Uchiha's personal opinion

The mobile forces commanded by Uchiha Tokumitsu and Hatake Sakumo have, in effect, completely broken ties with the dispatch army command represented by Danzo.

This is equivalent to the formal merger of certain powerful ninja clans, led by the Uchiha clan, and some commoner ninjas or ninjas from smaller clans, represented by Sakumo Hatake, and the open resistance against the Hokage's rule and control.

However, this was within Uchiha Tokumitsu's expectations.

From the very beginning, he did not want to serve under Danzo, especially since the enemy he faced was the fearless Amegakure and Hanzo, who was known as a "demigod".

Rather than wasting brainpower trying to outwit Danzo and his malicious henchmen, it would be more worthwhile to turn against them from the start.

Moreover, by further exacerbating the conflict between the two sides, it would also help Sakumo Hatake and his followers to get closer to the Uchiha clan represented by Tokumitsu Uchiha, reducing the possibility that Sakumo Hatake would be brainwashed by the Will of Fire again and return to the Hokage's camp.

Of course, after this public falling out, it's not impossible for Hatake Sakumo to return to the Hokage camp. However, if he does return, he's destined to be branded with a cursed seal by Root and used as a tool, ending up in a miserable state.

Therefore, Uchiha Tokumitsu was quite satisfied with the outcome of this public conflict.

"However, with a major battle imminent, it's best to control the intensity of the conflict..."

Sakumo Hatake couldn't say anything about Uchiha Tokumitsu's order to send the Red Guards as reinforcements.

After all, as the young lord of the Uchiha clan, it is his right to mobilize his private army.

However, Sakumo Hatake was still reluctant to raise his sword against the village's ninjas.

"It's just a backup plan, better safe than sorry," Uchiha Tokumitsu patiently explained. "Of course, if they don't come in handy, that's great, but if there are any special circumstances, having the Red Guards around will allow us to adapt to any situation."

“That’s true.” Hatake Sakumo agreed with this view.

In his view, the existence of the Uchiha clan is like a catfish. Once it becomes active, it can not only stir up the stagnant situation in Konoha, but also help improve the living conditions of the struggling commoner ninjas and the gradually declining small ninja clans in Konoha.

As for whether the Uchiha clan will become more restless after seizing more power, this problem can actually be solved through expansion.

For example, after the Uchiha clan gained command of the defense of the Land of Grass, there were significantly fewer complaints and grumbling within the village. Sakumo Hatake also noticed these changes.

"Does Deguang-kun have a very low opinion of this war?"

However, he was still somewhat puzzled by the backup plan that Uchiha Tokumitsu had mentioned.

"I'm really not optimistic about it..."

Uchiha Tokumitsu was just telling the truth.

"why?"

Sakumo Hatake asked, somewhat puzzled.

In his view, although the Rain Ninja were resilient and Hanzo was powerful, they were not truly invincible, otherwise they would not have been attacked by the three great nations in turn and lost their territories repeatedly.

Uchiha Tokumitsu hesitated, unsure of where to begin.

You can't exactly say that in your past life you knew that the Hokage's three disciples, even when they joined forces, were defeated by Hanzo and were given the title of "Sannin".

"The village is being too hesitant and its preparations are still insufficient..." Uchiha Tokumitsu carefully considered his words. "Although they have begun mobilizing registered ninjas, psychologically, neither the high-ranking nor the lower-ranking ninjas are ready for a full-scale war. This will lead to a great loss..."

Although this explanation is far-fetched, Sakumo Hatake also finds it somewhat reasonable.

"But... do we really need the entire village to go all out with just the power of the Rain Ninja?" Sakumo Hatake thought for a moment and asked again.

“Rain Village doesn’t need them, but what about Sand Village and Iwa Village?” Uchiha Tokumitsu asked. “And there’s Cloud Village, which is eyeing the Land of Fire’s territory, and Kirigakure, which has been silent since the Uzumaki War… They are not easy to deal with.”

Sakumo Hatake scratched his chin, lost in thought.

"The lesson of the First Shinobi World War is that if Konoha is not prepared to fight the four great ninja villages at the same time, it will inevitably be put on the defensive in the early stages."

"war……"

Sakumo Hatake sighed again.

War is inevitably cruel.

But war is also a golden opportunity for a hero to rise from humble beginnings.

Although Konoha is currently flourishing and thriving, since partnering with Uchiha Tokumitsu, Hatake Sakumo has come to see the hidden divisions and conflicts within the village through their interactions and his own experience.

In Hatake Sakumo's view, the Third Hokage's strategy of suppressing powerful clans, supporting ninja clans, and cultivating commoners was not wrong, but it also excluded the village's top combat force from the core of power. In the long run, the resentment of powerful clans will only increase, and more intense conflicts will inevitably break out in the future.

Since the Senju clan suffered severe damage in the First Shinobi World War, all the remaining members of the Senju bloodline have chosen to live in seclusion, and the once most powerful clan has become a thing of the past.

Therefore, the most powerful bloodline clans in Konoha right now are the Uchiha and Hyuga.

The Hyuga clan, which strictly adheres to the distinction between the main family and the branch family, can live comfortably by exploiting the branch family through their power. Therefore, although their family is strong, they do not make excessive demands and only care about cultivating their own small territory.

Meanwhile, the Uchiha clan, imprisoned in the police department, behaved very restlessly.

With their formidable strength, coupled with the fact that Uchiha ninjas, after awakening their Sharingan, tend to be impulsive and easily angered, and that they are in charge of the police department, a department most likely to offend people, the Uchiha clan's reputation in the village is not very good.

However, as a partner or ally, the Uchiha clan was the perfect fit for a powerful individual like Sakumo Hatake, who lacked a strong foundation.

The Uchiha clan wanted power, a voice, and followers. While the commoner ninjas and ninjas from smaller clans who followed Sakumo Hatake were mostly impressed by his strength and character, they also needed higher-level ninjutsu inheritance, more training resources, and a status commensurate with their strength.

Fortunately, the two sides are quite compatible.

The Uchiha clan may not have much else, but the sheer number of ninjutsu copied through the Sharingan over the past thousand years is staggering. Although these copied ninjutsu may have some flaws and be less powerful than the originals, something is better than nothing. With the Uchiha clan being so generous, what more could ordinary ninjas ask for?

"Lord Sakumo, Jiraiya is looking for you."

After returning to his camp in the Land of Rivers, Hatake Sakumo was about to send a letter back to the village to inform his followers of the open conflict with Danzo, lest they suffer a loss without knowing it, when a trusted Jonin from the Mobile Force came to report Jiraiya's visit.

"Jiraiya?" Sakumo Hatake asked, puzzled. "Did he specifically ask to see me?"

"Yes."

The trusted Jonin replied.

“Bring Jiraiya to the command post…” Sakumo Hatake pondered for a moment, “Then you go and inform Tokumitsu-kun to come with me to see Jiraiya later.”

"Yes!"

The trusted high-ranking ninja accepted the order and left.

But he returned shortly afterward with a helpless expression.

"What's wrong?" Hatake Sakumo asked, looking at his subordinate's sullen expression with some confusion.

"Commander Deguang... said he didn't want to see that idiot Jiraiya, and blamed me for disturbing his sleep..."

Sakumo Hatake was taken aback at first, then burst into laughter.

Sakumo Hatake invited Tokumitsu Uchiha to show respect for his ally; Tokumitsu's words also indirectly expressed his trust in Sakumo Hatake.

"Fine, I'll go see Jiraiya myself then." Sakumo Hatake tidied up the documents on his desk and got up to head to the temporary command post of the mobile unit.

"Senior Sakumo!"

As soon as Sakumo Hatake lifted the curtain and entered, Jiraiya immediately stood up to greet him.

"Jiraiya, Jonin." Sakumo Hatake greeted him warmly as always. "Welcome. Please have a seat. There's no need for unnecessary formalities."

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Hatake Sakumo asked directly, "Jonin Jiraiya, is there anything else you need to do here today?"

Jiraiya hadn't expected Sakumo Hatake to be so direct, and after a moment of silence, he slowly spoke.

"Senior Sakumo...do you have many misunderstandings or grievances about Danzo?"

“No…” Hatake Sakumo found the question strange. “It’s not just me; in fact, many people in the village are very dissatisfied with Danzo, the advisor.”

"Why?" Jiraiya asked, somewhat agitated.

"Even if they were dissatisfied, why did they openly clash with Advisor Danzo before the big battle? This has caused the morale of the entire ninja army to begin to crumble!"

"Besides...you're White Fang, you can't...at least you shouldn't..."

Shouldn't people have their own opinions?

Sakumo Hatake calmly interrupted Jiraiya's question.

"no……"

“Every ninja has their own way of ninja, and the will of a Jonin cannot be desecrated.”

Sakumo Hatake said very seriously, "Jiraiya, every Konoha ninja who can be promoted to jonin is a strong person with a very strong sense of self, and will not and cannot deviate from their ninja way."

"then you……"

"While I have no intention of criticizing the Third Hokage, the situation in the village has indeed deteriorated considerably," Sakumo Hatake continued, "The frequent conflicts that have erupted in recent years are proof of that."

Jiraiya was momentarily speechless.

"The powerful families and the Hokage, the ninja clans and the common people... and the increasingly narrow paths to advancement, the difficulty of acquiring new ninjutsu, and the decreasing rewards for missions... Everyone has a lot of complaints, but they just don't say them or dare not say them."

Jiraiya opened and closed his mouth, unsure of what to say.

He wasn't exactly a smooth talker to begin with, and his trip to the Mobile Force base to find Sakumo Hatake was purely out of enthusiasm. He believed that this would influence Sakumo Hatake, who had been corrupted by the Uchiha clan, but in front of Sakumo Hatake, he didn't know what to say.

“The village does have difficulties and shortcomings… but these things will gradually change.” Jiraiya felt that his explanation was somewhat weak, but he still murmured.

“Yes, change is necessary.” Hatake Sakumo affirmed Jiraiya’s words. “Therefore, I am trying to change, and Tokumitsu-kun also hopes for change.”

"But... the Uchiha clan is also a prestigious ninja clan."

What Jiraiya couldn't understand the most was why Sakumo Hatake would associate with the Uchiha clan, whose reputation wasn't very good.

Given his reputation as "Konoha's White Fang," if he wanted to change the village's current situation, he could easily rally followers with a single call. There was no need for him to get so close to the Uchiha clan, who were secretly ostracized.

"Because the Uchiha are a marginalized clan, yet also the strongest clan," Sakumo Hatake said with a hint of helplessness. "Besides the Uchiha, no one would support changing the current situation."

Jiraiya was still somewhat puzzled.

In his memory, although the Uchiha clan was arrogant and conceited, they were decent and reliable partners on the battlefield. However, when they took charge of the village's police department, there were frequent incidents of villagers being accidentally injured or the use of excessive force in the village. They would also arrest villagers or merchants and detain them for investigation at the drop of a hat, which made them very unpopular among the villagers.

"Sakumo-senpai, you can talk to the teacher about your aspirations!" Jiraiya said excitedly. "The teacher will definitely support your reforms!"

Sakumo Hatake hesitated for a moment, but then shook his head.

The atmosphere in the command center suddenly turned cold.

After a while, Jiraiya spoke again.

"Senior Sakumo...may I go see Commander Tokumitsu?"

"Sure, but I don't know if he's available right now."

Is Commander Deguang still very busy?

Jiraiya was somewhat surprised.

“No,” Sakumo Hatake said calmly. “He’s sleeping.”

Jiraiya felt like he was choking, his chest felt tight.