Homura Mitokado was also helpless when he heard this. He had wanted to inform Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others in advance, but Namikaze Minato simply hadn't given him the opportunity!
Homura Mitokado explained, "Uchiha Ren and the others must have anticipated this. So, immediately after Uchiha Ren revealed his plan, Namikaze Minato called an emergency meeting. I simply didn't have any time to pass the information along!"
"That is why I said I was forced into this position."
Koharu Utatane said, "Hiruzen, if that's the case, then we really can't blame Homura for this."
Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand. "I have no intention of assigning blame. Things have already come to this point, so there is no need for that anymore!"
Homura Mitokado, however, was puzzled. "Hiruzen, is there actually something wrong with the Uchiha's plan? Why are you so pessimistic about it? If there really is a problem, why didn't you raise it during the meeting?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head slightly. "There isn't much wrong with Uchiha Ren's plan. Even I have to admit that his grasp of the timing is remarkably precise!"
"The Battle of Kikyō Mountain has only just ended, and the Fourth Kazekage of Sunagakure, Rasa, was seriously wounded. As a result, Sunagakure is placing extraordinary importance on its border defenses!"
"As far as I know, Sunagakure has deployed a total of six thousand border troops along the following fronts: the Land of Rivers defense line facing Konoha, the Land of Rain defense line at the junction of the three countries, the Land of Birds and Land of Bears defense lines facing Iwagakure, the Land of Yū on the Kumogakure front, and the southern coastline facing Kirigakure."
"Yet not long ago, Sunagakure lost nearly three thousand shinobi during the Battle of Kikyō Mountain!"
"In other words, Sunagakure is currently strong on the outside but weak within. The total number of troops stationed throughout the Land of Wind probably doesn't exceed two thousand, while the forces stationed inside Sunagakure itself number no more than a thousand!"
"Six thousand border troops may sound like a lot, but the territory of the Land of Wind is simply too vast!"
"To put it bluntly, once those six thousand men are spread across such an enormous frontier, they're like loose sand. They have virtually no concentrated strength and simply cannot withstand the assault of Uchiha Ren's two thousand elites!"
"The situation within the Land of Wind is even worse. They won't be able to organize an effective defense in such a short period of time!"
"So, as long as Uchiha Ren is fast enough, he really could decide the outcome in a single battle and capture Sunagakure!"
Koharu Utatane frowned. "Sunagakure deployed six thousand men along its borders? Have they gone mad? If something really happens, they won't even be able to scrape together a reserve force!"
Koharu Utatane had always been responsible for logistical affairs, and she had only recently been discharged from the hospital. She genuinely wasn't fully aware of the situation outside.
Homura Mitokado explained, "It's actually quite normal. The territory of the Land of Wind is almost larger than the other four great countries combined!"
"More importantly, the geographical environment of the Land of Wind is extremely unusual. If we exclude the smaller countries serving as buffers, it directly borders the other four great countries."
"On top of that, the Battle of Kikyō Mountain has only just ended. The entire shinobi world is on edge, with everyone treating every movement as a potential threat. Naturally, Sunagakure would place great importance on border defense!"
After a pause, Homura Mitokado added, "Besides, who could have imagined that Uchiha Ren would come up with this elite lightning-war strategy?"
"Under the usual methods of warfare in the shinobi world, if any section of the Land of Wind's border defenses were suddenly attacked by a two-thousand-man force from an enemy village, Sunagakure's defenders might be unable to defeat them, but they could certainly hold out for some time."
"During that period, Sunagakure would have plenty of time to mobilize troops from elsewhere and send them as reinforcements."
"But Uchiha Ren's two thousand elites can bring the force and momentum of four thousand, or even six thousand troops to the battlefield. How could Sunagakure possibly withstand them?"
Among ordinary shinobi forces in the shinobi world, the ratio of jōnin, chūnin, and genin was roughly one to three to six. Yet among the two thousand elites assembled by Uchiha Ren, there wasn't a single genin. There were very few chūnin, either. Most of them were Special Jōnin and jōnin.
A force like this would possess an overwhelming advantage against virtually any other unit it encountered—even if the enemy outnumbered them several times over!
And this force represented nearly half of Konoha's overall military strength. That was why Hiruzen Sarutobi had said that if they were defeated, Konoha would be unable to recover for a long time.
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded in agreement. "So, in my estimation, Uchiha Ren's plan has at least an eighty percent chance of success!"
Homura Mitokado pressed him again. "Hiruzen, if that's the case, what are you worried about? An eighty percent chance of success is already extremely high. Just let the Uchiha go out and make a huge commotion, win some benefits for the village, and we can stay here and focus on our own affairs!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi did not answer. He merely took a deep drag from his pipe and let out a long sigh.
Homura Mitokado frowned. He was just about to press him further when Koharu Utatane interrupted him.
Koharu was much more perceptive than Homura and quickly realized where the problem lay.
"Homura, you still haven't realized what the problem is?"
"Yes, that Uchiha Ren's plan has a very high chance of success. And once he succeeds, it's practically certain that the village's upcoming negotiations with Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure will all proceed much more smoothly, bringing enormous benefits to the village!"
"But!"
At this point, Koharu Utatane's expression became difficult to read, and her tone turned complicated.
"For the three of us, is this really a good thing?"
"Remember, under circumstances that were more or less the same as these, we compromised with Sunagakure before. We were also preparing to compromise with Iwagakure. If Namikaze Minato hadn't captured the Eight-Tails' Renchūriki and A, we would have had to compromise with Kumogakure as well!"
"And this isn't limited to the Third Shinobi World War. We did the same thing during the First Shinobi World War and the Second Shinobi World War!"
Homura Mitokado froze. He genuinely hadn't noticed this angle!
In the past, whenever they had made such compromises, there had certainly been voices of discontent within the village. But as long as they said that the village had its own difficulties, followed by a round of rhetoric about how hard-won peace was, the matter would eventually pass.
But that had been without a comparison!
If they had softened, then they had softened. Without someone standing beside them to show what being tough looked like, who could say they had been weak?
But if Uchiha Ren now succeeded in standing firm against Sunagakure, their own weakness would be exposed by comparison!
Their reputation and prestige within the village might plummet overnight!
And they couldn't even shift the blame onto Shimura Danzō. After all, Danzō was famous throughout the village for being an uncompromising hardliner.
That made the situation especially uncomfortable!
Homura Mitokado was now visibly restless as well. "But things have already reached this point. What are we supposed to do?"
No one answered Homura Mitokado's question.
Koharu Utatane lowered her head and remained silent, while Hiruzen Sarutobi continued smoking in silence.
For a moment, the entire room fell completely quiet.
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