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

Chapter 425 The Fourth Hokage
"Really?" Umino Tetsuya suddenly raised his head, a glimmer of hope rekindling in his eyes.

“Of course it’s true.” Umino Sasuke nodded firmly, his eyes filled with unquestionable trust. “Your swordsmanship talent was praised even by Sakumo-senpai, who took you as his disciple. That’s the best proof. All you’re missing is an opportunity to let your talent fully blossom.”

Sasuke Umino's affirmation was like a shot of adrenaline, instantly dispelling the gloom in Umino's eyes. He jumped up, clenched his fists, and shouted, "I understand, cousin! This is youth! Burn brightly! I will continue to train!"

This passionate and energetic demeanor seems to be heavily influenced by Matt Kai.

However, after only a few minutes of practicing his swordplay, Haiye Tetsuya's body, due to previous overexertion, was overcome by a severe wave of weakness. His vision went black, and he collapsed to the ground again, unconscious.

Sasuke Umino shook his head helplessly. Physical talent largely comes from bloodline and is innate, almost impossible to change through hard work. Ordinary people often don't even have the right to try to make a comeback. If Xiaotie hadn't taken a lot of family secret medicines, he would probably have been ruined long ago.

Looking at his unconscious younger cousin, Umino Sasuke smiled gently and muttered to himself, "Looks like a lucky little guy, with the makings of a protagonist."

Umino Sasuke formed hand seals, summoned a bottle of gene evolution potion, helped Umino Tetsuya up, and slowly fed the liquid from the bottle into his mouth.

"What I just said was not a white lie."

Umino Sasuke chuckled softly, "Tetsu, you're just like Kakashi and Guy, a super genius."

Once the gene evolution potion compensates for the congenital defects in his bloodline, given Xiao Tie's extraordinary aptitude for swordsmanship, it's not entirely impossible for him to become a super genius comparable to Kakashi and Guy in the future.

The effects of the gene-evolution drug were extremely rapid; just moments after taking it, Umino Tetsu woke up.

He blinked, then sat up abruptly, moving his arms and legs in disbelief, feeling an unprecedented surge of energy and vitality within him.

"Cousin! What kind of secret medicine did you give me? I feel like I have inexhaustible energy!" Haiye Tie exclaimed in surprise.

Umino Sasuke simply smiled faintly and said casually, "It's nothing, just a common medicine for strengthening the body. If you feel stronger, hurry up and go train. Don't waste the medicine's power."

Umino Tetsu wanted to ask more questions, but a figure appeared at lightning speed. It was an ANBU member wearing a cat-face mask. Realizing that his cousin had important business to attend to, he stopped talking and rushed into the depths of the training ground to continue his training.

The ANBU ninja knelt on one knee, holding a sealed scroll high above his head with both hands, his voice urgent and low: "Commander, urgent military intelligence from the western front!"

Umino Sasuke took the scroll, his fingertips touching the cool material, and his heart sank inexplicably. He quickly unfolded it, his eyes scanning over the dense text and information on it.

The next moment, the gentleness and composure on his face vanished without a trace, replaced by a terrifying chill and solemnity.

"The Third Hokage was ambushed on his way to provide reinforcements, suffered a crushing defeat, and his whereabouts are unknown. The main force of the western front led by Shimura Danzo is trapped in the encirclement of Iwagakure and is in grave danger!"

Sasuke Unno frowned, his shock beyond words. Hiruzen Sarutobi had actually lost, and lost so badly that his entire 500-strong Fire Release squad was wiped out!
He knew the strength of the 500-strong Fire Release battalion all too well. They were the elite elite force of the Sarutobi clan, painstakingly crafted with countless efforts. They were well-trained, and their combined ninjutsu was incredibly powerful. Even the Iron Wall Legion, with an equal number of troops, might not have the upper hand in a head-on confrontation with them on the battlefield.

But now, such an elite force has been completely annihilated by a mere thousand or so Iwa ninja? This is simply unbelievable! How could the Iwa ninja, with their subpar quality, possibly have accomplished this?

"What were the specific details of the battle? What methods did the Iwa ninja use?" Umino Sasuke pressed in a deep voice.

Dogface, an ANBU member, immediately added intelligence: "According to reports from the front lines, Iwagakure has deployed a new type of Explosion Release unit, using a type of dynamic clay bomb never seen before. It is extremely powerful, and there are a large number of them, covering the entire battlefield. Our formation was instantly shattered..."

"A new type of explosive blast unit? Dynamic clay bombs?!" Sasuke Umino exclaimed in surprise, snatching the detailed battle report scroll from the Anbu's hands and quickly scanning it.

The more he looked, the more solemn his expression became. The doubts in his heart were finally resolved, but what followed was a deeper sense of apprehension.

"It's a clay bomb! Iwagakure has actually restarted this forbidden Explosion Release technique!" Umino Sasuke gasped.

"Does Onoki really think I'm the next Madara Uchiha?!"

Sasuke Umino snapped out of his daze and realized that this must be another butterfly effect. It was because of his and the Iron Wall Army's strong rise that the Iwa ninja had suffered heavy losses and felt unprecedented pressure. As a result, the old fox Onoki changed his strategy and took a risk, restarting the research on the forbidden Explosion Release technique that had been dormant for a long time, and successfully equipping a new type of explosive force.

Fortunately, the clay bomb described in the intelligence, while far exceeding the power of the detonating tag, seems to be still within an acceptable range and far from reaching the terrifying level of Deidara in the future. If it could really reach that level of artistry, Konoha might as well just surrender.

This is, after all, a forbidden technique. To use it as easily as Deidara would be no easy feat. If its power were increased, and the control were not handled carefully, one might send their own people flying before even hitting the enemy. This demolition squad is a great threat, but not as terrifying as one might imagine.

"Whoosh!" At this moment, a figure flashed into view; it was a trusted secret guard of Elder Vortex Aloe.

"Class Leader Umino, the Grand Elder has urgently summoned all high-ranking officials to the Hokage Building for a meeting!"

"I understand." Sasuke Umino's expression hardened, knowing that Aloe Uzumaki must have also received the bad news from the front lines.

Without further delay, he flashed forward, using the Body Flicker Technique to become a streak of light and dash towards the Hokage Building. When he arrived at the conference room, a heavy atmosphere already filled the room. After receiving the news, all the top officials of Konoha rushed over as quickly as possible.

Umino Sasuke habitually walked to his seat as the leader of the Jonin team, but Uzumaki Aloe, who was sitting in the main seat, beckoned to him, indicating that he should sit to his left.

The position is directly opposite Elder Akimichi Torifu, while the main position in the middle is naturally occupied by Aloe Vera herself.

The seating arrangement at high-level meetings is very particular. In the past, Umino Sasuke was relatively inexperienced and, despite his outstanding military achievements, his position was not high, so he always sat at the bottom of the high-level seats. But now, Uzumaki Aloe has placed him in the honored seat on the left, the meaning of which is self-evident.

Umino Sasuke looked at Akimichi Torifu, but the chubby elder gave him a gentle smile and nodded slightly, indicating that he should sit down. He did not show any dissatisfaction at having his seat taken, but rather a supportive attitude of being happy to see it happen.

Soon, other high-ranking officials also arrived one after another.

Hyuga clan leader Hyuga Muneyoshi arrived early and was surprised to see Umino Sasuke sitting in the left-hand seat. However, seeing that Uzumaki Aloe and Akimichi Torifu showed no unusual reaction, he hesitated for a moment and then silently found his own seat.

Immediately afterward, the Uchiha clan leader, Uchiha Hikko, arrived. When he saw that Umino Sasuke's seat was even closer to his own, his brows furrowed instinctively, and a sense of displeasure rose in his heart.

The Uchiha clan has always valued face and status, and this move is undoubtedly a challenge to the authority of the Uchiha clan.

However, just as he was about to say something, his gaze swept over the solemn-looking Aloe Vera, then over the composed Akimichi Torifu, and the silent Hyuga Muneyoshi, and he swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

He suddenly realized that things were different now!

With Hiruzen Sarutobi missing and his fate unknown, Konoha was instantly plunged into a state of leaderlessness. As for potential candidates for the next Hokage, the three legendary Sannin of Konoha were qualified enough but had no interest in the position. Sasuke Hatake was powerful but too straightforward, and Danzo Shimura was trapped on the front lines of the Land of Earth...

Looking at the entire Hidden Leaf Village, Sasuke Unno, who currently boasts the most illustrious military achievements, the highest prestige, and commands the formidable Iron Wall Legion, is undoubtedly the best candidate.

If a Hokage vote were held right now, with the clear support of Uzumaki Aloe and Akimichi Torifu, plus the large number of Jonin from the Iron Wall Army and his own enormous influence, he could probably crush all his competitors and become Hokage in one fell swoop!
Having figured this out, Uchiha Hamin's initial displeasure vanished instantly, replaced by a calm and calculating demeanor. He even began to consider how to use this opportunity to get closer to this potential "Fourth Hokage".

Although he himself also coveted the position of Hokage, after careful consideration, he realized that in terms of strength, battle achievements, and current support, he was far from being able to compare with Umino Sasuke, and he might not even have a chance of winning against Shimura Danzo.

'That old fox Akimichi Torifu is really quick! The Hokage election hasn't even started yet, and he's already making investments and doing favors!' Uchiha Kakuzu thought to himself.

Not only him, but all the other representatives of the major ninja clans present were shrewd individuals. They quickly realized the change in Umino Sasuke's status and the enormous potential he represented.

For a moment, everyone's gaze toward Umino Sasuke became complicated, containing not only awe and scrutiny, but also a hint of barely concealed fervor.

Everyone knows that with the Third Hokage defeated and the main force on the western front surrounded, Sasuke Unno, who currently holds the strongest army in Konoha, has reached the pinnacle of his power and importance.

"Everyone's here." Aloe Vera looked around the room, her voice heavy, breaking the silence. "You're all probably aware of the situation at the front. The Third Boss was ambushed and his whereabouts are unknown. The main force on the western front is surrounded, and their supplies have been cut off. The situation is extremely critical. Tell me, what should we do?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Sarutobi Yoshiaki, the representative of the Sarutobi clan, stood up impatiently, his voice filled with urgency: "Elder! The most urgent task is to immediately dispatch elite troops to search for and rescue the Hokage! He is in danger for the sake of Konoha, and we must find him at all costs!"

Whirlpool Aloe nodded in agreement: "Rescuing the Third Hokage was the right thing to do, good teacher. Your Sarutobi clan can immediately assemble your clan soldiers and cooperate with the elite ANBU squads to set off for the search as soon as possible."

However, Sarutobi Ryosuke's face showed difficulty: "Elder! The elite of my Sarutobi clan have basically all died in the ambush by Iwagakure while fighting alongside the Hokage! The strength that the clan can muster now is really limited. Rescuing the Hokage requires speed, and it may be too late to mobilize a large force! I implore everyone, in consideration of the Hokage's dedication to Konoha, to send the clan's elite to lend a helping hand to my Sarutobi clan and go together to rescue the Hokage!"

His plea was clearly intended to get other major clans to send their elite soldiers to help rescue Hiruzen Sarutobi, whose fate was unknown.

However, as soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the conference room immediately became subtle.

The representatives of the various ninja clans exchanged bewildered glances, their faces showing reluctance. What a joke! What was the situation at the front lines? Onoki was personally leading the team, along with that bizarre and terrifying new Explosion Release unit! Going to rescue Hiruzen Sarutobi meant facing Iwagakure head-on—the danger was outrageously high! Sending their elite members to risk their lives just to save a Hokage whose fate was currently unknown? Impossible!

Uchiha Kakuzuki sneered inwardly, even with a hint of schadenfreude. He was hoping that Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn't be able to return, so why would he be willing to send troops to rescue him?
He cleared his throat and spoke first, his tone tinged with sarcasm: "Principal, we can understand your feelings, but the Third Hokage is currently missing and in grave danger. He may have already been captured by Onoki... We don't even know where he is right now. Sending out elite troops to search blindly is like looking for a needle in a haystack, and we might even fall into another ambush trap set by Iwagakure!"

He paused, then raised his voice slightly, directly pointing the finger at Hiruzen Sarutobi's mistake: "If you ask me, the most urgent task is to immediately send troops to rescue the besieged main force on the western front! Among them are Elder Shimura, Minister Hatake, and thousands of Konoha comrades! As for the Third Hokage… Hmph, not to be rude, but as Hokage, leading a 3,000-strong army to the front lines, he dared to be so arrogant as to detach himself from the main force, resulting in a precise ambush by Onoki, leaving his own fate unknown, causing the annihilation of the entire 500-strong Fire Release battalion, and plunging the main force on the western front into a desperate situation! Such command ability is simply… Hmph!"

Although he didn't directly use the word "incompetent," the implication was crystal clear.

"Uchiha Fire Core! How dare you!" Sarutobi Ryosuke trembled with rage, pointing at Uchiha Fire Core and shouting furiously.

Faced with his anger, Uchiha Hikaru retorted without backing down, "Am I wrong? The facts are right in front of us! If it weren't for Hiruzen Sarutobi's greed for merit and reckless advance, and his flawed decision-making, how could Konoha have fallen into such a passive situation? Rescuing the main force on the western front is to save Konoha's fighting strength! But rescuing a Hokage who is nowhere to be found might just cost us even more elite troops!"

(End of this chapter)