After his initial outburst of rage, Danzo gradually calmed down.
There was no point in being angry now; what he needed to do was prevent this tragedy from happening.
Under Tatsuma's watchful gaze, Danzo began furiously scribbling letters.
First was an analysis of the ninja world's current situation.
The Sand Village, cunning and treacherous, sat in barren lands. With Konoha embroiled in battles on multiple fronts, they would undoubtedly eye the opportunity to tear a piece out of Konoha for themselves.
Meanwhile, the Cloud Village had grown rapidly, boasting a strong military and an abundance of talent. Their ambition to replace Konoha as the foremost power in the ninja world made it highly likely they would collude with the Sand Village to launch an attack. This threat could not be ignored.
Negotiating with the Stone and Mist Villages as much as possible was advisable, redirecting their attention toward the Cloud and Sand Villages.
If that failed, Konoha needed to end its battles on these two fronts as quickly as possible, focusing all efforts on countering the Cloud and Sand Villages.
Next, Danzo addressed personnel issues.
"Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado are short-sighted and unfit to achieve anything significant. Their advice should not be heeded"
"Orochimaru, while morally questionable, is undeniably capable. He should continue commanding the Water Country battlefield. Replacing him due to moral concerns during a critical moment would only risk disaster. His talents are essential to maintaining stability in that theater."
"Minato Namikaze's exceptional speed and skill make him ideal for rapid support across multiple battlefields, enabling us to achieve localized superiority."
"However, Onoki of the Stone Village is untrustworthy. Choza Akimichi, with his steady demeanor, should replace Minato to secure the Grass Country's defense line and guard against the Stone Village's duplicity."
"Additionally, deploy as many ANBU members as possible to Kikyo Mountain and place them under my command. Notably, Kakashi Hatake, Shisui Uchiha, and Might Guy, whose outstanding performances in this war have earned recognition, should be assigned to me."
"Tatsuma, take a look and see if there are any oversights," Danzo said, tossing the letter to Aburame Tatsuma.
As Tatsuma read the letter, his heart raced, and cold sweat began to form.
Was this truly a letter to the Hokage? It felt more like Danzo issuing orders to the Hokage.
The tone, the authority—it seemed like Danzo was the one running the show.
"Is there a problem?" Danzo asked, frowning.
Tatsuma quickly shook his head and cautiously replied, "Danzo-sama, such extensive troop movements... could this be a bit too radical?"
At this, Danzo raised an eyebrow. "Radical? Would I still be Shimura Danzo if I weren't radical?"
Feeling the overwhelming aura radiating from Danzo, Tatsuma couldn't help but think: Well, he's not wrong. If Root isn't radical, then who is?
Tatsuma immediately complied, saying, "I'll deliver this letter to the village right away."
"Good."
Danzo nodded, then rose with the aid of his cane.
"Send a unit of Root operatives to monitor the Wind Country border. The rest will follow me to Kikyo Mountain in secret."
"Yes, sir."
As orders were issued, Danzo's loyal forces began mobilizing swiftly. The gears of fate started to turn.
Of course, Danzo wasn't blindly orchestrating these moves.
Though his actions appeared aggressive, they didn't fundamentally alter the battlefield dynamics.
He was simply ensuring Hiruzen Sarutobi allowed Orochimaru to remain the commander of the Water Country front, urging Minato to expedite his victories and prepare for reinforcements, and requesting additional support from the village.
It was just that his tone was... assertive.
But would he truly be Shimura Danzo if he weren't assertive?
As for whether Hiruzen might punish him for this—or even remove him from his position?
Danzo wasn't concerned. Hiruzen, after all, was indecisive, weak, power-hungry, and somewhat hypocritical.
Yet, he had one redeeming quality: the old friend he indulged and colluded with was none other than Danzo himself!
"Oh, it's Danzo. Then it's fine."
In the original work, Hiruzen Sarutobi displayed almost no boundaries when it came to indulging his old friend. Even Danzo's attempts to assassinate the Hokage were forgiven. So, what's the big deal about taking command on the battlefield or defying orders?
Taking a step back, was Hiruzen himself blameless?
Soon, the ever-loyal Aburame Tatsuma carried Danzo's directives back to the village.
As expected, the moment Hiruzen Sarutobi read the letter, his face turned red with fury!
If it weren't for his years of practice in controlling his temper, his desk would have been smashed to pieces multiple times.
"Are you certain Shimura Danzo wrote this?"
Hiruzen glared at Tatsuma, barely restraining his anger.
Unfazed by the Hokage's rage, Tatsuma calmly replied, "Yes, it was personally written by Lord Danzo."
Hiruzen exhaled sharply.
He already knew it was Danzo's handwriting—he was all too familiar with it. Still, he had to ask, if only to give himself a moment to calm down.
"I see. You may leave."
Hiruzen waved his hand irritably, but Tatsuma didn't move.
"Lord Hokage, about—"
Seeing Tatsuma still standing there, Hiruzen's anger flared again. "Tell Danzo I'll think about it!"
"Yes, sir."
This time, Tatsuma finally left the office.
The moment he was gone, Hiruzen immediately called for a high-level meeting.
Of course, a "high-level meeting" in Konoha simply meant gathering the four key figures: Hiruzen himself, Danzo, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado. After all, the village was practically run by them.
"Why did you call us here in such a hurry, Hiruzen?"
It was already late at night, and Koharu, looking fatigued, asked with evident annoyance. Staying up late was a nightmare for female ninja.
Homura, on the other hand, seemed more alert.
As his old friends arrived, Hiruzen tossed Danzo's letter onto the table.
"Take a look for yourselves."
A minute later, the two elderly advisors slammed the table in unison.
"That Danzo has gone too far!"
"We've been friends for so many years, and he dares to insult us like this?"
Watching their outrage, Hiruzen couldn't help but find it amusing. No matter how impolite Danzo's words were, at least he hadn't directly criticized Hiruzen.
Before the two could continue ranting, Hiruzen cleared his throat. "I didn't call you here to berate Danzo. What do you think about his predictions?"
"Impossible!"
"Absolutely not!"
Koharu and Homura immediately dismissed the idea.
"We've already reached an agreement with the Sand Village to jointly attack the Mist. Breaking that agreement now would be treacherous!"
"Besides, we don't have enough forces to defend against the Sand Village's aggression!"
"That said, allowing Orochimaru to remain in command of the Water Country front could be considered..."
Hiruzen fell silent.
As much as Danzo's presumptuous tone irritated him, comparing his insights to those of Koharu and Homura made it clear just how much more capable Danzo was.
Nearly all of Konoha's intelligence operations were managed by Danzo. It was entirely possible he had foreseen something they hadn't.
Hiruzen's indecision made Koharu anxious.
"Hiruzen, you're not seriously considering agreeing with Danzo, are you?"
Homura added pressure. "Konoha cannot afford to fight on four fronts!"
"And Danzo's behavior amounts to insubordination. He should be executed for it!"
Hiruzen tapped his fingers on the desk, saying nothing.
Insubordination?
Weren't the orders his to give? If he wanted, he could justify Danzo's actions in an instant.
Seeing his hesitation, Koharu and Homura exchanged glances. Finally, Koharu spoke up.
"I believe Danzo must have his reasons for this, but we simply don't have the manpower. At most, allow him to deploy a small number of ninja to support the local garrisons for defensive purposes—just in case."
"But under no circumstances should we take the offensive!"
"Fine, let's do that."
Hiruzen finally opened his eyes, his decision made.