Chapter 11 My Shadow, Your Regret
"Currently, Jiraiya is active on the front lines of the Land of Grass."
Hiruzen Sarutobi tapped his finger heavily on the unfolded map.
"Going north, he can block the southward passage of the Iwagakure ninja from the Land of Earth.
Going south, he can provide support to the front line in the Land of Wind at any time."
He paused briefly, then continued with the deployment.
Orochimaru would lead the newly assembled ninja army fully prepared and ready to be deployed to any front line in distress, serving as a mobile reserve force.
Finally, his gaze turned sharply to Shimura Danzo, who had been sitting in silence with his eye closed. His tone carried an undeniable weight of finality.
"As for the threat from Kumogakure in the Land of Lightning... Danzo, that battlefront is now in your hands. Yours and Root's."
Hiruzen Sarutobi had decided to send Danzo to the front lines rather than keeping him in the village to remotely command Root from the shadows — and for good reason. With powerful enemies pressing in on all sides, Konoha's top combat power was stretched dangerously thin. Every Kage-level force had to be used wisely.
There was another reason as well — one rooted in quiet displeasure at Danzo's earlier remarks.
Since you've decided that all the dirty work in the shadows falls on your shoulders alone, then I'll place you on the open battlefield where everyone can see.
Those "thankless jobs" you complained about — you won't need to worry about them for now.
Shimura Danzo was no fool. He understood the unspoken message from his old friend perfectly.
Unable to openly defy an official order from the Hokage, he could only grimace, let out a cold snort, and state his terms.
"Guarding against the Cloud Village is no problem for me. However, the ninja forces currently stationed on the northeastern border are insufficient. I will need reinforcements to withstand the onslaught of Kumogakure."
Konoha's standing border troops, spread across the major frontiers, were already limited in number.
Based on assessed threat levels — the northwest region, facing the Land of Earth, was garrisoned by two thousand five hundred ninja.
The southwest, facing the Land of Wind, held two thousand. The northeast, directly confronting the Land of Lightning, was stationed with another two thousand five hundred.
The eastern coastline, a potential landing point for the Water Country, was covered by fifteen hundred.
This standing army of eight thousand five hundred was funded entirely by the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.
Beyond the border garrisons, Konoha maintained roughly three thousand regular ninja who sustained themselves through mission work.
Two thousand of these had been conscripted as reserves and placed under Orochimaru's unified command. The remaining thousand were still needed to maintain daily operations within the Land of Fire.
War was war but the requests of the noble lords could not simply be ignored.
This was true not only for Konoha, but for the ninja villages of every major nation.
Mission work was not only an important source of income it was also a key element in maintaining goodwill with the upper echelons of the Land of Fire and securing continued government funding in the years ahead.
This was one of the peculiarities of the ninja world.
To put it plainly, it was like a general who commanded a great army, yet still had to bow his head and politely ask the officials for his budget.
Absurd but that was the reality.
Now that Shimura Danzo was asking for more men, Sarutobi Hiruzen's brow furrowed deeply.
He knew better than anyone that Kumogakure was powerful and aggressive. He genuinely worried that if his old friend arrived at the front with insufficient troops, he could be overwhelmed in a swift, decisive strike.
Both publicly and privately, outright refusing the request was impossible.
But Hiruzen had no spare manpower to give so instead, after a brief pause, he shifted the subject.
"Konoha has no extra forces to allocate to you right now. However..."
The moment Hiruzen Sarutobi's tone shifted, his three longtime colleagues people who had worked alongside him for decades knew at once that he was maneuvering. They simply waited to hear where this was going.
"Danzo, you may personally visit the various ninja clans and inquire whether any clan ninja would be willing to volunteer for the northeastern front for the sake of the village."
From Konoha's founding, a rule had been established what belonged to Konoha belonged to Konoha, and what belonged to the ninja clans belonged to the clans.
In order to limit the growing influence of the clans within the village, the number of official Jonin positions available to clan ninja had always been deliberately restricted.
This left many clan members of genuine Jonin-level strength with no formal rank they simply lived within their clans, taking private work on the side.
These elite forces, quietly sheltered within the various clans, were the true hidden foundation of Konoha as a ninja village.
Just as with the powerful Uchiha clan even the Hokage himself held no direct authority to issue orders to clan ninja.
Upon hearing this, Shimura Danzo's expression darkened immediately, turning so grim it looked as though it might drip.
He understood Hiruzen Sarutobi's scheme at once. The Hokage wanted him to play the villain first to approach the clans and test their limits, drawing their resistance and resentment onto himself.
Then, once Danzo had absorbed that backlash, Hiruzen would step in as Hokage to smooth things over.
At that point, even if those clans held grievances, they could hardly refuse the Third Hokage outright a second time.
"Ha. All the good reputation goes to you, and all the dirty work falls to me. What a wonderful Hokage so devoted to Konoha."
Faced with Shimura Danzo's biting sarcasm, Mitokado Homura and Koharu Utatane quietly averted their eyes, as though suddenly absorbed in private contemplation.
Hiruzen Sarutobi merely turned his head slightly and glanced at Danzo from the corner of his eye.
He took a slow, deliberate drag from his pipe. The bitter smoke swirled inside him for a long moment, then escaped in a thin, steady trail of white.
Through the haze, Hiruzen's voice remained perfectly calm.
"Danzo I am the Hokage."
Shimura Danzo's body went rigid. His single eye widened sharply, locking onto the composed face half-hidden behind the smoke.
A surge of emotion humiliation, fury, and years upon years of buried resentment shattered through his usual cold composure in an instant. His emaciated frame trembled uncontrollably.
He had spent his entire life chasing that seat. He had built Root from nothing, borne the darkness of Konoha on his back, and told himself again and again that his sacrifices were no less than Hiruzen's.
And yet the one who sat there the one who could say those words so effortlessly, so casually was always Sarutobi Hiruzen.
How could he not hate that?
How could he not rage?
*Wasn't it just that I flinched when Sensei asked me to cover the rear?*
The words roared through Danzo's mind as his hands clenched into fists at his sides.
His knuckles drained to a bluish white from the force.
The veins across the back of his hand stood out like taut cords, trembling on the edge of breaking.
In the now deathly silent office, the only sound was the faint, soft crackle of tobacco burning slowly in the pipe.
Then came the weight of Shimura Danzo's breathing.
He stared at Hiruzen Sarutobi, and the question that had festered inside him for so many years forced its way out at last.
"What about the Uchiha clan?
What exactly do you intend to do with them? Leaving them sitting in the heart of the village is like keeping a live ember buried in dry wood it will ignite sooner or later!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze hardened behind the smoke.
He had no intention of allowing Danzo to interfere in Uchiha affairs not now, not in the middle of a great war.
"That matter is no longer your concern."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was cold and final. "Do your job and prepare to move out."
"Hiruzen you will regret this."
The words had barely left his mouth before Shimura Danzo spun on his heel, his wide robes cutting through the air like a blade.
A thunderous bang.
He slammed the door of the Hokage's office shut with almost violent force, the impact reverberating down the empty corridor long after he was gone.
Watching the anger that flickered briefly across Hiruzen Sarutobi's face, Koharu Utatane lowered her voice gently.
"Hiruzen. Don't take it to heart."
Danzo will understand your intentions one day.
End of Chapter..