Uchiha's personal opinion

"What about the defense of the Land of Earth?" Mitokado asked again.

“…Let’s summon the Uchiha ninja army.” The Third Hokage frowned, pondered for a moment, “Let that brat Tokumitsu lead his men. I remember there are forty or fifty Jonin.”

The trio had no objection to this. Recently, the ninja army led by Uchiha Tokumitsu had caused quite a stir on the training ground. Moreover, the Uchiha's gathering kept them on high alert, fearing that the unreliable Uchiha lunatics might one day launch a 'subordinate overthrow' in the dark.

“It’s good to throw them out. After all, it’s the Land of Earth, and it suits the tastes of that bloodthirsty madman.” Mitomon Homura was the first to express his support.

"If only the Uchiha are sent to the border, shouldn't the commander of the Land of Earth's border forces be replaced? Koto Mokumo might not be able to control these lunatics." Koharu Utatane raised a question from another perspective.

"...Mobilize Koto Mokumo to go to the Land of Earth border to cooperate with Jonin Sakumo. The original garrison troops will remain." The Third Hokage took a puff of his pipe. "Commander...Isn't the Uchiha Ninja Army's nominal leader Uchiha Himon, that old man Setsuna's bodyguard captain? Let him serve as the commander of the Land of Earth border troops."

The cunning Third Hokage not only planned to send the Uchiha ninja army to fill the hole in the Land of Earth, but also intended to cause trouble for Uchiha Tokumitsu through political maneuvering.

"Danzo, what's your opinion?" Knowing that Danzo had always harbored deep resentment towards the Uchiha clan, the Third Hokage asked again.

"No objection." Danzo had just taken command of a ninja army and had no intention of engaging in pointless arguments. "It would be best if they perished together with the granite-headed ninjas of Iwagakure; that would be a great joy!"

The Third Hokage pretended not to hear Danzo's words and continued to give the order, "Then execute it accordingly. Give the order!"

"Hai!" ×3

……

On the other side, Uchiha Tokumitsu was freely displaying the unique charm of the Uchiha clan on the training ground.

He stood alone at one end of the training field, steadily suppressing the combined attack of three Uchiha Jonin using various Fire Release ninjutsu.

Clusters of flames erupted, sending up brilliant sparks, and explosions resounded continuously. The three Jonin in the battle struggled to defend themselves against the fierce ninjutsu attacks, barely managing to defend themselves with their limited Earth Release and Water Release techniques.

They had never experienced such a frustrating battle before.

Uchiha battles are generally highly artistic. They start with a powerful Fire Release technique to suppress the enemy, then use their masterful manipulation of ninja tools to force the enemy into a corner. When they close in for close combat, they use their Sharingan genjutsu and superb taijutsu to find the enemy's weaknesses and kill them in one fell swoop. That's the Uchiha way.

When did the Uchiha clan produce a ninjutsu turret that resembles the Thousand Hands?

Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!

While the three were overwhelmed, a sea of ​​fire erupted from Uchiha Tokumitsu's mouth, engulfing the three combatants.

"Earth Escape·Earth Flow Wall!"×3

The three were at a point where their old strength had been exhausted and their new strength had not yet been generated, so they could only use Earth Escape to barely hold on and prepare to use Body Flicker Technique to escape.

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"

Seeing this, Uchiha Himon, who was watching from the sidelines, quickly used a Water Release technique to strike Uchiha Tokumitsu's Fire Release ninjutsu, intending to weaken the power of the Fire Release and prevent it from causing serious damage.

"boom!"

Water and fire clashed, and the ninjutsu Nirvana produced a violent explosion, generating a huge shockwave. The clothes of the spectators were lifted up. In the clash, although the Water Dragon Bullet was not as powerful as the Great Fire Annihilation, it still weakened some of the Great Fire Annihilation's power. The Fire Release, whose power had greatly diminished, was already at its limit when it broke through the Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall that the three had hastily used, and it was easily dodged by the three.

"We're not fighting anymore!" The three quickly waved their hands in surrender after dodging.

"Young Master Deguang's strength is unparalleled; we are convinced!"

The Uchiha members present all activated their Sharingan and watched the battle unfold, feeling astonished by Uchiha Tokuko's profound Fire Release skills and his enormous chakra reserves for his age.

Even the most advanced illusion techniques, which require time to hone, were rendered ineffective by Uchiha Tokumitsu's immense eye power and mental strength.

After the initial surprise came complete admiration.

The pursuit of power and the pursuit of the strong is a bloodline-based desire of the Uchiha clan.

Even the outliers within the Uchiha clan—those conservative Uchiha Muggles who were unknowingly deeply corrupted by the inexplicable Will of Fire—were also tirelessly pursuing greater power.

The Uchiha who were sent to Uchiha Tokumitsu's command by Elder Setsuna were all extremists among the radical faction of the Uchiha. They were all arrogant and conceited, worshipped power the most, and had a faith-like obsession with the power of their own bloodline.

When Uchiha Tokumitsu displayed his unparalleled strength, they forgot the difference in age, forgot their seniority, and forgot the existence of the clan leader and elders. Under the stimulation and guidance of the Sharingan, they lowered their once proud heads and bowed down at the feet of Uchiha Tokumitsu.

The ninjas affiliated with the clan, whether Jonin or Chunin, were all overwhelmed by this cataclysmic fire jutsu, and each of them knelt on one knee to show their respect.

Just like in the Warring States period, they paid homage to Madara Uchiha's ancestors.

Chapter 25 Uchiha! Go to war!

The Hokage's order to mobilize the Uchiha ninja army for battle was delivered to the Uchiha clan head's house the next day, along with two appointment letters.

The transfer order didn't bother them; the Uchiha clan knew this day would come when they first assembled their clan's ninja into the ninja army. The Uchiha clan and the Hokage's faction had been mutually exploiting each other for quite some time.

However, the contents of the appointment letter made things a bit tricky for Uchiha Yomo, the clan leader.

Seeing his father's strange expression, the clan leader's eldest son, Fugaku Uchiha, disregarded the principle of information secrecy and picked up the imperial edict to read it.

He was also taken aback.

...Uchiha Himon, a Jonin, was specially promoted to Commander of the Northwest Border Defense Force; after evaluation, Uchiha Tokumitsu was granted the rank of 'Special Jonin' and promoted to Deputy Commander of the Northwest Border Defense Force.

"This is a deliberate attempt to sow discord among our clan's ninja army!"

After reading the imperial edict, Fugaku Uchiha was filled with anger.

As the captain of Setsuna's personal guard, Uchiha Himon served as the leader of the radical ninja army. His purpose was to pave the way for the eight-year-old Uchiha Tokumitsu, so that he could successfully suppress his clansmen and win their hearts. This purpose was well known to the Uchiha clan and other ninja clans.

Originally, the leader of the clan's ninja army should be appointed by the ninja clan itself, but the Hokage line not only directly appointed him, but also directly appointed Uchiha Himon, who was a transitional figure, as the commander. However, in terms of ninja ranking, he was only awarded the rank of Special Jonin by Uchiha Tokumitsu. If someone is narrow-minded, wouldn't they be jealous of the person who paved the way for them, causing discord between superiors and subordinates?

Uchiha Tokumitsu's position was endorsed by Uchiha Setsuna, the elder of the radical faction, and all of this was based on his talent and strength. The radical faction also called him "Young Lord" and regarded him as the future of the clan. Although he, as the eldest son of the clan leader, was somewhat dissatisfied and uneasy about his increasingly prosperous position, he could not tolerate his clansmen being so directly provoked.

"Should we reject this edict first?" asked Fugaku Uchiha.

After a moment's thought, the Uchiha clan chief slowly shook his head. "Let's call Deguang over to discuss this first."

……

When Uchiha Tokumitsu arrived at the clan head's residence and learned the reason for the summons, he couldn't help but chuckle.

Seeing Uchiha Tokumitsu's nonchalant attitude, the Uchiha father and son exchanged bewildered glances.

“Tokumitsu-kun, the Hokage’s decree… has a somewhat provocative intent. Should we reject it first?” Uchiha Fugaku thought that Uchiha Tokumitsu did not understand the trap hidden in the decree, so he deliberately spoke up to enlighten him.

“No need for that. Uncle Fire Gate is the commander of the border defense forces of the Land of Fire, which is the rightful appointment authority of the Hokage.” Uchiha Tokumitsu emphasized the words ‘Land of Fire’.

Clan leader Uchiha Yomo suddenly realized what was happening.

Although the Uchiha clan will inevitably be the main force of the northwestern border defense forces with the arrival of the Uchiha ninja army, as a permanent border defense force, there will certainly be other ninjas present to form a complete combat system. Moreover, Uchiha Himon, as a middle-aged Jonin, had a reputation in his youth, so it is reasonable for him to serve as the commander of a field army; at least he is more convincing than Uchiha Tokumitsu.

"Then... Deguang-kun, what about you?"

“Me?” Uchiha Tokumitsu raised an eyebrow. “I will naturally succeed Uncle Himon and serve as the commander of the Uchiha Ninja Army.”

That works out perfectly.

Uchiha Shikata and his son nodded in agreement.

"The Hokage lineage... truly knows small manners but misses the greater good, is bound by trivialities but lacks great virtue." Uchiha Tokumitsu glanced at the Hokage's edict again and let out another sneer.

"So... this edict will be issued?"

"No... let the clan draft a new one and send it to the Hokage Building for them to affix their seal and publish," Uchiha Tokumitsu said, smacking his lips.

The Uchiha father and son exchanged bewildered glances. If they didn't care about the content of the edict, why did they rewrite it?

Looking at these two clueless political idiots, Uchiha Tokumitsu felt quite helpless.

“According to tradition, the leader of the clan’s ninja army is appointed by the clan itself, which is correct.” Uchiha Tokumitsu waved the edict in his hand. “But since it is a public position of the village, in principle we should obey the village’s arrangements. However, I and most of the ninjas in the army are not registered. Although we are conscripted for war this time, we are not under the command of the village. Only you, the clan head, can order us to fight. This matter concerns fundamental authority and responsibility. Therefore, this document must be returned and rewritten to clearly define the responsibilities one by one, so as to clarify the clan’s prestige and existence.”

Uchiha Tokumitsu's explanation made Uchiha Shifu and his son Uchiha Fugaku realize the truth.

Uchiha Tokumitsu secretly scoffed to himself, no wonder the Uchiha clan in the later generations of the original story was completely fooled and ended up with their own deaths and the extermination of the clan. With such a low level of political intrigue, it's no wonder that even those who held great power in the police department were marginalized to the point of wanting to rebel.

After exchanging pleasantries, Uchiha Tokumitsu took his leave. There was still a lot of preparation work to be done before the ninja army was mobilized and deployed; now that the order had been given, preparations should be made according to the plan.

After Uchiha Tokumitsu left, the clan head sighed to his eldest son, "This boy is truly not to be underestimated."

Fugaku Uchiha opened his mouth, as if to say something, but didn't know where to begin.

"As the eldest son of the clan, you should naturally be tolerant. Only by being inclusive can you balance the various branches of the clan and lead the clan to regain its former glory." Clan head Uchiha Yomo knew that he was still somewhat dissatisfied. "The clan's succession is predetermined and not solely based on strength, and..."

Uchiha Yomo paused for a moment, then said, "The clan can no longer withstand another Naraku Yomi war."

Those were a bit harsh, and Fugaku Uchiha quickly nodded in agreement.

……

After returning home, Uchiha Tokumitsu reported the village's order to his parents. No matter how strong-willed Emiko was, she was inevitably worried about losing her eight-year-old child and couldn't help but shed tears. Uchiha Tokumitsu and his father, Uchiha Nakagen, quickly comforted and reassured her. After she calmed down, they left home to report the matter to Elder Setsuna's residence.

Elder Setsuna had already received the transfer order. Upon seeing Uchiha Tokumitsu arrive, he made no pretense, but instead gave him detailed instructions on all the essential points that a leader of the ninja army should know and be able to make. Uchiha Tokumitsu humbly accepted the instructions. Afterward, the elder summoned Uchiha Himon and gave him another set of instructions.

"...This battle concerns the prestige of our clan, and we must ensure its resounding success," Elder Setsuna said solemnly. "Our Uchiha clan is ultimately a clan of warriors. Being bogged down in the trivial matters of village management and police affairs, and being hindered by various distractions, will undoubtedly erode our will and do nothing to enhance the clan's strength. However, the Uchiha disciples are the future of the clan, and we must take good care of them during wartime, and never let them venture into dangerous territory lightly..."

Uchiha Tokumitsu and Uchiha Himon readily accepted the good advice.

After Elder Setsuna finished speaking, Uchiha Tokumitsu bowed solemnly in thanks.

Looking at Uchiha Tokumitsu, whose expression was respectful and manners were impeccable, Elder Setsuna was filled with emotion.

For this old man who puts his family first, seeing his younger generation grow up at an extraordinary speed is undoubtedly the most gratifying thing. However, he is not sure whether having an eight-year-old boy participate in the great war and shoulder the responsibility of leading the ninja army is a positive encouragement or a forced growth.

After all, the battlefield is ever-changing, and no one can guarantee that everything will go perfectly.

Touching Uchiha Tokumitsu's smooth hair, Elder Setsuna waved goodbye, feeling a pang of reluctance.

"Go. An eagle must always soar alone."

……

The deployment of troops is always a complex and multifaceted affair, regardless of the dimension in which it takes place.

Uchiha Tokumitsu was also serving as the leader of the ninja army for the first time, and he personally handled all kinds of affairs. He applied for all kinds of ninja tools, ration pills, medical drugs and other supplies from the Hokage Building according to the ninja army's allocation standards, and personally inspected them.

Although the Hokage Building was somewhat dissatisfied with the Uchiha clan's rewriting of the decree, they were still eager to get the Uchiha clan to fill the hole in the Land of Earth, so they did not obstruct them. They also met all of Uchiha Tokumitsu's reasonable requests and distributed various supplies as selectively as possible, for fear that the Uchiha would find a reason to delay.

On May 3rd, 35th year of Konoha, Uchiha Tokumitsu led the Uchiha ninja army into battle for the first time.

The Third Hokage personally saw off the Uchiha ninja army as they went into battle, highly praising the Uchiha clan's fearless spirit of daring to be the first in Konoha. He then took the opportunity to deliver a lengthy speech on the Will of Fire, which drew rounds of applause from the villagers watching.

Uchiha Tokumitsu was drowsy listening to the Hokage's speech. He already had a prejudice against the Third Hokage because of his memories from his previous life, and the so-called ideology of the Will of Fire, which was empty and boring, had no appeal to him as someone from the information explosion era.

Including Uchiha Himon and Uchiha Tokumitsu, who served as commander and deputy commander respectively, the Uchiha clan and its affiliated ninja clans jointly deployed 39 Jonin and 146 Chunin for this battle. In addition, 300 registered ninjas were temporarily transferred and incorporated into the village to supplement and rotate the border defense forces in the Land of Earth.

However, Uchiha Tokumitsu casually flipped through the profiles of the ninjas temporarily transferred in and couldn't help but sigh.

The 300 ninjas were mostly veteran genin and newly promoted chunin, with only 3 jonin. They served as squad leaders, while the three-person combat squad leaders were of varying skill levels, ranging from chunin to genin. Moreover, they were all temporarily recruited without prior training, and the members were unfamiliar with each other. As for their coordination, it was obvious without even trying.

Uchiha Tokumitsu suspected that even if he blindly drew 50 Uchiha Chunin, it would probably be enough to wipe out this so-called ninja army that had been temporarily incorporated.

The three regimental commanders were named Shimura Takatake, Nakagawa Tsunashige, and Nagashima Daigo. Except for Shimura Takatake, who came from a ninja clan and was a member of the Danzo clan, the latter two were commoners who graduated from the Ninja Academy during the Second Hokage's reign and grew up in the Ninja Academy. They were not particularly special in terms of strength.