Of course, the Third Hokage understood his old friends' point.
He saw even further than they did: war was inevitable, and it would be a war actively sparked by the ambitious Hanzo.
The only question was who Hanzo would name as his first target. Konoha, Iwagakure, Sunagakure—all were possibilities.
He was silent for a moment, then looked up at Tsunade.
"Tsunade, you'll be busy for a while. The Konoha Medical Department will be established soon. Koharu will serve as Vice Director. She'll assist you in structuring the department and the new Konoha Hospital."
His gaze grew serious. "My requirement is that every medical-nin capable of frontline deployment achieve a certain proficiency in detoxification."
If war was unavoidable, the Salamander's poison had to be countered.
If Konoha could train a cohort of qualified medical-nin and equip them with specialized antivenom before hostilities began, casualties could be minimized.
And Konoha wasn't just guarding against Amegakure. Sunagakure's puppet specialists were also masters of poison.
No matter who the Hidden Rain Village struck first, it would likely escalate into a scenario where Konoha found itself besieged.
The Third Hokage felt a headache coming on just thinking about it. Once the dam broke, everyone would want a bite of the fertile Land of Fire.
Hearing this, Tsunade's eyes brightened.
Though her proposal for formalized medical-nin training had passed the last Jonin Council, she'd never expected her Teacher to move so fast.
The department was practically already formed… Hadn't he said the Daimyo might reject the funding request?
As if sensing her confusion, the Third Hokage cleared his throat, his expression perfectly neutral.
"I mentioned the proposal originated with you, and the Daimyo agreed. After all, with excellent medical-nin in Konoha, the health of the Daimyo and his court is far better assured, is it not?"
'So… the Daimyo agreed that easily… because of me?'
A strange expression flitted across Tsunade's face.
The slightly greasy, dissolute, and somewhat frail visage of the Daimyo, along with his utterly unmanly cry of "Little Tsunade~", sprang to her mind. She couldn't suppress a shiver.
"Congratulations, Tsunade."
Meyuri was the first to offer her congratulations. As Danzo's student and the daughter of the Kurama clan head, raised in this political environment, she understood the true significance instantly.
Utatane Koharu of the Elder Council was merely serving as acting Vice Director. This meant that in the future, once Tsunade trained a generation of excellent medical-ninja as the Hokage envisioned, the Directorship of the hospital would be hers.
The lack of an official appointment now was simply due to their youth and lack of seniority.
Orochimaru was a beat slower, but he too offered his congratulations.
Yuta was even more direct, taking Tsunade's slightly damp hand in his. Of course, to appease Meyuri, he opted for equal treatment, giving her thigh a pat.
'You are all mine…' he started to think, then stopped himself. 'No, that phrase sounds cursed. Better not.'
Although Jiraiya couldn't be bothered to read the deeper meaning, and Osamu genuinely didn't understand why they were congratulating Tsunade, seeing Meyuri and Orochimaru do so, the two nodded vigorously and added their own hearty "Congrats!"
'Are they the 'me too' idiots?' Yuta mused. 'Well, not quite. Jiraiya was a genius playing the fool. Osamu was the genuine article.'
People called Uchiha Obito a blockhead, but Yuta had a feeling Osamu might give him a run for his money. Maybe even surpass him.
Danzo finally spoke up, his tone carrying a hint of displeasure he himself didn't seem to notice.
"Hiruzen. Regarding Iwagakure's inflated numbers, I already have a plan."
'A plan. From you?'
It wasn't that the Third Hokage distrusted Danzo, but after partnering with him for so long, he knew what kind of trouble was brewing when Danzo got that look. He could guess the plan with his eyes closed.
"I've named it the 'Iwagakure Genius Hunt Plan'," Danzo announced, a cold ruthlessness settling on his features. "Iwagakure now fields over ten thousand shinobi. That population will inevitably produce a crop of geniuses. Those geniuses will absolutely become future threats to Konoha. To eliminate these threats preemptively, I devised this plan."
He leaned in slightly.
"Iwagakure is currently competing aggressively with the Hidden Rain for mission contracts. That gives us the perfect opportunity to strike. We eliminate these Iwa geniuses while they're on missions abroad. Make it look like an accident, or a consequence of their mission gone wrong. My Root has already compiled a list of promising Iwa talents. Execute this plan, hunt them down, and Iwagakure's threat level drops significantly."
'Hmm?'
The Third Hokage had to admit… the plan sounded somewhat feasible.
He'd expected Danzo to suggest something blunt like 'just attack,' but this was a targeted, deniable operation. The logic was sound.
It's just… genius shinobi weren't easy to kill. Even if they hadn't reached their peak, this was no task for an ordinary squad. It required the ANBU. Or…
"Furthermore," Danzo continued, a spark of excitement entering his eyes, "the list includes targets from the Hidden Rain as well. But they're a minor village, their numbers are limited. The primary focus should be Iwagakure."
He leaned further forward, his voice dropping to a persuasive, eager pitch.
"Hiruzen. This plan should be carried out by my Root. We specialize in this kind of surgical assassination."
The Third Hokage had seen the caliber of Root operatives; they weren't far off from his own ANBU. But even for them, such missions would be far from simple, wouldn't they?
As this thought crystallized, Hiruzen suddenly went still.
He'd just remembered. Yuta was a member of Root.
Yuta, who had been sitting on the sofa amusing himself by holding Tsunade's hand while trying to avoid Meyuri's notice, suddenly looked up.
An expression of pure betrayal dawned on his face.
'No way, Danzo, you old geezer! I just killed a Kage for you! You're not even giving me a day off before piling on more work?!'
'Damn it, are you going to treat me like a pack mule again?!'
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