Hiruzen Sarutobi wore a kind and amiable smile as he cheerfully said, "You must know how brilliantly the war in the Land of Rain was fought, right?"
Hearing this, Danzō Shimura immediately nodded and replied, "Of course I know. I must say, your disciple Tsunade truly has the bearing of a great general. She understands how to assess the situation and weigh the pros and cons. Such a person is more than qualified to serve as a deputy."
As he spoke, he openly voiced this evaluation in front of everyone present without hesitation.
Then, Danzō Shimura continued sharing his thoughts. "I've also heard that Jiraiya and Orochimaru performed commendably in this prolonged campaign. I have no objections to them either. However..."
At this point, his tone suddenly shifted. He fixed Hiruzen Sarutobi with an aggressive glare and demanded, "As for that little brat from the Uchiha clan, Hiruzen, what exactly are you thinking?"
At this time, Danzō Shimura did not yet have the Root organization as his intelligence source, so the information he possessed was far less comprehensive than Hiruzen Sarutobi's.
Because of this, he still firmly believed that this victory was achieved solely through the leadership of Hiruzen's three beloved disciples on the battlefield.
Faced with Danzō's aggressive questioning, the three young shinobi standing nearby were instantly furious.
Tsunade, with her fiery and straightforward personality, could barely contain her anger and was about to retort when she abruptly met Hiruzen's stern gaze.
Under that glance, Tsunade, though unwilling, ultimately swallowed her words.
At this moment, Uchiha Ryun was gently stroking Tsunade's long, smooth hair, his movements tender and meticulous, as if comforting a startled kitten.
His fingers lightly ran through her strands, carrying a soothing force that silently urged her not to act rashly and to remain calm.
As for Uchiha Ryun himself, his expression remained unchanged, his face calm as he observed everything unfolding before him, as if the surrounding noise and tension had nothing to do with him.
His demeanor was composed, like an outsider quietly watching the situation develop.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, seated nearby, took in this scene and nodded slightly in satisfaction. His admiration for Uchiha Ryun grew even stronger.
This young man could remain so steady and methodical in such a complicated situation—truly a rare talent.
With a smile, Hiruzen reached out and pulled Danzō down to sit beside him. Then, he waved at Uchiha Ryun and warmly called out, "Uchiha Ryun, come over here."
Uchiha Ryun, hearing the Hokage's summons, nodded without hesitation and walked steadily toward Hiruzen.
As he approached, Hiruzen's smile deepened. He turned to Danzō and said, "Danzō, do you know that during the war in the Land of Rain, the strategies of prolonged warfare, cutting off enemy supply lines, and ambushing the Rain-nin were all devised by Uchiha Ryun?"
Hearing this, Danzō, who had been somewhat indifferent, suddenly stiffened, sitting bolt upright. His eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Uchiha Ryun, filled with doubt and shock.
However, since these words came from Hiruzen's mouth, there was no way they could be false. With this in mind, Danzō scrutinized the seemingly ordinary yet deeply remarkable young man before him once more.
What puzzled him was: If all this was Uchiha Ryun's doing, why didn't he claim credit and instead attributed the achievements to Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru?
Could he have some ulterior motive? Thinking this, Danzō's eyes turned cold again as he glanced at Uchiha Ryun. Noticing this, Uchiha Ryun smiled faintly and nodded in response, which only irritated Danzō further.
Hiruzen, now intrigued, asked, "Ryun, why didn't you want to take credit?"
Danzō also looked at Uchiha Ryun. His eyes were like a ruler—he could tell if someone was lying at a glance.
So, you inherently evil Uchiha brat, if you dare lie, I'll crush you to dust!
His gaze turned icy, his lips curling as if he were facing not an ally but a criminal.
"Danzō! Control your expression!" Hiruzen sighed inwardly. Why did his old friend always lose his composure when it came to the Uchiha clan? What did the Uchiha ever do to you?
Uchiha Ryun smiled slightly. This was indeed the Danzō he knew. He sighed and said, "First, Lady Tsunade saved me when I had just awakened my Sharingan during the Hokage's pre-war speech."
"Later, Lady Mito also took good care of me. At the time, I had some conflicts with the Uchiha clan and didn't want to draw attention, so I gave most of the credit to Lady Tsunade—she needed it more than I did."
"As for Lord Orochimaru and Lord Jiraiya, they executed the tactics I proposed through their own leadership skills. So the credit is theirs. I merely offered some suggestions." Uchiha Ryun spoke calmly.
Hiruzen nodded. What a good kid. A pillar of Konoha. Most importantly, he knew when to advance and retreat, seeking not fame but only contribution.
Danzō was startled. He realized Uchiha Ryun seemed to be telling the truth—his expression and tone were calm, as if discussing something trivial.
He was certain Uchiha Ryun wasn't lying and truly didn't care about the credit, just as he said. This left Danzō puzzled. If it were him, he would never give up the credit but instead loudly proclaim it.
Hiruzen laughed heartily. "Ryun's strategies are unmatched through the ages. In the entire history of the ninja world, no one has surpassed him in leading troops and employing tactics!" Hiruzen praised sincerely.
"I dare not accept such praise, Lord Hokage. Uchiha Ryun will always be Konoha's Uchiha Ryun, always your supporter." Uchiha Ryun seized the moment to declare his loyalty, which pleased Hiruzen even more.
Danzō snorted coldly and turned away. He admitted this Uchiha brat had some skill.
Hiruzen then said to Danzō, "Old friend, what do you think about Ryun serving as your deputy?" His tone was teasing.
Danzō choked. "Hmph, passable, I suppose."
Hiruzen nodded and turned back to Uchiha Ryun. "Ryun, for the upcoming war against Sunagakure, I hope you can assist my old friend here just as you did against the Rain-nin, offering your strategic insights."
Hiruzen's expression was now calm. He had made his intentions clear—he wanted Uchiha Ryun to help his old friend gain military achievements.
Danzō also looked over. He knew Uchiha Ryun was talented and that his old friend was helping him, which moved him slightly.
Uchiha Ryun pondered the current situation before finally nodding. "I will do my best to assist Lord Danzō."
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
📖 Like the story? Read 120 chapters ahead!
🔗 patreon.com/atomelectron
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━