Judging from the latest intelligence, Uchiha Hayashi had already awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan. The level of deterrence it posed to the Tailed Beasts was far too great to ignore.
In the past, those same eyes had even subdued the Nine-Tails. Leaving a Tailed Beast outside the village now brought no sense of security.
"But Lord Roshi may not be willing to return to the village," a middle-aged jonin said quietly.
Roshi belonged to the same generation as the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki. His strength was immense, and after becoming a jinchuriki, his temperament had grown increasingly erratic.
"This is an order," Onoki replied, his tone firm. "I am still the Third Tsuchikage. If he refuses to return, then he can stay gone forever."
The mention of Roshi stirred Onoki's anger. Not only did Roshi disregard his authority, but as a jinchuriki, he constantly wandered without restraint.
In truth, Onoki had long since run out of patience. Only their shared past as comrades had stopped him from confining Roshi within the village.
Across the entire ninja world, which jinchuriki was allowed such freedom?
Even Mito Uzumaki had restrained herself and remained within Konohagakure after becoming the Nine-Tails jinchuriki. Yet Roshi continued to act as he pleased.
"If he will not return, send ninja to bring him back by force," Onoki added, his voice growing colder.
These were critical times. He had no intention of allowing a disaster like the one that struck Kirigakure to occur in his own village. Roshi had to be placed under strict supervision.
Even that was not enough. Iwagakure needed to retain sufficient forces for defense.
"Relay my orders. All forces stationed in the Takigakure region are to return immediately."
Those troops had originally been deployed to guard against Kumogakure. But with the upheaval in Kirigakure, one of the Five Great Nations had effectively collapsed. Clinging to a position of strength while holding forces back under such circumstances would be arrogance.
The Third Raikage would understand. If he wished to win the war, he could not afford to invade the Land of Earth at this time. There was still a silent understanding between them.
Simply put, with a powerful enemy looming, if the Four Great Nations failed to secure complete victory in the Third Great Ninja War, then Cloud, Stone, Mist, and Sand would all become a joke.
Previously, Onoki had intended to redeploy those forces to the Grass Country front. Now, he abandoned that idea.
If the village itself fell, any victories on the battlefield would become meaningless. The war would still be lost.
The results achieved by Konoha's "Lightning Flash" in Kirigakure were not just about removing one village from the war. The true impact lay in the fear it inspired.
A strategy that targeted the enemy's home base was terrifying. Failure would have meant nothing, but success changed everything.
Until now, every village had believed its defenses were impenetrable. Even if an intruder slipped through, they would be quickly discovered and eliminated.
Kirigakure had proven otherwise.
Even the most secure village could be breached.
And with countless civilians inside, even limited destruction could result in devastating losses.
In times of peace, attacking civilians would be condemned. But this was war, a brutal conflict between ninja. There was no room for ideals or mercy.
Concerns about reputation meant nothing here. The ninja world had no such concepts.
Even Kumogakure, a major power, had repeatedly attempted to infiltrate Konoha to abduct women and children. The Five Great Nations waged their wars in smaller countries without hesitation.
Accusations of cruelty held no weight among ninja.
In response, every village began adopting similar defensive measures.
The most decisive action came from Third Kazekage, who immediately recalled a quarter of his forces overnight.
At present, Sunagakure was at its weakest, even more so than Kirigakure.
Seventy percent of its forces were deployed on the front lines, leaving only minimal defenses within the village. Although their battlefield strength surpassed Konoha due to numbers, their vulnerability at home created a dangerous opportunity.
More critically, Sunagakure no longer had Shukaku.
If Konoha ninja infiltrated the village and released Shukaku within its borders, the village would face immediate collapse.
Focusing on defense weakened the front lines. It was an unsolvable dilemma.
The Third Kazekage had been under immense pressure. Without the support of Chiyo, the village elders might have already removed him from power.
Among all those dissatisfied, one figure stood out the most.
Danzo Shimura.
His expression was dark and heavy.
Compared to the beginning of the war, Danzo had changed significantly. What was once a simple scar on his chin had now become a fully bandaged right eye.
The one responsible was Third Raikage.
Despite multiple encounters, Danzo had never gained the upper hand.
The Raikage's defense was overwhelming. Even with his mastery of Wind Release, Danzo had been unable to break through.
The most terrifying part was not defeat, but the fact that the enemy could stand still and endure every attack without injury.
Without the support of Homura Mitokado and Jiraiya, the situation in the Land of Hot Springs might have spiraled into disaster.
Danzo let out a quiet sigh.
Back when he was part of a six-man team, his strength had been considerable. Years without battle had dulled his edge.
Perhaps the same was true for Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Yet even with such severe injuries, Danzo refused to withdraw.
Was it loyalty to the village?
Partly.
But more than anything, he desired the position of Hokage.
He had lost to Hiruzen when the Second Hokage made his choice. Now, after this war, Hiruzen would step down.
The one with the greatest achievements would have the highest chance of becoming the Fourth Hokage.
Danzo still held onto that hope.
But reality had been unforgiving.
Though he and the Third Raikage were of similar age, he could not defeat him. He likely could not even overcome the Raikage's son anymore.
As he struggled to devise a strategy against Kumogakure, news arrived from Kirigakure.
Good news for Konoha.
Not necessarily good news for him.
He regretted not remaining in the village to monitor Hiruzen. To think that Hiruzen had appointed an Uchiha as the frontline commander.
When was the last time a single individual destroyed an entire village?
Perhaps during the era of Hashirama Senju.
Such overwhelming merit and prestige could no longer be suppressed simply because of the Uchiha name.
Danzo took several deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down.
At that moment, a Root operative appeared and knelt before him.
"Danzo-sama, these are the detailed battle reports from Kirigakure."
Danzo accepted the scroll and began reading carefully.
After a long silence, he spoke.
"The Mangekyo Sharingan."
"Yes, only the Mangekyo Sharingan could possess such power."
A cold glint appeared in his narrowed eyes as he slowly raised his hand to the bandages covering his right eye.
There was nothing beneath them. His eye had been destroyed by the Third Raikage.
Yet that loss had ignited an even deeper hunger within him.
Power.
The power of the Mangekyo Sharingan.
Danzo already possessed one, though he had hesitated to transplant it. Now, his decision was clear.
One was not enough.
As he read the report describing Hayashi's effortless slaughter of three hundred enemy ninja, a greedy light flickered in his eyes.
Within the eyes of Kagami's son… there existed a power he desired more than anything.