"Currently, Jiraiya is active along the Grass Country front."
Hiruzen Sarutobi tapped heavily on the map spread across the table.
"If he moves north, he can block the southern advance of the Stone Village."
"If he moves south, he can support the Wind Country front at any time."
He paused briefly before continuing his deployment.
"As for Orochimaru, he will remain in the village with the newly assembled ninja forces, serving as a mobile reserve."
"He can reinforce whichever frontline becomes critical."
Finally, Hiruzen's sharp gaze turned toward the silent figure who had been sitting with his eyes closed the entire time—Shimura Danzō.
His tone carried a firmness that allowed no argument.
"As for the threat from the Cloud Village of the Land of Lightning…"
"Danzō, that front will be entrusted to you and your Root."
Hiruzen had two reasons for sending Danzō to the battlefield rather than letting him remain in the village directing Root from the shadows.
First—
Powerful enemies surrounded Konoha on all sides.
The village's top combat power was stretched thin.
Every Kage-level fighter had to be placed where they were most needed.
Second—
Hiruzen was dissatisfied with Danzō's earlier complaints.
If Danzō believed all the "dirty work in the shadows" rested on his shoulders—
Then Hiruzen would place him under the sunlight of the battlefield.
For the time being, the "dirty work" he spoke of would no longer be his concern.
Danzō was no fool.
He immediately understood the silent warning behind Hiruzen's decision.
He could not openly defy the Hokage's formal order.
So he merely snorted coldly and proposed his conditions.
"If I am to guard against those barbarians from the Land of Lightning, I have no objection."
"But the northeastern border garrison lacks sufficient manpower."
"If we are to face the Cloud Village's offensive, I require reinforcements."
The standing border forces Konoha deployed against the great nations were limited in number.
Based on the assessment of potential threats—
The northwestern front facing the Land of Earth had 2,500 ninja stationed.
The southwestern front against the Land of Wind had 2,000 ninja.
The northeastern defense line facing the Land of Lightning had 2,500 ninja.
And the eastern coastline, which might confront the Land of Water, had 1,500 ninja.
That totaled 8,500 standing soldiers.
Their expenses were entirely funded by the Daimyō of the Land of Fire.
Aside from these forces—
Konoha also had around 3,000 active-duty ninja who earned their living by accepting missions.
Of those, 2,000 had been mobilized as reserves and placed under Orochimaru's command.
The remaining 1,000 still needed to maintain regular missions within the Land of Fire.
War or not—
The commissions from noble clients could not simply be ignored.
This was not unique to Konoha.
Every major ninja village operated the same way.
Such missions were not only a major source of income—
They were also essential for maintaining good relations with the aristocracy of the Land of Fire and ensuring continued financial support in the future.
The ninja world had always been strange in this regard.
To put it another way—
It was like a general commanding massive armies and elite palace guards in the capital…
Yet still needing to bow respectfully to bureaucrats in order to ask for funding.
Absurd, wasn't it?
Now that Danzō was asking for additional forces, Hiruzen frowned deeply.
He knew the Cloud Village was powerful and aggressive.
He also worried that if Danzō reached the battlefield with insufficient troops, he might be crushed by Kumogakure's lightning-fast assault.
Whether for public duty or personal reasons—
He could not easily reject the request.
But Hiruzen had no additional manpower to give.
So he spoke slowly.
"Konoha currently has no extra forces to assign to you."
"However…"
When Hiruzen's tone shifted, the three people present—who had worked with him for decades—immediately knew he was planning something.
"Danzō, you may personally visit the various ninja clans and ask whether any clan ninja are willing to volunteer for the northeastern front in defense of the village."
From the very beginning of Konoha's founding, a rule had been established—
Konoha belongs to Konoha. Clan affairs belong to the clans.
To prevent the ninja clans from gaining too much political influence in the village, the number of Jōnin positions available to clan ninja had always been restricted.
Because of this—
Many clan ninja who possessed Jōnin-level strength simply never became official Konoha ninja.
Instead, they remained within their clans, working privately.
Those hidden elite forces within the major clans—
Were the true foundation of Konoha's strength.
Take the powerful Uchiha clan, for example.
Even the Hokage himself had no authority to directly command their clan ninja.
Hearing this suggestion, Danzō's face darkened instantly.
Of course he understood Hiruzen's scheme.
Hiruzen clearly intended to make him play the villain—
Testing the limits of each clan.
After Danzō inevitably met resistance—
Hiruzen could then appear as the Hokage to mediate the situation.
At that point, the clans might find it difficult to refuse again out of respect for the Third Hokage.
"Heh."
"You take all the credit and leave the trouble to me."
"What a noble Hokage you are, Hiruzen."
Facing Danzō's sarcasm, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane quietly lowered their eyes.
They remained silent like monks in meditation.
Hiruzen simply turned his head slightly and glanced at Danzō from the corner of his eye.
He calmly took another drag from his pipe.
The harsh smoke swirled inside his chest for a moment before he slowly exhaled it.
Through the drifting smoke, Hiruzen spoke in a steady voice.
"Danzō."
"I am the Hokage."
Danzō's body stiffened instantly.
His sinister single eye widened as he stared at the calm face hidden behind the smoke.
Humiliation.
Anger.
Decades of resentment.
All of it surged through him like a raging fire.
His thin body trembled uncontrollably.
He had spent his entire life chasing that position.
He had built Root.
He had borne the darkness of Konoha.
In his own mind, he had sacrificed no less than Hiruzen.
Yet in the end—
The one sitting in that chair…
The one who could casually say those words…
Was always Hiruzen Sarutobi.
How could he not hate it?
How could he not be furious?
Was it just because I hesitated for a moment when the teacher asked someone to stay behind?
Danzō roared inwardly.
His hand clenched tightly at his side.
His knuckles turned pale, veins bulging as if they might burst at any moment.
The office fell into silence.
Only the faint crackling sound of tobacco burning in the pipe could be heard.
Then—
Danzō's heavy breathing.
He stared at Hiruzen and forced the question out through clenched teeth.
"And what about the Uchiha clan?"
"What exactly do you intend to do with them?"
"Allowing them to remain at the center of the village is like burying a bomb that could explode at any moment!"
Behind the smoke, Hiruzen's eyes sharpened.
He had no intention—
And would absolutely not allow—
Danzō to interfere with the Uchiha during wartime.
"This matter no longer concerns you."
Hiruzen said coldly.
"Focus on your duties and prepare to depart."
"Hiruzen… you will regret this."
The moment those words fell—
Danzō suddenly turned around.
His cloak whipped through the air.
BANG!
The door to the Hokage's office slammed shut with such force it nearly shattered.
The echo rang through the empty corridor for a long time.
Seeing the anger on Hiruzen's face, Koharu spoke quietly.
"Hiruzen… don't take it to heart."
"One day…"
"Danzō will understand your intentions."
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