Uchiha's personal opinion

Therefore, when the two battle reports were presented to the Hokage together, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was also deeply troubled.

"Sending the Uchiha clan to fight seems to be a mistake..."

These words could only be spoken in the Hokage's office, behind closed doors.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was still puffing on his pipe, while Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane frowned.

“Danzo is better at intelligence work; this is his first time leading a ninja army…” Mitokado Homura also offered a few words of defense for Danzo.

"This is the first time the Uchiha have commanded a ninja army." The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was somewhat sullen.

"How about we transfer Danzo back and let him continue to be in charge of intelligence?" Koharu Utatane suggested.

“No good.” The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, pondered for a moment, then shook his head and rejected the suggestion.

If Danzo is recalled to command after any setback, it would confirm Danzo's defeat, which would not only make Danzo lose face, but also greatly diminish the prestige of the Hokage lineage.

"How about sending Sakumo's ninja army to provide support?" Koharu Utatane suggested again. "In the Land of Earth, the Uchiha have already cleared out the Iwagakure infiltrating the Land of Grass. With the strength of the northwestern border defense forces, they can withstand the Iwagakure's probing attacks. As a result, Sakumo's mobile forces are temporarily useless. It's a pity to leave this force idle on the border of the Land of Waterfall. Why not send them to the Land of Rain to support Danzo and the others?"

“But this would create a gap in the defenses of one flank of the Land of Lightning.” Mitomon Homura shook his head again.

"Leaving aside the mobilization and dispatch... how should we handle these two battle reports?"

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, waved the two battle reports from the Land of Rain and the Land of Earth in his hand.

"All rewards and punishments will be handled according to the law," Mitomon Homura said carefully. "The material requirements of the Northwest Border Defense Force can be fully met, but regarding reinforcements... the village cannot spare any ninja soldiers for the time being, but we can issue an edict to summon 'volunteer' ninjas to participate in the war."

"Voluntary?" The third generation suddenly perked up.

This is indeed an interesting point. The ninja army was always forcibly recruited by the Hokage's edict; there's never been a story of voluntary participation. Given the time, ninjas would actually prefer to perform missions and earn money rather than fight to the death on the battlefield.

"Yes! Issue a recruitment mission to recruit ninjas who are willing to go to the northwestern border defense force."

“This is a good idea. It will reduce the burden on the village and also meet the demands of the Uchiha.” Koharu Utatane understood her old friend’s intention.

“…Good, then proceed accordingly.” The Third Hokage tossed the battle report back onto the table and rubbed his temples as he spoke.

"What about the reinforcements Danzo requested?" Koharu Utatane asked again.

"Transfer the two hundred ninja troops transferred from the northwest border defense forces to the Land of Fire, instead of the western border defense forces from the Land of Rivers." The Third Hokage also felt this was particularly troublesome and could only resort to robbing Peter to pay Paul. "In addition, transfer two companies from the Anbu Training Department to Danzo."

“But this would leave the village with insufficient defenses!” Both Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado opposed drawing more Anbu members at this time.

"The defense of the village...is the responsibility of the police department."

"Hiruzen!" Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado were dissatisfied with the Third Hokage's perfunctory attitude. "Don't you understand what we mean? If we transfer more Anbu, the village's remaining forces won't be able to balance with the Uchiha! Who knows what kind of trouble those Uchiha might cause!"

"Moreover, the Uchiha also have a troop of ninja left in the village."

"How about we transfer the Uchiha clan to Danzo?"

Koharu and Homura, one after the other, offered another transfer suggestion.

"It's still not appropriate." The Third Hokage pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "Danzo and the Uchiha have always been at odds, and bringing them together will only bring more trouble."

"Then let's transfer some ninja reinforcements from Jonin Mimura Yomaki." Mitokado Homura, the paperhanger, once again proved his worth.

"Let's stabilize the front lines in the Land of Rain first," Koharu Zanne nodded in agreement.

"Danzo's failed attack... has also made other major powers eager to make their move..." Mitokado Homura, while reviewing other intelligence reports, felt extremely anxious about the consequences of his old friend Danzo's failure.

"Hey……"

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, exhaled another thick plume of smoke.

"Finally, how should we reward Uchiha Hamon and Uchiha Tokumitsu, the two officers of the Northwest Border Defense Force?"

"Uchiha Tokumitsu can be promoted from Special Jonin to Jonin, Uchiha Himon... let's reward him, with ninjutsu or money, it doesn't matter." Utatane Koharu's old eyes rolled and she gave an idea.

Suppressing the Uchiha clan was a consistent tradition of the Second Hokage, and the Konoha F4 naturally followed suit, only the methods and means of suppression differed.

"Where are the Uchiha ninja from the village?" Koharu Utatane asked again, bringing up the Uchiha again.

“Let’s transfer them to the northern border defense forces. The Land of Lightning has always been eyeing us covetously. We should strengthen the border troops first, and then, depending on the situation in various regions, we can also spare Sakumo’s mobile forces to support those areas.” Mitomon Homura continued to suggest, “Hiruzen, what do you think?”

"...Alright." Seeing that his two old friends were determined to transfer the Uchiha ninja army away from the village, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, couldn't say anything more.

The Land of Lightning was initially in a standoff with the Land of Earth in the buffer zone between smaller countries. Now, after Danzo's attack on the Land of Rain was thwarted, the Land of Lightning has begun to mobilize its ninja army to move south to the Konoha border. The northern border defense forces have repeatedly sent telegrams requesting support.

"The idea of ​​a strategic support force developed by Uchiha Tokumitsu is not bad." Mitokado Homura picked up the battle report on the table and started reading. "Actually, Jonin Sakumo is the most suitable for the purpose of strategic support. It would be a waste to have him lead the troops to garrison."

"Then let him try to form such a force as well," the Third Hokage decided. "Have Sakumo withdrawn from the territory to transfer personnel to form a new ninja army. I believe that with Sakumo's strength, he will definitely be better at forming a strategic support force."

"What about the personnel stationed at the border?"

"Let's gather another 500 ninjas for the village!" The Third Hokage also felt that he was stretched thin. The village's regular ninjas were already sufficient to meet the needs of the mission, and it was really difficult to mobilize and dispatch ninja troops. "The Jonin Dan from the Kato clan will be in charge of command. His Spirit Transformation Technique is also suitable for the border army's combat environment. As for the border troops left behind, they will be commanded by Koto Mokumo."

"Hai!" ×2

Chapter 28 A Strange Discovery

The Land of Grass, the Ofushimi Grassland.

A gentle breeze stirs up green waves, the grassland is fragrant with wildflowers, and the colors of red, orange, blue, indigo, and purple blend with the white expanse of chive blossoms.

According to the Uchiha clan's historical records, during the Warring States period, the Land of Grass was once a powerful nation. Its warriors, riding tall horses and wielding curved swords, roamed the lands, storming cities and dominating the world, their martial prowess reaching its zenith. However, with the rise of ninjas, the samurai profession was relegated to the dustbin of history. The Land of Grass declined due to constant conquest by the major powers, losing its former prowess. Especially after the establishment of the Five Great Nations system, the Land of Grass became more known for its singing, dancing, and hospitality.

"Did you find it?"

Uchiha Tokumitsu asked the sensory ninja next to him.

"Chakra traces have been detected, and we are pinpointing the exact location!" The sensory ninja, covered in sweat, felt immense pressure.

"Lord Deguang, with you here, those thieves won't get away..." The obsequious Chunin from Kusagakure beside him kept flattering him, but his overly vulgar words only made people more disgusted with him.

"Found them!" The sensory ninja breathed a sigh of relief. "There's a hill 310 meters to the northwest. They're hiding in a cave on the back of the hill."

"it is good!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu gave a simple reply and was the first to use his teleportation technique to get going. The three squadrons accompanying him quickly got up and started moving as well.

Dealing with routine affairs was boring and tedious, so Uchiha Tokumitsu would occasionally lead his troops out on "hunts" to enjoy a day or two of leisure time as if he were on vacation.

The target of this pursuit was reported by the Grass Village. It is said that several unidentified and powerful ninja groups have been active in the Ofushimi Grassland of the Land of Grass. The Grass Village ninjas fled when they saw the enemy, but sent the information to the Northwest Border Defense Force of Konoha in exchange for money.

For a ninja, 310 meters is a distance that can be covered in the blink of an eye. Uchiha Tokumitsu led his subordinates to the hilly cave mentioned by the sensing ninja. Uchiha Tokumitsu closed his eyes and sensed for a while. There were indeed three chakra auras in the cave. Without hesitation, he nodded to the Uchiha clansmen around him and began to form hand seals.

"Barrier: Steel Barrier Earth Lock!" Three Uchiha ninjas joined forces to unleash a sealing technique. The effect of this sealing technique was simple: to harden the ground like steel, preventing ninjas within the sealed area from escaping using ninjutsu such as earth-based navigation.

"Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!"

A fire dragon erupted from Uchiha Tokumitsu's mouth, its massive head crashing into the cave and flowing down the mountainside under the control of chakra.

"boom!"

The fire dragon only began to explode upon contact with a living creature.

"Perception!"

"Yes!" The sensory ninja quickly continued to perform hand seals to probe.

"Lord Deguang, there are no signs of life left."

Uchiha Tokumitsu slightly raised his chin, and six Uchiha ninjas understood and entered the cave to search.

Soon after, three charred corpses and some miscellaneous items were carried out; it seemed that these unidentified ninjas had set up and used this cave as a habitat.

The Uchiha were skilled at searching for items from the charred corpses, pulling out unrecognizable, burned objects from their tattered combat uniforms.

"I'll have to use a weaker ninjutsu next time. Otherwise, looting corpses is too much of a hassle..."

Uchiha muttered to himself.

"Lord Deguang, based on their clothing and belongings, it is likely Iwagakure, and possibly even an Iwagakure ANBU squad."

"Anbu? The Anbu of Iwagakure are this weak? They were wiped out by a single Dragonfire Technique?"

Uchiha Tokumitsu raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.

The other Uchiha didn't respond, but they were inwardly cursing. The Uchiha clan was indeed arrogant, but they had never seen anyone as naturally arrogant as Lord Tokumitsu.

"Yes! Although the clothing was mostly burned, its style and material are clearly unique to Iwagakure, and the special kunai it came with was forged from steel unique to the Land of Earth, making it heavier, longer, and sharper than standard kunai..."

"Investigate more closely!"

"Yes!" The Uchiha men exchanged glances, then lifted the corpse and stepped aside to begin dissecting it, meticulously searching for clues to the victim's identity.

Turning around, Uchiha once again sized up the still servile Kusanagi beside him.

"Uchiha-sama..."

The trembling grass ninja couldn't quite grasp Uchiha Tokumitsu's intentions, fearing that he would be cremated on the spot.

"You... did a good job!"

"Thank you, sir! It is our honor to serve Lord Uchiha!"

Upon hearing this, Kusatoshi felt as if he had been granted a pardon and repeatedly bowed and thanked him.

"I'm alive!" Kusanagi Shinobu breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"This intelligence report will earn you a B-rank mission reward. Go back to the camp and collect your reward!" Uchiha Tokumitsu said, then summoned his clerk, who took out a scroll, wrote down the mission details and reward information, and tossed the scroll to the Grass Ninja.

"Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir! Lord Uchiha, you are so kind and benevolent..." Overjoyed, the grass ninja repeatedly expressed his gratitude and bowed humbly.

"If you do a good job, you'll get your share of the rewards!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu waved impatiently at him, telling him to hurry up and leave.

"Yes, yes, yes..." The smiling Grass Ninja bowed and retreated.

After the grass ninja left, a Uchiha asked in bewilderment, "Lord Tokuko, why did you give that despicable grass ninja, that worthless piece of trash, like a pig or a dog, a B-rank mission reward?"

“Even trash has its uses,” Uchiha Tokumitsu said leisurely. “No matter how bad the Grass Ninja are, they are still local natives who know the terrain well. They can still serve as unofficial spies, saving us the trouble of expending precious manpower on patrols and intelligence gathering. Besides, Grass Ninja Village has more than three thousand registered ninjas. Even if they are weak, we can still use their Jonin and Chunin.”

"But the grass ninja are always unreliable, like weather vanes, and they often sell information to both sides..." The Uchiha clan members were still somewhat uneasy.

"It's alright... This can be considered a favor. After this good-for-nothing receives the reward, he can go back and show off, making the Grass Village envious and prompting them to help gather intelligence. Then, we can find a reason to leak Konoha's secrets and kill a bunch of them..." Uchiha Tokumitsu said nonchalantly.

"Then...should we take control of some of the Grass Ninja first, so we can use them as evidence later?"

"No need for all that trouble! We can just pick off a tenth of the Grass Ninja and kill them all." Uchiha Tokumitsu spoke casually, his words dripping with bloodshed. "Anyway, whether there's evidence or not, they won't admit to selling information to others, right?"

The Uchiha clan members looked at each other in bewilderment.

Good heavens, such methods of framing and murder are unheard of even by the radical Uchiha. The Uchiha are indeed bloodthirsty and warlike, but few are as ruthless as Uchiha Tokumitsu.