Military operation…
Hearing those two words, no one in the room looked surprised.
Kumogakure had openly torn up the peace agreement and ambushed Konoha’s diplomatic delegation, leaving the Second Hokage trapped in enemy territory.
An incident of this magnitude could never be ignored by the Land of Fire.
Besides…
Tobirama Senju was Danzō’s teacher.
If your own master was surrounded and in danger, refusing to send reinforcements would be indefensible from any perspective.
Even if Tobirama had already fallen, Konoha would still be obligated to avenge him.
So war was inevitable.
The real question was how far they intended to take it.
Would they launch a token retaliation to save face?
Or would they wage a genuine campaign and tear a chunk of flesh from Kumogakure’s body?
With that thought in mind, every gaze in the chamber focused on Danzō.
The young man narrowed his eyes.
A chill crept across his face as he spoke coldly:
“Since Kumogakure has chosen betrayal…”
“Then they must pay the price.”
His gaze swept across the assembled clan leaders.
“I intend to mobilize Konoha’s elite forces and launch a strike deep into the Land of Lightning.”
“We will crush the Kinkaku Force.”
“We will kill Kinkaku and Ginkaku.”
“And we will bring Lord Tobirama home.”
A strike into the heart of the Land of Lightning…
And the assassination of the Kinkaku brothers…
The room stirred.
This wasn’t a symbolic response.
Danzō was talking about a full-scale offensive.
Several clan heads exchanged uneasy glances.
Finally, an elderly man spoke first.
“Danzō, I understand your desire to rescue the Second Hokage.”
“But Konoha’s current situation is far from optimistic.”
The speaker had short black hair and red fang-like markings painted across his cheeks.
He was none other than Inuzuka Retsu, head of the Inuzuka Clan.
His tone was grave and sincere.
After all, this was the height of the First Shinobi World War.
Aside from Kumogakure’s betrayal, Iwagakure in the northwest and Kirigakure in the southeast were also watching Konoha like hungry wolves.
Numerous battles had already erupted across various fronts.
The military strength accumulated during Hashirama’s era had been steadily drained away.
Every major clan had suffered severe losses.
Especially the veterans of the Warring States Era.
The old were growing older.
The wounded were permanently weakened.
And the younger generation had yet to fully mature.
Without question, this was the weakest Konoha had been since its founding.
That was precisely why Tobirama had been willing to risk traveling to Kumogakure for peace negotiations.
Only by ending the conflict with the Cloud Village quickly could he concentrate Konoha’s strength against Iwagakure and Kirigakure and secure valuable breathing room.
Unfortunately…
Reality rarely followed one’s plans.
No one could have predicted that Kinkaku and Ginkaku would be so extreme that they would willingly become rogue ninja just to sabotage the peace talks.
And after Tobirama’s disappearance, Konoha’s position had become even more precarious.
More importantly…
With Tobirama’s overwhelming presence gone, the major clans had begun reassessing their own interests.
As expected, after Inuzuka Retsu spoke, the head of the Hyūga Clan followed.
“After news of the Second Hokage’s disappearance spread…”
“Kirigakure and Iwagakure immediately reinforced their border forces overnight.”
“There are already signs that they intend to launch a large-scale invasion of the Land of Fire.”
“Concentrating our elite forces against Kumogakure at a time like this would be extremely reckless.”
His pale, pupil-less eyes remained calm as he spoke.
Long hair draped over his shoulders, and his commanding presence filled the room.
This was the famed Tennin, the strongest warrior of the Hyūga Clan.
Once those two influential clan leaders took a stand, the rest quickly followed suit.
One after another, representatives from the major clans voiced their agreement.
Hashirama Senju had spent twenty years spreading the ideals of the Will of Fire throughout the village.
But ideals alone could not erase reality.
Every clan had its own interests.
Its own calculations.
And with Tobirama gone, many hearts had begun to waver.
Despite twenty years of Hashirama Senju preaching the Will of Fire throughout the village, most of the men sitting in this chamber were survivors of the Warring States Era.
Deep down, they still believed in the law of the strong devouring the weak.
Talking about ideals was one thing.
Actually asking them to stake their clans’ futures on a battlefield?
That was another matter entirely.
Absolutely out of the question.
In the end, Hyūga Tennin summarized the room’s sentiments and proposed a compromise.
“We can dispatch a force to pressure Kumogakure, demand accountability for the attack on the Hokage, and attempt to rescue the Second Hokage.”
“As for the elite forces of the various clans, they must remain on their respective fronts to defend against possible offensives from Kirigakure and Iwagakure.”
“We cannot afford reckless adventurism for the sake of military glory.”
He turned toward Danzō.
“What do you think, Lord Hokage?”
The meaning behind his words could not have been clearer.
The war could be fought.
But it could not be escalated.
And as for risking the elite warriors of the major clans?
That was completely out of the question.
The phrase reckless adventurism was a direct jab at Danzō’s intentions.
If the new Hokage wanted to establish his authority through war, that was his business.
But he wasn’t dragging the great clans into it.
Even Tobirama Senju had taken members of his own clan to the battlefield.
Who exactly did Shimura Danzō think he was?
Upon hearing this, even the usually easygoing Torifu’s face darkened.
Hiruzen, newly elevated to clan head, wore an equally grim expression.
Both were about to speak when Danzō beat them to it.
“Attempt to rescue him?”
His voice carried a trace of amusement.
“So the Hyūga Clan Head intends to abandon the Second Hokage in order to preserve his clan and the village?”
Without hesitation, Danzō slapped a label onto the old fox.
Unfortunately for him, Tennin was not an Uchiha.
He wasn’t politically naïve.
The elder immediately smiled.
A cold, calculating smile.
“Not at all.”
“The Second Hokage’s contributions to Konoha are obvious to everyone.”
“Like everyone here, I am deeply concerned about his predicament.”
He paused before continuing.
“However, the village stands at a critical crossroads.”
“And the Third Hokage is still young.”
“We simply cannot afford rash decisions.”
“If anything were to happen to you on the battlefield…”
“…the village might never recover.”
Still young.
If anything were to happen.
The veiled mockery in those words caused subtle shifts in expression throughout the room.
Crude though it was, Tennin had voiced what many were thinking.
Tobirama had undoubtedly governed the village well.
But he had also spent years weakening the influence of the clans while empowering common-born shinobi.
That was an undeniable fact.
Now that he was trapped—or perhaps already dead—why should those same clans rush to sacrifice themselves for him?
And besides…
Konoha was currently in the middle of a transfer of power.
No one wanted to leave the political center at such a crucial moment.
What if Danzō used the opportunity to weaken them?
To edge them out of Konoha’s inner circle?
Tobirama had done exactly that sort of thing before.
Why wouldn’t his successor?
Danzō had expected this resistance.
It wasn’t surprising.
Raising a hand, he stopped Hiruzen and Torifu before either could speak.
“The Hyūga Clan Head’s concerns are certainly reasonable.”
His tone remained calm.
“But Lord Tobirama was my teacher.”
“He has rendered immeasurable service to this village.”
“Now that he is trapped in enemy territory, I cannot simply stand by and do nothing.”
Slowly, Danzō rose from his seat.
Both hands pressed firmly against the conference table.
His voice became resolute.
“This war will be fought.”
“That much is non-negotiable.”
His gaze swept across the room.
“All of you may return and consider your positions carefully.”
“Tomorrow, I will convene another meeting.”
“At that time, we will discuss the specifics of our military response.”
He paused.
“For today…”
“That will be all.”
“The meeting is adjourned.”
With that, Danzō turned and walked out of the conference room.
Just like that.
Leaving behind a room full of stunned clan leaders staring at one another in confusion.
Back in the Hokage’s office, Torifu finally couldn’t hold himself back.
“Danzō, why wouldn’t you let me speak?”
As the representative of the Akimichi Clan, he had been fully prepared to support Danzō’s proposal.
Yet every time he tried to intervene, Danzō had shut him down.
Hiruzen looked over as well.
Curiosity flickered in his eyes.
He had the distinct feeling that Danzō was plotting something.
Danzō merely replied:
“Relax.”
“There will be plenty of opportunities for both of you to make your voices heard tomorrow.”
Then his eyes narrowed.
A dangerous glint flashed within them.
“As for tonight…”
“There is something far more important that needs to be dealt with first.”