His head was about to explode.
The Sandaime sat at his desk, smoking irritably.
War was about to begin, and the major Shinobi Villages had already made various moves.
Frequent espionage activities began, with each side probing the other's strengths, weaknesses, and secrets.
Clashes between Anbu became increasingly brutal in unseen places, and news of casualties was constantly reported.
And the intelligence that came back was worse than the last.
After a long period of peaceful recuperation, the hawkish factions in the major Villages began to rise, and due to the unbalanced economic development of their countries, they urgently needed a war to solve their problems.
They sought more territory.
It was well known that Konoha had the best territory in the Ninja World.
Either solve the problem, or be solved by the problem.
There was no third way.
War was inevitable; it was just a matter of time.
And at this critical juncture, there was still a mountain of frustrating issues in the Village.
Firstly, the Anbu needed to be expanded. Konoha required more personnel for Anbu activities, to gather intelligence, to covertly compete with enemy Shinobi, display military might, and deter each other.
But precisely at this critical moment, a large number of Senju Clan members withdrew from the Anbu.
Normally, even he, the Hokage, had a hard time commanding them. In this situation, it was simply...
Life was not easy, the Sandaime sighed.
Are they afraid I will issue missions with certain death?
That would be underestimating me too much.
The Sandaime showed a bitter smile.
He himself wasn't sure if he could maintain the Hokage's composure, as some missions had to be issued when the necessary moment arrived.
To make matters worse, almost all members of the Aburame Clan also withdrew from the Anbu.
Only a few remained, as a gesture of respect, so that there wouldn't be no one left.
This meant that if they died, they would be gone, and there would never be Aburame Anbu again.
Insects were too convenient and powerful for intelligence gathering.
Almost all members of the Aburame Clan were Anbu, naturally suited for infiltration, assassination, intelligence gathering, and other Anbu activities.
Since the establishment of the Anbu, they had always served as a solid core force for Anbu operations.
The Hyuga Clan and Inuzuka Clan, also intelligence-gathering types, each had their own flaws.
The Anbu was the direct subordinate force of the Hokage, a power that the major Shinobi Clans tacitly acknowledged as under the Hokage's leadership, and they would not easily interfere with Anbu command.
Although they might plant a pawn to understand the Hokage's recent movements, the Sandaime could only turn a blind eye; everyone did it, so there was no reason to punish them.
However, the largest Shinobi force in Konoha, outside of the Anbu, was not actually under the direct control of the Hokage.
Its members were quite diverse.
Firstly, there were the major Shinobi Clans.
Although they appeared to be like one family in the Village, they actually formed implicit social circles.
The Senju and Uchiha not getting along was not a new thing, so it was rare to see Senju and Uchiha forming mission teams.
The Hyuga Clan was a coveted asset, anyone could form a team with them, but due to the existence of the Cage Bird Curse, no one could truly become a friend of the Hyuga Clan.
The awkward status of the 'little birds' could not represent the true attitude of the Hyuga Clan.
And other Shinobi Clans also had their own problems.
The attitudes of these independent Shinobi were actually constrained by their respective Shinobi Clans.
For the Sandaime, they were usable, but not easy to handle.
As long as the Clan spoke, they could disrespect the Sandaime.
A large number of civilian Shinobi, on the other hand, chose to band together, not clinging tightly around the Hokage, but instead forming Jonin squads, following the instructions of their respective squad leaders.
They sought a voice and demands within the Village.
They could see that the Hokage lineage itself was a Shinobi Clan.
They were also usable, but their demands had to be met.
And besides the major Shinobi Clans, these civilian Shinobi themselves had formed a Shinobi Clan-sized group.
And they were constantly growing.
And they longed for a civilian Hokage who could represent them.
Some reclusive lone wolves, however, did not understand this atmosphere, but the problem was that they themselves were troublemakers, each with their own issues.
Now, with the Senju Clan, a major component of the Anbu, directly withdrawing in large numbers, the Sandaime was utterly helpless.
Even the Aburame Clan, who had always been quiet, suddenly pulled such a stunt, and the Sandaime could only sigh.
"Mushi-Hime..." Exhaling a long plume of smoke, the Sandaime sighed, "What exactly did I do to displease you?"
The Sandaime couldn't figure out what Miki disliked about him, but he understood that the Senju Clan's unusual movements were related to Miki.
It was Mito's intention for Tsunade and Miki, as the two princesses of Konoha, one in the open and one in the shadows, to cooperate in leading Konoha.
As his student, the Sandaime understood Tsunade's thoughts.
But the Mushi-Hime, from the very beginning, the Sandaime had never quite understood her mind.
It was very headache-inducing.
He couldn't fathom her intentions.
But the direct consequence had now become apparent: the mass withdrawal of the Senju and Aburame Clans nearly paralyzed the Anbu.
The Hyuga Clan, seeing this, wisely began to distance themselves.
And there were no Uchiha in the Anbu at all.
What remained were the Ino-Shika-Cho, the Sandaime's old comrades.
The Kurama Clan was not suitable for Anbu operations, and its scale was not large to begin with, so they followed suit when they saw what was happening.
The remaining civilian Anbu members looked on, muttering to themselves.
What's happening?!
I don't know!
Just go with the flow.
Some of them also wanted to leave, uniting to pressure the Sandaime.
Wouldn't they be allowed to resign?
They weren't the Hokage's tools; everyone in Konoha was watching.
So, the Anbu was expanded, but it wasn't really expanded; it merely underwent a change of blood, with the previous positions filled by members of the Sarutobi Clan.
Where they couldn't fill the positions, they sought help from Ino–Shika–Chō, and his old friends still gave him face, sending more personnel.
Currently, the Anbu had truly become the Sandaime's private army, but the Sandaime couldn't be happy about it.
Although his clansmen were very happy.
In the past, the major Shinobi Clans would never have allowed such a thing to happen.
But now it had indeed happened, absurdly so.
What did this mean?
The Sandaime knew in his heart that, apart from the Anbu, he had completely lost the ability to control Konoha.
And the so-called Anbu was essentially his Sarutobi Clan.
His initial goal was merely to strengthen control over the Anbu, combined with the long-standing demands of his clan, he was simply taking advantage of the war to push things along and expand the power he held.
But, he had lost control.
He had been hollowed out.
The Village was spiraling out of control.
From the very beginning, the Anbu was not under his complete control.
He couldn't see where it was heading.
"Do you want this Hokage position...?"
The Sandaime sighed.
Ultimately, it was just that his ability wasn't enough to command respect.
Everyone was for the Village.
He had always known this.
During his time managing the Village, he had been cautious and diligent, but he had not produced an outstanding report card.
He had merely managed the Village.
He gained some experience in the First Shinobi World War, but to put it unpleasantly, as a guard, he abandoned the Second Hokage and ran away.
Although designated by the Second Hokage and ascended to power with the support of the crowd, he lacked the achievements and abilities to command respect, and everyone knew that being constrained by various Shinobi Clans was only natural.
And now, for this Second Shinobi World War, the situation before him was...
Either victory, and a dignified retirement.
Or defeat, and a shameful abdication to the worthy.
Hiruzen Sarutobi smoked in silence.
Hokage or not Hokage, he didn't care.
He was still the same young man from before, capable of making a resolute last stand with a willingness to die.
But...
"Tobirama-sensei, being Hokage is too difficult!"
"Where tree leaves dance, flames will burn bright..."
"The fire's light will continue to illuminate the Village, and allow new leaves to sprout..."
"It's time for the fire's light to dance..."
"I am the Hokage..."
Thinking of this, the Sandaime felt a little invigorated.
Then he grimaced, as if with a toothache.
"Sensei, the new leaves have sprouted, but they're poisonous!"
They had no respect for the elderly.
Although he was depressed, he was also relieved.
With such rogue words, he could rest assured entrusting the Village to the new sprouts.
Therefore, he had to finish this Shinobi World War with dignity.
Hiruzen Sarutobi gritted his teeth.
"I am the Hokage!!!"
"You brats!!!"
You underestimate me too much!!!
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