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"The Hyuga clan is sending 300 members, including 30 jonin!"
"The Nara clan is sending..."
"The Aburame clan is..."
With the biggest ninja clans taking the lead and the Third Hokage backing them up, representatives from all the other clans in Konoha began pledging their support one after another.
When the last clan representative finished speaking, the Third Hokage did a quick estimate. Just from the ninja clans alone, there were already over 6,000 ninjas pledged for this operation.
Including ANBU, Root, active-duty ninjas, and even civilian-born shinobi, his total available forces had now exceeded 10,000—reaching a staggering 14,000.
This was the largest military strength the Third Hokage had ever commanded.
However, he knew they couldn't deploy the entire army right away.
"Thank you all for your support!"
"Given that the war hasn't fully erupted yet, we can't afford to send out all of our troops at once!"
"We'll deploy small elite units to monitor the borders of Kirigakure, Kumogakure, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure, keeping a close watch on their movements."
"But for now, the main battleground will be the border of the Land of Rain!"
At this point, the Third Hokage's gaze swept across the room, his tone turning serious. "This will be the first battle of the war. We must make a statement—showing the other villages that Konoha is not to be underestimated!"
"We need to crush the Hidden Rain in one decisive blow, intimidating them and the other four great ninja villages in the process."
"If we achieve this, we can deter the other villages from ganging up on us."
"Therefore, we'll send our elite forces to deal with the Hidden Rain."
"So, I propose appointing Danzo Shimura as the supreme commander of the Rain battlefield."
"We'll deploy 4,000 ninjas to Danzo's command, including members of the Uchiha, Senju, Uzumaki, and the Ino-Shika-Cho clans."
"We'll also assign Sarutobi, Shimura, Mitokado, and Utatane clan ninjas, along with sensory units from the Hyuga clan."
"This force will strike a decisive victory against the Hidden Rain, shattering their will and sending a clear warning to the other villages. That's all."
The room was filled with mixed reactions, but no one openly objected.
The meeting ended quickly.
Once most people had left, the Third Hokage approached Uchiha Naori with a friendly smile. "Thank you, Lord Naori, and the Uchiha clan for your support this time."
"Since the Uchiha clan is contributing such a significant force, I intend to appoint an Uchiha as the deputy commander. I was thinking of Uchiha Zen. What do you think?"
Uchiha Zen—son of the late Uchiha Kagami, husband of Uchiha Jisi (Naori's younger sister), and father of future Uchiha Shisui.
The Third Hokage had chosen Zen because he believed he'd already brainwashed him into trusting Konoha.
This would make it easier for Zen to cooperate with Danzo in eliminating the Uchiha forces sent to the battlefield.
"Zen? Sure," Naori agreed with a sly smile after a moment of thought.
"Then it's settled!"
The Third Hokage was ecstatic inside but kept his composure, calmly nodding and bidding farewell to Naori before leaving.
Naori, along with Uzumaki Mito and Uzumaki Ashina, also left the Hokage's office.
---
The three went straight to Naori's house to discuss their plans for the upcoming battle.
They even summoned Tsunade, Kaito, Mikoto, and Jisi to join them.
Interestingly, Uzumaki Ashina had already been under Kaito's contract for years.
It had taken months of effort, with help from Uzumaki Mito and Kushina, to build enough goodwill to establish the bond.
Combining Kaito's insane sealing talent and his ambiguous relationship with Kushina, they finally made it happen.
It was a monumental effort, but it was worth it to fully bind the Uzumaki clan to their cause, restore their strength, and ensure they aligned with them completely.
"Uchiha Zen... Isn't he the son of Uchiha Kagami?" Uzumaki Mito asked, puzzled, once everyone had gathered.
As she spoke, her gaze landed on Uchiha Jisi, who had been specifically called over.
"That's right," Uchiha Naori and Jisi both nodded in confirmation.
"Well then..." Uzumaki Mito frowned slightly. "Uchiha Kagami was very close to the Third Hokage back in the day and was heavily influenced by Tobirama."
"To him, the village likely came first, and the clan second."
"That mindset might have affected his son, Uchiha Zen, don't you think?"
"Especially since, after Kagami's death, Zen received a lot of attention—and brainwashing—from Sarutobi Hiruzen. Are you sure letting him lead the Uchiha forces in this battle is a good idea?"
"Be careful he doesn't team up with Danzo to betray the Uchiha."
Mito gave an apologetic smile to Jisi after saying this. "I know this might sound harsh, but I hope you understand. I don't want the Uchiha to suffer unnecessary losses in this war."
"It's okay. I understand." Jisi smiled awkwardly. "It's true—Zen was deeply influenced by Sarutobi and Danzo in the past."
"For years, even I was affected."
"But fortunately, after I was contracted with Kaito, I learned a lot about the past and future of the ninja world. I saw the true faces of Hiruzen and Danzo, and finally woke up."
"After that, I helped Zen form a contract with Kaito as well. Through it, he learned about the tragic fate of the Uchiha and our son's grim future."
"Now, Zen is firmly on our side. He won't be swayed by Hiruzen or Danzo anymore."
"On the contrary, he's pretending to cooperate with them, serving as a spy for us. He's waiting for the right moment to deliver a fatal blow to Hiruzen and Danzo."
"And this battle... is the perfect opportunity."
Jisi's Sharingan activated, her three tomoe spinning wildly as a sinister expression took over her face. "Since Hiruzen wants to use my husband to help Danzo destroy our Uchiha forces, we'll turn the tables!"
"We'll use this opportunity and the advantage of hidden information to eliminate the elite forces sent by Hiruzen, Danzo, and their allies!"
"If the chance arises, we'll make sure Danzo stays on the battlefield—permanently."
"This is our revenge."
Her voice dripped with venom as she spoke, her hatred for those who had schemed against her family palpable.
The others were shocked by Jisi's intensity.
Uchiha Naori gently patted her back, trying to calm her down. "Alright, calm down. The time for revenge is near, and we'll make sure they pay for what they've done."
Jisi took a few deep breaths, slowly regaining her composure. She offered an apologetic smile to everyone. "Sorry, I got carried away."
"It's fine," they all reassured her.
Uzumaki Mito, however, was curious. "So, you're saying Uchiha Kagami was actually killed by those monkeys?"
"That's right," Jisi confirmed with a nod. "This is something my husband and I only learned after forming contracts with Kaito."
"Danzo had long ago stolen a Mangekyo Sharingan from my father-in-law and used it to brainwash and manipulate my husband, altering his memories."
"This kind of tampering was nearly undetectable and almost impossible to reverse."
"Even my sister and I didn't notice anything wrong for years."
"It wasn't until Zen was contracted by Kaito that the Mangekyo's genjutsu was forcefully broken. Only then did we learn the truth from him."
She felt fortunate to have such a capable nephew and relieved that Danzo had only tampered with Zen's memories to make him loyal to Konoha, rather than instilling outright hatred toward the Uchiha clan.
"Maybe Danzo feared that going too far might lead to mistakes or raise suspicions among the Uchiha," she added.
This caution allowed Kaito, leveraging the familial connection, to gradually earn Zen's trust and form a contract with him.
"So that's how it happened?" Uzumaki Mito frowned deeply. "So Uchiha Kagami was actually killed by Danzo and his cronies? And they stole his Mangekyo Sharingan? Those bastards deserve to rot!"
She was well aware of the policies and plans Senju Tobirama had in place for both the Uchiha and the village.
Kagami had clearly been Tobirama's chosen disciple, meant to balance and integrate the Uchiha into Konoha.
But Danzo and his actions—murdering Kagami and enacting cruel policies against the Uchiha—had completely destroyed Tobirama's vision.
They even had the audacity to claim they were acting according to Tobirama's will.
Shameless!
"Tsk, tsk! Konoha's internal politics are a real mess! If you didn't already have a plan to counter this nonsense, I might've regretted bringing the Uzumaki clan into this village," Uzumaki Ashina quipped sarcastically.
A village that plotted against its own people and dressed it up as noble intentions—what kind of future could it possibly have?
Minato, hearing all this, frowned deeply, visibly shaken by the revelations.
His perception of Hiruzen and Danzo had hit rock bottom.
In his heart, he felt that they were no longer fit to hold power or lead the village.
"Isn't that the truth?" Uchiha Naori shrugged helplessly before continuing. "For now, let Danzo keep holding onto Kagami's Mangekyo Sharingan."
"Soon enough, I'll take it back!"
"Zen is already one of us, but the Third Hokage has no clue. He's still planning to use Zen to manipulate the Uchiha, which works perfectly for us."
"We'll flip the script using this knowledge gap. With the right strategy, we can bait Danzo into a trap and wipe out the elite forces Sarutobi, Danzo, and their allied clans send to the frontlines."
"Even better, we can carefully frame everything to pin the blame squarely on Danzo and the Third Hokage. That way, we can undermine Hiruzen's reputation and force him out of power."
"Not just that—Sarutobi, Shimura, Mitokado, and Utatane's clans must all pay the price for their actions."
Stepping down won't be enough.
These clans will need to return all the wealth, jutsu, and resources they've hoarded over the years—tenfold. And they'll lose a significant portion of their top ninjas as well.
Frankly, if the political fallout weren't a concern, Naori would've loved to obliterate those four clans entirely.
But such ruthless action might provoke backlash from other clans and civilian shinobi, which would be problematic.
"Fine by me," Uzumaki Mito nodded in agreement.
"Same here!" Uzumaki Ashina added, smirking with a hint of schadenfreude.
He clearly wouldn't mind seeing Hiruzen and his allies fall from grace.
"Then it's settled," Naori declared. "I'll call Zen over, and we'll discuss the details together."
"Sounds good!"
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