Tatsuya surprised everyone present by standing up to support Sarutobi Shinnosuke's proposal to continue the war.
'It was you who retreated first on the battlefield, and now you're the one proposing to continue the fighting,' Nara Shikaku questioned in his heart, raising an eyebrow in confusion.
Shikaku exchanged glances with his two partners, Ino-Shika-Cho, before finally standing up to speak. "Master Tatsuya, is this appropriate? The current situation doesn't seem to warrant continuing the war," he said.
After all, war meant death, and they didn't want to see more innocent lives lost, especially among their families and children.
"But Hokage-sama's clansmen and daughter-in-law died in battle. How can we not seek vengeance for them?" Tatsuya asked, turning towards Sarutobi's new ally.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke, consumed by anger, didn't think about how Tatsuya, whom he had been at odds with before, was now speaking in his favor.
Overwhelmed with emotion, he immediately shouted, "That's right! Rie was my childhood sweetheart, and my father had arranged for her to be on the same team for me to marry her! If we don't avenge her, this war can't be stopped!"
Upon hearing these words, the faces of many Ninja clan chiefs present darkened, and they felt a growing dissatisfaction with Sarutobi Shinnosuke and the powerful backers behind him.
"Why should we sacrifice more lives for your personal vendetta? The members of the Sarutobi family are already dead; we shouldn't drag our people further into death," some murmured in disagreement.
"When did Konoha become the dictatorship of your Sarutobi clan?" others questioned.
Despite the discontent, the Third Hokage still held significant authority, allowing him to keep this group of people under control.
Orochimaru, who had been silently observing from the corner, couldn't help but think, "What an idiot. He's completely trapped in his emotions."
Tatsuya found the situation amusing. "The next plan is like this," he said, walking to the front of the map and pointing at the trail through the Rain Country on the map.
"Does everyone remember the Second Kazekage assassination plan?" he asked, drawing their attention to Sakumo and Sarutobi Shinnosuke.
The plan was supposed to succeed, but due to the hesitation of one of these two people, the other gave up the task, leading to its failure.
"If that plan had succeeded, why would we still be fighting this war?" Tatsuya pondered aloud.
As a military adviser, Shikaku vaguely guessed Tatsuya's intentions and tentatively asked, "Master Tatsuya, do you intend to..."
"Restart this task," Tatsuya interrupted, sliding his index finger from the coordinates of the camp to the Rain Country on the map, and then from the Rain Country to Sunagakure.
"We'll take a longer route, passing through the Rain Country, and then infiltrate the Wind Country to assassinate the Second Kazekage Sandgate."
Hyuga Hizashi, who was in awe, hesitated for a few seconds before asking, "Yes, but this mission has already failed once. Compared to the previous time when the task failed. This time Second Kazekage is more vigilant and has built an iron wall around him, I'm afraid... the difficulty is even higher this time."
"Don't worry, Master Shinnosuke and I will take the lead this time," Tatsuya confidently said, "I am better than my brother."
Sakumo smiled bitterly and shook his head but didn't say anything.
"Too shameless, isn't he? Claiming to be better than Konoha's White Fang!"
Everyone's perception of Tatsuya has refreshed once again. Though Tatsuya's performance on the battlefield today was undeniably Kage-level, claiming to have surpassed the White Fang seemed like a bold statement.
However, White Fang himself didn't refute it, so it must be true!
"Do I need to go as well?" Sarutobi Shinnosuke asked hesitantly.
"Of course, young master Shinnosuke, you are familiar with the environment from the previous mission. This time, I'll replace my incompetent brother, and together we'll surely succeed," Tatsuya said kindly.
"Then, can he go instead of me?" Sarutobi Shinnosuke pointed to Sakumo, feeling a bit nervous for some reason.
"My brother and others will continue to attack the Sand Shinobi on the front lines to divert their attention. My brother's presence can easily draw the hatred of thousands of enemies, buying us valuable time. After we succeed, we can claim victory from both flanks," Tatsuya explained flawlessly.
No matter how much Sarutobi Shinnosuke thought about it, he couldn't refuse. Tatsuya's reasoning left no room for objections.
"Well, if there are no further objections, then it's decided. Everyone can go back and rest. We'll leave tomorrow," Tatsuya declared, waving to end the meeting.
Despite Orochimaru being the front-line commander, everyone silently obeyed Tatsuya's order and left the tent.
Strength truly is the determining factor in this world, as Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke, still Genin in the finale, have proven.
...
...
As dusk approached and evening drew near, a shadow stealthily entered Tsunade's personal tent.
However, it wouldn't be accurate to say that the shadow "slipped" in. Everyone around could clearly see what was happening.
Tatsuya walked in with his head held high and his chest puffed out.
Everyone looked at Kato Dan, who witnessed the scene and couldn't help but feel a pang of pity. Over the past few years on the front line, it was no secret that Kato Dan had a deep crush on Tsunade, yet he remained unnoticed.
The result, unfortunately, remained unchanged.
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