"Ahem. Konoha hasn't reached such a desperate point yet. Clan heads, there's no need for this."
Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly realized something felt wrong.
So many ninja clans were present.
Especially the Uchiha—Danzō would absolutely never communicate with them.
Yet suddenly everyone was being so proactive.
Something was definitely off.
"Hokage-sama, I'm a rough man and don't know how to say fancy things. Why are we holding this meeting in the first place? Isn't it to gather our battle strength? Now that the Inuzuka clan is willing to put everything we have on the line and fight for Konoha to the very end, Hokage-sama, why would you refuse?"
The Inuzuka clan head stood up and spoke passionately.
The sincerity.
The urgency.
He looked exactly like a pure believer in the Will of Fire.
Inuzuka clan head: For the sake of the clan, for Rinko's future good life, this matter must be done properly.
Inuzuka Ryoha: Mainly for the clan. Rinko, whether you succeed at this or not, she'll still live a good life.
"Inuzuka clan head, I understand the Inuzuka clan's love for Konoha, but—"
According to the notes Shiken had written on the slip of paper:
No matter what happens, absolutely do not listen to anything that comes after "but."
So—
The Aburame clan head quickly stood up as well.
"Hokage-sama, I'm a simple man and not good with words. I only have one sentence: wherever Konoha's enemies are, that's where we will charge."
"Aburame clan head, thank you very much for your support of Konoha, but—"
The Hyūga clan head stood up.
"Our branch family's young heir is already prepared to lead the branch family's ninja to the battlefield at any time. In the name of the Hyūga, this battle will absolutely not be lost."
"Hyūga clan head, the Hyūga clan truly is Konoha's pillar holding up the heavens, the beam that steadies the seas, but—"
The Uchiha clan head stood up.
"Hokage-sama, the newly appointed head of our Uchiha Police Force has a message for you. Grand Advisor, in this campaign, if the enemy does not surrender for even a single day, not one Uchiha will leave the battlefield alive."
Damn it.
If you Uchiha go to the battlefield and awaken a bunch of Mangekyō, will I still be able to remain Hokage?
And "Grand Advisor"?
Who allowed you to call me that?
Did Orochimaru secretly accept an Uchiha disciple or something?
Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression grew stern.
If it were external enemies, Hiruzen wasn't worried at all. In fact, he even wanted to use the opportunity to eliminate certain people.
But the existence of the Uchiha was the greatest internal threat.
Those Mangekyō—who knew when they would appear?
Throughout all those years of the Warring States period, the Uchiha clan's Mangekyō had never truly disappeared.
It was just that some Mangekyō awakeners didn't help the Uchiha rise to prosperity. Instead, they hindered the clan's development.
Even worse, sometimes multiple pairs of Mangekyō appeared in the same era. The clan would split apart and attack each other, descending into chaos.
Only because of that had the Senju clan, for so many years before Senju Hashirama was born, been able to stand against the Uchiha with unity and cooperation.
After Senju Hashirama was born—
More precisely—
After Wood Release appeared—
Only then did the Uchiha become a ninja clan others could actually negotiate with.
And after Konoha was founded, when Uchiha Madara left the village, the Uchiha's Mangekyō Sharingan finally entered a period of disappearance.
Konoha had finally managed to establish suppression over the Uchiha.
And now you want to send them to the battlefield?
"The Uchiha's forbidden eyes are born from intense emotional stimulation. After experiencing such stimulation, Uchiha often become obsessive and cold. This change may benefit Konoha, or it may harm Konoha. But Konoha cannot gamble on that possibility. Even if Konoha refuses the assistance of the Mangekyō, it must also refuse the danger it brings. Unless the village faces destruction, the Uchiha must not enter the battlefield." — Senju Tobirama.
Sarutobi Hiruzen recalled his teacher's words.
He was just about to speak when—
"The Uchiha Police Force is responsible for guarding Konoha. They must not arbitrarily enter the battlefield."
Shimura Danzō spoke up at that moment.
Good partner.
Hiruzen silently gave Danzō a thumbs-up in his heart.
"So dog-raisers (the Inuzuka clan), bug-players (the Aburame clan), a clan with internal issues (the Hyūga clan), and even cooks (the Akimichi clan, many of whom run barbecue restaurants) can go to the battlefield—but the strongest ninja clan in Konoha, the Uchiha, can only stand behind and watch? Hokage-sama, do you distrust the Uchiha clan… or do you distrust a particular person within the Uchiha?"
When the Uchiha clan head said this, a red flash flickered in his eyes—
three tomoe spinning within blood-red irises.
This feels amazing.
Kamito's little note really had something useful on it.
Inuzuka clan head: What the hell? I thought you were on our side. What do you mean by that? Want to spar?
Aburame clan head: Why do his lines sound so imposing? Why do the ones Shiken gave me sound so embarrassing?
Hyūga clan head: Hmph. Arrogant Uchiha.
Akimichi clan head: Welcome to Akimichi Barbecue.
Shimura Danzō also knew he couldn't respond now. If he rebuked the Uchiha, he would completely enrage them.
Actually, whether the Uchiha were angered or not wasn't the real issue.
The real issue was what the other clan heads would think if they saw the strongest clan in Konoha treated like this.
If even the Uchiha were treated this way…
What about them?
As for lowering himself to the Uchiha—
Hmph. The evil Uchiha didn't deserve it.
And that was exactly why Shimura Danzō could never become Hokage. Someone who saw enemies everywhere—how could a person like that play politics?
Sarutobi Hiruzen stepped in to smooth things over.
"Uchiha clan head, Konoha doesn't mean it that way. It's just that the situation in war changes constantly. What if one day someone launches a surprise attack near Konoha, and the village has no forces left to respond? Wouldn't Konoha be in great danger? After all, everyone's families live in Konoha. The heavy responsibility of protecting the families of all the fighting ninja can only fall upon the shoulders of the Uchiha."
Now the Uchiha should calm down, right?
Sometimes, the deepest knife stabbing into you comes from your own people.
"But doesn't Konoha already have the strongest Hokage-sama personally guarding it? Or perhaps you plan to head to a battlefield yourself? If that's the case, then the responsibility of guarding Konoha truly can only be borne by the Uchiha clan."
As soon as the Uchiha clan head spoke those words,
Sarutobi Hiruzen's face immediately turned bitter.
Was he weak?
Of course not.
He absolutely had Kage-level strength.
But was Kage-level strength what Konoha actually needed?
No.
What Konoha needed was the kind of overwhelming strength the First Hokage had—the kind that could crush the entire ninja world.
If Hiruzen personally took action, the illusion surrounding his strength would shatter.
Not to mention—these ninja clans would definitely become the most restless forces.
Why would someone with Kage-level power still fear these clans?
One sentence explains it:
These clans had earned their reputation during the Warring States era while existing in the same era as the Senju and the Uchiha.
In other words, before Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara appeared, they had never feared the Senju clan or the Uchiha clan.
If it were revealed that Sarutobi Hiruzen did not possess the same power as the First Hokage—
Would these clans still obey his every command?
Could Sarutobi Hiruzen really control them?
The title of "Strongest Hokage" could actually end up wounding the one who carried it.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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