I, Uchiha: Split Konoha

Chapter 153 Konoha F4's Strategy

Leaf.

The atmosphere inside the Hokage's office building was tense and oppressive in the dead of night. The office was brightly lit, and the Third Hokage's Anbu had summoned Konoha's high-ranking officials overnight.

The four top leaders of Konoha gathered in the conference room. The dim light illuminated their gloomy old faces, making it clear that something serious must have happened, otherwise the F4, the highest authority in Konoha, would not have been alarmed.

"The reinforcements sent to support and deter Kirigakure were ambushed and almost completely wiped out." At this moment, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, silently handed the intelligence report to everyone with a gloomy face.

"Judging from the headbands of the ambush ninja group, they are from small countries such as Kusagakure and Amegakure. However, judging from their ninjutsu, Kumogakure, Iwagakure, Sunagakure, and even Kirigakure were involved in this ambush."

The annihilation of five hundred ninjas wasn't what weighed on him so heavily. What the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was worried about was the attitude of the four major ninja villages behind this incident. It seemed that only Konoha was kept in the dark. If the four major ninja villages secretly joined forces, things would probably get very bad.

Upon seeing the intelligence report, Shimura Danzo couldn't help but frown and sneer, "Useless!"

It was obvious that he was cursing the commander in this situation. Five hundred ninjas, faced with such chaotic command, were losing the battle and panicked, calling for reinforcements and then retreating, resulting in a rout.

An experienced commander, when facing a powerful enemy, should take advantage of the terrain. Even Danzo could instantly think of the most basic tactic: to fight and retreat while using the advantageous terrain to delay the arrival of reinforcements.

After all, this is on the border of the Land of Fire. The other side should be the one who's worried, but instead they've encountered such an idiot.

"Danzo, the issue now is not about assigning blame, but whether this ambush signifies that the four great ninja villages have secretly formed an alliance, or even that the battlefield in the Land of Whirlpools is a battlefield used by the four great ninja villages to contain and wear us down."

Koharu Utatane's brows furrowed, while Homura Mitokado beside her wore a worried expression and said in a deep voice, "Sarutobi, the situation doesn't look good. If the four great ninja villages join forces, Uzushiogakure might really become a meat grinder, dragging the village into a state of exhaustion."

This is equivalent to the four major ninja villages joining forces to wage war against Konoha, except that it is not a full-scale war, but rather a slow and gradual process.

They are not afraid of just one Hidden Mist Village, but if the four major Hidden Mist Villages join forces, this will be a big problem.

"That's why I called you all here." How could Hiruzen Sarutobi not see what Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu could think of? That's why he summoned everyone here overnight to discuss this.

"Sarutobi, we must break the alliance of the four great ninja villages."

Even Shimura Danzo, who was never afraid of war, revealed a sinister expression and solemnly stated a fact: if Konoha were to face the combined forces of the four great ninja villages, he would feel as if he could not breathe.

"The Hidden Mist Village, the Hidden Cloud Village, the Hidden Rock Village, and the Hidden Sand Village—the four great ninja villages—joined forces to annihilate the reinforcements on the border. This is all for show."

Clearly, this incident led to a huge misunderstanding. None of the four major ninja villages wanted to suffer too much loss, so they all tried to drag others down with them, resulting in the misconception that they had joined forces.

However, everyone would think that this was an organized and premeditated plan, not a temporary one. It must be that people from all four major ninja villages were nearby, which would allow them to quickly form a combat group to carry out the plan. Otherwise, how could the Iwakage and Kazekage, whose ninja villages are so far apart, appear here so quickly?

The Konoha F4 hadn't considered the possibility of an information leak. After all, the timing seemed improbable unless they had formulated a plan and the information had appeared in the offices of the four great ninja villages within three days. Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence? It must have been premeditated.

"If the four great ninja villages join forces, the village's current situation will be very difficult to deal with. We must break the alliance of the four great ninja villages one by one."

Koharu Utatane frowned and spoke in a deep voice, while Hiruzen Sarutobi, seemingly thinking of something, glanced at Danzo with some displeasure and said hoarsely, "Root members, keep a low profile. Don't try to take advantage of the major clans lately."

It's true what they say, "Misfortune strikes when you're just walking down the street." It's quite obvious that Sarutobi's reproachful look was referring to the incident involving the three legendary ninja, White Fang and Orochimaru.

Danzo Shimura was red-faced and furious, feeling incredibly aggrieved. "Sarutobi! You!" He really wanted to curse, "Isn't this all something you tacitly agreed to? When something goes wrong, I'm the one who does the work, and when something goes wrong, you blame me. Damn it, Sarutobi, you just wait. When I become Hokage, I will definitely not let anyone else take the blame."

"I've decided to start with the weakest village in the Land of Wind, Sunagakure."

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at everyone with a solemn expression and directly stated his opinion. Upon hearing this, Homura Mitokado was immediately alarmed and said, "Sarutobi, don't be impulsive. Now that the four great ninja villages have joined forces, without a well-thought-out plan, it could easily trigger a chain reaction."

However, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the three with a determined gaze, "After the Three Wars, the strength of Sunagakure was greatly weakened, especially since the Daimyo of the Land of Wind reduced its funding considerably. Sunagakure had no choice but to implement an elite training program. As a defeated nation, Sunagakure has to compensate our Konoha with 20% of its high-level missions every year."

Upon hearing this, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado immediately looked enlightened and breathed a sigh of relief. However, Danzo Shimura angrily said, "Sarutobi, this is war reparations! The village needs these missions to recover quickly. You can't take these!"

However, before Shimura Danzo could finish speaking, Sarutobi Hiruzen directly asked in a deep voice, "Then, Danzo, what good plan do you have to break the alliance of the four great ninja villages?"

One sentence from him left Danzo Shimura red-faced and speechless; he could only sit back down, feeling humiliated.

"The most important thing now is to break the alliance of the four great ninja villages. I think that as long as one of them withdraws first, there will be gaps in the other ninja villages. After all, there have never been true allies between ninja villages."

Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke with a firm expression, and Koharu Utatane nodded solemnly after hearing this, "What Hiruzen said is right. The alliance between ninja villages is only based on the current sufficient interests. If we offer some of our own interests, this so-called alliance can be easily broken."

"So, how much should our village offer to the Sand Village?" Mitokado Homura posed a crucial question. If you offer too little, they might get angry and retaliate against you behind your back.

If it were a Sand Village, they would have already found a way to deal with the other side, instead of feeling so frustrated now.

"Ten percent!" Hiruzen Sarutobi, as expected of the longest-reigning Hokage, directly offered a temptation that Sunagakure could not refuse.

Upon hearing this data, Shimura Danzo jumped up, slammed his fist on the table, and roared, "Ten percent of high-level missions! Sarutobi, do you know how long this will delay Konoha's economic recovery? This isn't just a year! It's a full fifteen years!"

As the most devastated defeated nation in World War III, Sunagakure gave Konoha 20% of its high-level missions free of charge. These high-level missions were those of C rank or higher, and they would continue for a full 15 years.

With this shift in balance, Sunagakure directly reduced its high-level missions by 20%, while Konoha was able to accelerate its recovery by relying on these 20% reductions in high-level missions.

However, it has only been a few years, and they have just tasted the sweetness of success, but now they want to give away half of it.

The 10% profit from this task each year is enough to maintain the entire operating budget of the root department, and there will even be a surplus, which shows how large the profit is.

"Ten percent! I think that's acceptable." Although it was also painful, Koharu Utatane pondered for a moment with a grim expression, then nodded in agreement.

"Ten percent of the benefits would break the alliance of the four great ninja villages. In fact, if the Sand Village wants to get this benefit, it must take some action, otherwise it can't get it for free."

At this point, Koharu Utatane glanced at Danzo Shimura without leaving a trace, "In exchange for an ally, which was originally a high-level mission of 10% of the Sand Village's territory, the situation of the four great ninja villages joining forces will be transformed into two great ninja villages against three great ninja villages."

It must be said that Koharu Utatane is farsighted in this regard. Even Homura Mitokado nodded in agreement, "That's right. Tomorrow I will personally set off to visit Sunagakure to discuss this matter. It won't be easy for the Kazekage to obtain this benefit with just a few words. At the very least, he needs to make a statement."

Danzo Shimura was heartbroken. He wasn't stupid; he could see the benefits of this exchange, but the village was losing a huge amount of money. You have to understand that every year, his Root organization takes up a large portion of the missions they receive from Sunagakure.

The result is that it has been cut in half, but the people who share the profits are still the same. It's like a pot of rice that used to be full is now half full, but the number of people eating it is still the same.

"Danzo, don't worry about small gains and losses right now; you should look to the future."

Having known each other for so many years, the four naturally understood each other's character. Seeing Danzo's unwilling gaze, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.

"This 10% is not only to get Sunagakure to withdraw, but also to keep one of the ninja villages in check. At that time, the pressure on the village will be greatly reduced. This matter is settled. Now let's talk about another important matter."

At this point, Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly produced an urgent intelligence report requesting reinforcements. Looking at the three of them, he said in a deep voice, "The profits from the three mines in the Land of Whirlpools are considerable every year. Moreover, their extremely important strategic location is the most crucial factor. They absolutely cannot fall into the hands of the Mist Ninja."

"The front lines have already suffered heavy casualties, and now we are facing the destruction of our rear reinforcements. While morale is in turmoil, the Mist Village has sent a lot of reinforcements. Our power in the Land of Whirlpools is in grave danger. We have already lost 10 percent of the interests of the Sand Village. The interests of the Land of Whirlpools can be lost at critical moments, but we absolutely cannot lose the strategic position of the Land of Whirlpools."

The Land of Whirlpools not only involves huge interests, but also has an extremely important strategic location. If it is occupied by the Hidden Mist Village, then in the event of another war, the Hidden Mist Village will be able to advance unimpeded.

As long as the Land of Whirlpools remains under our control, this place will serve as a buffer zone against the Hidden Mist Village.

Seeing this, everyone looked worried, and Koharu Utatane sighed with regret, "If I had known this would happen, I should have helped the Kingdom of Uzushiogakure back then, even if it meant paying a price."

How much better it would have been if the Land of Whirlpools had the Uzumaki clan back then! They would have had so much less to worry about, with someone to hold off the Hidden Mist Village for them. Now, they're facing four great ninja villages all by themselves. It's truly a miserable situation.

"Hmph, haven't we paid a heavy price? How many members of the Senju clan sacrificed themselves on the battlefield in the Land of Whirlpools? Otherwise, we wouldn't have risked conducting Wood Release research."

When the topic of the Wood Release research project was brought up, everyone's face immediately turned extremely grim. It was a lingering nightmare, a nightmare that directly led to the demise of the Senju clan.

"Alright, now let's talk about the reinforcements at the front."

The events of that year were a taboo subject, so Hiruzen Sarutobi directly brought up the current issue in a deep voice, looking directly at the three of them and saying in a deep voice: "I have decided to transfer 600 ninja legions from the rear to provide support, and at the same time, reinforce the border area of ​​the Land of Water with 1,000 troops. If the Mist Ninja continue to increase their forces on the battlefield of the Land of Whirlpools, we will also continue to commit troops."

He felt pressured facing the Four Great Ninja Villages, but a mere Kirigakure Village! Even with a three-on-two advantage, Hiruzen Sarutobi was still filled with rage. After all, they were the number one ninja village, and to bully them like this, did they really think they were made of clay?

"Requiring six hundred people! Isn't that a bit too many? You have to understand that once the number of ninjas on the front lines exceeds a thousand, the situation will be completely different."

Both Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado showed solemn expressions. With a ninja army of over a thousand, the battle they were facing had reached the red alert edge of all-out war. If it were to escalate even slightly, it would be a full-scale war between the two great ninja villages.

They suffered heavy losses in the third war, which has just ended, and now there seems to be a danger of starting a fourth war again, even though they are all filled with solemnity.

The horrors of the Ninja World War were something even they had to take seriously.

Hiruzen Sarutobi fell silent. Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado exchanged a glance and then said in a deep voice, "Sarutobi, try to keep the number of ninjas on the Uzushiogakure battlefield under a thousand for now. We can draw some elites to stabilize the situation. Once the Sand Ninjas turn against us, that will be our chance to break the deadlock."

Even Shimura Danzo nodded in agreement with a grim expression. He said in a deep voice, "Among Orochimaru's remaining forces, there are quite a few good civilian ninjas in the village. Some of them can be transferred to provide support. At the same time, the various clans can send some people to stabilize the situation first. Now is not the time to start the Fourth Shinobi World War."

Seeing that all three had chosen to play it safe, Hiruzen Sarutobi pondered for a moment and then said in a deep voice, "I was short-sighted in this matter. A battle between a thousand ninjas has indeed crossed the line."

"Visit the Sand Village as quickly as possible, and try to persuade them to defect as soon as possible. That way, we can break through our current predicament sooner."

"Nara Shikaku is currently the commander of the border of the Land of Lightning. I intend to transfer Sarutobi Shinnosuke to the border of the Land of Water as the commander-in-chief. At the same time, I will send a message to Jiraiya, ordering him to guard against the appearance of Onoki at the border of Iwagakure."

It has to be said that Jiang Hai is still the most cunning old fox. Hiruzen Sarutobi's methods were simply a show of bravado. Konoha didn't want to start a war, and neither did any of the four great ninja villages.

"Shin-no-suke? Not bad. Almost all of Orochimaru's elite forces have been sent to the front lines of the Land of Whirlpools. The rest are not much of a threat. Sending Shin-no-suke to guard the border of the Land of Water can eliminate the hidden dangers left behind. Agreed."

"I second that!"

"I second that!"

In an instant, Konoha's F4 devised a plan for Konoha to confront the four great ninja villages. Perhaps none of them expected that a misunderstanding would lead to such a huge incident.

The four great ninja villages also didn't expect this.

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(End of this chapter)