minato Namikaze. A faint smile appeared on his lips as he exchanged a look with the equally smiling Minato.

"The Uchiha Clan will give its all!"

"Minato Namikaze accepts the order!"

"Don't worry..."

Jiraiya did not like this atmosphere and had no desire to say anything, but his face carried a hint of gravity when it came to war. He nodded solemnly.

As he looked at his proud disciple, Minato Namikaze, his eyes were filled with warmth. This student, whom he regarded as perhaps the child of destiny who would change the world, was nearly perfect. He had also handled his relationship with the Uchiha Clan exceptionally well. This time, he would certainly shine brilliantly in the war.

For some reason, he turned to glance at his close friend Orochimaru, raised his eyebrows at him, and flashed a broad grin, only to receive an eye roll in return.

Jiraiya's face stiffened, and he curled his lips slightly.

"Orochimaru, Hyuga Hiashi, receive your orders! Orochimaru will serve as commander-in-chief of the Stone Shinobi front, with Hyuga Hiashi as deputy commander. Mobilize three thousand shinobi to wipe out small Stone Shinobi units, but avoid large-scale battles. It will be enough to stop the Stone Shinobi outside the borders of the Land of Fire!"

"Yes..."

"Hyuga Hiashi accepts the order..."

Hyuga Hiashi found it somewhat strange, but he gave no sign of it. With a touch of refinement and poise, he slowly sat back down.

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed as well. Though Hiruzen Sarutobi had not prevented him from going to the battlefield as Danzo had claimed, he had not placed him in the most crucial position either.

Though he and Jiraiya appeared to both be commanders-in-chief, everyone present understood that compared to the Stone Shinobi front, the Kumogakure front would be far more brutal—and would also offer far greater military merit.

Orochimaru looked deeply at Hiruzen, then smiled instead, appearing utterly unconcerned.

"For now, that will be all. Go and make your preparations..."

"Yes!"

No one spoke as they silently left the conference room.

Most of them had remained silent from beginning to end. For these "attendees," who spent all year listening with their ears, keeping their mouths shut, and obeying every resolution passed at every meeting, they naturally had no right to speak in such a major matter.

Only after the conference room was left with Hiruzen and the three elders did Mitokado Homura slowly speak.

"Hiruzen, have you decided?"

"Perhaps Jiraiya is more suited to inherit the Will of Fire..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi said nothing more. Today's orders had already subtly revealed his intentions to Konoha's clans. He believed that no one qualified to sit here would fail to understand.

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura nodded in agreement. Compared to the somewhat cold and sinister Orochimaru, they also favored Jiraiya.

"But it will still depend on how the coming war unfolds..."

Man proposes, Heaven disposes. In Konoha, a place where shinobi gathered, military merit would always speak for itself. If Jiraiya suffered successive defeats, Hiruzen could only turn to Orochimaru.

After all, he had already given him an opportunity.

They were both his disciples, but he had no choice but to consider more than that...

"Hiruzen, you will regret this!"

Danzo snorted coldly. Having no interest in staying any longer, he turned and disappeared from the conference room.

The two elders looked at Danzo but said nothing. They knew that Danzo supported Orochimaru, so it was only natural for him to be angry.

It was just that, after all these years, they had long grown used to Danzo being angry...