Land of Fire.
Konoha Village.
Over a year has passed, and the dark clouds of defeat from the Third Great Ninja War seem to be gradually dissipating with Konoha Village's rapid reconstruction and flourishing development.
"Kakashi, Obito, Rin, today's mission is canceled. Instead, you'll have free training."
A blond young man, wearing Konoha's green vest over a blue shirt, smiled gently as he spoke to his three disciples. He then ruffled each of their heads, gave them brief instructions, and vanished in a yellow flash.
"Huh? Is Minato-sensei going to another meeting today?" a boy with orange goggles on his forehead asked naively.
"Minato-sensei is already the leader of the Jonin class and a high-ranking official in the village, so it's normal for him to have frequent meetings. Kakashi, what about us and Obito..."
"No need. You two can train by yourselves. You can't keep up with my training intensity." The white-haired boy, wearing a mask, refused the girl's invitation and coldly turned to leave.
"Tch, what a stuck-up jerk. He just became a Chunin a year before us, that's all. Rin, let's train by ourselves and forget about that idiot Kakashi!"
In a corner of the forest by the training ground, Minato Namikaze watched the scene and sighed softly. After a moment of thought, he decided to create a Shadow Clone to go find Kakashi before using the Flying Thunder God again to head to the Hokage building.
A few minutes later.
In the Hokage's office, the Senju brothers, along with several of Tobirama's disciples, Konoha's Sannin, Minato Namikaze, Uchiha Fugaku, and Kushina, as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, were all gathered.
To be able to produce over ten Kage-level powerhouses at once, Konoha Village was unique in the Ninja World. Even the current Sand Hidden Village couldn't match Konoha Village in terms of the number of Kage-level and above experts.
If the Third Hokage and Konoha's White Fang hadn't died, this lineup would have been even more impressive.
"Conservatively estimated, the number of these Puppet armors released by Sand Hidden Village is at least several hundred, possibly even close to a thousand. If they all possess the power described in the intelligence, then Sand Hidden's Special Jonin force could almost double. Furthermore, if they can continue to manufacture more of these Puppet armors, it could become a huge problem!" Danzō said, his face grim, as he watched the Konoha high-ranking officials reading the latest intelligence from Root.
Root hadn't yet found any intelligence on higher-level Puppet armors. Those were only known to Special Jonin and above in Sand Hidden Village. At that level, loyalty was generally highly guaranteed, and they all knew various secrets of Sand Hidden Village to different degrees, with corresponding seals placed in their minds for secrecy.
It wasn't impossible for there to be moles, but the possibility was low, and transmitting intelligence externally was very difficult and extremely risky.
With Rasa and Ebizo doing a good job of counter-espionage, it was difficult for Root to transmit such high-level intelligence in a short period of time.
But even so, what Sand Hidden Village had displayed on the surface was already alarming to the Konoha high-ranking officials.
"No matter the era, there will always be people researching how to eliminate enemies more cruelly in war, Tobirama, don't you agree?" Senju Hashirama scratched his head and sighed to his younger brother while looking at the blurry black and white photos in the document.
"Big Brother, shut up. This isn't the time to be talking about such things." Someone who automatically identified felt offended.
"Nearly a thousand Puppet armors that can elevate a Chunin's strength by one level. It seems the large sum of money that the intelligence department estimated Sand Hidden Village withdrew two months ago was spent here. If Sand Hidden can continue to manufacture these armored Puppets and equip their military on a large scale, I'm afraid the ordinary ninja below will only be able to win through sheer numbers." Utatane Koharu sighed from her seat.
Although the two teachers, the First Hokage and Second Hokage, had been resurrected, and there were taller figures to lean on, she still felt that things were much more difficult now than when she assisted Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Back then, no matter how dilapidated Konoha was, they were still the leading side. Now, however, they were in decline.
"If there are too many of these Puppets, it really will be troublesome. Even now, Sand Hidden's Special Jonin force has effectively doubled. If we let them continue like this, once the next Great Ninja War breaks out, the village might not be as lucky as last time, because we've already used almost all of our existing reserves. What's left, besides the Eighth Gate still being developed by Guy, is only..."
Orochimaru, clad in a red and white Divine Robe and wearing a Hokage hat, turned his gaze to Kushina, who was sitting next to Minato Namikaze.
Kushina smiled slightly at Minato's worried gaze, then looked at Orochimaru.
"Fourth Hokage-sama, the Eight Trigrams Seal is complete. I should now be able to manifest the Nine-Tails up to its six-tails state while maintaining consciousness. In the seven-tails state, my consciousness would be severely eroded, but I should be able to hold on for a few minutes."
"Very good. If another major war breaks out in the future, we may very well be at a disadvantage on the front lines. Minato, I know you don't want Kushina on the battlefield, but if the village faces a crisis, we will still need to deploy Kushina, as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, into combat. Don't forget that the Fourth Kazekage of Sand Hidden Village is growing incredibly fast. He's not even eighteen yet, two years younger than you, and his strength will likely continue to increase. To contend with him, the Nine-Tails' power is essential." Orochimaru nodded slightly at Kushina, then spoke seriously to Minato Namikaze.
"I understand, Fourth Hokage-sama. But as a Jinchuriki, Kushina is a crucial factor in maintaining the village's combat strength. I propose that when Kushina enters the battlefield, I accompany her to prevent incidents like the Four-Tails and Five-Tails being captured by Stone Village." The blond young man said to Orochimaru with a determined gaze.
"A reasonable request. Granted." Orochimaru nodded decisively.
Dealing with that guy already required a sufficiently powerful and swift ninja to contain him.
"Developing only up to six or seven tails probably isn't enough. Back then, Madara, using the Nine-Tails' power, was able to fight Big Brother, who was still in his prime, for three days and three nights until they were both completely exhausted. This shows that if controlled properly, the Nine-Tails can also possess Kage-level combat abilities. As a Jinchuriki, if Kushina can fully master the Nine-Tails' power, her strength will definitely surpass the Nine-Tails that Madara controlled. Next, we need to fully assist Kushina in mastering the Nine-Tails' power. Big Brother, you need to keep an eye on her. If the Nine-Tails' Chakra goes berserk, only your Wood Release can suppress it." Senju Tobirama's red eyes swept across the conference room as he spoke to Senju Hashirama.
"Oh, but I'm not the only one who can suppress Tailed Beasts, am I? There's also Fugaku's Sharingan..." Senju Hashirama scratched his head.
"Big Brother is enough. Even if it goes completely berserk, it's just a beast that can't use ninjutsu. Big Brother's remaining strength is sufficient to suppress the Nine-Tails, and with my assistance, it won't be a problem."
"As for Fugaku and the others, they have other tasks. Every bit of our strength is precious and must be utilized to its fullest potential."
It seemed as if Tobirama Senju was trying to show he wasn't targeting the Uchiha, as he immediately followed up his dismissal of Uchiha Fugaku with an explanation.
As for whether anyone believed him or not, everyone present understood the truth perfectly well.
"Second Hokage, you might as well speak your mind directly. There's no need to be so secretive. If you trust us, you trust us. If you don't, you don't."
Uchiha Fugaku looked at Tobirama Senju, his face expressionless, making his displeasure clear.
Sasuke looks almost 80% similar to Izuna, which suggests a very close blood relationship between their two families.
And indeed, that was the case. After Madara, their branch was able to take the position of Uchiha clan head because they were closely related by blood to Madara and Izuna's father, Uchiha Tajima. Fugaku's father and Madara were still within five generations of kinship, and Fugaku even had to call Madara and Izuna his granduncles.
It was precisely because they had been very close to the Uchiha core and held significant power and military strength within the clan that they became clan heads.
In other words, Fugaku and Tobirama Senju shared a grudge over the death of a relative, and Tobirama Senju was the most direct culprit behind the Uchiha's decline to their current state.
Whether it was killing Izuna before the village's founding or suppressing the Uchiha after becoming Hokage, the Uchiha had suffered greatly at Tobirama Senju's hands. Now, to still be regarded with such suspicion and vigilance by Tobirama Senju, even if Uchiha Fugaku was indecisive, he had to take a stand at this moment.
Otherwise, there would be no point in him continuing as a Konoha elder and Uchiha clan head.
Senju Hashirama also glared at Tobirama Senju:
"Tobirama! Don't be reckless! Fugaku is our comrade, a junior worthy of trust. Don't adopt that attitude again. Fugaku's consideration for the greater good is not an excuse for you to push your luck! Fugaku, I apologize to you on Tobirama's behalf!"
Senju Hashirama immediately banged his head on the table towards Uchiha Fugaku.
Because he knew that no matter what, his brother would never bow to the Uchiha.
Even if he was in the wrong, he would still blame the Uchiha.
"Big Brother, I didn't. From a practical standpoint, what I just said is the most reasonable choice. If you can suppress the Nine-Tails, you can fully utilize Fugaku's strength in other areas."
Tobirama Senju crossed his arms, his face cold.
"Alright, First Hokage, Second Hokage, and Fugaku, it's only been a little over a year since the war ended. Our enemies still exist and are even stronger than us. Now is not the time for internal strife.
Fugaku, the First Hokage trusts you, and I trust you too. From the beginning, you and the Uchiha have proven your loyalty to the village beyond a doubt. The fault in this matter lies with the Second Hokage for not being clear from the start."
Orochimaru stepped forward at this moment to mediate.
The red-eyed old man with white hair snorted coldly, turning his head away, looking like an aggrieved elder.
It's hard to say if he was doing it on purpose.
At a time when Konoha absolutely needed to unite the Uchiha's strength, the higher-ups of the Hokage lineage cooperated seamlessly.
Senju Hashirama played the good cop, Tobirama Senju played the bad cop, and Orochimaru mediated, appearing to lean slightly towards the Uchiha.
Of course, Senju Hashirama's cooperation was passive, because Tobirama Senju and Orochimaru already knew how he would react.
Although he was not very smart and as unpredictable as Naruto, in many cases, the behavior logic of such people is easy to guess.
It is difficult to make the Uchiha willingly driven by the Hokage line. Even if Uchiha Fugaku truly appears to be that way, vigilance is still necessary. It is better to have the Hokage line internally divided into pro-Uchiha and anti-Uchiha factions, cooperating with each other to achieve the goal of fully utilizing the Uchiha's power without overly damaging their morale while guarding against them.
And generally, when Konoha's higher-ups do this, it means they want the Uchiha to do work.
Sure enough, Orochimaru continued:
"However, to a certain extent, some of what the Second Hokage said is not without reason. The Sand Village was the earliest to reform, and also the most thoroughly reformed. For the village to be able to withstand potential future attacks from Sand Hidden, in addition to further tapping into internal strength, it also needs to unite other allies that can be won over.
Fugaku, the Uchiha's connections with the Land of Lightning Daimyo should still be there, right? They still hold considerable power in the Land of Lightning. The village needs to use the Uchiha's connections with the Land of Lightning Daimyo and nobility to deepen ties with the two villages, bringing them onto the same front as much as possible. Therefore, the village needs to dispatch a suitable high-ranking official as an envoy to Cloud Hidden Village.
After all, Stone Hidden has now suffered unprecedented damage, and Rain Hidden, as an ally of Sand Hidden, has been promoted to a major power, greatly increasing its strength. We need new, strong allies.
Cloud Hidden Village is the most suitable choice. As a high-ranking official of the village, and with the Uchiha's connections to the nobility and Daimyo of the Land of Lightning, you are the perfect candidate for an envoy."
As a ninja clan that had existed for a thousand years, the Uchiha had connections with many Daimyo and nobles. The Hyuga Clan and Senju Clan also had such connections, but the Uchiha, during the Warring States period before the founding of Konoha, indeed had deep ties with the Land of Lightning's Daimyo and nobility. They had done a lot of work for them, even helping the Daimyo drive the powerful Chinoike Clan into Hell Valley.
Only about forty years have passed since the Warring States period. While the Uchiha's connections with the Land of Lightning's Daimyo and nobility are not as strong as before, they can still establish contact.
"Cloud Hidden Village, huh… alright."
Uchiha Fugaku's eyes flickered. Considering the future need to capture the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails, this was a good opportunity to visit Cloud Hidden Village and gather information, so he nodded in agreement.
Orochimaru continued:
"Rain Hidden is heavily dependent on Sand Hidden. Pulling them to our side and breaking that dependency will likely be difficult in the short term. However, Mist Hidden might be persuadable. Though the Mist Hidden army was severely damaged by us in the previous Great Ninja War, the difficulty will probably be considerable. Still, it's worth trying. As long as there's profit to be made, it's not impossible.
Elder Homura, I'll leave this matter to you, but be mindful of the extent. The threat from Sand Village is growing, and Elder Genji of Mist Hidden Village should be able to see that if they want to maintain their status in the Ninja World and not become a subordinate of Sand Hidden, they can only cooperate with us."
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