Naruto: Hiding in the Anbu Until I Became a Super Kage

Chapter 471 471: The Plan of Response

Following the proposal to have Namikaze Minato assassinate the Kazekage, Fox put forth another mind-boggling plan: having Uchiha Kane serve as the battlefield Commander-in-Chief.

This went against Konoha's consistent policy of suppressing the Uchiha clan.

In the Hokage's office, the other high-ranking officials all seemed to oppose Fox's decision, or at least found it somewhat incomprehensible.

Yōkō looked at each person's expression in turn, his attitude resolved:

"Hokage-sama, Squad Leader Rokaku, Advisor Tsunade, don't be constrained by habitual thinking.

Uchiha Kane served as Deputy Commander on the Land of Whirlpools battlefield during the Second Great Shinobi War. He is 40 years old this year, in the prime of his life, more than capable of serving as Commander-in-Chief.

As for Squad Leader Rokaku's concern about the Uchiha clan's strength, that they lack Kage-level ninja...

That's nothing to worry about at all.

A few years ago, the Uchiha clan dispatched an elite unit to the Land of Rain to investigate Uchiha Madara, and some were lost.

But after that battle, Uchiha Mahiru and Uchiha Kirika successively awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.

As long as the Uchiha clan is given a chance, allowed to fight, to experience life-and-death stimulation, they can always erupt with astonishing power.

The Uchiha clan grows stronger the more they fight; there's no worry about lacking Kage-level ninja.

Perhaps within a month of the war starting, we will hear news of Uchiha clan members awakening their eyes.

The reason no one in the Uchiha clan has awakened their eyes for so many years is because the village has confined them to the Police Force.

You can't awaken your eyes dealing with petty thieves and small-time vendors."

Nara Shikaku drew a sharp breath. Was Minister Fox speaking so bluntly?

What kind of a sick joke was this? According to Minister Fox's logic, if half the Uchiha clan died, the other half would erupt with great power?

Nara Rokaku said, "Fox, what I worry about is precisely the Uchiha clan growing stronger the more they fight. What if another rogue ninja like Uchiha Madara appears? Konoha wouldn't know peace for decades to come."

Yōkō thought to himself, you say that because you haven't yet witnessed Uchiha Obito's dōjutsu. Konoha's future decades are already not going to be peaceful.

Even Yōkō, with his advantages, was terrifyingly strong, but dealing with Uchiha Obito's Dual Kamui was still a headache.

Konoha might gain another Uchiha Obito, but with a bit of luck, maybe we could get an Uchiha Itachi instead.

Someone as seriously ill as Uchiha Itachi, once they recognized Konoha and went coldly insane, you could tell him to go back and kill his own mother and he wouldn't hesitate.

Before Uchiha Madara's defection, the Uchiha clan wasn't suppressed much. Senju Hashirama was powerful enough not to fear any small moves from the Uchiha clan.

It's the same now. Even if a few rogue ninja emerge from the Uchiha clan, Yōkō is confident he can deal with them quickly.

After Yōkō, Namikaze Minato also wouldn't fear the Uchiha clan.

After Namikaze Minato, perhaps other geniuses will appear, like Yōkō's several children.

The reason the village is so wary of the Uchiha clan everywhere is because it fears the Uchiha clan becoming too strong to suppress.

Yōkō said, "A major reason for sending the Uchiha clan to the Land of Hot Water is that our enemies aren't just the four great ninja villages."

Nara Rokaku frowned, thinking of a possibility.

"You mean... the four great ninja villages are colluding with... those people?"

The others hadn't caught on yet, but Nara Shikaku was the first to understand who his father was referring to.

Four years ago, after the rogue ninja Uchiha Madara was killed, his powerful subordinates disappeared without a trace one by one.

Shikaku had seen the intel on those people; each had Kage-level strength.

The rogue ninja Sarutobi Kanenosuke; Tobi, who possessed Wood Release and Mangekyō; Uzumaki Nagato, who possessed the legendary Rinnegan and defeated Hanzo; and others.

If those people also... no, those people would definitely take advantage of Konoha's trouble.

"Indeed..." Nara Rokaku's expression turned serious. "The threat from Uchiha Madara's subordinates is no less than that of the four great ninja villages."

Yōkō said, "I have obtained intelligence that among Uchiha Madara's subordinates, there is one more troublesome than Tobi or Sarutobi Kanenosuke, named Uchiha Obito.

Uchiha Obito possesses a special Mangekyō dōjutsu that allows him to move freely through space across the shinobi world, even more convenient than the Flying Thunder God.

I will not take the position of Commander-in-Chief for either the Land of Hot Water or the Land of Whirlpools. As long as I don't move, Uchiha Madara's subordinates won't dare act rashly.

However, the moment I appear on any particular battlefield—for example, if I appear in the Land of Hot Water—the other battlefields would instantly become vulnerable.

Once those subordinates of Uchiha Madara enter the fray, cooperating with ninja from other villages, they could instantly kill hundreds of Konoha ninja.

That is absolutely unacceptable for us.

I understand the village's concerns about the Uchiha clan. I will go to the Uchiha clan district to ascertain their stance.

If they are willing to dedicate themselves to Konoha, I am willing to be their guarantor.

If the Uchiha clan is unwilling to dedicate themselves to Konoha, then I, this guarantor... will become their executioner.

I will not hesitate to kill any Uchiha clan member who betrays the village."

Hearing Fox's murderously delivered promise, Nara Rokaku looked at the Third Hokage.

The Third Hokage nodded, agreeing to Fox's suggestion.

The four great ninja villages were already enough of a headache. Adding Uchiha Madara's rogue ninja organization to the mix meant Konoha couldn't afford to be picky now. The Uchiha clan had to go to the battlefield too.

Nara Rokaku continued assigning battlefields, saying:

"My original plan was for Fox to serve as Commander-in-Chief for one of the battlefields. Since Fox needs to guard against Uchiha Madara's subordinates, it seems I will have to go to the Land of Whirlpools battlefield."

Nara Shikaku glanced at Minato.

Could their Ino–Shika–Chō Trio Clans really handle Kirigakure's Kekkei Genkai clans, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, and the Three-Tails and Six-Tails?

Minato was already strong enough to deal with a Kage, while he, along with Inoichi and Chōza, could only guarantee to hold out for a while against a Kage-level ninja without being instantly defeated.

The Land of Hot Water battlefield was critically lacking in Kage-level ninja.

Konoha currently only had six openly acknowledged Kage-level ninja: Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sannin, Fox, and the yet-to-be-proven Namikaze Minato. Facing four great ninja villages, they were stretched thin.

"Kushina!" Yōkō said. "Squad Leader Rokaku, you can take the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, Uzumaki Kushina, to the Land of Whirlpools battlefield."

"What?"

Not only were Nara Rokaku and Nara Shikaku surprised, even Tsunade looked sideways at Fox.

This was an option no one else had ever considered.

The Nine-Tails Jinchūriki was the village's ultimate trump card, not to be deployed unless the enemy was at the village gates.

Yōkō spoke with absolute conviction:

"You must believe in Uzumaki Kushina's efforts and strength.

Even if you don't believe in her strength, believe in my investment.

Over the past few years, I have often given Princess Kushina special training. She is more than capable of handling the Three-Tails and Six-Tails Jinchūriki.

Not just the Jinchūriki, even if the Three-Tails and Six-Tails went on a complete rampage, Kushina could protect our Konoha ninja."

Nara Rokaku was about to say it was too risky, but ultimately didn't voice it.

He could devise countless tactics for the Land of Whirlpools battlefield, but all tactics required powerful executors.

What their Ino–Shika–Chō Trio Clans lacked was a strong offensive spearhead.

If given one strong offensive point, he could design many tactics around it.

Nara Rokaku said, "Yamanaka Inson is the squad leader of the Nine-Tails Barrier Sealing Unit. I believe he knows Princess Kushina well and can coordinate with her."

Sarutobi Hiruzen was about to say that if absolutely necessary, he could go to the Land of Whirlpools.

But then he reconsidered. The other villages were all deploying their Jinchūriki. If Konoha's Jinchūriki didn't go to the battlefield, Konoha's disadvantage would be too great.

Since Fox proposed it and Tsunade didn't object, let the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki go to the front lines.

Namikaze Minato's expression was grave and worried.

Kushina was about to go to the battlefield. Her status was special, containing the shinobi world's strongest Tailed Beast, the Nine-Tails.

He secretly resolved to complete the mission to assassinate the Kazekage as quickly as possible.

Sarutobi Hiruzen said, "For now, that's the arrangement. All four directions have response plans. Go and prepare accordingly.

We will prove, time and again, that the final victor of the Great Shinobi War can only be Konoha!"

Everyone nodded.

Yōkō left the Hokage Building and headed for the Uchiha clan district.

It was time to unleash this slumbering giant, the Uchiha clan.

Assign Minato to assassinate the Kazekage? Nara Shikaku looked at Minato with disbelief.

Minato was the most brilliant student of their generation. Back in school, he was indisputably first in both theoretical classes and combat classes.

After graduating from the Ninja Academy, Minato became a disciple of Konoha's White Fang.

After the White Fang's sacrifice, Minato became an important subordinate to Advisor Tsunade.

Was Minato's strength already at such a level now?

Strong enough that the Head of Konoha's Anbu thought Minato could assassinate a village Kage?

Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke at this moment, "Namikaze Minato is the village's future. He's only 17 this year, isn't he?

The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, is renowned for his Gold Dust's absolute defense. Assassinating Rasa doesn't seem like a good choice, does it?"

Yōkō's tone was firm. "Rasa has many political enemies.

The Secret Technique faction and the Puppet faction have been in conflict within Sunagakure for decades.

The Third and Fourth Kazekages, both from the Secret Technique faction, have held the position for years. The Puppet faction, led by Chiyo, has always been quite discontent.

Besides the Puppet faction, the civilian ninja and those with Kekkei Genkai are not strongly inclined towards war.

Rasa wants to use this war to unify Sunagakure.

Sunagakure has relatively few top-tier powerhouses. If we assassinate Rasa, Sunagakure will naturally withdraw from the war."

Where there are people, there are conflicts. The methods ninja use to resolve conflicts are often bloody, frequently resorting to force.

Internal strife within a ninja village inevitably evolves into bloody conflict.

Nara Rokaku said, "Logically, that makes sense, but feasibility must also be considered.

Fox, if it were you going to assassinate Rasa, I would wholeheartedly agree. But if it's Namikaze Minato... it's too risky. If the assassination fails, it could completely enrage Sunagakure."

Yōkō said, "Minato has mastered the Forbidden Flying Thunder God Technique. I believe he can complete the mission."

Tsunade also said, "I believe in Minato too."

Seeing the two of themso resolute, Nara Rokaku calculated the time and said,

"The Suna-nin have already begun mobilizing towards the front lines. If we can assassinate Kazekage Rasa within a week, we won't need to mobilize forces on our western front in the Land of Rivers.

Give Minato a week at most. If the assassination isn't successful within a week, we must quickly dispatch a Commander-in-Chief and troops."

Namikaze Minato quickly spoke up, "I don't need a week, I..."

"How long do you need?" Yōkō turned his head to remind him, "Think carefully, Minato. How long do you actually need?"

Only then did Minato realize that in his eagerness to prove himself, he had almost exposed the Calamity Organization's secret technique of using altars for rapid teleportation.

He hurriedly said, "A week! Within a week, I will definitely assassinate Kazekage Rasa!"

Yōkō nodded, thinking to himself that even Orochimaru could kill Rasa in his prime, so Minato shouldn't have much of a problem.

Nara Rokaku said, "The threat from Sunagakure in the west is temporarily arranged this way. What about enemies from other directions?

The number of Iwa-nin in the Land of Grass will be terrifyingly high. We must be prepared to face tens of thousands of Iwa-nin.

Not to mention Ōnoki, besides Kage-level powerhouses like Kitsuchi and Bakura, Iwagakure also has the two powerful Jinchūriki, Roshi and Han."

Tsunade said, "Jiraiya has returned to the village. Myself, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru, the three of us can go to the Land of Grass to deal with the Iwa-nin. We need..."

After frowning in thought, she said, "We need at least 5,000 Konoha ninja."

Nara Rokaku mentally assessed and approved of this plan.

With the Sannin plus 5,000 ninja, even Iwagakure couldn't achieve a swift victory.

"Kumogakure will invade the Land of Hot Water. The Third Raikage is very strong, but they have fewer Kage-level ninja." Nara Rokaku glanced at Fox and said,

"Thanks to Orochimaru killing the previous Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, and Fox killing the previous Two-Tails Jinchūriki,

Kumogakure's Jinchūriki are all very young, their combat power shouldn't be that strong. The concept of a perfect Jinchūriki was first proposed and practiced by Kumogakure. They are skilled at controlling Tailed Beasts, but they also rely too heavily on them.

The only one to be careful of when dealing with Kumogakure is the Third Raikage."

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Fox and asked, "Fox, will you take the position of Commander-in-Chief for the Land of Hot Water battlefield?"

In Sarutobi Hiruzen's view, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. Kumogakure is relatively weak now, but still stronger than Kirigakure.

Sending Konoha's strongest, Fox, to deal with the Third Raikage was most appropriate.

Hanzo called himself the Demigod of the Shinobi World, but the top few in the shinobi world knew that the Third Raikage was truly the number one.

Yōkō shook his head and said, "I won't go, but I can recommend a more suitable candidate."

Everyone else looked at Fox, wondering who he would recommend.

The pressure from Iwagakure on Konoha was too great, forcing the Sannin to join forces, which led to a shortage of personnel on other battlefields.

Yōkō said, "It's time to use this Great Shinobi War to integrate the forces within Konoha.

Uchiha Madara and his subordinates have not only killed Guardian Ninja of various Daimyō multiple times but also caused the Susano'o Catastrophe.

Because of the Susano'o Catastrophe, the Uchiha clan's situation in the village is very bad.

I believe we can have Uchiha Kane serve as the Commander-in-Chief for the Land of Hot Water battlefield.

Let Uchiha Kane lead the Uchiha clan into battle. I believe they will fight with their lives on the line to secure victory for Konoha.

The Kumo-nin excel in Taijutsu and sword techniques. The Sharingan of the Uchiha clan happens to counter Taijutsu-type ninja, giving them a significant advantage on the battlefield.

As for the still immature Two-Tails and Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, they will also be affected by the Sharingan."

Nara Rokaku hurriedly interrupted Yōkō's argument, saying,

"Fox, let's not talk about the technical advantages of the Sharingan for now.

The Uchiha clan doesn't even have a Kage-level ninja. How could Uchiha Kane possibly serve as the Commander-in-Chief for the Land of Hot Water battlefield?

Since the founding of Konoha, only Uchiha Madara, before his defection, held a position at the Commander-in-Chief level. Ever since Uchiha Madara defected, the Uchiha clan has been a key target of the village's vigilance.

Even with such vigilance, a terrible event like the Susano'o Catastrophe still occurred.

Fox, I oppose making Uchiha Kane the Commander-in-Chief for the Land of Hot Water battlefield!"

Nara Shikaku looked at his father with some surprise.

His father had always said to maintain good relations with the Fox and Tsunade faction.

The Fox and Tsunade faction not only had powerhouses like Wood Release users and the Sannin but also Konoha's future like the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki and Namikaze Minato, making them highly valuable to invest in.

But in this high-level meeting, his father was the first to stand up and oppose Minister Fox.

Had his father forgotten the development direction he had set for the Ino–Shika–Chō Trio Clans?

However, the candidate recommended by Minister Fox was indeed surprising and hard not to oppose.

According to Konoha's tradition, the Uchiha clan had always been a major concern for the village. How could they be given a position like Commander-in-Chief?

Even Tsunade glanced sideways slightly. Fox hadn't discussed this matter with her beforehand; it seemed to be a decision he had made in the past few days.

Tsunade thought to herself that they had both been too busy lately and hadn't had any in-depth conversations.

***

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