Almost tangible smoke lingered in the Hokage's meeting room. The Third Hokage stared intently at the battle map, pen in hand, continuously sketching, attempting to find a breakthrough.
Beside him, Danzo Shimura and others wore severe expressions. The dire situation on the battlefield was something this generation of Konoha's high command hadn't anticipated.
In pre-war predictions, Konoha's rank-and-file ninjas and even the ANBU were expected to be significantly stronger than the Sand and Rain ninjas.
This war should have been one-sided, possibly even a resounding victory by now.
The Third Hokage squinted, recalling the pre-war analysis materials, utterly perplexed. Where did it all go wrong?
From the ANBU reports of previous years, Konoha's ninja quality was undeniably superior to other ninja villages.
Whenever ANBU from other villages encountered Konoha's ANBU, they stood no chance.
And ANBU, comprising Konoha's core strength, mainly made up of chunin and special jonin, was a good reflection of Konoha's average combat power.
The Third Hokage brooded, annoyed. Nara Shikami's combat power analysis was logically flawless.
Yet now, both the combat will and abilities of the Sand and Rain ninjas overshadowed Konoha's.
What was causing this? Could it be that even the ANBU reports were falsified?
The Hokage's confusion ignited his anger. He felt deeply misled on a critical issue.
The truth, of course, was related to Fuma. He had pioneered the "power leveling" profession in Konoha.
Back in the ANBU, Fuma realized that no matter how many enemy ANBU he killed, he couldn't gain substantial benefits.
The Third Hokage would only reward him with some Konoha-style taijutsu techniques, brushing him off with comments like "The path of taijutsu is limitless; keep forging new paths, etc."
He never handed over any precious jutsu or notes, nor was he willing to reward even chakra metal.
In the end, they even humorously held an internal ANBU commendation ceremony for spiritual encouragement.
There were no real promotions or rewards. Otherwise, Fuma wouldn't have been promoted to jonin only at the age of twenty-three.
Given the circumstances, Fuma started exchanging war merits for tangible benefits, paving an uncharted path in the ninja world.
He began making his attacks more "gentle," erasing his distinctive battle marks, and trying to make enemy deaths appear more natural, disguised as kills by other Konoha ninjas.
In the ANBU, a unit directly under the Hokage, as long as there were merits, there were rewards, except for the Uchiha clan.
Enemies he killed were credited to other ninjas, and Fuma collected a lot of money from them. Their ranks and positions rose accordingly.
Everyone was happy and saw a bright future.
"Power leveling to chunin, 3 million ryo."
"Power leveling to special jonin, 10 million ryo."
"Power leveling to ANBU squad leader, 20 million ryo."
"Power leveling to jonin, custom service required, starting from 15 million ryo. For bounty targets, prices increase according to bounty."
Fuma took on all business, big and small, with a work attitude of making as much as possible, contributing diligently to Konoha.
This "business," with its fair prices, enthusiastic service, and professional confidentiality, won the unanimous praise of Konoha's ninjas, up and down.
In a sense, Fuma's "personal power leveling studio" pioneered the ninja world's power leveling industry, marking a venture into self-employment.
Among the biggest beneficiaries was the Third Hokage's son, Sarutobi Shinnosuke.
Using the Sarutobi clan's substantial wealth, he placed multiple large orders with Fuma, achieving many impressive feats of killing enemy ANBU leaders.
Because of this, despite Danzo's objections, the Third Hokage smoothly promoted his eldest son to ANBU commander.
"After all, my son is quite excellent, and as Hokage, I must promote talent, even if they're my kin."
The Third Hokage's words deeply marked Danzo's heart, who regretted not having a son, losing another round to Hiruzen.
However, this celebration could be maintained in peacetime, but in a real war, enemies wouldn't show Konoha's ninjas any mercy.
Shinnosuke understood this but found that many others were in his situation after becoming ANBU commander. They were all entangled in this web of interests.
Anyone who dared to disrupt this balance would face collective backlash from other ninjas, akin to "the livelihood of millions depending on grain transport."
Thus, this matter was concealed, and more people engaged in power leveling, making ANBU's merits increasingly dazzling.
Shinnosuke's status rose, hailed as "the most responsible ANBU commander in recent years" and "a future Hokage candidate."
He even thought this model might work, but Fuma needed to "work harder."
They overlooked one point: if Fuma refused during a war, who would take his place?
Yet, out of the Hokage lineage's arrogance, none of them believed anyone would dare defy the Hokage's orders.
The Third Hokage stood up, pacing constantly. The unknown confusion and tense situation immersed him in anxiety.
From initially aspiring to become Konoha's rejuvenating leader to now being so worried he couldn't sleep, fearing being nailed to history's shame pole.
This war, with the Sand and Rain's joint assault, showed their deep understanding of Konoha's war and diplomatic style, putting him in a passive position.
The Sand and Rain ninjas didn't attack Konoha's homeland but also didn't retreat from the Land of Rivers. Their intention was clear: warning Konoha to mind its business.
Hanzo of the Rain Village also changed his usual rampant style, not leading the charge himself.
Instead, he sent small groups to continuously harass the borders of the Land of Rivers and the Land of Fire, closely monitoring Orochimaru and others.
Whenever Konoha gathered a large force for a decisive battle, the Rain ninjas would immediately retreat to their homeland.
Considering Fuma's earlier report, the Third Hokage hesitated to launch a counterattack on the Rain Village due to Hanzo's formidable ninjutsu.
According to Fuma's report, Hanzo could collaborate with Rain ninjas and leverage the country's unique environment to unleash terrifying battlefield water-style ninjutsu.
Recalling Fuma's description of the vast, poisonous rain clouds, the Third Hokage abandoned the idea of invading the Rain Village.
"We can't drag this on any longer. If this continues, Konoha's prestige will vanish."
"Sacrifices must be made; we can't keep stalling."
He continued to hesitate, his indecisive nature seemingly ingrained in his bones.
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