Since Danzo Shimura had put it that way, the two advisors could only secretly speculate that he had been ambushed and wounded while out on a mission. Only Hiruzen Sarutobi cast a suspicious glance at Danzo, though he said nothing. This minor ripple quickly vanished as the Third Hokage coughed, drawing the attention of the high-level officials back to him.
"I have summoned the three of you here for one specific reason."
Hiruzen spoke with great solemnity to his three old friends. "You should already be aware of Sunagakure's recent performance in the Land of Rivers?"
At these words, the expressions of the three Leaf high-level advisors turned sour.
Koharu Utatane was the first to speak. "Those fellows from Sunagakure... I don't know where they found so many scorpions. Furthermore, that Secret Jutsu of theirs provides such a massive advantage in close combat!"
Homura Mitokado added with equal bitterness, "The wandering ninja of the Land of Rivers are in full retreat. Even several of the outposts we established there have been uprooted!"
Danzo glanced at the two of them, his raspy voice echoing. "Sunagakure is putting every ounce of effort into proving themselves. The attack by the Jashin Religion left them completely humiliated."
Danzo scanned the room, his expression becoming stern.
"However, if they can demonstrate power that overwhelms the Leaf in this conflict, they can prove that the previous raid happened because the Jashin Religion was too strong, not because Sunagakure was too weak..."
By this point, the two advisors looked grim.
Hiruzen nodded in agreement. "If we cannot strike a heavy blow against the Sand in this conflict, the prestige of the Hidden Leaf will suffer a major blow!"
"Therefore, this time, the Leaf must not only win, but win beautifully!"
Faced with Hiruzen's emphasis, a trace of bitterness appeared on Homura Mitokado's face.
"Hiruzen, the problem is that Sunagakure's Secret Jutsu and those scorpions they drive are simply too troublesome. To truly annihilate them, we would need to dispatch more shinobi. If we do, the situation might spiral out of control."
Homura's concern was not without merit. After all, the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire were both Great Nations. If the clash between these two powers continued to escalate, it could eventually evolve into a new Great Shinobi World War.
Unlike his two anxious old friends, Danzo remained calm. He used his remaining eye to peer at Hiruzen Sarutobi sitting in the lead seat. Based on his understanding of Hiruzen, since he had called them here, he likely already had a countermeasure in place.
Sure enough, seeing that the timing was right, Hiruzen finally spoke calmly. "Actually, I already have a solution to deal with Sunagakure."
Koharu Utatane immediately issued a warning. "Hiruzen, you absolutely must not increase reinforcements! If we trigger the Fourth Shinobi World War, the consequences will be more than the Leaf can accept!"
Hiruzen gave Koharu a flat look. "Who said I was going to increase reinforcements?"
"Then how do you plan to counter Sunagakure's Secret Jutsu?"
Hiruzen took a drag from his pipe and then asked sharply in return, "If Sunagakure can develop a new Secret Jutsu, why can't the Hidden Leaf?"
"When it comes to Secret Jutsus, the Leaf is the strongest in the entire Shinobi World!"
Hiruzen's words rang out with such conviction that Koharu Utatane was momentarily speechless.
"Katasuke."
At Hiruzen's summons, the Anbu guards outside immediately brought in two young men. One wore square-framed glasses and a white lab coat. The other had a sturdy build and a determined gaze; the only striking detail was that he had only one arm.
"Lord Hokage."
"Lord Hokage."
Both greeted Hiruzen Sarutobi, the supreme commander of the Leaf.
Hiruzen nodded to them and introduced them to the others. "This is Dr. Katasuke."
"And this is a survivor from the Hidden Steam Village, Mr. Arima."
Following the introduction, Arima immediately felt a cold gaze sweep over him. A beast-like instinct caused his muscles to contract slightly, ready to explode with powerful force at any moment.
"Hiruzen, what is the meaning of this?" Koharu Utatane couldn't help but ask.
Hiruzen didn't intend to keep them in suspense any longer. He spoke directly to Katasuke, "Demonstrate it, you two."
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
A hint of fanaticism was hidden behind Katasuke's lenses. He knew that the opportunity to make a name for himself was right before him. If he could prove his value and power to this supreme authority of the Leaf, his talents would finally have the chance to be unleashed! All his hard work culminated in this day.
Arima's heart was equally fervent. He also needed to demonstrate his value. Only then could he obtain even greater power, and thus... achieve his revenge!
With that thought, Arima unhesitatingly pressed a finger against a briefcase. With a "click," the briefcase snapped open.
Arima hoisted the case upward and precisely gripped the handle inside. As he pulled, a large amount of unidentified material hidden within the case instantly began to transform. Following Arima's pull, it morphed in the air into a cone-shaped knight's lance!
Flickers of electrical arcs danced on the silver-blue lance, and a powerful aura descended upon the small office.
On the other side, Katasuke also opened the case in his hand. What appeared in his grasp was a bright red long whip, which coiled around Katasuke like a living thing the moment it emerged.
The three advisors were instantly unsettled by this sight.
"What is going on here, Hiruzen?" Koharu Utatane was the first to ask.
Only then did Hiruzen explain in a slow, deliberate manner, "Do you still remember those Ghouls that destroyed the Hidden Steam Village?"
"These weapons were modified by Dr. Katasuke based on the organs and tissues of those Ghouls. This is a new Secret Method belonging to our Hidden Leaf!"
"It is called a 'Quinque'."
Hiruzen's tone was filled with confidence. Clearly, he believed that with these weapons, they would absolutely be able to handle Sunagakure's Secret Jutsu.
"This Secret Method looks decent enough, but the specific effects will need to be verified through actual combat testing."
Danzo remained rigorous. Although he felt the aura erupting from these weapons, they still needed to be put to the test.
Hiruzen nodded. He didn't expect his old friends to accept this new weapon based on a few words alone. To implement a large-scale rollout, practical testing was essential.
Consequently, this group of the Leaf's highest-ranking individuals, protected by Anbu, immediately headed to a training ground near the Forest of Death.
As for the one summoned to serve as the test opponent, it was none other than the genius of the Leaf, Kakashi Hatake.
Kakashi was still serving in the Anbu at this time, so he wore the exclusive Anbu mask. However, with that silver-white hair on his head, there seemed to be no one else in the entire Leaf who fit the description...