Hiruzen put on a friendly face as he continuously moved between the residences of various clans. Some clan leaders even gave him the cold shoulder directly.
He had no way to deal with it. After all, in recent battles, all those from Konoha who were sent to the battlefield became mere cannon fodder — none returned alive.
And naturally, none of the clan ninja who participated in the battles survived either. They all suffered heavy losses.
At this point, Hiruzen could only continue to smile.
He pleaded with the clan leaders to prioritize the bigger picture — the principle of "when the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold" (a Chinese idiom meaning that all are interdependent).
All the clans understood this. So, although they showed their anger on the surface, in reality, they would still dispatch clan ninja when needed.
This time, the scale of the war launched by Kirigakure was far too massive. All the clans within Konoha must come together as one. Only then could they resolve this crisis.
At present, Hiruzen had already arrived at the mansion of the Uchiha clan leader. After persuading earnestly for quite some time, Fugaku Uchiha finally stated his conditions.
"Third Hokage, we of the Uchiha clan naturally won't stand idly by. However, after this battle ends, regardless of the outcome, the territory of our clan must be expanded threefold!"
"Expand threefold!" Hiruzen's pupils contracted.
He naturally knew what Fugaku had in mind. Even though the Uchiha had not yet been moved to the outskirts of Konoha (because the Nine-Tails thing didn't happen), they were no longer at the center. The Police Force Headquarters controlled by them was also far from the political center of the village, and these two factors were causing dissatisfaction within the clan. And now, their aim in wanting to expand their territory.
It was nothing more than wanting to continue strengthening their own clan. If this matter had come up before, Hiruzen would have refused ten thousand times over.
But now, he had no choice but to agree! If they were to lose such a formidable clan as the Uchihas on the battlefield, the pressure on Konoha's side would increase several times over!
"Alright, Clan Leader Fugaku! I agree to your terms! But this battle is particularly important — I hope you can take it seriously!" Hiruzen gritted his teeth and agreed.
"Naturally!" And as the Clan Leader, he had to nod.
After the Third Hokage left, Shisui immediately approached from next door.
"Clan Leader, my suggestion is that our Uchiha clan should not participate in this war." He said in a low voice.
"Shisui!" Fugaku frowned, "I see you've been frightened by Yūsuke Kamizuki! But you've already awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan — what are you still afraid of?"
"Clan Leader, how did you..." Shisui's body trembled slightly.
"Because..." Fugaku pondered. At this point, he must also reveal some of his trump cards.
Then, under Shisui's shocked and bewildered gaze, Fugaku revealed his own Mangekyō Sharingan!
If it were the previous situation, he certainly wouldn't have exposed his powerful dojutsu. After all, he still had to be on guard against Konoha at all times.
However, at present, the village desperately needs the strength of all the major clans! Naturally, they also need the strength of the clan! And this is his bargaining chip in negotiations with Konoha's upper echelons!
The Uchiha clan must also use this time to rise again!
"Clan Leader Fugaku... You!" Shisui said in astonishment.
"I awakened it a long time ago, even earlier than you." He said calmly, "I've also mastered the Susanoo. For this battle, I will personally lead the elite ninja of our clan. Moreover, we won't choose to confront Yūsuke Kamizuki head-on."
"Don't you feel reassured now? If we can defeat Kirigakure, that would be best. If we can't defeat them, our Uchiha clan will naturally preserve ourselves to the maximum extent. Moreover, after this war, we will gain three times the resources we had before. Only then can our clan continue to develop and grow stronger."
After hearing his explanation, Shisui finally nodded deeply.
"Yes! I will follow all of the Clan Leader's arrangements!"
Seeing this, a slight smile finally appeared on Fugaku's face.
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At the border of the Land of Water.
Kirigakure's ninja alliance army had already assembled. All the ninja were quietly waiting for Yūsuke's command. As soon as the order was given, they would unhesitatingly charge into the territory of the Land of Fire!
And those patrol ninja at the border of the Land of Fire were nervously watching the movements on this side. If there was even the slightest sign of trouble, they would immediately retreat!
Yūsuke led two hundred members of the Kaguya clan to the battlefield. Looking at the Land of Fire beyond the border, he raised his arm and shouted.
"Crush Konoha!!"
"Kill!!!"
❆❆❆
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