"Go summon the assistants and the two advisors."
Following Sarutobi Hiruzen's order, Danzo and the others soon arrived at the Hokage's office.
As for the movements across the ninja world, all three of them had already received the intelligence reports.
Still, no matter how tense things became, the final decision rested with the Hokage himself.
Whether to fight or not—
that call could only be made by Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"Alright, Hiruzen," Danzo said, breaking the silence.
"What's your take?"
"This time, Kumogakure clearly doesn't intend to back down."
"They've even deployed their jinchūriki in advance."
Originally, Danzo had planned to discuss whether Konoha should send envoys to Kumogakure—
to probe their intentions and see what could have triggered such a sudden escalation.
After all, this was supposed to be a period of recovery for the great villages.
Wars weren't meant to break out so casually.
But the moment he learned that Kumogakure had gone straight for the nuclear option—
sending out jinchūriki without a word—
Danzo immediately understood.
This was no longer a matter that could be resolved through negotiation.
Hiruzen let out a helpless sigh.
"Of course I understand that."
"That's why we're here—to discuss how we're going to fight."
As he spoke, Hiruzen fell into silence.
On the surface, Konoha still looked powerful.
In reality, it was already stretched thin.
The Nine-Tails incident alone had wiped out the Fourth Hokage entirely.
Of the Three Sannin—
Jiraiya had left the village to track down the mysterious masked man.Tsunade developed hemophobia and abandoned Konoha.Orochimaru caused chaos everywhere, conducting forbidden experiments—
and after being exposed, escaped only because Hiruzen went easy on him.
The next generation of elite ninja had yet to fully mature,
leaving Konoha with a severe shortage of top-tier combat power.
Facing two Kumogakure jinchūriki head-on in this state?
That was completely unrealistic.
After turning the problem over in his mind again and again,
Hiruzen suddenly realized something—
Right now, the only forces Konoha could truly rely on
were the Uchiha clan and the Hyuga clan.
Danzo clearly reached the same conclusion.
The two old comrades exchanged a glance,
both seeing the same trace of relief in each other's eyes.
Thankfully… they hadn't moved against the Uchiha.
Otherwise, once war broke out,
these two old men might have been forced onto the battlefield themselves.
At their age,
facing those reckless brutes from Kumogakure?
That wouldn't end well.
Luckily, they'd held back.
Otherwise, after looking around, they might suddenly realize—
the real clowns were themselves.
All their high-end combat power… gone.
To cover his awkwardness, Hiruzen coughed lightly.
"Fugaku," he said, turning his gaze.
"What do you think we should do?"
The moment he heard that, Uchiha Fugaku's heart leapt with joy.
This was it.
The perfect chance for the Uchiha clan to turn their reputation around.
An opportunity to prove their loyalty.
Without hesitation, Fugaku stepped forward.
"Rest assured, Hokage-sama!"
"The Uchiha clan stands ready at all times!"
"With a single command from you, we will charge at the forefront!"
His response wasn't just convincing—
even Danzo nodded approvingly.
"Good!" Hiruzen said loudly.
"Well said!"
"Clan Head Fugaku truly has Konoha's interests at heart."
"It seems we've misunderstood the Uchiha clan quite a bit in the past."
As he spoke, Hiruzen even stood up and patted Fugaku on the shoulder.
Fugaku was practically shaking with excitement.
What did this mean?!
It meant the Third Hokage finally acknowledged the Uchiha clan.
It meant they were finally being taken seriously.
It meant all his efforts during this time hadn't been in vain!
Beside him, Hyuga Hiashi was momentarily speechless.
His mind went blank.
Because everything Fugaku had just said—
were the exact words he had planned to say.
That— that was my script!
As for his younger brother's death,
Hiashi had never forgotten it.
Sure, Hiruzen's weakness played a role—
but at the end of the day,
the blame lay with Kumogakure.
They coveted the Byakugan.
They caused his brother's death.
This grudge had to be repaid.
"Hokage-sama, please give the order!"
"The Hyuga clan is also fully prepared!"
"We'll make sure those Kumogakure brutes never return!"
Seeing Hiashi's passionate declaration,
Hiruzen and Danzo exchanged another look.
Double happiness.
With both the Uchiha and Hyuga mobilized,
and the Ino–Shika–Cho trio supporting them—
the Kumogakure front should hold without issue.
"Good! Your spirit is admirable!" Hiruzen said solemnly.
"But war is no child's game."
"As Hokage, I must take responsibility for every single ninja."
"They are all Konoha's future."
"The battle plan must be carefully discussed to avoid unnecessary casualties."
Hearing those words,
watching Hiruzen's earnest expression—
Fugaku and Hiashi were deeply moved.
Any lingering dissatisfaction they had toward the Third Hokage
vanished completely at that moment.
Even now, he was still thinking of them.
Thinking of the village's future.
Maybe… they really had misunderstood him before.
Meanwhile, at the Sarutobi clan compound—
"What?!"
"Kumogakure suddenly massed troops at the border?!"
Aiden Sarutobi looked genuinely shocked.
Standing beside him, Izumi felt a strange sense of dissonance—
because on Aiden's face,
she clearly saw excitement.
Yes.
Excitement.
Hearing about an impending war…
and he was excited?!
"That's right," Izumi replied.
"And there are signs that the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails jinchūriki have appeared."
"The Hokage and the others are discussing countermeasures right now."
The moment she finished speaking,
Aiden sprang straight out of bed.
He'd been playing the idle rich kid for so long
his bones were practically rusting.
And now—
The S4 season was starting early?!
"Good, good, GOOD!"
"Finally, something fun is happening!"
Before Izumi could even react,
Aiden had already thrown on his clothes and rushed out the door.
The speed was so fast she barely registered it—
in the blink of an eye,
his figure had vanished completely.
At the same time, inside the Hokage Tower—
Just as the discussion reached its most intense point—
BOOM!
The office doors were kicked straight off their hinges.
"I'M GOING TO THE BATTLEFIELD!!!"
The room fell deathly silent.
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