If a real fuss broke out, Ronglin would at most be seen as a mischievous child, but Hiashi Hyuga and Danzo would not fare well. Quibbling with a ten-year-old child, they were supposedly important figures, clan heads of great families!
Therefore, Ronglin fearlessly unleashed his ultimate taunting attack on the two.
Everyone present knew that these two, along with some old geezers from the Senju clan, had pressured the Hokage to reassign Ronglin. Now, Ronglin's provocation was a form of retaliation, a childish retaliation, which made it even harder to blame him.
As the head of the Hyuga clan, when had Hiashi Hyuga ever endured such an insult? To be called a "scoundrel" in a high-level meeting, in front of the Third Hokage and many other high-ranking officials, and not immediately explode, showed Hiashi Hyuga's commendable self-restraint.
But Ronglin not only didn't restrain himself but continued to utter the word "scoundrel." How could Hiashi Hyuga tolerate that?
"Uchiha Ronglin!!! What do you mean, or do you think having the Uchiha as your backing gives you the right to provoke me?!!"
"Scoundrel!"
To Hiashi Hyuga, who looked as if he wanted to kill him, Ronglin calmly threw out those two words.
"I..."
If his hair wasn't so long, Hiashi Hyuga's hair would probably have stood up in anger.
"Enough!"
The Third Hokage, sitting in the main seat, spoke with displeasure.
Ronglin shrugged and sat down, no longer provoking Hiashi Hyuga. This was just the beginning; he would have plenty to "enjoy" in the future!
He glared at Hiashi Hyuga, making the other man puff out his cheeks and glare back, then Ronglin glanced at Danzo.
And you, neither of you will escape.
Looking at Ronglin, who had an expression that said "don't talk to me, I'm very unhappy," the Third Hokage wanted to say something, but he opened his mouth and ultimately swallowed his words.
The atmosphere in the conference room became very strange after Ronglin's three "scoundrels." Everyone stared at Ronglin, Hiashi Hyuga, and Danzo, eager to know what major event would unfold next.
"Intelligence from the front line."
Scanning the room, the Third Hokage dropped a bombshell: "The Land of Earth has declared war on us!!!!"
A deep-sea bomb that stunned everyone. Their eyes widened, unable to believe it was true. Despite having prepared and investigated, the sudden declaration of war by the Land of Earth left everyone momentarily bewildered.
It had really come: a two-front war!
Ever since the war with the Land of Wind broke out, Konoha had been on guard against the Land of Earth, even holding relevant meetings for it. But now that the Land of Earth had truly declared war on Konoha, everyone's initial amusement vanished.
At this moment, the conflict between Ronglin and Danzo, and Hiashi Hyuga, became a minor skirmish.
The Third Hokage's face was grim. If he could, he wouldn't want to announce this news in a high-level meeting, but he had no choice.
"Last night, a large number of Hidden Stone ninjas directly invaded our Land of Fire territory, destroying several of our defensive bases."
"What were the people stationed on the front line eating?!!"
"The enemy had already entered our territory, and they didn't even know!!!"
"Those bastards from the Land of Earth!!"
At once, everyone cursed loudly. At this moment, they had lost all the composure expected of high-ranking officials.
They were no better than cursing shrewish women.
Ronglin sneered, listening with his head down, offering no opinion, acting as a mere spectator.
"Quiet."
Seeing the conference room erupt in chaos, the Third Hokage spoke.
His face was grim, his increasingly aged features filled with worry. He felt that the increasingly probable event had happened. He glanced at Ronglin, but Ronglin maintained a calm, meditative posture. The Third Hokage could only sigh inwardly.
Everyone quieted down, and the Third Hokage continued: "The enemy numbers exceed five thousand; the front line needs support."
A single-front war was ideal, but a two-front war placed immense pressure on Konoha. It required drawing personnel from various great clans to reinforce the front lines. In addition, various supplies needed to be quickly prepared and transported to the front, and capable commanders needed to be dispatched.
The Third Hokage was Konoha's Kage; unless the situation became desperate, he wouldn't go to the front. The commanders for the front lines had to be chosen from the conference room, Konoha's elites, who were all gathered there now.
The Third Hokage's gaze continuously swept over everyone present.
"Danzo!"
Finally, the Third Hokage's gaze rested on Danzo, his partner, with whom he had grown up and competed since childhood.
Danzo's abilities were strong, but his actions were too ruthless and dark, which resulted in him having almost no followers in the village; no one wanted to get close to him,
except for the same batch of elders, that is, those from Danzo's generation. This group, besides the Third Hokage, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane, had no one else.
And besides these three, others generally wouldn't get too close to Danzo, with the exception of Orochimaru, who always had a strange smile on his face.
The two had their own needs, and their coming together was a perfect match. Danzo even supported Orochimaru's bid for the Fourth Hokage.
"I hope you can go to the front line."
"I can."
Danzo, whose eyes were either closed in thought or too small to see, looked up: "But I hope to have a suitable person to cooperate with me."
After speaking, Danzo looked at Orochimaru, his attitude clear.
"I approve."
The Third Hokage immediately approved. Besides his inner darkness, Orochimaru's abilities and strength were beyond reproach.
"Orochimaru, get ready."
"Yes, Sensei Hiruzen."
There were many people in the conference room, so Orochimaru didn't directly address the Third Hokage as "Old Man Third." If it were Tsunade and Jiraiya, they would definitely call him "Old Man Third!!!"
"Besides the village's reserve ninja troops, a batch of ninjas will be selected from the Shimura, Sarutobi, and affiliated clans to go to the front line. The battle line must be stabilized immediately!!!"
In addition to the commanders, a large number of ninjas needed to be mobilized to the battlefield. The Third Hokage immediately began to allocate them.
Ronglin was surprised. He remembered that in the original work, the war with the Land of Earth also involved the Hyuga and Uchiha, but not now.
The chosen personnel were selected from the two great clans, Shimura and Sarutobi, as well as some affiliated clans.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was the Third Hokage, so he had to make early arrangements...
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