“Your words certainly sound inspiring, but the reality is that Konoha no longer has enough ninja to support another front.
Ninja don’t simply appear out of thin air!”
Koharu Utatane snorted coldly, unable to wait to pour cold water over his proposal.
Homura Mitokado immediately backed her up, his tone resolute.
“Exactly!
I’ll be frank.
After enduring one war after another, every capable ninja in the Mitokado Clan is already burdened with important responsibilities.
We simply cannot spare any manpower for another campaign.”
Faced with the two advisors singing the same tune and trying to evade responsibility, Shinsuke’s sharp gaze landed on Homura Mitokado.
“Oh?
The Mitokado Clan enjoys the village’s resources and funding on a daily basis while receiving Konoha’s protection.
Yet now, with foreign enemies at our doorstep and war looming, your clan is the first to claim it cannot spare anyone?
Is this the sense of responsibility expected from the family of a Hokage Advisor?”
“Y…
You dare speak such nonsense!”
Unable to refute him, Homura Mitokado’s face instantly flushed red.
“Enough!”
Koharu Utatane hurriedly interrupted, trying to rescue her old colleague.
“Now isn’t the time to settle old scores!
Since the Uchiha Clan insists on going to war and is one of Konoha’s great clans, it should naturally shoulder more responsibility.
In my opinion, the Uchiha Clan should serve as the main force against Sunagakure!”
“What a convenient phrase, naturally shoulder more responsibility.”
Shinsuke turned his gaze toward Koharu Utatane with a mocking smile.
“The Uchiha Clan will naturally serve as the main force, but let me ask you this, how many elites does your own clan intend to send to fight alongside us?”
The flames of war had suddenly reached her, and Koharu Utatane immediately panicked.
“How could that be possible?
Our Utatane Clan has never had many members.
How can we compare with the Uchiha Clan?
Absolutely not!”
“What’s the difference?”
Shinsuke looked at her slightly flustered expression with interest before calmly pressing the question.
“We’re all ninja clans of Konoha, so why is it only natural when it’s the Uchiha Clan, yet absolutely impossible when it’s the Utatane Clan?”
“How can those be the same?”
“Your Uchiha Clan is a great ninja clan, so of course you should contribute more…”
“Enough.”
Shinsuke no longer wished to waste words arguing with them.
He slowly swept his gaze across the room before raising his voice, carrying the long forgotten pride and dominance that belonged to the Uchiha Clan.
“It seems some people have grown so accustomed to comfort that they’ve forgotten the shinobi world is governed by blood and fire!”
“If certain clans fear battle, then let the Uchiha Clan carry this war banner!”
“The wars other clans don’t dare fight, the Uchiha Clan will fight.”
“The hidden villages other clans don’t dare provoke, the Uchiha Clan will provoke.”
“The enemies other clans don’t dare kill, the Uchiha Clan will kill.”
He paused briefly, his gaze sweeping across every face in the room before declaring.
“In short, the enemies other clans can kill, the Uchiha Clan can kill, and the enemies other clans cannot kill, the Uchiha Clan can kill them even more!”
“Our ninjutsu dominates the world, and our might shakes the entire shinobi world.
This…
is the Uchiha Clan!”
As his words fell, the conference room became completely silent.
That long forgotten aura of overwhelming dominance, the very spirit of the great clans from the Warring States Era, spread from Shinsuke like a tangible force, shaking everyone present.
Many of the older clan heads found themselves momentarily seeing the shadow of Uchiha Madara standing proudly over the battlefield once again.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke, breaking the silence.
He knew that as Hokage, he had to make his stance clear.
“Very good.
Konoha is fortunate to have the Uchiha Clan’s determination.”
“So then, what support does the Uchiha Clan require from the village?”
Shinsuke had already prepared his answer.
“First, the Uchiha Clan will mobilize three hundred elite members of the Konoha Police Force currently responsible for maintaining order within the village and send them to the front lines.
During that period, I hope Lord Hokage will arrange for the ANBU and the remaining security forces to temporarily assume the Police Force’s duties.”
After a brief moment of thought, Hiruzen nodded.
“Agreed.
The ANBU will take over part of the patrol duties, so there is no need to worry about the village’s security.”
“Second, I require an official appointment as Supreme Commander of the front lines, along with full authority to flexibly command every participating force according to battlefield conditions and formulate as well as execute all battle plans.”
Appoint such a young Uchiha as the supreme commander against an entire hidden village?
Hiruzen’s brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
The risks involved were obvious.
However, as his eyes swept across Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado, and the hesitant expressions of the various clan representatives, he understood one thing.
At this moment, there truly wasn’t anyone more suitable or more determined than Shinsuke.
After weighing his options briefly, Hiruzen spoke solemnly.
“…Very well.
I will officially appoint you as Supreme Commander of the front lines.
However, you must take responsibility for every decision you make and for the lives of every participating ninja.
What is your battle plan?”
Shinsuke’s expression remained calm, clearly filled with confidence.
“My plan is…
an ambush.”
“Sunagakure still firmly believes that their invasion plan remains completely secret and that Konoha knows nothing about it.
That is their greatest weakness.”
“We can exploit this information gap by setting up an ambush along their planned invasion route, waiting for them at our leisure before striking them completely by surprise.”
“If the ambush succeeds, we can heavily cripple the enemy in the very first battle.”
Hiruzen’s eyes lit up as he couldn’t help praising him.
“Excellent!
Defeat strength with strategy by attacking unexpectedly.
It is indeed a feasible plan!”
Not only Hiruzen, but many of the clan heads below, especially those who had experienced war before, quietly nodded in agreement.
After all, this wasn’t going to be a prolonged war of attrition or an unexpected encounter.
It would be a carefully planned ambush.
If executed properly, they could achieve enormous results while paying only a small price and might even crush Sunagakure’s offensive outright.
More importantly, every enemy ninja killed during an ambush would translate directly into military merit and bounty rewards.
Quite a few clan heads found their breathing becoming slightly heavier as they silently began recalculating their options.
“Good!”
Hiruzen slapped the table and made his decision.
“In that case, it’s settled.
Shinsuke, submit a detailed list of the supplies you require to the Hokage’s Office as soon as possible, and I’ll have them prioritized.
This meeting is adjourned!”
The meeting ended amid a strangely delicate atmosphere.
Everyone gradually left the conference room.
Not long after Shinsuke walked outside, three people stepped forward to block his path.
They were the current heads of the Ino Shika Cho alliance, Shikaku Nara, Inoichi Yamanaka, and Chōza Akimichi.
Representing the group, Shikaku Nara spoke directly.
Each of our three clans is willing to contribute fifty elite ninja, making a total of one hundred and fifty, all under your command.”
Just as expected!
Shinsuke silently praised him.
Shikaku Nara truly deserved his reputation as Konoha’s greatest strategist.
He had instantly grasped the key to this battle and the potential rewards, reacting far faster than everyone else.
“Very well.”
Shinsuke nodded decisively.
“However, once you join the battle, you must obey my command completely.
On the battlefield, orders are absolute.
There will be no room for negotiation.”
“Of course.”
Shikaku Nara agreed without the slightest hesitation.
He trusted both the strategic insight Shinsuke had displayed and the combat strength of the Uchiha Clan.
Entrusting his clansmen to him certainly carried risks, but the potential rewards were even greater.
The Ino Shika Cho alliance’s immediate decision caused the other clans that had still been watching from the sidelines to lose their patience as well.
The head of the Inuzuka Clan stepped forward.
“Our Inuzuka Clan is also willing to send fifty elite warriors!
We’ll let those bastards from Sunagakure experience the terror of our ninja hounds!”
Hyūga Hiashi also spoke coldly.
“The Hyūga Clan will likewise dispatch fifty elite warriors who possess the Byakugan.”
Even Danzō Shimura, who had been watching quietly all this time, gave a subtle signal to Aburame Torune standing beside him.
Aburame Torune stepped forward.
“Lord Danzō believes this battle concerns Konoha’s dignity.
The Aburame Clan is willing to send fifty clan members to support the Supreme Commander.”
In the blink of an eye, the various clans that had previously insisted they couldn’t spare anyone had somehow gathered another three hundred ninja.
The Will of Fire might become clouded at times, but when faced with achievable military merit and tangible benefits for their clans, actions were often more honest than slogans.
Watching this unfold, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado’s expressions became exceptionally ugly.
Just as Shinsuke had said, if this truly became an ambush, it could inflict devastating damage upon the enemy nation and might even secure complete victory.
They had already begun regretting their earlier stance.
Unfortunately, they had spoken far too confidently and taken far too firm a position.
Changing their minds now would be no different from slapping themselves in the face and bowing their heads before Shinsuke.
How could they possibly bring themselves to do that?
In the end, Koharu Utatane could only snort sourly.
“Hmph!
A bunch of fools blinded by profit!
You’re betting everything on an inexperienced brat.
When you lose the battle and your clans suffer heavy casualties, let’s see what you’ll do then!”
Homura Mitokado also stubbornly added.
“Exactly!
The battlefield isn’t child’s play.
Young people simply don’t know the immensity of heaven and earth…”
Shinsuke couldn’t even be bothered to turn around.
“I won’t trouble the two of you with worrying about it.”
After saying that, he left without another pause.
Because the system’s voice had already sounded in his mind.
[ Ding!
Congratulations, Host, for completing the quest!
]
[ Reward: Lottery Draw ×1 ]
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