Chapter 147: Gotham's Top Player: Danzo!
Chapter 147: Gotham's Top Player: Danzo!
"This meeting is to address the joint offensive by the Hidden Mist and Hidden Cloud!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi explained the purpose of the gathering.
A mere status update from a subordinate wouldn't warrant such a grand assembly.
"How could this happen!"
"We repelled the Hidden Sand, and they still won't back down?"
"This is bad!"
...
Worried murmurs filled the room.
Only the village's upper echelons were privy to certain intelligence, so many were unaware of just how dire the situation had become.
Now, the Hidden Mist and Hidden Cloud were launching a full-scale offensive.
Orochimaru was absent, having been dispatched to the border to fend off the Hidden Cloud. Otherwise, Minato Namikaze alone wouldn't stand a chance against the Third Raikage and the new 'AB' duo.
One Kage-level, two near-Kage-levels!
Three Kage-levels in total, indeed requiring Orochimaru's assistance.
If it were just the Hidden Cloud, it might have been manageable, but the Hidden Mist was also attacking with all its might, and the Leaf's defenses were stretched thin.
Thud, thud!
The sound of a gavel silenced the room.
It was Danzo!
His face was cold, and the single eye visible under the bandage was fierce, like that of a lone wolf. His gaze swept the room, and it seemed as if he had a 'Silence' effect.
As the shadow of the shinobi, the average Leaf shinobi and villagers might not know his fearsome reputation, but the elite shinobi and clan leaders were well aware of the terror he and his Root division inspired.
However, one person couldn't help but laugh.
Chuckle!
Tohei couldn't hold it in.
Because the other person's appearance was just too hilarious.
One eye, one hand, one leg!
How funny could that be, really?
He couldn't help but laugh.
The others in the room understood why Tohei was laughing. Though they wanted to laugh too, they didn't have the nerve to offend Danzo, so they all struggled to control their expressions, their faces contorting.
'Damn Uchiha kid!'
Danzo cursed inwardly.
But he didn't use this as an excuse to cause trouble, as he couldn't stop someone from laughing. Instead, he stared at Tohei and demanded, "Tohei Uchiha, are you going to explain your private dealings with Onoki to the village?"
This was the real reason for bringing Tohei back to the village.
Of course, it was just a prelude.
Before Tohei's return, Root had spread numerous rumors throughout the village.
"Explain what? Are you going to make me explain based on mere rumors? I could say you, Danzo, are plotting to usurp the position of Hokage. Would you explain that too?"
Tohei dismissed the accusation.
If it were a regular jonin, they wouldn't have a chance to explain and would be taken away by the Anbu.
But Tohei had the right to refute the claim, as a Kage-level ninja's strength comes from within, not from the village.
"What are you talking about!"
Danzo glanced at Sarutobi beside him, then shouted in shock and anger.
Because he did indeed want to overthrow his friend and become the Hokage to make the Leaf great again.
But such things could be done, not said. Being exposed in front of so many people was a direct breach of his defenses.
"If you can say anything, why can't I?"
Tohei looked at Danzo, who seemed like a top player in Gotham (the Joker), and spoke calmly.
As they bickered, the clan leaders remained silent, their eyes fixed on their noses, their noses on their hearts, like wooden puppets. But in their hearts, they were thinking:
Fight, fight quickly!
After all, Tohei didn't have the best relationship with them, and Danzo was someone they deeply resented. They enjoyed the spectacle and didn't mind the chaos.
The Uchiha elder shared this mindset.
Because Tohei's fiancee, Yae Uchiha, was the head of the martial faction, while he and Fugaku were neutral.
This was the reality.
If being of the same clan meant perfect unity, then Madara Uchiha wouldn't have left alone.
"Enough!" Sarutobi interrupted, not there to watch them argue. "We will not mention this matter again!"
It seemed he was protecting Tohei.
But if he truly wanted to protect him, he should have stopped Danzo before he spoke, not after.
Now, while it appeared he was preventing Danzo from continuing his attack, he left Tohei with the lingering suspicion of 'collaborating with Onoki.'
The ninjas, lacking knowledge of internal strife, didn't realize this.
But for someone from a world of vast knowledge, it was clear as day.
So, the idea that they could use this to manipulate him was a gross overestimation.
"Due to the border crisis, the village is preparing to form a support force and needs the assistance of all clan leaders!"
After Sarutobi Hiruzen stopped the two from bickering, he got down to business.
Since the start of the Great Ninja War, only active-duty shinobi had been deployed. Only during the purge of the Sand shinobi were some private clan forces dispatched. Now, they were beginning to mobilize private clan forces.
"The Inuzuka clan will send two Jonin, five Chunin, and ten Genin to join the support force!"
The first to speak was a tall, imposing woman with red inverted triangles painted on her cheeks.
Inuzuka Tsume!
A renowned female Jonin and the mother of future Konoha's Twelve Guardian Ninja, Inuzuka Kiba.
Her words caused a ripple of reactions.
Too intense!
The Inuzuka clan wasn't one of the major clans, and committing this much strength was nearly all they had. If anything went wrong, it could mean near-total annihilation.
Moreover, if a small clan was willing to contribute so much, how would the villagers view the major clans if they didn't do the same?
It was clear this wasn't her own idea but someone else's directive.
Everyone's gaze shifted to the Konoha F4, trying to figure out who had come up with this ruthless plan.
Too damn underhanded!
"The Nara clan will send five Jonin, twenty Chunin, and thirty Genin to join the support force!"
Tanzo Kosen followed suit.
While the Nara clan was considered a 'major clan' with over a thousand members, only a fraction were shinobi. Dispatching this many was their absolute limit, especially since many were registered shinobi.
In this regard, the council elders were quite clear-headed.
Knowing their power came from the village, they understood that if the village fell, they would lose their interests, so they were fully committed.
With someone leading the way, the other clan leaders broke their silence and committed their forces.
Of course, they weren't doing this without expecting something in return.
Once the war was won, as the Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen would have to offer corresponding benefits. Otherwise, it wouldn't be fair for their clan members to shed blood and sacrifice themselves.
For village-trained shinobi, fighting for the village was a duty.
But these clan members didn't eat the village's rice, so they naturally expected some form of compensation.
Perhaps this was why the village's interests were often divided among these clans.
After all, they had truly bled for Konoha.
Soon, these clan forces formed a formidable support force.
Nearly a hundred Jonin, around a thousand Chunin, and over a thousand Genin!
And these weren't just ordinary shinobi; their combat capabilities were exceptional. With a bit of battle experience, they would become absolute elite.
The ratio of Jonin to Genin also revealed a lot.
Among hundreds of civilian Genin, there might be one Jonin, while among clan Genin, there might be one Jonin for every few dozen.
The differences in resources and bloodlines created a terrifying gap between the clans and the civilians, which is why the village was often dominated by the clans.
With these private clan forces at the core, plus the civilian Genin, they could support several battlefronts.
However, among these clans, only the Uchiha and Hyuga remained silent.
It wasn't that they didn't want to, but many of their clan members were already entrenched in the southern front in the Land of Water, leaving them with no spare capacity.
Seeing the support force being gathered so smoothly, Sarutobi Hiruzen let out a sigh of relief and glanced at Mito Umegae.
There was another matter to address.
"To better resist the enemy, the village plans to reorganize the defense zones!"
Mito Umegae looked at Todo for a moment.
Indeed, they had agreed not to touch his position as commander and not to reduce the size of the southwest shinobi forces.
But they had never said they couldn't reassign the defense zones.
'Interesting!'
Todo noticed the look and chuckled inwardly.
It seemed that using the pretext of a report to bring him back was all for this.
Having Danzo make things difficult was to tarnish his reputation first, forcing him to prove his loyalty by accepting the Hokage's orders, and with the Hokage 'protecting' him, he couldn't refuse the favor.
Admittedly, the Konoha F4 were quite skilled.
However, before Mito Umegae could speak, the Hyuga clan had already taken the initiative to challenge.
(End of Chapter)
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