Chapter 44: Let Sakumo Take the Lead!
Danzo frowned at the Third Hokage's hesitation, a deep sense of disgust welling up inside him.
"Is this really someone fit to be Hokage? Tobirama-sensei, even you could make mistakes."
Yet he didn't realize that while the current Third Hokage might have lost his edge, he had once stepped up.
Danzo, who always prided himself as the root of Konoha, had shown weakness when faced with life-and-death situations, even for his mentor.
Standing up, Danzo coldly glanced at the silent higher-ups before heading towards the door.
"Where are you going, Danzo?" The Third Hokage's raspy voice halted him.
"Anything is better than doing nothing. Hiruzen, you disappoint me."
Without waiting for a response, Danzo strode out, disappearing down the corridor.
The Third Hokage's face darkened further. He took Danzo's criticism to heart.
With a heavy sigh, he looked at the still silent individuals beside him, his anger almost palpable. Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, how did Tobirama-sensei produce such students!
Turning to Nara Shikami, he barked, "Shikami, give me your opinion, even if it's radical!"
Nara Shikami, the current head of the Nara clan, was the Third Hokage's advisor and staunch supporter.
"Such a hassle, why do I have to come up with ideas? It's just dealing with Sand and Rain ninjas, yet it's become such a mess."
Shikami stood, bowing slightly in respect, and spoke slowly, "Based on Uchiha Fuma's intelligence, we can't move against the Rain Village for now. We have to target the Sand Village."
"Although the situation with the Sand Village isn't ideal, if you give the order, I believe Sakumo Hatake will come up with a solution."
The Third Hokage looked at Shikami with dissatisfaction. This wasn't the approach he wanted.
Currently, the casualty ratio of Konoha ninjas in the Sand Village battlefield had reached an unfavorable number.
Shikami, sensing the Hokage's displeasure, sighed and continued his low-voiced analysis.
"From the current situation, Chiyo and Ebizo from the Sand Village are contending with our Sakumo Hatake and Dan Kato. Though the battle is intense, we still hold a strategic advantage."
"In the Rain Village battlefield, Orochimaru and others are struggling against Hanzo, who possesses large-scale destructive ninjutsu, making it hard for us to counterattack."
"At this moment, to shift the overall battle, Sakumo Hatake must break through. Hanzo poses a great threat to our Konoha ninjas, and attacking the Rain Village could result in unacceptable casualties."
Shikami wisely avoided mentioning the hunting squad. The past year of tug-of-war with the Uchiha had shown him the clan's changes.
"The Uchiha are no longer just brute killers; they have a leader now."
Shikami knew the Uchiha were beyond his jurisdiction.
The war had witnessed the clan's growth, and no ninja clan wanted to clash with the current Uchiha, even in secret. This matter was for the Hokage to handle.
The Third Hokage tapped his pipe, a determined look crossing his face. He spoke firmly:
"I will go to the battlefield myself and end this war!"
Shikami sighed deeply, feeling helpless at Konoha's precarious situation.
"What's the point of you going? The Sand Village has its Kazekage, and they can deploy their Jinchuriki."
Suppressing his inner complaints, Shikami bowed deeply and advised:
"Lord Third, if you appear on the battlefield and we still can't end the war, it will be a real problem."
"If you go, the Third Kazekage will definitely join, and the Sand Village might deploy their One-Tail Shukaku. I don't doubt you can defeat the Kazekage, but we can't afford Lady Mito to intervene; we're too passive!"
"Please trust our Konoha ninjas. They just haven't experienced war in a long time. If we need you to handle the Sand and Rain ninjas, other villages will surely get ideas!"
"For now, let's let Sakumo Hatake intensify his attacks on the Sand Village and observe the situation."
The Third Hokage's resolute expression wavered, and he fell silent again, staring at the war map.
Shikami waited silently, knowing that only the Hokage could make this decision.
The Hokage's meeting room was eerily silent. Strangely, no one mentioned Fuma or the hunting squad's deployment.
Fuma had completed his tasks too well in the past year.
The Third Hokage silently pondered Fuma's potential deployment, recalling their previous discussions. He shook his head.
"Uchiha Fuma still prioritizes his clan over the village. His loyalty to Konoha is questionable. I can't deploy him again."
"We can't let the Uchiha grow too influential. This is Tobirama-sensei's will."
He walked to the window, gazing into the distance, taking a deep breath of fresh air, feeling a deep sense of powerlessness.
In his eyes, the Hokage Rock seemed to come alive, its faces bearing a hint of reproach.
Staring at Tobirama Senju's familiar and kind visage, the Third Hokage felt a pang of regret and sadness.
"Tobirama-sensei once led Konoha against the entire ninja world. How has Konoha come to this?"
"Maybe, I'm really not doing well enough."
His face darkened. He strode back to his Hokage seat and ordered, "Order Sakumo Hatake to launch a full-scale attack on the Sand Village. Break through at all costs!"
"Yes!"
Nara Shikami lowered his head, like an emotionless machine, relaying the order to the Sand Village battlefield.
...........
On the Sand Village battlefield, several Konoha ninjas were gritting their teeth, removing rotting flesh from their arms, cursing the Sand ninjas.
"Do we have any more medical bandages? These damn Sand ninjas, using poison again!"
"Stop complaining. The village is doing its best. Lady Tsunade is still on the Rain Village battlefield."
"We should just retreat. If they want the Land of Rivers, why should we interfere?"
Sakumo Hatake, patrolling the camp, heard the injured ninjas' complaints. He frowned but said nothing.
Whispering to a nearby medical ninja, he sent over a box of medical supplies.
"Morale is becoming a major issue."
As Sakumo pondered the morale problem, Nara Shikayama entered with new orders, "Sakumo, the Hokage demands we launch a full-scale attack!"
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