Chapter 132: Three Questions

As the Hokage's assistant, what is the extent of Dan's authority and what resources can he mobilize? The first issue to be discussed at this high-level Konoha meeting was this.

With a glance, the Third Hokage signaled to Koharu and Homura, seated across from him on the sofa, to begin speaking. It was clear to anyone with eyes that he had appointed Dan out of necessity.

Therefore, the Third Hokage naturally hoped that the two advisors would join him in weakening and limiting Dan's power. Koharu and Homura served as the bridge between Konoha and the Daimyo's office, their positions in the village even more secure than his as Hokage.

Even if the Third Hokage stepped down, they would not. The Hokage may change, but the advisors remain. In a sense, Koharu, Homura, and the administrative machinery they represent are the true invisible rulers of the village.

As long as the Third Hokage, Koharu, and Homura worked together, it would be easy to sideline Uchiha Dan. Then, Dan would become a figurehead without real power.

However, to the Third Hokage's surprise, Koharu and Homura did not follow his wishes but instead expressed full support for Dan.

"I believe that Dan is fully capable of serving as the Hokage's assistant. Therefore, he should inherit all of Danzo's powers and take over the Root," Koharu was the first to speak.

"I agree. Dan can do better than Danzo," Homura chimed in, pushing up his glasses, his face expressionless.

At this moment, they extended an olive branch to Dan. In response, Dan gave them a grateful look and solemnly declared, "I, Uchiha Dan, am willing to bear the darkness of Konoha, to become the ROOT hidden beneath the ground, to devote myself to the village until death."

His words sounded sincere. The Third Hokage sighed inwardly. He understood the advisors' thoughts. They were simply worried about him monopolizing power as Hokage, so they supported Dan to counterbalance him.

But, Koharu, Homura, do you really think you can control Uchiha Dan? He's not a puppet you can manipulate at will. I hope you won't regret it later.

The Third Hokage gave them a deep look and said nothing more.

Next, the most important issue of the meeting: the impending war between Konoha and Amegakure.

"What proposals do you have for this war?" the Third Hokage asked in a deep voice.

Dan stroked his chin with his fingers, deep in thought. Amegakure, the base of the Akatsuki, was ruled by Nagato. At this time, the Akatsuki should still be in the recruitment stage, and they couldn't possibly confront Konoha head-on.

However, if Nagato was pushed too far, he might abandon Amegakure in a fit of rage, control the Six Paths of Pain to invade Konoha's homeland from a thousand miles away. That would be a big problem. Maybe, with a single "Shinra Tensei," he could destroy Konoha.

Once the war started, there probably wouldn't be a winner. The most likely outcome was mutual destruction.

With this in mind, Dan proposed, "I suggest that Konoha immediately assemble an army of ten thousand ninjas at the fastest speed, march straight into Amegakure, and take down the Akatsuki! This will be a resounding victory."

Upon hearing this, the Third Hokage, Koharu, and Homura were all surprised and furrowed their brows.

They all knew that Dan had never been a ninja before, nor had he ever been on a battlefield. Was this why he thought war was so simple? War is not a game; it's not that easy. Especially when it comes to Amegakure, it's undoubtedly the toughest nut to crack in the entire ninja world.

Recalling the past, during the Second Great Ninja War, Amegakure, sandwiched between the Fire, Wind, and Earth countries, refused to be a "chessboard" for the major countries' games. Under the leadership of Hanzo, they declared war on Konoha, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure simultaneously.

Although Konoha emerged as the winner in the end, Amegakure was not a loser, as Konoha was never able to defeat Hanzo, even with the three Sannin working together. This established Hanzo's undefeated legend.

And now, according to the information Konoha has, Hanzo, the demigod of the ninja world, was killed by the leader of the Akatsuki. This means that the leader of the Akatsuki is stronger than a demigod. Would Amegakure, under the rule of the Akatsuki, be easily conquered by Konoha? The answer is probably no.

Unless... "Following Dan's suggestion, if the Uchiha clan is willing to serve as the vanguard, leading the Konoha army into Amegakure, then winning this war will be as easy as reaching into a bag," Homura Mitokado, with a glint in his eye, suggested that the Uchiha clan take the lead.

Koharu Utatane also immediately followed up, saying to Dan, "Dan, this is an opportunity for you and the Uchiha clan to gain merit and prestige. As long as you can annihilate the Akatsuki and win this war, no one will question your position as the Hokage's assistant, and the Uchiha clan will become the heroes of Konoha, no longer misunderstood and ostracized by the villagers."

In the eyes of the two advisors, since they had declared their support for Dan's ascension, Dan should show corresponding sincerity and lead the Uchiha clan to fight for Konoha.

The Third Hokage also seized the opportunity to chime in, looking at Dan with anticipation: "Madara, Orochimaru, and Sasori of the Red Sand all fell at the hands of the Uchiha. The facts prove that the Uchiha are the nemesis of the Akatsuki. Dan, I believe that as long as you take action, even the leader of the Akatsuki will not be a threat. Once you defeat him, you will be the reincarnation of the First Hokage, the second God of Shinobi!"

With these words, they almost elevated Dan and the Uchiha clan to the heavens.

Dan had anticipated this situation. The Third Hokage and the two advisors might disagree on some issues, but when it came to how to use the Uchiha clan, their thoughts were completely aligned.

That is, let the Uchiha deal with the Akatsuki.

If today's meeting was attended by Fugaku, Shisui, or other Uchiha clan members, they might not be able to resist the coaxing of the three old men.

But not Dan.

He was not easily swayed and would not be fooled.

Facing the flattery of the three old foxes, Dan shook his head, looking troubled: "The Uchiha clan, in the recent battle at the Mountain Graveyard, successfully burned the underground army of a hundred thousand White Zetsu, preventing the Akatsuki's shocking plot to destroy Konoha. However, more than half of our elite forces were killed or injured, and we urgently need to recuperate... Therefore, in this operation against Amegakure..."

"Uchiha may be willing, but I'm afraid we simply don't have the strength."

At these words, the faces of the three men simultaneously turned sour, their eyes flashing with deep disappointment. They all knew these were Dan's words of evasion.

The three of them couldn't let Dan get away with it. They were determined to coax the Uchiha to the front lines today. But just then, Dan shifted the topic:

"I just thought of a better solution."

Without waiting for the three to ask, he continued:

"I heard that the three founders of the Akatsuki were orphans from the battlefield of Amegakure, later taken in by Jiraiya and taught for several years.

I don't know what Jiraiya instilled in his students, but the fact is that his students are now trying to destroy Konoha.

So, isn't Jiraiya the one who should be responsible for the Akatsuki?

I think we should immediately bring Jiraiya back and let him go to Amegakure to persuade the Akatsuki to surrender. If the persuasion fails, Jiraiya should clean up his own mess and take out the leader of the Akatsuki.

Then, when the Konoha army invades Amegakure, we will surely win a complete victory."

As soon as he finished speaking, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado were both taken aback. After recovering, they questioned the Third Hokage:

"Is this true?"

"The leader of the Akatsuki is Jiraiya's student? Hiruzen, why didn't you tell us?"

The Third Hokage's face changed.

Dan's words successfully shifted the focus of the two advisors, making them target Jiraiya.

And Jiraiya was the Third Hokage's student.

In response, the Third Hokage explained:

"I've already sent people to find Jiraiya, and I believe he will return to the village soon."

Then, the Third Hokage quickly stated that, considering the current situation, his view on this war was that it should not be rushed.

For Konoha to launch a full-scale war against Amegakure, two conditions must be met.

The first is that the Uchiha clan must have recovered and regained their combat power to join the Konoha army.

The second is for Jiraiya to return to the village and, as Dan suggested, persuade the leader of the Akatsuki to surrender.

Koharu and Homura looked at each other and nodded, agreeing with the Third Hokage's view.

As for Dan, even if he disagreed, the vote was 3:1.

So Dan expressed indifference.

Finally, after the four of them discussed, the Third Hokage decided to first assemble an army of three thousand Konoha ninja and station them on the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain to deter Amegakure and the Akatsuki.

When the time is ripe, they will launch an attack on the enemy and strike directly at the heart.

After discussing the war, there was only one last issue left.

The Chunin Exams hosted by Konoha in partnership with Kumogakure, it was originally scheduled to be held at the beginning of next month, which is less than ten days away.

But considering the current situation in the village, should this Chunin Exam be canceled or postponed?

You should know that the Fourth Raikage will personally lead the team from Kumogakure. If they arrive in Konoha and find that Konoha is deeply troubled, they might have some bad ideas.

That would be extremely unfavorable for Konoha.

The Third Hokage pondered for a moment and gave his opinion: "Cancelling or postponing the Chunin Exam would only make Kumogakure more suspicious. Therefore, the exam must be held as scheduled. When the time comes, we should let the Fourth Raikage see that even during a war, Konoha remains as bustling and peaceful as ever."

As soon as he finished speaking, Dan chimed in: "That's right, we continue to fight our battles and live our lives as usual. That's the essence of Konoha."

Upon hearing that the people from Kumogakure were coming, he thought of Samui from his gym.

There would definitely be a lot of interesting things happening then...

Huh?

Seeing Dan rarely supporting him for once, the Third Hokage was surprised and felt a bit relieved.

He then asked Dan to ensure that the Uchiha clan would send excellent Genin to participate in this Chunin Exam. They must outshine Kumogakure and keep the first place in Konoha.

Just like Itachi once did, passing the Chunin Exam alone and making other competitors pale in comparison.

"No problem."

Dan casually agreed.

The time was almost up, and this high-level meeting was coming to an end.

Dan was the first to get up and leave, busy taking over Danzo's Root. He already had a good idea of how to deal with people like Tatsuma Aburame.

Koharu and Homura were also about to leave, but were suddenly stopped by the Third Hokage.

"Hiruzen, what do you want to say to us?" Both of them realized that the Third Hokage had something to say to them alone, avoiding Uchiha Dan.

The Third Hokage sighed and without beating around the bush, he directly told his old friends his thoughts.

He wanted to bring Jiraiya back, not only for this war against Amegakure, but more importantly, to counterbalance Uchiha Dan.

The Third Hokage was getting old and would have to step down sooner or later.

But he hoped that when he stepped down, the person who would take over as Hokage would be Jiraiya, not Dan.

Koharu and Homura both have the power to nominate the Hokage, and their opinions will directly influence the decision of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.

So, who they choose to support at that time will be crucial.

After hearing the heartfelt words of the Third Hokage.

"Hiruzen, you're overthinking it. How could we possibly nominate Uchiha Dan as Hokage? He's only fit to be the leader of Root, bearing the darkness for a lifetime. That's Dan's destiny." Koharu said coldly.

"As long as Jiraiya can solve the Akatsuki problem and win this war for Konoha, we will naturally nominate him to become the Fifth Hokage." Homura also said.

Although the two advisors understood that the Third Hokage had some personal motives for wanting his student Jiraiya to inherit the position of Hokage, such as Jiraiya continuing to look after the Sarutobi clan after taking office.

But this kind of personal motive doesn't harm the overall situation, and they can turn a blind eye.

However, if they let Dan become Hokage, the entire village might fall into the hands of the Uchiha clan.

For the sake of Konoha's interests, Koharu and Homura would never nominate Dan as Hokage.

"With your words, I can rest assured."

The Third Hokage sighed in relief and showed a sincere smile.

After sending the two away, he picked up the pipe next to him and took a deep puff, exhaling a thick ring of smoke.

Finally, he felt at ease.

That night.

In the underground base of Root.

Led by Tatsuma Aburame, forty Root ninjas were released from prison and notified to wait here to welcome their new leader of Root—Uchiha Dan.

In response, the Root members returned to the underground base without a word, but behind each mask, there was a fierce killing intent.

They were all brought into Root as children, brainwashed by Danzo for a long time, and had the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal planted in them, becoming loyal followers of Danzo.

Even the Third Hokage couldn't command these Root members.

Let alone Dan.

This man not only killed many Root ninjas but also publicly humiliated Danzo, tore off his arm, and took the position of Hokage's assistant.

Such hatred was irreconcilable.

Therefore, the appearance of Tatsuma and the others here was not to bow down to Dan, but to seek revenge on him.

Time passed by every minute and every second.

The forty Root ninjas, like cold statues, remained motionless, even their breathing was very weak—they were all concealing their killing intent, gathering energy, waiting for that man to appear.

Suddenly.

Tap, tap, tap.

A series of footsteps sounded from afar, and a tall figure was seen walking slowly towards the Root members along the long corridor.

Dan had arrived.