"Lord Danzo, a message from Yamanaka Zen."
Just as Danzo was contemplating whether to personally head to the battlefield to search for Feng Bai's whereabouts, a Root shinobi appeared at the doorway, respectfully presenting a scroll to Danzo.
"Understood, place it there. Wait—whose message did you say?!"
Danzo whipped his head around, staring directly at his subordinate.
"It's from Yamanaka Zen..."
Before the ninja could fully comprehend what was happening, Aburame Ryōma intercepted the scroll and handed it to Danzo.
Unable to contain his urgency, Danzo opened the scroll, took a deep breath to prepare himself mentally, then began reading the contents.
It didn't take long for Danzo to finish reading the entire scroll. With a look of pure elation, he slammed it onto the desk, producing a tremendous sound.
His son had actually severely wounded the Third Raikage's son and successfully ambushed the Magnet Release user Troy!
With this achievement alone, he could convince Hiruzen to promote Feng Bai to jōnin rank.
"Ryōma, your training has proven highly effective."
Glancing at Aburame Ryōma beside him, Danzo handed over the scroll.
After quickly reviewing its contents, Aburame Ryōma was also moved: "I merely performed insignificant work. Young Master Feng Bai's natural talent is truly exceptional."
"Indeed."
Danzo nodded without further comment.
At that moment, he was mentally strategizing how to leverage this victory to pave the way for his son's path to becoming Hokage.
Simultaneously, he thought of his old friend—after all, that person was Feng Bai's true teacher.
"Spread this news throughout the village. Ensure everyone knows about this battle!"
Retrieving the scroll from Aburame Ryōma, Danzo began his machinations.
...
Hokage's Office.
Hiruzen and two advisors awaited Danzo's arrival.
Due to the war's outbreak, their meetings had become far more frequent than usual, and Hiruzen had lost his opportunities to inspect the bathhouses, leaving him looking quite dispirited.
"What is Danzo doing? The meeting time has already passed."
Glancing at the wall clock, Koharu Utatane, who had been waiting for Danzo, complained impatiently.
"Let's wait a bit longer. After all, Danzo must handle the village's intelligence operations, so being somewhat busy is understandable." Homura Mitokado stepped forward to smooth things over for Danzo.
His words had barely finished when they heard the door being pushed open, followed by Danzo's figure appearing before everyone, clutching a scroll tightly in his hand.
"You've finally arrived, Danzo."
Seeing Danzo's arrival, Hiruzen, who had been smoking with his head down, finally put away his pipe, removed his Hokage hat and set it aside, assuming a serious posture.
"Mm."
Danzo, showing no intention of explaining his tardiness, seated himself and gently placed the scroll on the table.
Curiously eyeing the scroll, none of them inquired about it. Finally, Hiruzen cleared his throat and stated the meeting's agenda: "Small-scale Mist shinobi have been spotted at Saga Port. Our patrol squads have already engaged them. It appears the main Kirigakure force will land within this timeframe."
"Danzo, do we still lack intelligence from Kirigakure regarding this war?"
Hearing that Mist ninja had already landed in the Land of Fire, Koharu Utatane sighed, knowing well the difficulty of obtaining intelligence from Kirigakure. She could only ask Danzo with a tentative attitude.
"No."
Danzo shook his head. Since Kirigakure declared war, the intelligence operatives he dispatched essentially died in batches, yielding virtually no useful information.
"However, as Hiruzen mentioned, since small-scale enemy traces have appeared, this indicates Kirigakure's main force is already en route. The immediate priority is indeed determining the commander and constructing defensive positions."
Danzo directed his gaze toward Hiruzen:
"Hiruzen, it's time to make a decision."
Seeing Danzo look his way, Hiruzen instinctively reached for his pipe, ultimately shifting his gaze to Homura Mitokado seated nearby.
Noticing Hiruzen's look, Homura Mitokado realized something and instinctively straightened his spine.
"Homura, your skills haven't grown rusty, have they?"
Hearing Hiruzen's almost teasing inquiry, Homura Mitokado forced an awkward smile: "Look what you're saying, Hiruzen. I'm still robust—might even be able to wrestle the Nine-Tails."
"Hahaha, in that case, this mission is yours. First, integrate the local patrol squads. As for reinforcements, I'll dispatch them to the front lines as soon as possible."
Seeing Homura Mitokado didn't decline, Hiruzen, well aware of his capabilities, confidently entrusted him with the task.
"Regarding reinforcements, I believe we should deploy elite jōnin from the Uchiha clan and the Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi clans to the front lines. According to available intelligence, Kirigakure has adopted an elite force strategy. Ordinary shinobi alone may be unable to withstand their assault."
With the commander decided, Danzo proposed a plan.
"The Uchiha clan?"
Before Hiruzen could respond, Homura Mitokado frowned first.
Those proud, unruly individuals would be difficult to command.
"The Uchiha clan generally only accepts orders from clan members. If we're to deploy them to the battlefield, Fugaku must accompany them, or problems will easily arise."
Having dealt extensively with the Uchiha clan, Homura Mitokado wasn't optimistic about this arrangement.
"No matter. Simply have Fugaku accompany them. Haven't they always wanted to contribute to the village? Now that war has erupted, having them merely maintain public order is truly wasteful."
Danzo's single eye narrowed slightly, his expression returning to its usual unperturbed state.
"I'll discuss this matter with Fugaku. For now, let's include it in our plans."
Taking a dry puff from his pipe, Hiruzen also believed the Uchiha clan should contribute more to the village, so he didn't object.
"According to intelligence from Orochimaru, the Kumogakure situation remains deadlocked. Even with them fighting on two fronts, we haven't gained any advantage, demonstrating the Cloud shinobi's formidable strength."
Mentioning Kumogakure reminded Hiruzen of the time when their group was pursued by the Gold and Silver Brothers' elite forces.
It's time.
Seeing Hiruzen finally bring up Kumogakure, Danzo could finally steer the conversation toward his scroll:
"Speaking of Kumogakure, I've just received some intelligence."
Danzo spoke while opening the scroll and spreading it on the table.
...
"Have you heard? Our village has produced a genius shinobi—only twelve years old and can fight three jōnin simultaneously."
"Really? When did this happen?"
"I just heard about it. I have a friend stationed at the Kumogakure front. His letter home mentioned that Lord Hiruzen's disciple, Shimura Feng Bai, defeated three Cloud jōnin, including the Third Raikage's son!"
"Lord Hiruzen's disciple? Isn't that one of the Sannin?"
"Not one of the Sannin, but a new disciple beyond the Sannin!"
While Danzo and others discussed battle strategies, under Root shinobi arrangements, discussions about Feng Bai gradually spread throughout the village's streets and alleys.
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