Aside from Amegakure and Otogakure, in a corner of the Land of Fire, the strongest Shinobi Village in the world, Konoha, was currently holding its final meeting before deployment.
The Kyubi's Jinchuriki Hunting Operation Meeting!
Sitting at the far end of the long round table, wearing a tall Hokage's hat, his face gloomy,
Was the man known as the Professor, the Sandaime Hokage… Sarutobi Hiruzen.
He held a large smoking pipe in his mouth, blew out a few smoke rings, let out a long sigh, and then spoke in a calm tone.
"Regarding the hunting operation for the Kyubi's Jinchuriki, Uzumaki Naruto, it will roughly proceed in the following steps."
His words were concise; the very first sentence got straight to the point.
This was Sandaime's talent, the decisiveness of an iron-fisted politician.
"Step one: Intelligence Gathering. Through the Telescope Technique, I can confirm Naruto's approximate coordinates are at Orochimaru's hideout in Otogakure. However, information about Otogakure itself, related intel, and the enemy's combat deployment are all mysteries. We must first complete intelligence collection work before dispatching the true elite."
As he spoke, Sandaime's gaze shifted, landing on several Jonin present.
"Hatake Kakashi, Might Guy, Inuzuka Tsume, you three will each lead a squad of about 24 Chunin, responsible for scouting and gathering preliminary intelligence."
"Yes."
Kakashi with his eye-covering, the intensely passionate Guy, and the fiery, sexy older-sister type, Tsume, all nodded with grave expressions.
Things had reached a point beyond casual joking.
The enemy was Orochimaru and the darkened Kyubi Demon Fox. They couldn't afford to be careless.
"Good. The three of you complement each other well. From overall ability versatility, to reconnaissance skills, to head-on combat power, you form a comprehensively perfect team."
Hearing their reply, Sandaime nodded and blew out a smoke ring.
Hiruzen knew Konoha's Jonin like the back of his hand. He could tell at a glance which individuals' abilities complemented or countered each other.
Kakashi: Possessed immense Ninjutsu talent and calm thinking ability. He was the 'Brain' of the trio, responsible for command, coordination, and support combat.
Tsume: Inherited the Inuzuka Clan's exceptional tracking and reconnaissance abilities. She was the most suitable Shinobi for scouting, the 'Eyes' of the trio, responsible for reconnaissance, intelligence gathering, and harassment combat.
Guy: A Jonin whose strength was severely underestimated. His Taijutsu talent had already surpassed his father, Might Duy, and left other Shinobi of his rank far behind. Sandaime had sparred with him. Without using the Eight Gates, Sandaime, who is no slouch in Taijutsu himself, was completely suppressed by Guy, almost unable to catch his breath. If the Eight Gates were used, Sandaime had no doubt Guy could even kill him! This man was Konoha's hidden Kage-level expert, the 'Fist' Sandaime placed within the trio. When necessary, if they encountered an unbeatable enemy, Guy could resolve the crisis.
Such a trio forming a reconnaissance team, Eyes, Brain, and Fist all present, left almost no room for the enemy to break through.
This was Sandaime's tactic, the well-considered team reconnaissance system of a shrewd, calculating politician!
"Step two: After intelligence is gathered, dispatch a large force of Shinobi to surround Otogakure, ensuring no possible escape route is left unchecked."
Sandaime paused, pointed his staff at the whiteboard behind him, and said solemnly, "Regarding diplomatic communications with surrounding countries, I have already requested the Daimyo of the Land of Fire to prepare. Your actions will not face any restrictions, so proceed with full force."
"This task will be entrusted to the Hyuga, Sarutobi, Aburame, and Akimichi Clans."
Sandaime tapped his staff lightly.
The leaders of the three named clans all stood up, bowing their heads to accept the order.
Secretly, the members of these four major clans were laughing heartily inside.
Sandaime, being a member of the Sarutobi Clan himself, certainly had ulterior motives in doing this.
The encirclement task was the least dangerous, offered the greatest merit, and was a duty where everyone could share in the glory.
Compared to the scouting work, which involved hardship without much benefit…
And the assault work, which, while offering great merit, was extremely dangerous,
Surrounding the outside and catching stragglers to earn merit easily.
Only the four major clans, with their high influence and status within the village, could easily secure such a task, right?
Hah.
Sandaime Hokage, as a politician, was ultimately acting in the interests of the nobility.
"Cough, the final step, the crucial one."
After finishing the second step, Sandaime's face grew even darker as he rapped the whiteboard.
"The assault on Orochimaru and the Kyubi's Jinchuriki!"
"It will involve all Shinobi of Chunin rank and above, except for the clans just named, acting together!"
"What?!"
This statement caused exclamations from many present.
Konoha had many clans, with intricate branches and deep-seated schemes, the twelve major clans all had deep foundation and calculations.
By placing clans friendly with his Sarutobi Clan on the outside and sending clans with average relations to the front lines…
Hiruzen was bound to provoke public outrage.
Bang...
"Silence! Let me finish!"
Sandaime struck his staff, his face showing an authoritative expression. A terrifying aura covered the entire conference table, forcing everyone to lower their heads.
After all, he was the Sandaime Hokage.
Even if old, his stamina and combat power had declined significantly, the shadow of the once-invincible Professor of the Shinobi World still held deep authority… ordinary Shinobi didn't dare meet his gaze.
"The 'all Shinobi' I speak of... also includes... me myself!"
As these words fell, Sandaime seemed to age several years in an instant, his weary gaze deeply scanning everyone at the table.
He had ulterior motives, but not for himself.
Sandaime acknowledged he wasn't a good man, and he was an iron-fisted politician who allowed the Uchiha Clan's massacre and let Danzo handle bloody affairs in the shadows.
But on one point, his conscience was clear.
His loyalty to Konoha was absolute, and all his strategies and schemes were for the better survival of Konoha.
The reason he had the four major clans guard the outside was also because these clans possessed abilities suited for hunting down stragglers.
Like the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan, the Aburame Clan's insect manipulation techniques.
For this Kyubi Hunting Plan, Sandaime was going with the resolve to die if necessary.
To atone for his negligence, to atone to the Yondaime Hokage.
How powerful and difficult Orochimaru was to deal with… as his teacher, how could Hiruzen not know?
Not to mention he held the Naruto Card. Once the Kyubi awakened, who in Konoha, besides himself, could perform the Dead Demon Consuming Seal on it?
Therefore…
"For this mission, I hope everyone goes with the resolve to die if necessary. The Kyubi is the village's most important strategic weapon. Right now, neighboring countries mostly don't know this intel, or if they do, they are skeptical, fearing it's a trick of mine."
"But when they come to their senses and realize Konoha truly has no Biju for defense, what we will face is the frantic invasion of the entire Shinobi World!"
"This battle… we either win, or we die!"
With this final shout, an immensely powerful wave of Chakra erupted from behind Sandaime, overturning the entire temporary conference hall!
Konoha's life-or-death battle had officially begun!