Meanwhile, after leaving, Shinsuke did not head straight for the Hokage’s office.
After turning through several streets, he went directly to the Konoha Police Force and knocked on Elder Sōen’s door.
“Come in.”
Sōen’s slightly weary voice came from inside the room.
Shinsuke pushed the door open and entered.
“Elder, I’ve returned from my mission.”
Sōen looked up, his brows instinctively furrowing.
“You’ve completed your mission, so why did you come here instead of reporting to the Hokage first?”
Shinsuke sighed inwardly.
Confined for so long to the perspective of the Konoha Police Force, coupled with the Uchiha Clan’s inherent pride and political naivety, Elder Sōen’s vision had become limited.
His political instincts regarding the coming war and the opportunity the Uchiha Clan could seize were clearly far too dull.
Shinsuke stopped wasting time and reported directly.
“I was ordered to investigate the abnormal activity at the border, and the intelligence has now been confirmed as true.
Sunagakure is planning to launch a full scale invasion of Konoha in two months.”
“What?!”
Elder Sōen’s face immediately filled with disbelief and shock.
“How could Sunagakure dare do such a thing?”
“How…
how is Konoha supposed to respond now?”
His panicked expression revealed the turmoil in his heart.
His reaction was understandable.
At the beginning of the Third Shinobi World War, Sunagakure had already used the disappearance of the Kazekage as an excuse to start a war, and Konoha had only secured a ceasefire after a bitter struggle.
Now that Konoha was fighting on multiple fronts and its main forces were scattered, leaving it at its weakest, Sunagakure had chosen this moment to provoke another war.
Seeing the elder’s reaction, disappointment flashed through Shinsuke’s eyes.
He asked in a deep voice, “Elder, after I report this matter to the Hokage, what do you think his decision will be?”
Sōen was momentarily stunned before answering instinctively.
“Naturally, he will immediately prepare for war, gather ninja forces, and defend against the invasion.”
“Exactly, the Hokage will prepare for war as quickly as possible.”
“But where will those ninja come from?
How many forces can be withdrawn from the fronts against Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Kirigakure?
In the end, won’t they have to draw manpower from the major clans still stationed in the village, especially from the Konoha Police Force?”
Those words instantly darkened Sōen’s expression.
Shinsuke continued, “On the other battlefields, our Uchiha Clan has already made tremendous sacrifices, but have those sacrifices earned us any merit?”
“No!
The Uchiha Clan’s sacrifices have earned us nothing!”
“The Hokage has never remembered the Uchiha Clan’s sacrifices, and Danzō only wants to use us as cannon fodder!”
His voice carried grief as well as deeply suppressed anger.
“The once mighty Uchiha Clan has now become nothing more than a tool for Konoha’s higher ups to command at will.”
Those words caused Sōen’s pupils to contract sharply.
Shinsuke’s speech had struck directly at the elder’s heart.
The clan’s growing dissatisfaction, the mourning families of the fallen, and the increasingly awkward position they occupied within the village…
But what could the Uchiha Clan possibly do?
Seeing Sōen’s expression, Shinsuke knew the time was right and continued.
“We need a victory, a victory great enough to shake the entire shinobi world and make everyone recognize the Uchiha Clan’s glory once again.”
“The coming Battle of Kikyō Mountain is the perfect stage, and it is also the Uchiha Clan’s greatest opportunity.”
“If you are willing to trust me, then please entrust me with every elite warrior within the clan who can still be mobilized.”
“I will lead them into the coming war, carve a bloody path for the Uchiha Clan, reclaim the respect we have lost, and win back the glory we deserve!”
His voice rang with absolute conviction.
“I will make the Uchiha Clan great again!”
Shinsuke stood tall, his gaze sharp, and the confidence and commanding presence between his brows made Sōen feel as though he were looking at the legendary ancestor, Uchiha Madara.
Ever since this child awakened his Three Tomoe Sharingan, it truly seemed as though he had been reborn, possessing vision, courage, and strength far beyond others of his age.
Sōen remained silent.
Only after a long time did he nod heavily.
“Very well!
This old man…
will trust you this once.
I will use every bit of authority I possess to support your mobilization of the clan’s forces.
The future of the Uchiha Clan will be wagered on this battle.”
It worked!
Shinsuke steadied himself inwardly.
“I will not fail your trust.”
After obtaining Elder Sōen’s promise, Shinsuke wasted no time and immediately headed toward the Hokage Building.
Inside the Hokage’s office, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, accepted the mission report Shinsuke handed him and quickly read through it.
After a while, he put the report down and spoke in a deep voice.
“Immediately summon the senior leadership and all Jonin for a meeting!”
Soon, the conference room was filled once again.
“Shinsuke, explain the situation in detail.”
Hiruzen ordered.
Shinsuke stepped forward in response.
He carefully recounted the border investigation, the encounter with Sunagakure’s elite squad, the intelligence they had obtained, the battle, and their return.
Naturally, he omitted Kurenai Yūhi being afflicted by the aphrodisiac poison and the unforgettable night the two had shared.
As his explanation continued, the atmosphere inside the meeting room grew increasingly heavy.
Sunagakure would launch an invasion of Konoha in two months.
For Konoha, which had yet to recover from fighting on multiple fronts, this news was nothing short of making an already dire situation even worse.
“Everyone now understands the situation.”
Hiruzen slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke.
“Tell me, what should we do?”
Koharu Utatane was the first to speak.
“We absolutely cannot rush into another war!”
“Years of continuous conflict have left the village’s finances strained, our ninja have suffered heavy casualties, and the younger generation cannot replenish our losses fast enough.
We simply do not have enough strength to open another battlefield.
Our top priority should be recovery.”
Homura Mitokado immediately agreed.
“Well said.
I completely agree.”
“Why don’t we immediately dispatch envoys to the Land of Wind, formally inform Sunagakure that their conspiracy has already been exposed, order them to cease all provocations, and reopen peace negotiations in an attempt to resolve this conflict through diplomacy?”
Listening to the two advisors, Hiruzen gently tapped the table with his fingers while deep in thought, clearly tempted by their proposal.
Maintaining peace at the lowest possible cost had always been his governing philosophy.
“Ridiculous!”
A cold shout echoed through the room.
Leaning on his cane, Danzō Shimura stood up, his lone eye sweeping across Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado before finally stopping on Hiruzen.
“Hiruzen, you are far too weak!
This is naked aggression!
It is an insult to the dignity of the Land of Fire!”
“If we show weakness and seek peace, Sunagakure and every other hidden village watching us will only believe Konoha can be bullied, inviting even greater greed and more attacks!”
Shikaku Nara rubbed his forehead before calmly analyzing the situation.
“Lord Danzō, the Fire Daimyō is already dissatisfied with the results of the recent wars and intends to reduce our funding.”
“If another battlefield is opened, military expenses, supply lines, and logistical pressure will all increase dramatically. New chapters come out on g.com first.
Given the village’s current condition, sustaining a prolonged war on multiple fronts would be extremely difficult.”
Koharu Utatane snorted coldly.
“Hmph, Danzō, that sounds nice, but where exactly are all the ninja needed for another battlefield supposed to come from?”
Danzō dismissed their doubts with complete disdain.
“As for funding, we’ll simply tighten our belts.”
“As for ninja…”
“We’ll just have the major clans suffer a little more.”
“Danzō!
You!”
Hearing those words, the clan heads present immediately glared angrily at him.
“Listen to yourself.
Is that something a human being should say?”
“What do you mean by making the major clans suffer a little more?”
Watching everyone argue, Hiruzen frowned deeply.
Without expressing his opinion, his gaze swept across the room before finally landing on Uchiha Sōen, who sat silently in the corner with his eyes closed.
“What does the Uchiha Clan think?”
Hiruzen’s sudden question caused the entire conference room to fall silent.
Everyone’s gaze shifted toward the Uchiha delegation.
After all, among the forces that could quickly gather a significant fighting force inside the village, aside from the ANBU and several special units, the relatively independent Konoha Police Force was undoubtedly the strongest.
After all, several hundred elite Uchiha were stationed there.
Elder Sōen slowly opened his eyes, but instead of standing or looking at Hiruzen, he simply turned slightly toward Shinsuke beside him and spoke calmly.
“Shinsuke, you will represent the will of the Uchiha Clan.”
After speaking, he closed his eyes once again as if removing himself from the matter entirely and placing all authority into the hands of the young clansman.
The scene caused the expressions of the senior officials to change as waves stirred within their hearts.
Sōen’s action was nothing less than a public declaration that Shinsuke now represented the will of the Uchiha Clan.
But upon further thought, it was perfectly reasonable.
After all, Shinsuke’s political judgment had already been proven correct.
As time passed, Iwagakure and Kumogakure had indeed begun showing signs of seeking peace.
Even Sunagakure’s current invasion plan had confirmed his earlier prediction.
Under everyone’s complicated gazes, Shinsuke slowly rose to his feet.
At that moment, the system notification suddenly echoed within his mind.
[ Ding!
The host has triggered a main quest.
]
[ Main Quest Issued: Become the Supreme Commander of the Sunagakure Battlefield!
]
[ Quest Description: Lead a decisive battle that will determine Konoha’s fate and establish an unquestionable position of leadership within it.
]
[ Quest Reward: Lottery Draw ×1.
]
Become the supreme commander?
Exactly what I wanted!
Shinsuke immediately declared,
“One decisive punch can prevent a hundred more from being thrown!”
“The Uchiha Clan’s position is simple.
Since Sunagakure wants to fight, then we’ll fight them!”
“We’ll keep fighting until they learn what true pain feels like!”
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