The Meeting Concludes
The strategy meeting ended quickly.
Sarutobi Hiruzen stayed behind, keeping Danzo and Uchiha Nanaya alone.
He turned to Danzo.
"Danzo, I'm leaving this matter to you."
Hiruzen spoke with authority.
"Keep monitoring intelligence from the Land of Earth."
"As soon as you get definite news, send word back immediately."
"At that point, I'll have Nanaya assist you in contacting Jiraiya and the others on the Sand Shinobi battlefield to coordinate strategy."
"We need to secure all possible victories—understand?"
Hiruzen couldn't stay any longer.
There were too many pressing matters back in Konoha.
Taking half a day to handle this was already the limit.
Danzo nodded with a blank expression.
"Fine. I got it."
Danzo crossed his arms.
"Leave it to me. When have I ever let you down?"
He paused, then frowned.
"But I don't see why you need Nanaya to assist with communication."
"I can send my own men."
"Or better yet, why not have Namikaze Minato do it? He also knows the Flying Thunder God Technique."
Danzo glanced at Nanaya coldly.
The brat had been nothing but trouble for him.
If it weren't for him, Hiruzen wouldn't have taken over the Rock Shinobi battlefield credit.
Danzo then turned back to Hiruzen.
"Focus more on the Cloud Shinobi and Mist Shinobi battlefields."
His expression darkened.
"Especially the Cloud Shinobi front."
"I have a strong feeling that Nanaya's theory is correct."
"Onoki's retreat must be because of Cloud Shinobi—probably led by the Third Raikage himself."
Danzo's eyes gleamed.
"If that's the case, then Cloud Shinobi's main forces are unguarded."
"We should seize the initiative and crush their front-line troops."
"Once their fight with Rock Shinobi is over, they'll be heavily weakened."
"That way, they won't be able to launch another attack on Konoha anytime soon. What do you think?"
Hiruzen stroked his beard thoughtfully.
"That makes sense."
"But we should still wait for confirmation before making any moves."
He nodded decisively.
"Once I return to Konoha, I'll immediately send scouts to investigate Cloud Shinobi's situation."
"Between our findings and yours, we'll know the truth soon enough."
Danzo agreed.
"Alright, I'll handle things here."
Hiruzen turned to Nanaya.
"Let's go."
Nanaya placed a hand on Hiruzen's shoulder.
"Shunshin."
In a flash, they disappeared from the battlefield.
Back in Konoha – Hokage's Office
The moment they arrived, Hiruzen turned to Nanaya.
"Nanaya, you've done an outstanding job."
"From today onward, you're officially promoted to Chūnin."
Nanaya smiled slightly.
"As a reward, you may request any ninjutsu below S-rank from the village archives."
"Or, you can save your merit points to exchange for an S-rank jutsu later."
"If you accumulate enough, you may even access jutsu from the Scroll of Seals."
"What's your choice?"
Nanaya didn't hesitate.
"I'll save my merit points."
Hiruzen raised an eyebrow.
"Not interested in lower-rank jutsu?"
Nanaya grinned.
"I'd rather wait and exchange it for something truly valuable—like an S-rank technique."
"Maybe even something from the Scroll of Seals."
Hiruzen nodded approvingly.
"Smart choice."
He gestured toward the sofa.
"Sit and wait for a while. I still have more letters for you to deliver."
Hiruzen began writing again.
He needed Nanaya to deliver secret messages to:
The leader of the Sarutobi Clan
Tsunade
Jiraiya
Hiruzen's thoughts turned cold.
"I can't let Danzo gain too much credit."
If Danzo succeeded too much, it would become difficult to control him.
He had to keep Danzo in check.
He quickly finished writing and handed the letters to Nanaya.
Then, he looked at Nanaya seriously.
"Nanaya, can I trust you?"
Nanaya tilted his head.
"Of course, Hokage-sama."
Hiruzen smiled, then his expression turned serious.
"In that case, I have an important task for you."
"It's about Danzo."
"Because of your actions, we eliminated Rock Shinobi's front-line troops."
"However, Danzo still managed to gain a lot of credit."
"If you hadn't brought me there, he would have gained even more."
Hiruzen sighed.
"I'm not jealous of him."
"But Danzo has always coveted the Hokage seat."
His eyes darkened.
"He constantly speaks ill of the Uchiha Clan."
"If he gains too much credit on the Sand Shinobi battlefield, it'll be harder to suppress him."
"Eventually, he'll demand more power."
"And once he does, he'll become an even bigger threat to you and the Uchiha Clan."
Hiruzen leaned forward.
"That's why I need you to secretly contact Tsunade, Jiraiya, and the Sarutobi Clan leader."
"On the condition that we still defeat the Sand Shinobi…"
"Ensure that Danzo gains as little credit as possible."
"Can you do this?"
Hiruzen studied Nanaya's face.
This was both a mission and a test.
If Nanaya succeeded, Hiruzen would trust him even more.
If he failed, Hiruzen would need to reassess his value.
Nanaya grinned.
"Oh? You want me to sabotage Danzo?"
He chuckled.
"I'm more than happy to do that!"
Hiruzen smiled but quickly put on a serious expression.
"Keep your emotions in check, Nanaya."
"A ninja must always remain composed."
Internally, Hiruzen felt a little guilty.
"I'm sorry, Danzo."
"But you're too obsessed with power."
"You're not fit to be Hokage."
Hiruzen sighed.
"The truth is, you were never meant to be Hokage."
He handed Nanaya the letters.
"Now go. Get this done."
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