Ch. 243Forced Conscription
The Sarutobi Clan's chief and his advisers argued over how to stop the Uchiha advance, with military officers demanding more troops and civil officials warning that war taxes would ruin public support. The chief chose to risk nationwide conscription and a war tax to ambush the Uchiha, despite the civil officials' objections.
- A military officer proposed ambushing the Uchiha's main force in a southeastern valley, while a civil official challenged the plan over its cost and manpower.
- Military officers and civil officials traded insults until the Sarutobi Clan's chief ordered them to stop arguing and focus on the crisis.
- A military officer said they needed at least eight hundred troops, and a civil official insisted that funding was the primary problem.
- A civil official proposed conscripting ninja nationwide and imposing a war tax, drawing objections from another civil official and support from a military officer.
- The Sarutobi Clan's chief decided to gamble on destroying the Uchiha force, arguing that victory could open the way for the Land of Gold to expand.