So when Hiruzen Sarutobi finished speaking, Shiyu Uchiha didn't even furrow his brow—he agreed immediately. Deep down, he knew that if he had shown even a moment of hesitation, the old monkey might have backed out, and then he'd really be in trouble.
At that moment, seeing how readily Shiyu Uchiha accepted, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but feel surprised as well. He hadn't expected Shiyu to agree so decisively. This reaction was completely different from what he had predicted.
But with time pressing on them, there was no chance to reconsider now. He could only suppress his doubts for the moment and decided to observe the situation carefully afterward, to see where things would lead.
Meanwhile, Hiruzen Sarutobi was also thinking about the problem of the Cloud-nin and Mist nin. He already sensed the subtlety and urgency of the current situation—after all, if you still couldn't tell with such an obvious buildup, you were just a total waste.
Relying only on the existing defenses wouldn't be enough to handle any surprises. Thus, he began forming an even more comprehensive plan, aiming to set up two additional defensive lines properly as a precaution for emergencies. That way, if anything serious came up, they'd be ready to act fast and stay in control.
He said seriously to Danzo beside him, "Danzo, you and the Shimura Clan will take care of the Cloud Village. I'll also have the Hyuga Clan assist you."
After all, the Cloud Village has always been famous for their mastery of Lightning Release and Combined Ninja-Taijutsu techniques, while Wind Release happens to counter Lightning Release effectively.
Moreover, Danzo Shimura had recently reached a new level—in his final physical prime, through relentless perseverance and effort, he cultivated his Wind Release to Kage-level mastery—an exceptional achievement indeed, giving Hiruzen Sarutobi great confidence that Danzo could withstand the Cloud forces.
By this time, the Shimura Clan had fully recovered from the devastating losses they suffered during the Second Great Ninja World War. Furthermore, they cleverly made use of countless valuable resources Danzo had acquired by every means possible, greatly enhancing the family's overall power and pushing it to new heights.
Because of this, Hiruzen Sarutobi also placed full faith in the Shimura Clan, firmly believing they would surely shoulder the important responsibility of defense.
Of course, Danzo Shimura himself was completely confident in his lifelong mastery of Wind Release. He believed it would be more than enough to counter the terrifying Lightning Release of the Third Raikage from the Cloud Village. Therefore, he did not hesitate or retreat in the slightest, immediately accepting this crucial mission. At that moment, he felt as though he had come one step closer to his dream.
In addition, there was the unique [Gentle Fist] technique of the Hyuga Clan—a martial art that attacked opponents' meridians and vital points with soft force. Once struck by it, the enemy would immediately lose their combat abilities. After all, not just anyone was like Naruto Uzumaki—his endless reserves of chakra could naturally break through seals the moment they were applied.
The Byakugan can see everything—no movement or flow of chakra can escape its vision. When these two abilities are combined, they serve as a strong counter to the Cloud-nin's ninja-taijutsu techniques, which heavily rely on physical strength and coordination with ninjutsu.
This was precisely why the Cloud Village was so eager to obtain the Byakugan of the Hyuga Clan, desperately studying it to uncover possible weaknesses. They hoped such valuable intelligence could help improve their village's taijutsu techniques.
At present, the head of the Hyuga Clan is none other than Hiashi Hyuga's father. Upon hearing the Hokage's orders, he did not feel targeted at all. After all, this was a matter tied directly to the village's interests. Fully aware of the weight of his responsibility, he immediately stood up and, with a serious expression, signaled his agreement, showing the decisiveness and sense of duty befitting a clan leader.
As for the last matter regarding Kirigakure, Hiruzen Sarutobi truly felt some concern. It wasn't about selecting a capable leader—after all, Jiraiya had grown into someone strong enough to be entrusted with major responsibilities, and beside him stood his outstanding student, Minato Namikaze, who could always offer support.
But the problem was that Kiri currently had an overwhelming number of bloodline users, each possessing unique and formidable powers. Defeating them would require a large force of highly skilled individuals. This was exactly why he wanted to deploy the Uchiha Clan specifically against the Mist-nin. As for whether the Uchiha would suffer losses, that concern simply didn't factor into his calculations.
After much careful thought, Hiruzen found himself nostalgic for the glory of the Senju Clan. Their immense power and unity had always played crucial roles in times of crisis. Yet the problem still remained and needed to be solved quickly.
Finally, returning to reality, he slowly spoke, saying, "Jiraiya will take full responsibility for the Land of Water, while the Sarutobi, Mitokado, Utatane, and Kurama families provide full support. We must unite our efforts to face the challenges from Kirigakure and ensure the village's safety and stability."
Meanwhile, privately thinking to himself, Hiruzen planned to send Jiraiya's prized student, Minato Namikaze, to assist his teacher once the right opportunity arose. With Minato's strength, he could certainly relieve some of the heavy burdens weighing down on Jiraiya's shoulders.
At the same time, he also decided to carefully handpick an elite force from Konoha's Anbu and place them directly under the command of his own son, Sarutobi Shin'nosuke. These handpicked warriors would head straight into the brutal battlefield to confront Kiri's powerful shinobi wielding various kekkei genkai. However, there was no need to explain the reasoning behind this arrangement to others.
One should also understand that within Konoha's Anbu ranks, aside from those originating from noble clans, there were also many exceptionally gifted supplementary ninja. Once recruited into Anbu, Hiruzen could secretly leverage his authority as Hokage to have them sign special contracts with the Sarutobi family, officially becoming outer members who worked silently in service to the clan.
With Konoha's vast resources at his disposal, Sarutobi Hiruzen could personally oversee and nurture these selected individuals, providing them with thorough training and education.
Over time, these originally unremarkable civilian ninja fully demonstrated their extraordinary potential after receiving sufficient resources and training.
Their power grew stronger and stronger, easily matching the top elites from the major ninja clans. Moreover, Hiruzen Sarutobi planned to assign this carefully trained group of civilian ninja to serve under his son, Sarutobi Shin'nosuke.
He hoped this move would help his son build up enough respect and fame on the battlefield, setting a strong base for his future career.
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