https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-425-Lightning-Shadow-You-Don-t-Want-Your-Brother-in-Danger-Right-/12936367/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-427-The-Dark-Transformation-of-Sarutobi-Kazumi-/12936373/
Chapter 426: Danzo's Pressure Relief Charm, Healthy Confrontation!
Chapter 426: Danzo's Pressure Relief Charm, Healthy Confrontation!
"Uchiha Douhei!"
Danzo, filled with rage, led a group of over ten Root Division members and caught up with the retreating Leaf Village forces.
"What's the matter, Elder Danzo?" Douhei asked, his tone laced with amusement as he observed Danzo's furious expression.
He knew exactly why Danzo was angry.
Opportunity!
In Danzo's eyes, this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance.
With the Cloud Village army scattered by the flood, it was the perfect opportunity to make a comeback against the odds, achieve a legendary victory, or at the very least, inflict heavy casualties on the enemy.
But letting the enemy escape unscathed, allowing them to retreat without a scratch, how could Danzo not be furious? This was a chance to earn merit!
"You let the Cloud Village ninjas go, do you intend to betray Konoha?" Danzo accused, his voice filled with anger.
He didn't bother lowering his voice, causing everyone around them to freeze in shock.
The group silently formed a circle around the two of them.
"Then, what is the price?" Douhei asked, his face filled with mockery.
Please, have some decency.
It was true that they had a chance to heavily damage the Cloud Village army.
Just now, the Cloud Village forces were scattered, and with Kirabi's Jinchuriki power neutralized by Taiichi's talisman, they had lost a crucial asset.
But they were merely scattered, not killed.
Did he really think ninjas were made of paper, easily destroyed by a mere flood?
So, according to Danzo's plan to fight the Cloud Village to the death, they could indeed inflict heavy casualties on the enemy, and that was undeniable.
However, facing the counterattacking Cloud Village forces, only the elite ninjas among them had any chance of survival.
"For Konoha, these are necessary sacrifices!" Danzo ignored the surrounding gazes and spoke with a calm demeanor.
His words were sincere.
For Konoha, sacrificing a few lives was nothing new; he had always thought and acted this way.
The terrifying casualty rate of the Root Division was a result of this very mindset.
"Why don't you, Elder Danzo, make the sacrifice first? If you can assassinate the Raikage, the rest will be up to us!" Douhei replied with a half-smile.
With the situation now completely under control, he didn't mind taking a jab at his 'top-ranked brother' to relieve some stress.
Regarding the Heavenly Fortress, he not only wouldn't rush back but would deliberately slow down.
If the Mist Village didn't attack and cause damage, how could he justify his 'counterattack'?
So, at the moment, he had the leisure to confront others.
"You... you want me to deal with the Raikage?" Danzo exclaimed in disbelief.
This wasn't a matter of success or failure but how quickly he would die.
The Raikage was not only powerful but also protected by a large number of Cloud Village ninjas. Sending him to assassinate the Raikage was practically a death sentence, no wonder Danzo reacted so strongly.
"Isn't it you, Elder Danzo, who said that for Konoha, these are necessary sacrifices?" Douhei asked, feigning innocence.
Yes, he couldn't stand the hypocrisy of the village's upper echelons.
They always talked about sacrifices and the Will of Fire, but when it came to them, they had double standards.
Did they think everyone was blind and couldn't see this?
The powerful ninja clans within the village only tolerated this because they had no choice; otherwise, they would have rebelled long ago.
The surrounding Leaf Village ninjas weren't fools either. Except for the civilian genin who had been manipulated by the Will of Fire, the other ninjas understood and felt a sense of satisfaction.
Well said!
No one was stupid; they all understood what Danzo meant.
He was asking them to use their lives to heavily damage the Cloud Village.
If they had no other choice, they wouldn't complain.
But now, when a safe retreat was possible, Danzo still wanted to go through with it. Did he think they were his Root Division robots, with no will of their own?
So, when Douhei spoke up on their behalf, they couldn't help but cheer him on in their hearts.
"I am Konoha's Counselor Elder; what's your attitude?" Danzo knew that reasoning wouldn't work, so he decided to exert his authority.
The Counselor Elder's position in the village indeed held weight when it came to exerting pressure.
But this did not include Douhei.
"Oh, I'm the commander of this army now, and you're the vice commander. Shouldn't you be listening to me?" Douhei refused to yield, directly clashing with Danzo.
In the village, the commander's status was indeed inferior to that of the Counselor Elder.
It was like a power struggle within a faction; internally, the civilian officials would suppress the military officials, but externally, the opposite was true, hence the saying, 'A general in the field has the authority to disobey orders.'
This was a battlefield, not Konoha, and Danzo was the vice commander, so trying to assert his authority over Douhei was a mistake.
(End of Chapter)As Douhei repeatedly scolded Danzo, the Oilada Clan couldn't help but rejoice, their faces beaming with satisfaction.
There was no other choice!
The grudge between the two sides was simply too deep.
The Oilada Clan had almost been used as 'dogs' by the Root Division, so how could they not harbor resentment?
They could only hold back because of the circumstances, and had to consider the well-being of their clan, or else they would have already plotted an assassination.
Seeing Danzo's misfortune, the Oilada Clan members couldn't help but feel delighted.
There was another person who was also overjoyed.
"Great!"
Hidden among the crowd, Red Bean clenched her small fists in excitement.
Who could blame her for holding a grudge against Danzo and the Root Division?
After Great Snake Maru's defection, she had fallen into the hands of the Root Division, and had even contemplated death. Now, seeing Danzo being scolded by Douhei, she could only suppress her joy, knowing her own strength and not wanting to draw unnecessary attention.
"Keep your voice down!"
Sunset Red grabbed Red Bean by her side, fearing that her enthusiasm might attract unwanted attention.
Just because they weren't afraid of Danzo didn't mean they weren't cautious.
Yes, this was the true Shinobi World.
Those who casually offended others without facing retaliation or suppression were 'protagonists', but for ordinary people, offending the village elders would only bring trouble.
"Alright, let's discuss any issues back in the village!"
Nara Kujousei stepped in to defuse the situation.
There was no other option but to prevent an all-out argument between the two.
"I'll give you face, Kujousei," Douhei said, glancing disdainfully at Danzo as if he didn't care about him at all.
It could be said that the 'Hokage Pressure Relief Talisman' was truly effective for whoever used it.
The anger in his heart, caused by the Byakugan Wolf's treatment of him as a soft persimmon, had now mostly subsided.
Without waiting for Kujousei or Danzo to respond, Douhei took the lead and headed towards Konoha.
At that moment, the dawn's light rose in the east, bathing him in its glow, as if he were adorned in a golden robe.
Strong and dependable!
This was the unanimous thought among the Konoha ninjas present.
If not for his timely intervention, their forces might not have had a chance to escape the battlefield alive.
In an instant, they developed a sense of admiration and goodwill towards Uchiha Douhei.
This was also the reason why the village elders were reluctant to send Douhei into battle.
No one understood his abilities and strength better than they did. Once he entered the battlefield, it would only serve to boost the opponent's achievements and prestige.
However, when faced with difficulties, they had no choice but to rely on him, creating a dilemma.
To aspire for the position of Hokage, one had to first prove their worth on the battlefield.
Danzo had always sought opportunities to lead the Ninja Army as the main commander, knowing that a few decisive victories would earn him considerable prestige.
And prestige was an essential asset for those aspiring to become Hokage.
Unfortunately, while he possessed remarkable talent in conspiracies, he lacked any talent in direct command, relying on a single strategy.
Sacrificing lives!
As a result, his military record was abysmal.
If it weren't for the knowledge of Danzo's incompetence, the main commander of this reinforcement force would not have preferred to let Sarutobi Shinzo take command, rather than letting Danzo benefit.
When the situation was stable, giving him opportunities was not an issue.
But with Konoha in such a dire state, there was no spare strength to waste on Danzo's blunders.
After that, there wasn't much else to say.
Their reinforcement force, now reduced to around five hundred, returned to Konoha two days later.
On their journey, they also learned of the Cloud Village Ninja's withdrawal.
With neither side willing to continue the conflict, the next step was negotiations.
Naturally, this task fell to the responsibility of the Water Gate Flame.
In other words, the incident instigated by the Cloud Village Ninja had reached its first phase.
If not for the Byakugan Wolf's intervention, it would have ended at this first phase instead of continuing.
The Byakugan Wolf's attack on the Cloud Village Ninja was the spark that ignited the original conflict.
Otherwise, even if the Cloud Village Ninja had intended to merely intimidate, they wouldn't have taken further action.
But after the attack on the envoy, even though A knew there was something amiss, he had no choice but to engage.
Perhaps this was also the reason for his swift retreat.
Knowing that someone was plotting behind the scenes, and with Konoha already weakened, they were unwilling to let others take advantage.
However, upon returning to the village, Douhei and his team faced an extremely troublesome issue.
(Chapter End)
Chapter end
Report
