"Fine, stirring words! But the reality is, where does Konoha have enough ninja left to sustain another front? Ninja don't appear out of thin air!"
Utatane Koharu snorted, impatient to pour cold water on the idea.
Mitokado Homura immediately backed her up, his tone adamant:
"Exactly! Let me make this clear now: after successive wars, every ninja of suitable age in our Mitokado Clan already has important duties. We truly cannot spare anyone for another campaign."
Faced with the two advisors' coordinated evasions, Xuandou turned his piercing gaze on Mitokado Homura:
"Oh? The Mitokado Clan enjoys the resources and funding allocated by the village and receives Konoha's protection. Yet now, with foreign enemies approaching and war upon us, you're the first to claim you have no one to spare? Is this the responsibility expected of a Hokage Advisor's clan?"
"You... stop talking nonsense!"
Unable to answer, Mitokado Homura flushed crimson.
"Enough!"
Utatane Koharu hurriedly interrupted, trying to extricate her old partner.
"Now is not the time to dredge up old grievances! Since the Uchiha advocate war and are a major clan, they should naturally shoulder more of the burden! In my view, the Uchiha would be the most suitable main force against Sunagakure!"
"Naturally shoulder more of the burden, indeed!"
Xuandou turned toward Utatane Koharu, his face full of mockery.
"The Uchiha will of course serve as the main force, but what I'd like to ask is, how many elite ninja does your esteemed clan intend to send to fight alongside us?"
With the fire suddenly turned on her, Utatane Koharu grew anxious.
"Absolutely not! Our Shōn Clan has few members to begin with. How could we compare with the Uchiha? That's out of the question!"
"What's the difference?"
Xuandou watched her slightly flustered manner with interest, pressing her unhurriedly.
"We're all Konoha Shinobi Clans. Why is it only natural when it's the Uchiha's turn, but out of the question when it's the Shōn Clan's?"
"How is that the same?"
"You Uchiha are a major ninja clan. Of course you should contribute more..."
"Enough."
Xuandou stopped wasting words arguing with them.
He surveyed the room, his voice suddenly rising with a long-absent, proud dominance that belonged to the Uchiha:
"It seems some people have grown accustomed to weighing gains and losses in comfort, forgetting that the Shinobi World's rules are written in blood and fire!"
"Since certain Shinobi Clans shrink from battle, we Uchiha will shoulder this war banner!"
"The wars other Shinobi Clans dare not join, we Uchiha will fight."
"The ninja villages other Shinobi Clans dare not provoke, we will provoke."
"The enemies other Shinobi Clans dare not kill, we will kill."
He paused, his gaze sweeping across every face with its differing expression, before finally declaring:
"In short, the enemies other Shinobi Clans can kill, we Uchiha can kill. The enemies other Shinobi Clans cannot kill, we Uchiha can kill all the more!"
"Supreme in ninjutsu, our might shakes the Shinobi World. This is who we Uchiha are!"
As his words fell, silence descended on the conference room.
That long-absent, imposing dominance of a great Warring States clan radiated from Xuandou like something tangible, striking the hearts and minds of everyone present.
For a moment, many older clan heads seemed to glimpse the shadow of Madara Uchiha in his days of unrivaled might.
Even Shimura Danzō's lone eye narrowed slightly, an inscrutable gleam flashing through it.
Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly exhaled a mouthful of smoke, breaking the silence.
He knew that, as Hokage, he had to state his position now.
"Very good. Such resolve from the Uchiha is a blessing for Konoha."
"Then what support do the Uchiha need from the village?"
Xuandou was already prepared:
"First, the Uchiha will dispatch three hundred elite members of the Konoha Military Police Force currently maintaining order in the village to the front. During that time, I hope Lord Hokage can coordinate the Anbu and the remaining security personnel to temporarily assume the police force's duties."
After a moment's consideration, Hiruzen nodded in agreement:
"Granted. The Anbu will take over some patrol duties. There is no need to worry about the village's security."
"Second, I need a formal appointment as supreme commander at the front, with full authority, so I can flexibly deploy all participating forces according to the enemy's situation and formulate and execute battle plans."
Appoint such a young Uchiha as supreme commander against an entire village?
Hiruzen's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
The risks were self-evident.
Yet as his gaze swept over Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, and those clan representatives whose faces showed reluctance or uncertainty, he understood:
At present, there truly was no candidate more suitable or more determined than Xuandou.
After briefly weighing the matter, Hiruzen said gravely:
"...Granted. I will formally appoint you supreme commander at the front. However, you must take responsibility for every decision and for the lives of every ninja participating. What is your battle plan?"
Xuandou's expression remained unchanged; he clearly already had a plan:
"My plan is-an ambush!"
"Sunagakure is still convinced its attack plan is utterly secret and Konoha knows nothing. That is their greatest weakness!"
"We can exploit this information gap to set an ambush along their planned attack route ahead of time, waiting at our ease for their weary forces and striking them unprepared!"
"If the ambush succeeds, we can inflict heavy losses on the enemy in the very first battle!"
Hiruzen's eyes lit up, and he could not help praising him:
"Excellent! Take them by surprise and overcome force with ingenuity! It is indeed feasible!"
Not only Hiruzen, but many clan heads below, especially those who had experienced war, could not help nodding inwardly at his words.
Indeed, this was no drawn-out war of attrition or hasty encounter, but a meticulously planned ambush!
If handled properly, it really could yield enormous results at a small cost, perhaps even thwart Sunagakure's offensive outright.
More importantly, killing enemy ninja in an ambush brought tangible military merits and bounties!
Quite a few clan heads began breathing a little faster, recalculating in their minds.
"Good!"
Hiruzen slapped the table and made his decision.
"Then the plan is settled. Xuandou, submit a detailed list of the supplies you need to the Hokage's office as soon as possible. I will have them allocated as a priority. Meeting adjourned!"
The meeting ended amid a subtle atmosphere.
Everyone filed out.
Xuandou had barely left the conference room when three people blocked his way.
They were the current heads of the Ino-Shika-Cho Clans: Shikaku Nara, Inoichi Yamanaka, and Akimichi Chōza.
Speaking on their behalf, Shikaku Nara got straight to the point:
"Supreme Commander Xuandou, our Ino-Shika-Cho Clans would also like to participate in the Battle of Kikyo Pass. Each of us is willing to dispatch fifty elite ninja, a total of one hundred and fifty, to serve under your command."
Just as expected!
Xuandou praised him inwardly.
Shikaku Nara truly deserved his reputation as Konoha's foremost strategist. He had instantly grasped the key to this battle and its potential rewards, reacting far faster than anyone else.
"Agreed."
Xuandou nodded readily.
"However, if you join the battle, you must submit completely to my unified command. On the battlefield, orders must be obeyed without question. There is no room for negotiation."
"Of course!"
Shikaku Nara agreed without hesitation.
He believed the strategic vision Xuandou had displayed and the Uchiha's fighting strength were far from empty boasts.
Entrusting his clansmen to him carried risks, but the opportunities were greater as well.
The Ino-Shika-Cho's decision to step forward first immediately left the other Shinobi Clans, who were still watching or hesitating, unable to hold back.
The Inuzuka Clan head also stepped forward:
"Our Inuzuka Clan is willing to send fifty elite ninja as well! Let those Sunagakure bastards taste the power of our ninja dogs!"
Hyuga Hiashi also said with a cold expression:
"The Hyuga Clan will also send fifty elite ninja who wield the Byakugan into battle."
Even Shimura Danzō, who had been watching coldly from the sidelines, gave a slight signal to Aburame Torune, who stood attending him.
Aburame Torune stepped forward:
"Lord Danzo believes this battle concerns Konoha's prestige. The Aburame Clan is willing to send fifty clansmen into battle to assist the supreme commander."
In no time, the clans that had originally claimed they had no one to spare had swiftly assembled another three hundred ninja!
The Will of Fire might gather dust at certain moments, but faced with merits within reach and tangible clan interests, actions often rang truer than slogans.
Watching this, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura looked exceptionally displeased.
As Xuandou had said, if this was an ambush, they could indeed inflict great damage on the enemy nation. Even winning the war outright was not impossible!
They were already beginning to regret it.
But they had spoken too categorically and adopted too lofty a stance. Changing their tune now would be like slapping their own faces and bowing to Xuandou.
How could they swallow their pride?
In the end, Utatane Koharu could only snort sourly:
"Hmph! A pack of fools blinded by profit! Betting everything on a wet-behind-the-ears brat-let's see what you do when you lose the battle and suffer heavy casualties!"
Mitokado Homura chimed in, struggling to save face:
"Exactly! Is the battlefield a child's game? Young people have no idea of their own limits..."
Xuandou could not even be bothered to look back:
"You two needn't trouble yourselves over that."
With that, he lingered no longer and hurried away.
For the system's voice had already sounded:
[Ding! Congratulations to the host on completing the mission! Reward: prize draw attempts ×1]