Senju Chen followed the silent Anbu through the deep and quiet corridors.
What he was taken to this time was not the familiar office of Third Hokage, but the conference hall on the second floor of the building.
The heavy door was slowly pushed open by two Anbus, and a sense of oppression mixed with tobacco, old scrolls and dozens of powerful Chakra breaths hit the face like substance.
Inside the meeting hall, the light was dim.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was sitting in the main seat. The swirling smoke blurred his face, revealing only a pair of deep and sharp eyes, quietly staring at the door.
To his left was the expressionless Shimura Danzō. His bandaged right arm was placed on the table. His exposed single eye was locked on the young man who walked in like an abyss, filled with greed, fear and scrutiny.
The two consultant elders, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, were sitting on the right side of Hiruzen Sarutobi, with serious expressions and eyes like knives.
Further outside, sitting next to the huge oval conference table, were people who could cause vibrations by stamping their feet Konoha.
Uchiha Fugaku, the clan leader of the Uchiha Clan, is dressed in black uniform, with a cold and hard expression, and no emotion can be seen in his dark eyes.
Hyuga Hiashi, the patriarch of the Hyuga Clan, sat as straight as a pine tree with his eyes slightly closed, as if in trance, but the slightly beating veins on his forehead revealed his inner unrest.
The patriarchs of Ino-Shika-Cho Clans, Shikaku Nara, Chōza Akimichi, and Inoichi Yamanaka, all have different expressions, but without exception, they all have a kind of inquiry and solemnity.
Here, the will of the highest level of the entire Konoha is gathered.
But today, all of them are only doing it for one thing, or in other words, only for one person.
Hehe, those who didn't know this battle thought they were trying to judge themselves.
Senju Chen looked at this scene and sneered in his heart, but his face remained gentle and humble.
Without squinting his eyes, he walked to the center of the meeting hall, bowed respectfully to the figure on the main seat.
"Lord Hokage, Senju Chen are ordered to come and report."
"Well, it's good to be back, Little Chen, you've worked hard all these years outside." Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was gentle, and he blew out a smoke ring, indicating to Senju Chen that there was no need to be polite, "We have all seen your performance at Land of Rain in the past two years. You... have done a good job."
The sentence "Well done" is light and airy, but as heavy as a stone.
Everyone present had different expressions.
"Little Chen." Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't give him too much time to express his feelings and went straight to the point, "I called everyone here this time because I want to hear you personally retell the details of all the key intelligence from the time you entered Land of Rain to the end of the Battle of the North. After all, the words on the scroll are not as true as the oral accounts of those who experienced it."
Coming.
Senju Chen knew it in his heart. What nonsense details, the previous strategic information had been sent back to Konoha. Today there are so many people gathered here. What they want to hear is nothing more than how they captured Five-Tails and how they performed the legendary Chunin technique.
He raised his head and scanned everyone present with his clear eyes, taking in all the subtle expressions on their faces.
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
His voice was clear and calm, echoing clearly in the meeting hall where the needle could be heard.
"Initially, Teacher Orochimaru and I were ordered to enter Land of Rain, aiming to form an alliance with Hanzo of the Salamander and contain Iwagakure. According to the teacher's arrangement, we assisted Hanzō, first we cleaned up the hidden dangers inside Land of Rain, including hidden piles from Kirigakure, Iwagakure and even Sunagakure..."
He spoke in a leisurely and unhurried manner, and appropriately attributed all the credit to Orochimaru's "wise command" and Konoha's "correct policy", while he was just an excellent tool who obeyed orders and performed tasks.
The people present were all smart people, so naturally they could hear the humility in his words, and many people nodded secretly.
"... We encountered an ambush from Iwagakure, who dispatched two Jinchūriki, Four-Tails and Five-Tails, and Sumashi and other elites. Finally, with the joint efforts of seniors Teacher Orochimaru, Hanzo of the Salamander, and a large number of companions, they were lucky enough to repel the enemy and capture Han Five-Tails Jinchuriki."
He spoke in an understatement, as if he had just completed an ordinary C-Rank Mission, but the words "captive Jinchūriki" still made the eyelids of many people present twitch.
Uchiha Fugaku's eyes fell on Senju Chen's calm face, and he curled his lips unconsciously.
He knew that the real situation was far from as simple as Senju Chen said. According to the intelligence sent back by Shisui Uchiha, the real leader of this incident was the young man in front of him.
Why were you ambushed? It was clearly a trap set by you, specifically to trap those "honest people" like Iwagakure.
Senju Chen's narration continues. He talks about how to use Five-Tails Jinchuriki as a bargaining chip to deal with Iwagakure, letting Iwagakure fight against Land of Rain used the rat-proof weapon; talked about how to formulate harassment tactics to set Land of Earth's backyard on fire; talked about how to use intelligence gaps to promote the alliance with Kumogakure...
Although everyone knew the general situation, everyone was still shocked when they heard Senju Chen's description.
Is this a decision that a ten-year-old boy can make? He is clearly an experienced strategist. Every move he makes on the chessboard is precise, vicious, and hits the point.
Shimura Danzō The light in that one eye became brighter and brighter, frighteningly bright. He seemed to see an uncut jade. No, the strategic mind of the young man in front of him was already a peerless magic weapon that could suppress an era!
Back then... hey... it's okay. As long as I become Hokage, this peerless magic weapon will still be available to me. I glanced at Hiruzen Sarutobi who kept smoking, and Danzo thought with confidence.
Finally, Senju Chen talked about the Battle of the North.
"...Kumogakure's raid completely disrupted Ōnoki's deployment. According to my inference, he will definitely lead the main force in a decisive battle with Third Raikage. And this is the best time for us to hunt Four-Tails."
His voice paused slightly, and the air in the meeting hall seemed to freeze at this moment.
Everyone held their breath, knowing that the most critical part was coming.
"But we all underestimated Ōnoki's determination. He actually took the risk of the frontline being defeated and once again mobilized nearly 10,000 ninjas from Land of Rain's border and the country and set up a burying ground in the northern battlefield. volt. Third Raikage was dragged by Ōnoki. Kumogakure's ninjas were ambushed by Iwagakure's army and were instantly defeated, suffering heavy casualties."
"At that time, Raikage, my son, and Eight-Tails Jinchuriki had just lured Four-Tails Jinchūriki Roshi away. Facing the Iwagakure army coming like a tide, and Dust Release falling from the sky, there was no way to retreat."
For the first time, a trace of "fear" and "exhaustion" appeared on Senju Chen's face. He lowered his eyelids slightly and his voice became a little hoarse.
"In order to cover the retreat of Kumogakure's companions, and to protect myself... I can only... try my best to try to use that technique."
He took a deep breath, slowly raised his head, and looked at the senior executives in front of him.
"Wood Release·Advent of a World of Trees."