As a member of the Hokage, one dares not be a loyal subject of Konoha!

You killed my parents, I'll kill your whole family.

That makes perfect sense!

The responsibilities on my shoulders have become even heavier.

Hyuga Himo turned his attention back to the meeting.

The old village chief still goes all out in his acting, showcasing his skills even now.

"Regardless, I was the one who arranged for security during the birth of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. I still bear the primary responsibility for the Nine-Tails' rampage. This is my fault, and I will never deny it!"

"But now that war has come, protecting the village is my mission as the Hokage. So until the war ends, I will do my best to do my job well, and I hope everyone can cooperate with me!"

Okay, he's said everything. So what are they going to say?

This is a tacit way of telling everyone that this matter is over, and what needs to be done next is to face the enemies of Kumogakure. In the future, do not be distracted by the cause and effect of the Nine-Tails' attack unless necessary. If anyone causes trouble, that will only increase the strength of the village and will be criticized!

But what he said made Fugaku feel very awkward.

So what did he get?

All that effort, and all they did was clear the Uchiha clan of suspicion? The Third Hokage didn't even abdicate; they just passed the buck to someone else?

Fugaku was very unhappy about this.

He decided to do the opposite of the three generations and insisted on putting the old village chief under intense pressure.

But we'll have to go back and consult with the Richeng brothers about how to increase the intensity.

"My lord, the report on the front lines has been compiled."

Kurenai Yuhi took the documents and distributed them to the elites present. With his action, the atmosphere of the meeting became heavy.

Even if they didn't want to face it or continue the war, they now had no choice but to confront it.

Behind me are my loved ones; taking a step back means death!

The Hidden Cloud Village seized this opportunity perfectly.

The previous war had already left Konoha extremely vulnerable. In addition, Orochimaru was driven mad by Hyuga Hisei and fled in advance. Jiraiya could not withstand the mess in Konoha and chose to retreat tactically and leave the village.

In addition, the Nine-Tails' rampage killed countless elites, as well as the Fourth Hokage who died in battle.

Even if Konoha were to face only one enemy, Kumogakure, it would be extremely difficult.

“Besides the direction of Kumogakure, we also have to be wary of other ninja villages.”

As Konoha's strategist, Nara Shikaku was the first to speak after reading the battle report.

"Although the previous wars have taken a toll on both Sunagakure and Iwagakure, it doesn't mean they won't intervene."

The Land of Fire has a superior geographical location and is considered to be the region with the best resources among the five great nations.

But this also means that enemies are on all sides.

With the Cloud Village attacking, we can't just focus on fighting them; we must be careful of our rear. Konoha suffered a great loss in this regard during the previous war. If it weren't for Orochimaru's bloody battle at Kikyo Mountain and the Little Sun's brilliant bombing of Kannabi Bridge, the heart of the Land of Fire would probably have been breached by the Sand Village and the Stone Village.

"However, the tactics used by the Hidden Cloud Village this time seem a bit too simplistic."

After thinking for a moment, Nara Shikaku's face did not relax at all; instead, a look of worry appeared.

"They don't seem prepared to use complex tactics; their main force shows no sign of dispersing and they're relying entirely on frontal attacks."

To be honest, Nara Shikaku really has a headache dealing with this kind of reckless fighting style.

I don't care about your schemes and tricks, I'll just fight you head-on. Anyway, any flanking maneuvers will eventually be discovered by the White Eyes, so I'll just fight you head-on with sheer strength!

Konoha is currently vulnerable, but Kumogakure is putting all its effort into it!

They've told you that outright.

This is a battle of strength; just go all out.

"Is the Fourth Raikage trying to prove that even in a direct confrontation, their Hidden Cloud Village isn't afraid of Konoha?"

After thinking for a moment, Kurenai Yuhi gave her answer.

To be honest, theoretically speaking, taking advantage of Konoha's weakness to launch a counterattack was never a fair fight. Using this battle to distinguish the strongest ninja village is a joke and does not prove that Kumogakure is stronger than Konoha.

But from another perspective, Konoha's weakness is their own doing, and has nothing to do with others. History is always written by the victors, and everyone understands the principle of "the winner takes all" and "the loser is condemned." Therefore, no one would say that Kumogakure took advantage of the situation.

After all, if it were the Hidden Cloud Village that suffered, others would have attacked them as well. They could only blame themselves for giving others an opportunity.

"I have already made plans for the war."

Hiruzen Sarutobi said solemnly.

"I bear a heavy responsibility for the Nine-Tails' rampage, and it is only right that I atone for my sins with meritorious service. The Sarutobi and Shimura clans will spare no effort to go to the battlefield! We will serve as the vanguard and defend the Fire Defense Line to the death!"

"The intelligence support will be handled by the Ino-Shika-Cho tribal group, and the Aburame as well."

If we were to say when a person is at their most powerful in life, it would undoubtedly be when they are commanding the world and defeating enemies with ease.

Hinata Hijiro now expresses his highest respect to the old village chief, who is now speaking with great passion.

Undoubtedly, the old village chief needed an opportunity to prove himself, but he described this obvious opportunity as an act of atonement, which is truly admirable.

The old village chief has mastered the art of language to an art form.

Richeng remained calm, treating the old village chief's words as mere nonsense.

But Fugaku listened very carefully, afraid of missing any information about where the Uchiha clan should go or when to make their move.

Until the very end.

"The Uchiha Guard's previous contributions are evident to all. During the war, the village was left vulnerable. We hope that the Uchiha clan will continue their efforts to maintain the village's security and provide everyone with a safe rear area."

What do you mean?

Stay behind to guard the rear?

Fugaku Uchiha was immediately shocked and wanted to retort, but the old village chief obviously hadn't finished speaking. He glanced at Fugaku and then directly threw out his trump card.

"Everyone has learned a lesson from the Nine-Tails' rampage, and the only clan in Konoha that can control the Nine-Tails 100% and protect the village even in the event of unrest is the Uchiha clan! The Uchiha clan will not shirk this responsibility!"

When he got emotional, the old village chief's face flushed red as he grasped the hand of the Fugaku clan chief, his eyes full of sincerity.

"Chief Fugaku! I did all this for the sake of the village!"

Fuck you, for the sake of the village.

Fugaku's face flushed red as he struggled to break free from the old village chief's grasp.

Hold.

He's been checkmated!

I've written over 80,000 words, but I haven't even managed to gather ten big names on the fan ranking list, and no one has donated or given me any rewards (facepalm). I feel like I'm doomed. All I can do is try my best to write a good story and promise that the rest will be absolutely amazing. Please support me!

Chapter 36: Internal Martial Arts Competition.

No one would underestimate the old village chief's political skills.

Especially internal martial arts.

So now, when the move called "For the Village" is used, even Fugaku is at a loss as to how to respond.

That's what makes the old village chief so formidable!

Anyone who underestimates the strongest Hokage will pay a terrible price!

Did he really think that being smeared and forced to take half the blame for the Nine-Tails' rampage, and that with war approaching, Hiruzen Sarutobi would have no way to retaliate?

Quite the contrary!

The old village chief seized the opportunity and, using legitimate and legal tactics, directly ruined the Uchiha clan's chance to make a name for themselves on the battlefield!

Yes.

With war approaching, the village will likely become even more deserted.

So no matter what, Konoha can't withstand another Nine-Tails attack. Aren't you Uchiha supposed to be awesome? You even tried to protect the village during the previous turmoil, but Danzo stopped you, and you didn't get a chance to show your abilities.

Now you have your chance. Protect Konoha to the death and be ready to deal with the Nine-Tails' rampage at any time!

After all, the only ones in the entire Hidden Leaf Village who can suppress the Nine-Tails and prevent it from going berserk are your Uchiha clan.

When the Nine-Tails is suppressed, all the credit will go to you. Isn't that better than going to the battlefield?

"The capable should do more work; the safety of the village depends entirely on the guard team."

The old village chief's counterattack was so forceful that even Fugaku was left speechless with frustration.

He didn't even have a reason to refute it!

In this respect, the old village chief truly deserves the title of the strongest Hokage!

"In addition, Chief Richeng."

After disgusting Uchiha Fugaku, the old village chief looked at Hyuga Hisei with a kind yet inquisitive gaze.

He didn't expect to make up for the embarrassment he suffered in the plaza earlier, but he needed to make these two unruly guys understand who was in charge in Konoha and what the price of offending the Hokage would be.

It's not hard to guess that Fugaku is backed by Hyuga Hiroshi, since Fugaku himself doesn't have the courage or the brains to confront the higher-ups.

Since Hinata Hiroshi has already made his move, the old village chief naturally has to come up with his own strategy to deal with it.

However, Sarutobi is now somewhat hesitant about the Hyuga clan.

He wasn't quite sure what Hyuga Hiroki was thinking, or why he insisted on standing with the Uchiha against the higher-ups. After all, Hyuga Hiroki didn't seem like someone with cerebellar atrophy; he should know that teaming up with the Uchiha wouldn't end well.

But he did it anyway.

Could it be that Fugaku Uchiha's wife is really that charming?

However, regardless of whether they want to completely break ties with the Hyuga clan, they must teach them a lesson now.

Therefore, the third generation intended to give a hint, or rather, to sow discord.

After all, the combined destructive power of the Hyuga and Uchiha clans is quite formidable; the best approach is to gather a group and then attack them one by one.

"Clan Chief Hyuga, I would like to offer a suggestion regarding the arrangements for the Hyuga clan."

The Uchiha were given a forceful order, but when it came to the Hyuga, Hiruzen Sarutobi was much gentler.

But this is a complete veiled attack.