Inside the small meeting room of the Hokage Tower in Konoha Village.
The Third, along with four other Elders, held a small high-level meeting to discuss the village's upcoming strategies and actions.
After the discussion ended, Hiruzen Sarutobi clapped twice to call in Kentou, who had been waiting outside.
Kentou placed an intelligence report in front of each person, then briefly summarized the information received from the northwest border the previous night.
Torifu laughed after reading the report. "Finally, some good news!"
The others smiled too, though only Guai's looked truly sincere.
"From the Nine-Tails' Invasion until now, we've had practically no good news," Torifu remarked. "I suggest spreading word about Fugaku's successful raid on Iwagakure to boost the villagers' morale."
Guai added, "And perhaps we could offer special rewards to the Jonin involved in this operation as well!"
Hearing their suggestions, the expressions of the Third and the two other Elders immediately turned slightly grim.
Homura Mitokado voiced his opposition. "It's normal for 83 Jonin to achieve such results when attacking just one small Iwa camp."
"Then why didn't you think of such a strategy back then? Do you think the Iwa ninja are all useless?" Torifu countered coldly.
"Homura, that's going too far!" Koharu Utatane disagreed with Homura, but she quickly followed up with, "However, what Homura said does hold some truth. The success of this raid was indeed largely due to the large number of Jonin involved."
"How about this… treat this raid as an A-rank mission for the participating ninja, and allow them to request training in a B-ranked Ninjutsu technique at the Hokage Tower!"
Torifu let out a scornful snort. "Are we treating Jonin like beggars now?"
Before he could speak, Hiruzen decisively ruled, "Count it as an S-rank mission instead, and provide generous compensation for the three fallen comrades. As for the publicity, forget it—for now, the Jonin haven't yet returned. Publicizing it would only expose our current weakness."
No matter how it was publicized, Fugaku as commander would inevitably be highlighted. Therefore, although promotion might raise spirits, he absolutely wouldn't approve it.
Guai found logic in his words and nodded.
Seeing that the opinions of the four were aligned, Torifu gave a cold snort and dropped the matter.
Soon, the meeting concluded. Torifu and Guai returned to their offices, while Homura and Koharu followed the Third into the Hokage office.
After sitting down, Hiruzen handed them another detailed intelligence report. It contained the full account of the raid.
Upon seeing that Aozora had displayed a Fire Release technique nearly reaching S-rank level, Koharu expressed concern: "Hiruzen, we should pay attention to this Uchiha Aozora! At only thirteen years old and already possessing Elite Jonin-level strength, he might be another Uchiha awakening the Mangekyou."
In the past, even if there were exceptionally gifted Uchiha, the Hokage Faction never took them seriously.
One reason was that awakening the Mangekyou was extremely difficult, so reaching Elite Jonin status was essentially the ceiling for most Uchiha.
The other reason was that Konoha already had numerous Kage-level experts, so there was no fear of any Uchiha awakening the Mangekyou.
However, with the Hokage faction now lacking talent while the Uchiha produce one genius after another, even the elder advisors, who usually focus only on major village affairs, have no choice but to pay attention to a certain young Uchiha.
"I've been watching him for a long time," said Hiruzen Sarutobi, nodding solemnly. "Unlike Shisui, he's a narrow-minded loyalist to his clan. But that's not the main point—keep reading!"
After scanning several more lines, Homura Mitokado exclaimed in shock, "Fugaku and the other two provided cover during the retreat—yet they returned completely unharmed?"
Koharu Utatane replied, "They were injured too. Fugaku Uchiha had bloodstains on his face—clear proof that he had activated his Mangekyou Dojutsu! Without the power of the Mangekyou, what other jutsu could possibly hold back so many Rock ninjas?"
Hearing this, Homura carefully examined the intelligence report and sharply inhaled through his teeth.
"Even from a kilometer away, it still stirs fear deep within me. If I were standing close by, wouldn't anyone nearby be completely at his mercy?"
Seeing the alarm on his companions' faces, Hiruzen calmly analyzed, "There must definitely be some kind of limitation to Fugaku Uchiha's Dojutsu; otherwise, he wouldn't have stepped aside from competing for the title of Fourth Hokage back then."
Upon hearing this, Homura and Koharu nodded slightly, their inner fears somewhat eased.
Hiruzen continued, "Let's discuss Uchiha Fugaku's Dojutsu later. Look here—you see the bloodstains left on his face after returning."
Homura said, "Isn't that a side effect of using the Mangekyou? The Mangekyou draws upon immense, unnatural power—consequences inevitably follow."
Suddenly, Koharu remarked, "Looks like Fugaku has learned to play smart!"
"Smart?"
Muttering those words, Homura flipped through the report again. With his intelligence, he quickly noticed all the instances where Fugaku had clearly tried to win people over.
Coldly, Homura commented, "Hypocritical—didn't he even have time to wipe his face before pulling back?"
Nodding slightly, Hiruzen added pointedly, "In pursuit of the Hokage seat, Fugaku Uchiha has already begun concealing his true nature and building alliances."
After saying that, Hiruzen looked expectantly toward Homura and Koharu, but both simply nodded in agreement without speaking.
Coughing lightly, Hiruzen continued, "For the future of the village, we as its top leadership cannot allow our villagers to be deceived by Fugaku Uchiha."
Homura and Koharu remained silent, merely nodding along.
The meaning was clear. Given their wisdom, they naturally understood exactly what Hiruzen implied.
But they were unwilling to seriously harm the Uchiha through underhanded means. For one thing, they lacked capable individuals willing to do such tasks. More importantly, they didn't want an irreconcilable feud with the Uchiha Clan.
Although they themselves had no clans behind them, they also had their own descendants to consider.
Suddenly, Hiruzen found himself missing Danzo.
In the past, Danzo would readily take responsibility for such tasks without needing any hints.
Now, despite his words being so explicit, Homura and Koharu simply pretended not to hear.
A heavy silence settled over the Hokage office.
After a short pause, Koharu changed the topic: "Fugaku Uchiha has achieved great merit this time—no obstacles remain blocking his path toward becoming Hokage. We need to make plans early, Hiruzen!"
"Also," Homura Mitokado said, "Jiraiya and Tsunade have no interest in becoming Hokage. Who else can keep Fugaku in check now?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed at this and replied, "Since spring began, Hidden Cloud has been stirring up trouble. I'm considering sending Nobusuke and Kakashi for support."
Homura Mitokado stated bluntly, "Nobusuke hasn't made any progress in years—he probably won't achieve anything now. As for Kakashi, after slacking off for several years, how much of his former sharpness remains?"
Koharu Utatane, however, said, "I believe we should give Nobusuke another chance. He only lacks that final push. And as for Kakashi, as long as he regains his focus, with his talent, it's not impossible for him to reach Kage-level soon."
Homura Mitokado replied, "If you insist, I'll agree too."
Hiruzen concluded, "It's not that the Hokage position cannot be passed to someone from the Uchiha Clan, but it absolutely cannot go to an Uchiha like Fugaku who puts his clan before Konoha."
Soon afterward, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane took their leave.
Alone in his office, Hiruzen remained deep in thought for a long while. Then he summoned a white-robed Anbu.
"Sho, I'm assigning your squad a mission! Starting today, your team will be responsible for monitoring the Uchiha Clan's activities. Report every detail, big or small!"
"Yes, sir!"
After the white-robed Anbu disappeared, Hiruzen leaned back in his office chair, lit his pipe, and soon the rising smoke obscured his face.
The Anbu was originally created specifically for monitoring the Uchiha Clan.
When Hiruzen became Hokage, he inherited this tradition, although later he had transferred this task to Danzo's Root organization.
Now without Danzo, and neither Homura nor Koharu willing to take over, Hiruzen could do nothing but handle it himself.
...
In the Tsuchikage's office at Iwagakure:
Bang!
Onoki stepped into his office and was hit with devastating news—Konoha had launched a surprise attack. Furious, he couldn't help but slam his desk hard.
His specially customized desk, built to withstand such attacks, responded with a dull thud but merely shook slightly without any cracks—showcasing Iwagakure's superior craftsmanship.
Damn it! Konoha dares to deploy so many Jonin into battle! Don't they fear a full-scale war with us?
Furious beyond measure, Onoki had pushed hard for this invasion against Konoha despite heavy opposition. The disaster reported from the front lines felt like a tremendous slap across his face.
Now not only would the village elders criticize him, even Roshi would surely mock him.
After calming slightly, Onoki grumbled suspiciously, "Doesn't Hiruzen Sarutobi worry about Konoha being vulnerable, leaving itself open to other ninja forces?"
Standing nearby, Akatsuchi replied, "They certainly won't remain stationed at the border indefinitely. I expect Kitsuchi will report intelligence soon enough."
Onoki nodded slowly. Thinking about the Rock Ninja's casualties on the battlefield, plus the current weakened state of Iwagakure, he found himself at a loss for solutions.
During the Third Great Ninja World War, Iwagakure suffered heavy losses.
Initially fighting Hidden Cloud, Iwagakure sacrificed many low-ranking Rock Ninja to kill the Third Raikage.
Later battling Konoha, numerous Jonin perished due to Minato Namikaze's Flying Thunder God technique.
As a result, after the war, only Iwagakure's top-tier fighters remained strong. All other levels, both high and low, had become severely weakened.
Therefore, no matter how strongly Onoki had previously advocated for the benefits of war, he still couldn't convince the other village elders to support his campaign against Konoha.
Onoki was only granted permission to proceed after Danzo's defection.
He originally planned to take advantage of the situation, hoping to extort massive compensations from the Land of Fire after victory.
What Onoki hadn't anticipated, however, was that Konoha would fight back so fiercely—many jonin abandoned defensive duties and missions altogether, directly launching assaults on Iwagakure's main camp.
After all, it was Hidden Cloud that had recklessly attacked Konoha first. Iwagakure had merely done the exact same thing as Hidden Cloud did. Why were they being singled out?
Seeing Onoki remained silent, Akatsuchi anxiously said, "Konoha's main force is expected to arrive at the Front Line within three days. If that happens, Kitsuchi and his men will be in danger. Tsuchikage, please decide quickly!"
"I understand!" Onoki snapped impatiently.
After pondering for a while, Onoki declared, "I'll mobilize another 700 ninjas to reinforce Kitsuchi."
Excluding those maintaining daily operations in the village and monitoring Sunagakure and Kumo, 700 ninjas were already the maximum he could spare. Any more, and he'd have to send students from the Ninja Academy into battle.
However, the Third Great Ninja War had just ended not long ago. Iwagakure was still recovering. He couldn't possibly risk universal condemnation by sending children into war.
Furthermore, such inexperienced recruits would only serve as cannon fodder on the battlefield—they wouldn't alter the outcome of the war regardless.
Upon hearing this, Akatsuchi looked disappointed. Though unfamiliar with military command himself, he knew well enough that reinforcing 700 additional ninjas wouldn't bring Kitsuchi much advantage.
Onoki naturally understood this too. He told Akatsuchi, "In addition to sending these 700 reinforcements, I'll also explore other strategies. Now, go find Elder Heiji and have him assign those 700 ninjas."
"Yes sir, I'll get right on it," Akatsuchi answered before leaving.
Since Onoki didn't want Kitsuchi to return empty-handed, once numerical superiority became unachievable, he decided to focus instead on quality.
His first thought went to Roshi.
Roshi, the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, possessed power second only to Onoki himself. Mastering Lava Release techniques and able to partially transform into Tailed Beast Form, his destructive capability on the battlefield was terrifying. If Roshi were willing to join the fight, he alone would equal an entire army of ninjas.
Soon afterward, Onoki shook his head.
Ever since the Third War, Roshi had witnessed the devastation wrought by warfare and longed for peace and inner tranquility, devoting himself daily to studying Buddhist scriptures. At this point, rather than joining battle, Roshi would probably urge Onoki to withdraw troops instead.
Once Roshi was eliminated from consideration, though, Onoki surprisingly couldn't find any other figure capable of turning the tide of war.
Suddenly, Onoki recalled a recent contact—an organization of bounty hunters.
"I wonder if you so-called top-tier war experts truly live up to your reputation? My money isn't easy to earn, you know! If I don't see the results I want, I certainly won't pay you a single coin!"
...
In the Country of Rice Fields, deep within a damp cave.
*Drip... drip... drip...*
Listening to the crisp sound of water droplets striking rock, Orochimaru walked alone through the cavern.
Having failed to recruit Danzo, he was beginning to consider leaving the Akatsuki organization behind.
Although the Akatsuki was powerful, it lacked depth. Aside from the Leader's Rinnegan (the all-seeing eye), there wasn't much that interested him.
So, he planned to leave the Akatsuki when the time was right so he could focus on his research without distractions.
Before that, he needed to build his own base—one that would support his studies and withstand any attacks from the Akatsuki.
As he was planning how to construct this underground facility, suddenly a spiritual message came through the ring on his finger.
"What now?"
Orochimaru frowned. He remembered his recent mission was fundraising—but he'd completed that long ago.
Unable to figure it out, he scanned his surroundings before forming a hand seal.
[Projection Technique!]
Instantly, Orochimaru's spiritual projection entered a vast cave.
Looking at the strange humanoid stone statues inside, a flicker of curiosity lit in Orochimaru's eyes. He always got the sense that these statues were alive.
Besides the Rinnegan, these statues were another reason why he stayed.
Soon, multiple spiritual projections appeared atop the fingers of the statue.
Orochimaru glanced around, seeing that all seven official members of the organization—including himself—had gathered.
Kakuzu grumbled: "Leader, I'm in the middle of earning a bounty! Just tell us what it is quickly!"
Pain didn't respond. Once everyone arrived, he said: "Iwagakure has issued us a war mission—to attack Konoha's outpost near the Land of Fire's northwest border while they're at war with us."
Zetsu added: "The current commander of the Leaf outpost is 'Fugaku Uchiha,' known as the Murderous Gaze. The Ino–Shika–Cho trio is also stationed there."
A hint of caution flickered in Kakuzu's eyes, but he still asked: "How much money?"
With enough payment, he wouldn't hesitate to raid even Konoha itself.
Pain replied calmly: "50 million ryo!"
At this number, everyone present couldn't help but look surprised.
Kakuzu rolled his eyes in disgust; this amount didn't even come close to matching Fugaku Uchiha's bounty.
Pain knew the reward was low, but he didn't want to miss the opportunity to cooperate with Iwagakure.
He continued: "Completing this mission will grant you access to select one ninjutsu from the secret library of Amegakure, including several S-ranked techniques."
S-ranked jutsu would have excited any regular ninja, but none among the Akatsuki were ordinary.
Needless to say, Pain, Konan, and Zetsu weren't interested. Sasori only cared about materials for constructing puppets or corpses of strong individuals, while Kakuzu focused solely on money. Only Orochimaru and Biwa Juzo showed some interest.
Just when Pain thought he and Konan might have to handle the job themselves, Orochimaru licked his lips and said: "Hanzo's jutsu, huh?"
Pain nodded.
Orochimaru grinned: "Fine. I'll take this mission!"
Pain swept his gaze across the group once more. "We still need one more person. This mission is extremely dangerous; having backup would be best."
A moment later, Biwa Juzo spoke: "Count me in!"
"Good!"
After informing them of the basic mission details, Pain declared: "Dismissed!"
Back in the grotto, Orochimaru gently stroked his chin with his right hand and whispered, "Uchiha..."
Naturally, Hanzo's ninjutsu was tempting—his deadly venom, Water Release, and Sword Technique ranked among the best in the ninja world.
What truly captivated Orochimaru was the Uchiha's Sharingan.
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