Of course, with Konoha's current strength, dealing with the Rain Village was more than enough.
However, if Konoha were to mobilize too much force, it might be seen by the other great villages as being strong on the outside but weak on the inside.
It was just a small village, yet Konoha needed to make such a big fuss to deal with it. If the other great villages were to get involved, could they directly crush Konoha?
Therefore, Konoha could not afford to underestimate the potential attack from the Land of Rain, but they also could not take it too seriously.
Tsunade was the number one medical ninja in the ninja world and also a disciple of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. Although she couldn't compare to the previous generation of ninjas like Sakumo Hatake and Li Anshi, she was a standout among Konoha's new generation.
Even her fellow disciples, Orochimaru and Jiraiya, were a step below her.
Having Tsunade lead a team at the border to resist the Rain Village and Hanzo of the Salamander was a move that perfectly played on the other villages' assessment of Konoha.
In fact, in terms of absolute strength, the current Konoha, with the addition of Li Anshi and Sakumo Hatake, would basically not lose as long as the mid- and low-ranking ninjas were not crushed at the start.
After all, the Second Hokage had relied on the Flying Thunder God Technique to move between several battlefields, holding back the Cloud, Stone, and Sand ninjas beyond the borders of the Land of Fire.
Li Anshi had also learned the Flying Thunder God Technique, and his lethality against ninjas was far beyond what Tobirama Senju could compare to.
As long as Li Anshi left his marks within the Land of Fire, with his current chakra, he too could move between several battlefields.
It could be said that Li Anshi was Konoha's safety net.
Konoha did not fear war.
But Konoha did not want war either.
After all, starting a war might be easy.
But ending one was incredibly difficult.
From the Warring States period until now, the ninja world had only experienced a brief period of peace for over a decade after Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha established the village of Konoha.
After the death of the First Hokage, war had broken out again.
And because of the establishment of the villages, the wars in the ninja world had transformed from clan-versus-clan conflicts to the much larger scale of village-versus-village.
It could be said that the number of ninjas who died during the First Great Ninja War probably equaled the total number of deaths in the Warring States period over several decades, or even a century.
Because of Li Anshi, Konoha had achieved victory in the First Great Ninja War in less than three years after the death of the Second Hokage.
But even so, Konoha's losses had not been small.
After all, Hiruzen Sarutobi had tricked the fourth, fifth, and sixth-grade students of the Ninja Academy into graduating early and joining the battlefield. This showed that under the attack of the other three great villages, Konoha had been pushed to its limits.
Well, part of the reason for this was that Hiruzen's succession as the Third Hokage had been directly appointed by the Second, unlike when Tobirama had taken office, which had involved a vote among the jonin.
It could be said that if not for Danzo Shimura, Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado, Torifu Akimichi, and Kagami Uchiha supporting him, the other Konoha jonin could have argued that Hiruzen's position was illegitimate.
Therefore, in the early stages of the war, several of the great ninja clans, with the exception of the Uchiha, had held back, wanting to cause some trouble for Hiruzen and then step in as "heroes" to save Konoha when the village was in crisis.
Unfortunately, Li Anshi's appearance had foiled their plans.
The policies that Hiruzen had implemented later had earned the recognition of these clans, so they had not caused any more trouble.
Knowing that Li Anshi was delivering a message for Tsunade, Hiruzen did not dare to be negligent.
If this matter was not handled properly, the Second Great Ninja War might be just around the corner.
"Tell me, Anshi."
"What message did Tsunade have for you?"
"It's nothing major."
A dagger appeared in Li Anshi's hand. He hooked his right index finger through the ring at the end of the hilt, and with a flick of his finger, the dagger spun with a "whoosh."
"Tsunade said that the village was instructed to start collecting the herbs needed for the salamander poison antidote three years ago."
"But why was it that when she took over the camp and prepared to make the antidote, she found that there were hardly any herbs there?"
"If not for her managing to collect some through other channels, it would have been impossible to make any antidote at all."
"Without the antidote, no matter how many ninjas Konoha has, they would be helpless against Hanzo of the Salamander and his summon."
"So, Tsunade asked me to come and ask you, what exactly is the village's intention?"
"If the village intends to treat the ninjas at the stronghold as sacrifices in a political struggle, then Tsunade won't be giving anyone any face."
"What?"
After hearing Li Anshi's report, Hiruzen's expression changed drastically.
What a joke.
Were the higher-ups in the village fools?
Did they not see that the flashpoint for the Second Great Ninja War was the upcoming battle with the Rain Village?
If the ninja forces led by Tsunade could not defeat Hanzo in a short amount of time, the other villages would surely bare their fangs at Konoha.
And if Tsunade's forces were to be wiped out by the Rain, it would undoubtedly send a very dangerous signal to the other great villages—
Konoha had been at peace for too long and had already begun to engage in internal strife!
And the scale of this internal strife was very serious.
There was no other explanation. Tsunade was the number one medical ninja in the world.
As early as when Hanzo had been hailed as a "demigod" by the other small villages, the great villages had already taken note of his main advantage.
The salamander's wide-area poison made him as efficient at killing on the battlefield as a Tailed Beast.
Therefore, all the great villages had secretly collected the salamander's poison and researched a specific antidote.
Three years ago, the intelligence agents of the great villages had learned that Tsunade had successfully developed one.
Tsunade might win, or she might lose, but it was impossible for her and her subordinates to be easily defeated by Hanzo.
There could only be one reason for her failure—
A clever housewife can't cook without rice.
Konoha had sent Tsunade to lead the forces against the Rain, but had not provided her with enough herbs to make the antidote!
Otherwise, even if Tsunade was not as strong as Hanzo, the gap between them could not be that large.
In fact, because of her own skill in medical ninjutsu, she was a strong counter to him. It wouldn't even be strange if she were to defeat the so-called "demigod," punching above her weight.
"Who was the elder in charge of collecting the herbs before?"
Hiruzen would certainly not have let just anyone handle a matter like this.
Li Anshi also knew that only Danzo Shimura would act in his own self-interest at such a time, disregarding the interests of Konoha.
However, Li Anshi was not involved in the high-level decision-making of the village, so he was not supposed to know this.
That was why he had asked the question.
"It was Elder Danzo," Hiruzen said in a deep voice. "Sakumo, go and deliver a message to Elder Danzo. Tell him to come to the Hokage's office."
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
Sakumo Hatake also understood the gravity of the situation. He did not dare to delay, and with a flash, he disappeared from the office.
After sending Sakumo to find Danzo, Hiruzen beckoned with his hand, and instantly, several ANBU figures appeared in the office, kneeling on one knee before him.
"Lord Hokage."
"I am calling a meeting in ten minutes. Spread the word immediately. All jonin currently in Konoha are to attend."
If the message Li Anshi had delivered was true, then this was by no means a small matter for Konoha.
Danzo's actions could almost be considered "treason."
Unless Hiruzen was willing to cover for him, otherwise...
Although Hiruzen still felt a sense of camaraderie with Danzo, the current Hiruzen would not cover up his crimes for the sake of such feelings.
He wasn't even sure how many things Danzo had done behind his back over the years that had harmed Konoha's interests.
If he dared to openly withhold the herbs for the antidote, what else was there that he wouldn't dare to do in secret?
Hiruzen could imagine the passive position Konoha would be in if Tsunade were to lose the war due to a lack of antidotes, all because he had not received this message from Li Anshi.
Of course, more importantly, there was the relationship between Li Anshi and Tsunade.
Once Li Anshi found out about this, it would be almost impossible for Konoha to get him to join the war and repel the attacks from the other villages.
What was more likely was that he would take Tsunade, Nawaki, and the others and leave this village that had utterly disappointed them.
A village that not only failed to protect its ninjas, but even persecuted them through a series of schemes—would any ninja continue to protect such a village?
Who could guarantee that if Tsunade was the first high-ranking ninja to be sacrificed in a political struggle, they wouldn't be the next?
Tsunade was the granddaughter of the First and Second Hokage, Konoha's "Princess."
After the two Hokage had passed away, her reputation among the villagers was something even Hiruzen couldn't compare to.
What's more, she had also perfected medical ninjutsu and had trained many "medical ninjas" for Konoha.
Whether in war or on missions, almost all of Konoha's ninjas had been treated by a medical ninja at some point.
It could be said that all the ninjas of Konoha owed Tsunade their lives several times over.
If even she could be treated as a sacrifice, what chance did they, who were inferior to her in status, position, and strength, possibly have?
To eliminate this hidden danger, Hiruzen had to nip it in the bud before it could happen.
Otherwise, the ninjas of Konoha would become a scattered mess, and the village would lose the cohesiveness of the number one great ninja village.
"Yes!"
As the ANBU dispersed, Li Anshi soon saw several ninja hawks take to the sky, letting out calls of varying lengths.
"Screee—"
This was Konoha's emergency summons!
Any ninja who heard this signal was required to immediately head to the Hokage's building and await the Hokage's orders.
"Let's go, Anshi."
"We'll go to the meeting room and wait for them."
Hiruzen rose from his seat, called out to Li Anshi, and led the way to the meeting room.
The meeting room was not far from the Hokage's office.
However, compared to the office, it was much larger.
The Hokage's office was, after all, just a place for him to handle the village's administrative affairs, less than thirty square meters in size.
The meeting room, on the other hand, was where the jonin council convened and needed to accommodate at least fifty or sixty people.
Therefore, its area was more than five times that of the office.
Less than a minute after they arrived, jonin began to enter.
Within five minutes, more than thirty had arrived.
After that, no one else came.
Although Konoha had over fifty registered jonin, only about thirty-something were stationed in the village at any given time.
The others were either commanding a border stronghold somewhere in the Land of Fire, or were out on A-rank or higher missions and had not yet returned...
"Lord Hokage."
Seven minutes later, Sakumo Hatake appeared in the meeting room.
Hiruzen glanced behind him but did not see his old friend.
His brow furrowed. "Where is Elder Danzo?"
"Even if you couldn't find him, did he not hear the emergency signal for the meeting?"
The fact that Danzo had not come made Hiruzen's anger surge.
What on earth is that guy doing?
Have I been too lenient with him these past few years, making him think that I, the Hokage, wouldn't act against him?
"No, Lord Hokage."
"I saw Elder Danzo."
Although Sakumo knew that if it was confirmed that Danzo was behind this, he would be lucky not to be arrested, imprisoned, or killed, let alone keep his position as an elder—that would only be due to Hiruzen and Danzo's deep bond.
But before Danzo's crime was judged, Sakumo still referred to him by his title.
"Then why did you come alone?"
Hearing this, Hiruzen felt even worse.
I treat you like a brother, heart to heart, and you're playing mind games with me behind my back?
It seems this time, I really can't let you go anymore, Danzo!
"Well..."
Sakumo hesitated for a moment and glanced at Li Anshi.
"Elder Danzo said that Jonin Li Anshi once stated that if he came within a hundred meters of him, he would be attacked."
"Now that Jonin Li Anshi is in the meeting room, he is afraid that if he comes, he will be killed."
"This..."
Hearing Sakumo's report, Hiruzen was at a loss for words.