Chapter 14

"So, from now on, this troop will be under my command?" 

Tōzō sat at the head of the conference room, staring at the scroll in his hands, muttering to himself. 

He had expected to hear news of a great victory on the Rain Country front, but instead, he was met with the grim sight of soldiers beaten to a pulp—unrecognizable to their own mothers. 

Even the foolish Mito Gate En had been knocked around so badly that he nearly lost consciousness, requiring assistance to be carried back. 

After hearing from Tsunade that he had charged headlong into the battlefield, foolishly pursuing the poisonous mist and recklessly confronting Hanzo the Salamander, only to be blasted away by the enemy's explosive flames—he hadn't even had time to use the Shadow Clone Technique before he hastily withdrew from combat—it had sent Tōzō into a furious tirade. How humiliating! So very humiliating! 

However, once his anger subsided, Tōzō had no choice but to accept reality. 

When Tsunade arranged accommodations for him and the three kids, her incredulous gaze made him uncomfortable, as if he had intentionally come here to seize command of the front lines. 

Little did they know, Tōzō's main objective for being here had already been accomplished; the mere command authority was of no consequence to him. 

Anyway, by the end of the day, Konoha would inevitably emerge victorious in this war, no matter what. 

But when the Anbu dispatched by Sarutobi Hiruzen handed him a scroll, Tōzō was struck by the heartfelt concern and trust written upon it, along with a slew of overly sentimental phrases. He couldn't shake off the feeling that his rear tightened at the thought. 

Damn, could the Third Hokage be a closet romantic? No wonder he kept exchanging glances with Tōzō in the anime—ugh, disgusting, utterly disgusting. 

Internally, Tōzō scoffed at the spark of affection that had been brewing between the Third Hokage and the original owner of his body. 

"Ahem, fine. If the Hokage has entrusted me with command, then I shall reluctantly accept." 

Before anyone could respond, Tōzō leaned in to whisper a few words into the ear of an Anbu member. 

He instructed him to wait a moment so he could send a personal letter back to Sarutobi Hiruzen. 

The Anbu nodded obediently, quietly retreating to a corner behind Tōzō. 

"First of all, I'd like to express my gratitude for the trust bestowed upon me by our Hokage. I, Shimura Tōzō, shall do my utmost to be responsible for the Hokage, for the village, and for everyone…" 

"Come, come, let's have some applause!" 

After rambling for half an hour, Jiraiya and the others were nearly dozing off, fighting back sleep. 

Seriously, how had he never noticed how much Tōzō could drone on? 

"So, to ensure that the upcoming actions proceed smoothly, I propose the first work arrangement." 

Oh? Is he finally getting to the point? 

Upon hearing that there would be arrangements, everyone perked up, ready to see what this esteemed aide to the Hokage could conjure up… oh no, what brilliant commands he would issue. 

"First, we shall send back the genin, the children, and those ninjas with severe injuries or mobility issues to the village." 

"What?" 

"What the hell???" 

Aside from the rare and sturdy Shōsuke, the group contained other young genin. 

Most of them were scions of prominent ninja clans, sent here for training to gain some battle merits, hoping to bolster their future status. 

Essentially, they stayed safely in the rear, sheltered by their powerful families, resulting in a low casualty rate. 

In reality, those who suffered the most on the battlefield were the nameless, common ninjas—foolishly lured to the front lines by Konoha's higher-ups, dreaming of contributing to the village and establishing their own legacies. 

In truth, they were nothing more than laughable cannon fodder. 

To Tōzō's mind, these individuals were utterly useless for the forthcoming actions; their presence would only hinder him. 

It was better to take this opportunity to send them back along with Shōsuke and Konan. 

"Also, I propose that the underqualified chunin be sent back in batches." 

"This… but Tōzō-sama, if we do that, our troop will be reduced to about one-third of its original strength." 

"What if the ninjas from Amegakure come to ambush us? How shall we respond?" 

An upper-ranked Nara clan ninja raised his hand to voice his concerns. 

"Exactly, if this continues, our forces on the front lines will be overwhelmed by sheer numbers and will be unable to counter." 

A shinobi from the Yamanaka clan quickly echoed his doubts. 

The Uchiha clan ninjas were different—they were a group of battle maniacs who relished the opportunity to engage in combat. Intimidated by Tōzō's past reputation, they kept their mouths shut and averted their eyes. 

The Sarutobi clan, loyal to Sarutobi Hiruzen, would naturally support Tōzō as their good buddy. 

As for the Shimura clan, there was no need to say more; these were Tōzō's own family, and they wouldn't be foolish enough to undermine him. 

The Hyuga clan, on the other hand, preferred not to say a word, indifferent to the outcome; they were already divided and uninterested in the struggle, so it had nothing to do with them. 

In an instant, the conference room was split among three factions, a situation Tōzō had anticipated. 

His orders had clearly shaken the interests of various clans. 

However, it seemed that ever since he had arrived and avoided stirring trouble for them, they had forgotten the intimidation factor of the original owner of this body, making them a bit too bold. 

He recalled that when Sarutobi Hiruzen returned to the village with the will of Senju Tobirama to take the position of Hokage, the opposition from the major clans had been far more intense than it was now. 

However, after the original owner gained Hiruzen's permission and employed a few "subtle methods," several elder clan members "accidentally committed suicide," and no further dissenting voices were heard in the village. 

"Everyone, since the Hokage has entrusted command to Tōzō-sama, we should all obey his orders." 

Before Tōzō could decide how to deal with these ungrateful fools, Tsunade suddenly spoke up, interrupting his train of thought. 

Tsunade agreed with Tōzō's orders, as her younger brother was still on the battlefield, and remaining here didn't seem safe at all. 

Moreover, she was astonished to learn from Orochimaru and Shōsuke that Tōzō had dispatched someone to specifically protect her brother. 

Although she was unclear about Tōzō's ultimate purpose, at present, this command was beneficial to her, and Tsunade was determined to support it no matter what. 

As comrades in battle, Tsunade and her team had earned the respect of all the ninjas present on the battlefield. Upon her speaking, the dissenting ninjas immediately fell silent. 

"Hmm… You're called Hiruhashi, right?" 

Noticing that Tsunade had quelled the tension, Tōzō nodded slightly and pointed to the upper-ranked Nara shinobi. 

"Correct, Tōzō-sama." 

Hiruhashi from the Nara clan obediently nodded in acknowledgment. 

"Then I will first address your question: Amegakure has already sent someone to contact us, preparing to sign a ceasefire agreement." 

"It won't be long before we receive news from the rear." 

"Currently, Konoha only faces one remaining enemy: Sunagakure from the Land of Wind." 

Tōzō picked up his cane and pointed to the battle map on the table. 

"Next, I shall lead all of you to launch a surprise attack on Sunagakure and secure the final victory for Konoha!"