The Eve of the Decisive Battle

Konoha Village, Hokage Office

"Hokage-sama, the third ANBU squad was attacked by Uchiha Itachi. None of them... made it back."

An ANBU member knelt on one knee, head lowered, and reported to Danzo with a trembling voice.

Bang.

Upon hearing this, Danzo's cane hit the ground heavily, and a cold gleam flashed in his murky eyes.

Due to Shisui's death, Uchiha Itachi might be the person who hates him the most in the entire ninja world, and he was also the enemy Danzo vowed to eliminate.

He couldn't let that kid grow stronger, or else Itachi would become a grave threat one day.

But for now, patience was required.

"Immediately convey my order: recall the remaining reconnaissance ninjas. Stop sending lives into Uchiha's hands."

Danzo ordered in a deep voice and then asked, "By the way, how's the troop gathering? Have we met the numbers?"

The ANBU member quickly responded, "Reporting to Hokage-sama, we have gathered twenty thousand troops from across Konoha as per your orders. They are ready to head to the front line at your command."

"Good."

Danzo nodded, seemingly satisfied, and waved the ANBU away. "You may go."

Afterward, Danzo stood up and walked to the large floor-to-ceiling window, looking out at Konoha Village.

Before setting out, he planned to deliver a pre-battle speech.

Since taking the position of Hokage, Danzo increasingly understood the thrill that power brings, making him feel twenty years younger at times.

Especially when he attended various occasions and gave speeches from the stage.

The adoring gazes from the crowd and the thunderous applause at the end made him intoxicated with the feeling of being revered by all.

No wonder Hiruzen loved giving speeches about the Will of Fire so much when he was Hokage.

Being Hokage was indeed addictive.

Danzo was now more convinced that Hiruzen orchestrated the death of the Fourth Hokage to regain his position.

To ensure he didn't lose to Hiruzen, Danzo even spent considerable time practicing his speech skills.

However.

While Danzo was immersed in the delights of power, the atmosphere in Konoha was one of fear and unrest.

The ninja world had barely enjoyed half a year of peace, and now war loomed again.

For Konoha's villagers, even without the war, life had not been peaceful.

After all, their Hokage had signed numerous unequal treaties with the four major ninja villages and even invited their forces to be stationed in Konoha.

In the past six months, the ninjas from the four villages had been rampaging through Konoha, committing crimes at will.

Numerous heinous incidents had occurred.

For instance, someone lost money at a Konoha gambling house, refused to pay, destroyed the place, and stole a large amount of money;

Some found various excuses to occupy the businesses of Konoha merchants and even took their wives and daughters;

Someone had a quarrel with a Konoha villager on the street, which escalated into a conflict, resulting in the villager being beaten to death in public;

There was even an incident where someone deliberately ignited explosive tags and threw them into a crowd of innocent people, causing multiple injuries. When a Konoha kunoichi tried to stop them, she was taken back to the camp and violated repeatedly.

The crimes were endless.

Faced with the crimes committed by ninjas from the four villages, the citizens of Konoha were naturally furious and wished to bring all criminals to justice.

However, under Danzo's orders, Konoha merely issued verbal warnings to the offending ninjas, and the matters were always left unresolved.

The most outrageous cases involved Konoha requiring the victims to apologize to the offenders or even directly punishing the victims to appease the criminals.

Endurance.

This was the word Danzo, as the Fifth Hokage, had for the people of Konoha.

Under Konoha's repeated leniency, the crimes committed by the ninjas of the four villages became increasingly rampant, constantly crossing new boundaries.

Meanwhile, the villagers of Konoha had become utterly subjugated, enduring spiritual and physical enslavement, living each day in fear and humiliation.

Amidst such days, many began to long for the past when Konoha was still the leading village among the Five Great Nations.

Those were the good old days.

Currently.

With the Uchiha clan declaring war on the Allied Shinobi Forces, Danzo launched an unprecedented mobilization for war to annihilate the Uchiha.

In the village, everyone from children as young as seven or eight to elders in their fifties and sixties, including retired and injured ninjas, was forcibly conscripted, with no one spared.

But Danzo had not considered that for most Konoha ninjas, this was a war they did not want at all.

When the Uchiha clan was still in Konoha, many disliked them, but this dislike did not escalate to hatred.

After all, they were from the same village.

Moreover, when the Uchiha clan left Konoha and the Allied Shinobi Forces invaded immediately, many realized how crucial the Uchiha were to Konoha.

As time passed.

More voices in the village called for the Uchiha to be vindicated.

Some said that the Konoha leadership, led by Hiruzen and Danzo, had oppressed the Uchiha for decades and deliberately created conflicts between the Uchiha and the villagers.

So, many began to reflect, wondering if the Konoha leadership had manipulated them into hating the Uchiha.

At the same time.

The villagers' dislike for Danzo as Hokage grew. They wished that the old man who caused internal strife and sold out the village would die soon.

Of course, they dared not voice their discontent publicly.

Because Danzo had spies everywhere, monitoring the villagers' words and actions, and any sign of disloyalty would be reported to Danzo.

Those who spoke or acted out of turn faced imprisonment or execution.

Under Danzo's reign of terror, everyone in Konoha lived in constant fear.

In the afternoon, at Konoha's Park.

Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji were swinging and sunbathing.

Thanks to the protection of their families, they didn't have to be sent to the brutal battlefield like their peers at the Ninja Academy and could play here without worries.

"Do you think the Allied Shinobi Forces can defeat the Uchiha this time?" Ino asked curiously while swinging.

Shikamaru lay on the grass, frowning, deep in thought.

Next to him, Choji stopped eating his chips and muttered, "I hope the Uchiha beat the Hokage and come back to Konoha so we won't be bullied anymore."

As an innocent chubby kid, Choji had no negative views on the Uchiha and even had some fondness for them.

After all, Uchiha Danzo once offered to take him as a disciple to help him get fit, a promise Choji never forgot.

"Choji, don't say such things!"

Shikamaru immediately sat up, covering Choji's mouth, and looked around cautiously.

After ensuring no one was around, he sighed in relief.

If Choji's words reached the Fifth Hokage's ears, not even the Akimichi clan leader could protect him.

However.

"The Uchiha may seem arrogant, but their strength is undeniable. If they dare to declare war on the Allied Shinobi Forces, maybe they really can…"

Shikamaru murmured, eyes gleaming.

Two days later.

After delivering a passionate speech, Danzo led Konoha's twenty-thousand-strong army out of the village, heading for the Mountain Graveyard.

Not just Konoha, but the other three major ninja villages also mobilized.

Kumo and Iwa's forces exceeded thirty thousand each, and Suna had nearly twenty thousand.

The Allied Shinobi Forces, including soldiers from the Great Nations, totaled a hundred thousand.

A hundred thousand troops.

Like torrents converging from all directions of the ninja world, they approached the Mountain Graveyard within half a month, surrounding it, leaving the Uchiha clan no escape.

Of course, the Uchiha had never intended to flee.

In the village atop the mountain.

For the past six months, Tsunade has been busy researching Edo Tensei and fulfilling Dan's special request to develop a unique soldier pill.

Ever since Dan mastered the Yin Seal technique from Tsunade, which allowed him to store excess chakra, his enormous appetite has returned.

But this posed a problem: Dan had to spend a lot of time eating, and due to his massive intake, he had to visit the bathroom ten times a day.

So, Dan sought Tsunade's help.

Soldier pills, like compressed food, were essential supplies for ninjas on missions, akin to kunai and shuriken.

They were made from various foods and medicinal herbs, small in size, high in calories, and easy to preserve.

Ordinary ninjas only needed three soldier pills a day to sustain themselves. They could also quickly restore stamina when the chakra was depleted.

Dan had tried using soldier pills to replace food, but his body quickly developed a resistance, rendering them ineffective.

Knowing Dan's need, Tsunade spent six months creating a new soldier pill tailored for him.

On the table before Dan was a blue pill.

It was about the size of a ping-pong ball, emitting a faint medicinal fragrance. It had a metallic sheen resembling blue iron ore.

Dan picked up the pill,

 feeling its weight and hardness.

"These soldier pills were made using a special technique, repeatedly compressing a large number of herbs hundreds of times.

Their potency is dozens of times that of regular soldier pills, and their density is so high they're harder than iron.

If an ordinary ninja swallowed it by mistake, it would be indigestible and suicidal. But you should be fine, right?"

Tsunade smiled mischievously at Dan, her gaze challenging.

I made the pill you asked for. Do you dare to eat it?

Dan smiled calmly, saying nothing, and swallowed the blue pill in one gulp.

To Tsunade's surprise.

Boom, boom.

A thunderous sound came from Dan's stomach, his intestines working like a millstone, slowly grinding the iron-hard pill.

It's well-known that internal organs can't be trained.

Except for monsters like Dan.

Soon, the pill's energy was absorbed and stored in his body.

"This is good. One a day should suffice."

After digesting the pill, Dan acknowledged Tsunade's craftsmanship and named the pill — "Fasting Pill."

From now on, he wouldn't need food, just a daily pill.

After all, Dan knew that the Otsutsuki clan in the cosmos also consumed pills.

This is the true demeanor of a sage.

Then.

Dan and Tsunade went to the meeting room for the clan's pre-war meeting.

The fifteen Uchiha elite ninjas were all gathered in the room.

"From today on, you are a member of the village council."

In front of everyone, Fugaku solemnly handed a black ring with the word "Yin" engraved on it to Izumi Uchiha.

"Thanks to Dan-sama and Itachi, I awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan."

Izumi bowed to Dan, expressing her gratitude.

"Hmph."

Tsunade snorted coldly.

She had heard how Izumi awakened her Sharingan through Dan's illusion, reminding her of when Dan tricked her into thinking Shizune had died.

However, since Tsunade wasn't an Uchiha, despite experiencing enough mental shock, she regrettably couldn't awaken the Sharingan.

After Izumi's promotion ceremony.

"Dan, how do you think we should fight this war?"

Fugaku first sought his brother-in-law's opinion.

In fact, Dan was the true backbone of the Uchiha clan. His decisions were rarely opposed.

The past had proven that the Director was always right.

Even if his words were often shocking.

And this time, Dan's words once again left everyone surprised.

"You should all withdraw. I'll stay here alone."

Dan said calmly.

Everyone: "…"

After a moment of silence.

Fugaku, regaining his composure, asked incredulously:

"Dan, do you plan to face the Allied Shinobi Forces alone? According to our intel, their numbers are a hundred thousand…"

Even though he trusted Dan's strength immensely, facing a hundred thousand troops alone seemed impossible, even for the First Hokage at his peak.

It sounded like a fantasy.

Dan shook his head and explained:

"I'm not interested in showing off. It's just that on the battlefield, the Sage Art I recently learned might cause collateral damage. So, it's better if you observe the situation from a distance first."

Is that so?

Everyone was momentarily stunned, also wondering about the nature of Dan's Sage Art.

Could its power be so immense that even he couldn't control it?

If so, they indeed should keep their distance to avoid unnecessary casualties.