Uchiha's personal opinion

But there's nothing we can do about it. Sakumo Hatake's forces were originally quite loose. They only banded together to stick together and resist the encroachment of the ninja clans on their interests. After allying with the Uchiha clan, a group of marginalized Jonin joined them. But now that the Senju clan has been revived, it's normal that the Senju side clans chose to return and also led some smaller ninja clans to attach themselves to them.

"Tokumitsu-kun... how should we resolve the issues regarding the Jonin team?"

In order to deal with the power shift that occurred at the Jonin meeting, Hatake Sakumo deliberately went to the Uchiha clan's territory in the middle of the night to discuss matters with Uchiha Tokumitsu.

"Sakumo-kun... have you ever considered reorganizing and consolidating the internal forces?"

Uchiha Tokumitsu was packing his belongings, preparing to return to the eastern base early the next morning, but since Hatake Sakumo had come, he had to see him and have a chat.

How to integrate them?

Sakumo Hatake humbly sought his advice.

Although he was much older than Uchiha Tokumitsu, Uchiha Tokumitsu was able to give him refreshing and enlightening advice most of the time.

"Strengthen internal integration and define core principles. Communicate with one voice externally."

Uchiha Tokumitsu offered an opinion that he himself was unsure of as right or wrong: "Sakumo-kun, although you have many subordinates, they are ultimately a disorganized mess. This makes it impossible for you to contend with ninja clans bound by blood ties in the long run."

"If we integrate them, wouldn't that be like organizing and transforming the village..."

Sakumo Hatake hesitated.

His biggest concern was that this move would further exacerbate the divisions within Konoha.

Even without an official organizational name, once Sakumo Hatake implemented internal consolidation of his forces, the chaotic neutral forces that originally served as a buffer zone ceased to exist.

Although the Konoha Ninja Academy promotes the education of the Will of Fire, most of the Jonin, especially the commoner Jonin, are hardened by reality. Even if they claim to still have a strong belief in the Will of Fire... even the Hokage himself probably doesn't believe it.

"It's normal to stick together and keep warm."

Uchiha Tokumitsu didn't urge him and casually poured a cup of tea for Hatake Sakumo.

Uchiha Tokumitsu had no idea what kind of impact organized civilian ninjas would have on Konoha's existing power structure, but since the Senju clan was able to gather its collateral branches to revive, it was reasonable for civilian ninjas to organize themselves and fight against the ninja clans.

In any case, apart from the police department, most of the Uchiha clan's interests are concentrated in the standing ninja forces stationed abroad and the smuggling network, so even if the villages fight fiercely, it won't have much of an impact.

Moreover, the Uchiha clan didn't get along well with the other ninja clans in the village, and they were happy to watch the show from the sidelines.

Uchiha Tokumitsu was just a bystander enjoying the drama, but Hatake Sakumo was still feeling uneasy.

After much discussion and deliberation at the Tokumitsu family, Hatake Sakumo ultimately failed to make a decision.

He chose to go back and think it over carefully.

Uchiha Tokumitsu was not in a hurry to force Hatake Sakumo to make a statement.

As allies, Sakumo Hatake's power, though loose, was too large in the past. Now that a portion of his forces has been taken away by the Senju clan, it's just right. It avoids an imbalance of power with the Uchiha clan, reduces personnel, simplifies internal interests, and eliminates the need for excessive consideration in cooperation. It's a win-win situation for the Uchiha clan.

However, the situation was not so easy for the other ninja clans in Konoha.

The faction most affected was that of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Although the ninja clans under his command have not publicly taken sides, morale has begun to crumble.

When morale is low, it becomes difficult to lead a team.

Originally, there was an alliance between the Uchiha clan and Sakumo Hatake as an external force to maintain internal unity, but now that the Senju clan has been reorganized, the first thing it has encroached on is the territory that originally belonged to the Hokage lineage.

Aside from legal authority, the Hokage's power most directly stems from his control over the various departments of Konoha.

Aside from the police department, which is exclusively controlled by the Uchiha clan, Konoha's political, diplomatic, intelligence, financial, medical, mission center, and ninja academy institutions are all core departments that maintain the Hokage's power. It is precisely based on these departments that the Hokage can effectively govern by appointing trusted confidants to extend his power to the grassroots level.

The Anbu, as a standing ninja force directly under the Hokage, is the core force that deters the various ninja clans in the village.

But the first problem to arise was in the dark areas.

Because the Konoha Anbu is a special department with a rather heavy historical burden.

Besides the ANBU ninjas personally trained by the Third Hokage, there were also a considerable number of ANBU members from the Second Hokage's era who possessed a certain level of ninja power.

These old secret agents have become less reliable after the Senju were reorganized.

Therefore, at this time, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, missed his old friend Danzo dearly.

If the root of the dirty work were still intact, he wouldn't have ended up in such a passive position...

His resentment towards Uchiha Tokumitsu also grew.

Furthermore, there are subtle signs that the Konoha Medical Department and the Ninja Academy are breaking away from the Hokage's influence, because many of the staff in these two departments are from the Senju clan or related ninja families...

This is also a legacy issue. They had been working in these departments since the time of the Second Hokage. When Hiruzen Sarutobi succeeded to the position of Hokage, he still relied on the support of Mito Uzumaki, so naturally he couldn't dismiss her.

However, during the Senju clan's sacrificial ceremony, Hiruzen Sarutobi clearly saw a group of active ninjas, who were originally given various minor surnames, happily signing their names on the Senju clan's register and returning to the clan. This made him extremely disheartened.

……

"They're all a bunch of ingrates!"

Although it was night, the lights in the Hokage's office were still on.

Xiaochun, who was turning over in the dormitory, was full of resentment and kept cursing.

"……alright,"

Mitokado Haru shook his head, stopping Utatane Koharu from venting her emotions further. "No matter how much or how harshly we curse them behind closed doors, how can it possibly have any effect on them?"

"...Hiruzen, it's time for you to make a decision!"

Then, Mitokado Homura's gaze fell on the silent Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"...I plan to rebuild the root system!"

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, took a deep drag on his pipe, his face grim.

"Of course, the title doesn't have to be Root, to avoid a backlash from the Uchiha, but the actual tasks and authority are the same as the old Root. What do you think?"

Mitokado Hō and Utatane Koharu both remained silent upon hearing this.

The existence of Root is naturally good for maintaining the power of the Hokage lineage, but the establishment of a new Root is a problem in terms of both funding and the source of ninjas under its command.

"Regarding personnel, I have discussed it with the elders of the Shimura family, and they will select some of their clan's ninjas to join."

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, spoke again.

He also knew the concerns of his two old friends.

"There's no need to worry about funding. The daimyo's Dazai will allocate funds through special channels and will not interfere with the operation of the new Root."

"In addition, I will also transfer another three hundred people from the Sarutobi clan to join!"

The last sentence reveals the Third Generation's unwavering determination.

"The Mitomon clan will send fifty people to join!"

Mito immediately expressed his support.

For the Mito clan, whose strength is average, drawing fifty clan ninjas is already close to the limit.

The third generation nodded in satisfaction.

"Let's also select thirty people from the dorm-switching group..."

After a moment's hesitation, Xiaochun, who was switching dorms, also gave her answer.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, remained noncommittal.

"Yan, could you please go and communicate with the Nara and Yamanaka clans again, and ask them to also send some personnel..."

Mitokado Yan calmly nodded in agreement.

"Where are Inuzuka and Aburame?"

Xiaochun, who was switching dorms, took the initiative to ask, feeling that she was being marginalized in the trio.

"It's best not to alarm them; they've been getting quite close to the Hyuga clan lately..."

Mitokado answered proactively.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, nodded in agreement.

"And there's also wind-gathering..."

Koharu, who was turning over the door, continued, "Should we call him back? Otherwise..."

"Recall them..."

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, hesitated for a moment before finally making his decision. "If we bring back the wind, I plan to put him in charge of the mission center. What do you think?"

"Perfect."

Neither Mitokado Yan nor Takuya Koharu had any objections.

"Only by uniting closely can the three clans of Ino-Shika-Cho unleash their full fighting power. If we appease Torifu, the Akimichi clan will stop causing trouble."

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, mentally calculated the strength of his base of influence.

First, Sarutobi, Shimura, Mitomon, and Utatane form the core, with the Ino-Shika-Cho trio as the backbone. In addition, there are the small ninja clans and commoner ninjas who have been supported for decades. They still hold power in various departments of Konoha and remain the most powerful force among all the forces in Konoha.

Secondly, there is the power formed by the Uchiha clan and its affiliated ninja clans, with the Kurama and Uzumaki clans following behind. Specifically, their powerful ninja army is invincible on the battlefield and is also good at making money. However, their relationship with the daimyo has been completely broken, and their relationship with other ninja clans is also relatively average. For the time being, there is no need to worry about them posing a threat to the Hokage position.

The third was the alliance of commoner ninjas and small ninja clans under Sakumo Hatake's command. Although they were numerous and powerful, they were a disorganized mess. If it weren't for the Uchiha clan as their support, they would have been easily dismantled by the Hokage's faction with a little trickery.

The fourth is the secret alliance between the Hyuga clan and other ninja clans that have recently aligned themselves with them, such as the Inuzuka and Aburame clans. Although the Hyuga clan is the leader of this ninja clan alliance, they don't actually need to worry too much. They are just sticking together for mutual support. As long as the rift between the main Hyuga family and the branch family is not resolved, the Hyuga clan will never achieve anything.

Finally, there's the Senju clan, reorganized under Tsunade's call...

They are also the most prestigious clan among the major powers in Konoha.

Although most of the ninja clans that returned to the main lineage were branch clans that had long since separated, and their strength was relatively average, the ninjutsu stored by Tsunade's family was no less than the techniques in the Scroll of Seals personally controlled by the Hokage, and their accumulated wealth was even more frightening. In a short period of time, they could easily build up a group of usable mid-level ninjas by simply throwing resources at them.

But compared to the strength of the 'New Thousand Hands', what is most worrying is the legitimacy represented by Tsunade's special identity—she is almost the most suitable Jonin in Konoha to become the Fourth Hokage.

This point is supported by many even within the Uchiha clan.

And if the Hokage position were to fall back into the hands of the Senju clan...

The Third Hokage suddenly remembered the shocking and unusual research projects that Root had secretly carried out.

The secret must never be revealed!

"……inflammation."

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, suddenly said, "I need you to help me take charge of the new Root organization. Are you willing to help me?"

Mitokado Yan and Utatane Koharu were both taken aback by what they heard.

"Our teacher's last wish is the goal we strive for relentlessly, and Xiaochun is going to take over the Ministry of Government Affairs. There aren't many people I can trust anymore..."