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

Chapter 426 Morale is like a rainbow
Although the other ninja representatives in the meeting room did not speak, their expressions subtly showed their agreement with Uchiha Hiruzen's words. Hiruzen Sarutobi's performance this time was indeed disappointing. A promising situation was ruined because of his "greed for merit and rashness," and it was no wonder that the major clans were dissatisfied.

Seeing that everyone was silent or looked troubled, Sarutobi Ryoshi felt a surge of anger at being isolated and betrayed.

He cursed wildly, "You! You're kicking me when I'm down! You think you can just stand by and do nothing when the Hokage is in trouble?!"

These words were tantamount to condemning everyone involved, and even the family representatives who were initially neutral turned pale instantly.

"Good teacher! Watch your words!" Aloe Vera immediately shouted to stop him. He couldn't let the meeting get out of control. "The Third Hokage is just missing. It's not that we're unwilling to help, but acting blindly at the moment is indeed too risky. So, the Dark Division will send more elite teams to search for the Third Hokage's whereabouts. Once we have definite news, we'll discuss sending troops to rescue him. At that time, I believe everyone here will do their best."

Whirlpool Aloe's words were perfectly tactful, appeasing the Sarutobi clan while also giving the other families a way out.

Representatives from various families immediately echoed, "The Grand Elder is absolutely right!"

"Yes, once we have definite news about the Third Generation, we will definitely send our clan's elite to meet him!"

"The most important thing now is to stabilize the situation on the western front..."

Sarutobi Ryosuke felt a chill run down his spine as he looked at the group of old foxes' perfunctory attitude. He knew that it was impossible to get these clans to send troops to rescue the Hokage, whose fate was unknown.

Seeing that he had successfully put the matter of rescuing Hiruzen Sarutobi on hold for the time being, Uchiha Kanojo couldn't help but feel a surge of pride.

So he brought the topic back: "Elder, the matter of rescuing the Third Generation needs careful consideration, but rescuing the main force on the western front is of utmost urgency! A mobilization order must be issued immediately!"

Uzumaki Aloe nodded and looked at Nara Shikasa, who was in charge of logistics and personnel: "Shikasa, how many ninjas can the village mobilize now?"

Nara Shikasa looked troubled and shook his head: "Elder, most of the ninjas who could be urgently mobilized and those who had returned from missions had already been incorporated into the Takigawa war zone forces and taken to the front lines by the Third Hokage. The village is now... indeed very weak in terms of manpower."

Aloe Vera knew perfectly well what was going on. She sighed and glanced at the representatives of the various clans: "In that case, in order to rescue the thousands of comrades on the western front and for the survival of Konoha, I can only implore you all to mobilize your clan's private troops to support the front lines."

Upon hearing this, the conference room fell into an eerie silence once again.

Representatives from various ninja clans began to complain:
"Elder, it's not that we don't want to send troops, but our clan members have been involved in the ninja war for many years, suffering heavy casualties and have not yet recovered their strength."

"Our clan is small, and all the ninjas capable of fighting are already in the regular army..."

"Recently, bandits have been rampant in the country, and the patrol duties in the industrial areas of various ethnic groups are heavy. There are simply not enough people available within the tribes..."

Various reasons emerged, but the core meaning was the same: they didn't want their clansmen to go to the front lines to die and lose their own interests.

Watching the group of people bickering and shirking responsibility, Umino Sasuke finally stood up slowly. His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly carried throughout the entire conference room, instantly attracting everyone's attention.

"Everyone!" Sasuke Umino looked around at everyone with a confident smile. "There's no need for you to be so hesitant. In my opinion, going to the front lines of the Land of Earth is not a crisis at the moment, but rather an excellent opportunity for us to achieve unparalleled feats!"

These words were like a thunderbolt, leaving everyone stunned.

Konoha was clearly at its most dangerous moment, with the Hokage missing and the main force of the front line surrounded and in imminent danger. How did it become a good opportunity for victory in Umino Sasuke's mouth?
Ignoring everyone's doubts, Umino Sasuke began to analyze clearly: "Everyone, please step out of the current predicament and look at the overall situation of the ninja world. Our Konoha may seem to be in danger now, but in reality, it is just a tiger taking a nap and accidentally getting bitten by a wild dog. It is not a big deal at all!"

Think about it, the Kingdom of Wind has been conquered by my Iron Wall Legion and is no longer a threat to me.

The Hidden Mist Village of the Land of Water lost all its elite troops to us, and now it is completely blockaded by our ally, the Land of Waves, unable to even leave its own waters. What is there to fear?
"In the Land of Lightning's Hidden Cloud Village, both of our main fleets were annihilated, and the Raikage's son was captured—a bargaining chip for us. They're probably busy licking their wounds now; they have no capacity to start another war."

With each point he made, the eyes of everyone present lit up a little more.

"In other words, the three great nations of wind, water, and lightning can no longer pose a real threat to us! Our only remaining opponent is the Hidden Stone Village in the Land of Earth!"

Umino Sasuke's voice was firm and resolute, filled with powerful confidence: "May I ask you all, is Iwagakure a match for Konoha on its own?"

This analysis was like clearing away the clouds, bringing clarity to the previously worried crowd. That's right! How could we have forgotten about this? The other three great nations have already been crippled, and Konoha only needs to focus on dealing with Iwagakure now.

Umino Sasuke added, "In fact, Konoha is already on the verge of victory. This minor setback was merely the Third Hokage's 'momentary lapse in attention' and falling into Onoki's trap. However, Konoha's foundation remains intact, and its strength is still there! With the combined power of us, defeating a small village like Iwagakure is a piece of cake!"

As he spoke, he turned his gaze to Uchiha Kakuzu and asked specifically, "Clan Chief Kakuzu, do you agree?"

Uchiha Higanbana, deeply moved by the story, was immediately and excitedly echoed by Umino Sasuke's question: "Umino-sensei's analysis is spot on! He's absolutely right! Even if the four great nations all come together, what do we in Konoha have to fear? They're nothing but a bunch of chickens and dogs! Iwagakure is just a mere village; we can wipe it out with a snap of our fingers! Our Uchiha clan is willing to be the vanguard! All capable warriors, march to the front lines immediately! We swear we will not return until Iwagakure is destroyed!"

With the Uchiha clan taking the lead, and with Sasuke Umino's convincing analysis, the representatives of the various ninja clans completely changed their mindset.

They had only heard the news of the Hokage's defeat and the main force being surrounded, and their concern made them panic and prevented them from thinking about the overall situation. Now, after being enlightened by Umino Sasuke, they realized that Konoha's chances of winning were still huge. In fact, if handled properly, this was the perfect opportunity to launch a counterattack on the Land of Earth and seize huge military achievements and benefits!
Moreover, this rescue mission was basically led by the highly decorated and brilliantly strategist Sasuke Unno himself, who was traveling with the ever-victorious Iron Wall Army, greatly reducing the risk factor. It was practically a vacation to rack up battle achievements.

Moreover, he could take the opportunity to fight alongside Sasuke Umino, the next Hokage, and build a friendship. This isn't going to his death; it's practically offering a helping hand!

Having figured this out, the attitudes of the representatives from various families immediately underwent a complete 180-degree turn, with each vying to express their support:
"Our Hyuga clan is willing to offer two hundred elite soldiers to be at your command!"

"All adult ninjas of the Kurama clan, assemble immediately!"

"The Aburame clan..."

"The mountain clan..."

In order to seize more military merits, the major families no longer held back this time and reported a number of troops far exceeding their usual quotas. Almost all of them sent their elite troops, leaving only a few people to guard their clan's territory.

Soon, after tallying the numbers, the number of private soldiers reported by the various clans alone reached an astonishing two thousand. Looking at this figure, Umino Sasuke was secretly astonished; Konoha's war potential was indeed unfathomable! These ninja clans usually kept a low profile, yet they were able to assemble such a large and elite force at crucial moments.

Think back to the early days of Konoha, when it relied almost entirely on the ninjas of the various clans to conquer the world. Although a regular ninja force system has been established now, the foundation of each clan is still very strong.

Seeing the various ninja clans so "generous" in their quest for battle merits, a stark contrast to their previous reluctance when rescuing the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Ryosuke, sitting in the corner, had a face so gloomy it was almost dripping with water.

His suppressed anger reignited, and his gaze swept over the clan chiefs who were vying to report their troop strength, his heart filled with resentment.

"Good! Very good! You bunch of opportunists who kick someone when they're down! Just you wait! When the Hokage returns safely and we regroup, the Sarutobi clan will repay this humiliation a hundredfold! None of you will escape!" Sarutobi Ryosuke gritted his teeth and swore in his heart, burying this resentment deep within.

The decision made at the Hokage Building's high-level meeting was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly creating huge waves in Konoha.

The emergency mobilization order was issued at top speed, and the atmosphere in Konoha, which was originally immersed in the celebration of victory, suddenly changed drastically.

The colorful ribbons hanging in the streets had not yet been taken down, and the celebratory banners were still fluttering in the wind, but the smiles on people's faces had disappeared, replaced by a solemnity and tension.

The Iron Wall Legion ninjas, who had just been disbanded and were enjoying a reunion with their families and drinks with their friends, did not hesitate at all after receiving the emergency order. Although many of them were only halfway through their banquets, with their wine glasses still warm and their barbecue still fragrant, they immediately put everything down, put on their ninja vests, picked up their weapons, and rushed to the designated assembly point at top speed. The worries and instructions of their families were still ringing in their ears, but all they could see was the unwavering determination of the military order.

As the mobilization order spread, alarming news such as "The Third Hokage's reinforcements were ambushed, suffered heavy losses, and are now missing" and "Elder Danzo's army was cut off from supplies and surrounded" also spread like wildfire, causing a huge shock and panic among the assembled ninjas.

"What? Even the Hokage has been defeated?"

"The main force on the western front is surrounded? Wouldn't that make our journey extremely dangerous?!"

Apart from the undefeated Iron Wall Legion ninjas who remained calm, the ordinary ninjas who were urgently mobilized were all pale-faced, filled with fear of the unknown road ahead, believing that the journey was likely to end in disaster.

What alarmed them even more was that they discovered that the assembled group included a large number of elite members from various clans who were rarely seen on ordinary days. The clan crests of the Uchiha, Hyuga, Aburame, Yamanaka, and Inuzuka clans shone brightly in the assembled group.

"Even these ninja clans have been mobilized?"

"It seems the situation is worse than we thought! Konoha is truly at a critical juncture of life and death!"

"What else could possibly make these families pull out all the stops, besides a crisis that could wipe out their entire village?"

A pessimistic mood was spreading rapidly.

However, some observant ninjas soon noticed something was amiss. The faces of these ninja clan members did not show the expected heaviness and fear. Instead, their eyes were sharp, their morale was high, and they were eager to fight, as if they were not going to their deaths but to attend a grand feast.

"Huh? Look at those Kurama family members, why do they seem so excited?"

"The people from the Oil Woman's family also looked eager to try..."

"Something's not right. The way they're acting doesn't seem like they're going to fight to the death; it looks more like they're going to steal credit."

Some ninjas who were familiar with the ninja clan members couldn't contain their curiosity and went up to inquire. Soon, the "profound remarks" made by Umino Sasuke at the high-level meeting spread throughout the entire assembled force.

"I see! Lord Umino's analysis makes sense!"

"That's right! We've crippled the three kingdoms of Wind, Water, and Lightning, leaving only Iwagakure. What are we afraid of?"

"With Lord Umino and the Iron Wall Legion, what battle can't we win?"

"This is to go to the Land of Earth to seize spoils of war and earn merit!"

Once the news spread, the previously low morale was ignited like dry tinder, instantly turning into a blazing fire and causing a complete reversal.

Panic and worry were immediately replaced by excitement, and everyone was talking about it, their eyes gleaming with a desire for merit and promotion.

"This time, I must kill as many Iwagakure Jonin as possible, achieve an S-rank merit, and strive to be promoted to Jonin!"

"I don't have such big ambitions. I'd be perfectly content just to become a special Jonin!"

"Haha, my requirements are even lower. Just come back alive and be promoted to Chunin!"

"This time the danger was small, but the merit was great, so it'll be easy for me to be promoted to Chunin!"

In a strange atmosphere of "grabbing credit," Konoha's war machine displayed astonishing efficiency, and in a short period of time, a massive support legion was assembled at Konoha's main training ground.

This included two thousand battle-hardened elite soldiers of the Iron Wall Legion, two thousand well-equipped soldiers from various clans, and more than one thousand highly motivated emergency mobilization ninjas, totaling nearly five thousand people, a magnificent and imposing force!
Wearing a white divine robe, Sasuke Umino stood at the very front of the group, his gaze sweeping over the faces filled with fighting spirit, a surge of heroic ambition rising within him.

He didn't waste any time with words, his brief mobilization hitting the nail on the head: "Warriors of Konoha! Our comrades on the front lines await us, the glory of the Land of Earth calls upon us! With your ninja swords, tell Iwagakure who truly reigns supreme in the ninja world! Tell me, what is your goal?!"

"Conquer the Land of Earth! Capture Onoki alive!!" Five thousand men roared in unison, their voices shaking the surrounding land, their momentum like a rainbow!

"Let's go!" With a wave of his hand, Sasuke Umino unleashed a torrent of support troops, which surged forth and sped along the wide official road toward the Land of Earth.

(End of this chapter)