Naruto's civilian cannon fodder starts with the three-body technique

Chapter 378 Danzo's Reform
Koharu Utatane was surprised to hear that Hiruzen Sarutobi was going to the front lines again, but seeing the ambition and determination in his eyes, she knew that it was useless to dissuade him, and that this would also benefit her. So she said no more and solemnly accepted the order: "Yes! Hokage-sama! I will do it immediately!"

Soon, orders were issued from the Hokage's office, and the entire Konoha machine started operating efficiently again.

Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi was re-planning his strategy within Konoha, intending to transform Sasuke Umino's victory into political capital, Danzo Shimura, far away on the front lines in Takigawa, also received urgent intelligence through special channels.

When Ryoma Aburame handed over the report containing news of the upheaval on the western front, Danzo's usually gloomy face broke into an uncharacteristic, uncontrollable expression of ecstasy.

"Good! Good! Good!" Danzo said three times in a row, his withered fingers trembling slightly with excitement. He suddenly raised his head, his single eye gleaming with excitement. "As expected of Umino Sasuke, whom I personally promoted, you have indeed lived up to my expectations. My judgment has never been wrong!"

Overwhelmed with joy, he forgot all his previous fears and suppression of Umino Sasuke. At this moment, he felt only pride, as if Umino Sasuke's success was the best proof of his own strategic vision.

"I knew it! That monkey's approach of compromise and concession won't work. Only by being tough and strong can we win Konoha's true respect and benefits. Sasuke's actions this time perfectly prove this point!"

Danzo's voice carried a sense of triumphant relief, as if the pent-up frustration he had endured for years under Hiruzen Sarutobi had finally been released.

Ryoma Aburame, who was standing to the side, was also filled with shock and disbelief. He pushed up his sunglasses and said, "Lord Danzo, not only did Captain Umino capture the Third Kazekage, Chiyo, and other high-ranking members of Sunagakure, but he also actually conquered Sunagakure..."

These words cooled Danzo's ecstasy slightly. A complex emotion flashed in his one eye, a sense of satisfaction at the great victory, but at a deeper level, a sense of apprehension that he himself was unaware of quietly rose up. Umino Sasuke had actually grown to this level.
The capture of the Great Ninja Village was not something that could be accomplished by personal bravery alone. This means that the Iron Wall Legion under his command was incredibly powerful, and his grasp of opportunities and strategic planning had reached a chilling level.

Would such a young and powerful individual, with exceptional abilities, outstanding achievements, and high prestige in the military, truly be content to remain subservient to others?

However, this lingering apprehension was forcibly suppressed by Danzo's deeply ingrained "Greater Konohaism".

Unlike Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was more concerned with personal interests and political balance, Danzo Shimura, though extreme, ruthless, and power-hungry, had a twisted yet genuine "love" for Konoha.

His desire for the Hokage position stemmed largely from his firm belief that only his ruthless and forceful methods could lead Konoha to true strength, while Hiruzen Sarutobi's "weakness" was jeopardizing Konoha's future.

Countless ninjas were willing to follow him, even die for him, precisely because they believed that Danzo was truly "selfless" and could sacrifice everything for Konoha, including his own Shimura clan. Looking at the Shimura clan, which has now fallen to the status of a third-rate ninja clan, and comparing it with the Sarutobi clan, which is still glorious and has a deep-rooted influence in the shadows, many Konoha ninjas have their own scales in their hearts to weigh what is public and what is private.

Ryoma Aburame keenly sensed Danzo's fleeting complex emotions. He was loyal to Danzo, but also held great respect and goodwill towards his colleague Sasuke Umino, who had repeatedly achieved miracles. In the early days of Root, the ninjas were all hawkish "Konoha-ism" ninjas, and they generally had a goodwill towards Sasuke Umino, who had made many outstanding contributions.

After a moment of contemplation, Aburame Ryoma analyzed, "Lord Danzo, Captain Umino's personal strength is indeed astonishing. He was able to capture the Third Kazekage and Chiyo. However, as for conquering the impregnable Sunagakure, I believe that this was not the work of one person alone. More importantly, it is probably because the Iron Wall Legion's combat strength has undergone a complete transformation after the reforms."

He paused, his tone carrying just the right amount of flattery: "And wasn't it you, sir, who overruled all objections and single-handedly pushed for sweeping reforms to the frontline support troops? If it weren't for your foresight and strong support, how could the reorganized Iron Wall Legion be as formidable as it is today? It can be said that the greatest credit for conquering Sunagakure belongs to the reform strategy you proposed!"

These words were like sweet dew irrigating Danzo's heart.

Danzo's one eye suddenly lit up. "That's right! How come I didn't think of that?"

No matter how skilled Sasuke Umino was, he couldn't possibly conquer a village by himself. This great victory proved just how correct and visionary his initial reforms on the front lines were!
Isn't the Iron Wall Legion's formidable combat power the most powerful proof of the reform's achievements?

Although the credit for the actual work went to Umino Sasuke and the soldiers on the front lines, almost no one would think of him as the mastermind behind it all. But this feeling of "silently dedicating himself to Konoha" and "keeping his merits hidden" gave him a twisted and enormous sense of satisfaction, as if he had taken a spiritual opium, and his soul was trembling.

In his view, Shimura Danzo was the one who truly cared about Konoha, and his strategy was correct. If Tobirama had chosen him instead of the weak monkey, Konoha would have swept across the ninja world long ago!

The overwhelming sense of self-satisfaction and ownership of the achievement instantly dispelled that slight apprehension.

Danzo slammed his fist on the table, his emotions rising again: "You're right! It's all because of that monkey and his conservatives that we've been obstructing us. If it weren't for that, I would have already implemented the reforms throughout the entire army. Why would the progress on the Takigawa front be so slow?!"

He grew angrier as he spoke, a cold glint flashing in his single eye as he scanned the area outside the tent, seemingly able to see the disobedient ninja officers in their eyes: "Look at us now! Within our Takigawa army, factions abound, ninjas are driven by self-interest, corruption is rampant, orders are poorly executed, and our combat strength is far inferior to the Iron Wall Army. This is the consequence of not reforming!"

When Aburame Ryoma saw that Danzo wanted to reform, he reminded him, "My lord, reform is a big deal and there is a lot of resistance. There are a lot of ninja clan members in our Takigawa army. If we move one thing, it will affect the whole situation. Should we proceed slowly?"

"Slowly and deliberately? How long are we going to wait?!" Danzo interrupted him sharply, his tone resolute. "It's because of these parasitic ninja clans that we haven't been able to defeat Iwagakure. Reform must be carried out, immediately! Anyone who dares to obstruct it is an enemy of me, Shimura Danzo, and an enemy of the future of the entire Hidden Leaf Village!"

He stood up abruptly, his imposing aura overwhelming: "The Iron Wall Legion's achievements speak for themselves. This is the power of reform. Anyone who dares to question it, go ahead! As long as they can capture Iwagakure... no, as long as they can be the first to break through Iwagakure's defenses, I will abandon the reform. If they don't have that ability, then all of you shut up and carry out orders!"

Looking at the unwavering resolve in Danzo's eyes, Ryoma knew that further persuasion would be useless. He understood Lord Danzo; once he decided that something was beneficial to Konoha, he would step into it without hesitation, even if there was an abyss ahead. This kind of stubbornness, "I will go even if there are thousands of people against me," was what made him awe-inspiring and worthy of following.

"Yes... I understand." Aburame Ryoma lowered his head and said no more.

Spurred by the great victory in Sunagakure, Danzo Shimura adopted an unprecedentedly tough stance and began implementing comprehensive military reforms within the Konoha Army in the Land of Waterfall. He not only emulated the Iron Wall Army by establishing large-scale professional ninjutsu joint forces, breaking the traditional model of ninja squads, but more importantly, he forcefully promoted a "loan-for-ninjutsu" system and significantly relaxed restrictions on lower- and middle-ranking ninjas learning intermediate and advanced ninjutsu.

This move stirred up a hornet's nest, touching upon the core interests of all the ninja clans.

The Uchiha clan, which already had a deep-seated conflict with Danzo, was the first to launch an attack. In order to obtain the Sharingan, Danzo had used various means to "kill" many Uchiha ninjas during this period, and the two sides had long been at odds. At this moment, the Uchiha took the opportunity to accuse Danzo of shaking the foundation of the village and destroying the traditional ninja inheritance system. They strongly demanded that the reform be stopped and even demanded the replacement of the front-line commander.

Although the Hyuga clan didn't act as openly as the Uchiha, they secretly expressed their opposition and constantly created obstacles for them.

Other ninja clans, large and small, also openly or covertly resisted, outwardly complying but inwardly opposing, thus delaying the implementation of reform measures.

For a time, the Konoha army of the Land of Waterfall was in an uproar, factional struggles intensified, the already low combat efficiency was further reduced, and some unnecessary loopholes appeared in the defense line.

The legion's overall strength declined instead of increased due to internal strife.

Strangely, the Iwagakure army, upon sensing the chaos and turmoil within the Konoha army, did not seize the opportunity to launch a fierce attack. Instead, they unusually reduced their forces, strengthened their defenses, and adopted a defensive posture.

This strange situation arose because Onoki had also received earth-shattering intelligence from Sunagakure.

Inside the Iwagakure front-line command post, the atmosphere was so heavy it seemed as if water could drip from it.

Onoki gripped the intelligence scroll tightly in his hand, his face terribly grim, and even his signature large nose seemed to twitch slightly with rage.

"Sunagakure has actually fallen, and by a detachment of Konoha's forces no less... How is this possible?!"

Onoki's voice was filled with undisguised shock and a hint of barely perceptible fear. "Umino Sasuke? It's that Umino Sasuke again! I knew I wasn't wrong. This kid is a menace. I failed to eliminate him back in the Land of Grass, and now he's grown to this extent!"

He seemed to see the shadow of another Uchiha Madara slowly rising, and the terrifying sense of oppression that was enough to make one person fight against an entire country sent chills down his old bones.

The tall, sturdy Huang Tu standing to the side also had a solemn and amazed expression on his face: "Konoha is truly a land of outstanding people. First, it produced the Legendary Sannin, then the White Fang of Konoha who dominated the land, and now this Umino Sasuke has already earned the title of 'Konoha's Demigod.' If he continues to grow, I'm afraid..."

"He'll probably become another ninja god," Huang Tu didn't dare say aloud, but Onoki already knew it perfectly well.

Onoki's face grew even uglier. He instinctively clutched his aching lower back, where a dull ache was throbbing again: "Ouch, my back! Don't even mention that little bastard. This back pain of mine was caused by that damned multiplicative explosive tags. If I hadn't used my splitting technique to save my life in time, I would have been blown to smithereens by now!"

When this matter is mentioned, Onoki grits his teeth. The injury was extremely serious, which not only greatly reduced his strength and required him to recuperate for more than half a year, but also left him with this damned back pain sequela. Whenever it is rainy or he is emotionally agitated, his back will hurt terribly.

"Konoha's foundation is truly too deep." Huang Tu added worriedly, "This Umino Sasuke is not even at his peak yet, but he was already able to defeat the Third Raikage and suppress the rampaging Eight-Tails on his own. His strength is simply unfathomable. Now he has conquered Sunagakure and is riding the wave of his great victory. Father, we must make plans as soon as possible."

Onoki hovered, silent for a long time, his single eye flashing with struggle and determination.

Finally, he gritted his teeth, as if making a firm decision, and said in a deep voice, "This can't go on. For the future of Iwagakure, we must restart that plan!"

Upon hearing this, Huang Tu's expression changed drastically: "Father! You mean—the forbidden clay explosion technique experiment?! No way! That experiment has been sealed away for more than ten years. It's too dangerous. How many elites did we sacrifice for it back then? We almost blew up the village. The ruins of the experimental base are still a restricted area!"

"No matter how great the risk, we must proceed!" Onoki's tone was resolute and brooked no argument. "What do you think we're facing now? Another monster who might reach the level of a Shinobi God, and his ferocious army that conquered Sunagakure. Once the western front is over, Konoha will transfer this force to the eastern front. How will we resist? Do you want to see Iwagakure suffer the same fate as Sunagakure?!"

Huang Tu was speechless at his father's words. Thinking of the fate of Sunagakure, he couldn't help but shudder.

Onoki continued, "Move the new laboratory ten miles away from the village, to a secluded valley. It absolutely cannot affect the village again. All ninjas participating in the experiment must be controlled with the strictest cursed seals to ensure absolute safety. As for sacrifices..."

He paused, a cold glint in his eyes: "For the survival of the village, the necessary sacrifices are worthwhile. All of this is for the fight against Konoha, for the future of Iwagakure!"

Seeing the unwavering resolve in his father's eyes, Huang Tu knew that the matter was beyond redemption.

He took a deep breath, his face resolute: "I understand, Father. Leave this matter to me. When it comes to the control and defense of earth magic, no one in the village is more suitable than me to ensure the safety of the experiment."

Onoki looked at his son, who had volunteered, a hint of relief and reluctance flashing in his eyes, but he finally nodded heavily: "Alright! Hikari, be careful, safety comes first!"

(End of this chapter)