---Third POV---
More than three months had passed since Konoha's victory over Suna. The relatively subdued Great Ninja War, which had briefly quieted, was now heating up once again.
It was turning into a seasonal war.
At the forefront of the conflict was a fierce battle between Kumo and Iwa.
The Third Raikage's son, A, and the perfect jinchūriki, Killer B, stood out remarkably in this war.
The duo's combined technique, the Double Lariat, became the nightmare of the Iwa ninjas. This caused Iwa, already stretched thin on two fronts, to suffer repeated defeats. However, something incredible happened next.
The Third Tsuchikage used some unknown method to turn the tide.
At a moment when Iwa was at a disadvantage, he found an opportunity to encircle the Third Raikage's forces with a massive army. But the Third Raikage proved himself a true warrior. To protect his men, he fought against tens of thousands of Iwa ninjas alone, ultimately dying of exhaustion. However, his sacrifice successfully delayed Iwa's ninja forces, allowing his troops to retreat safely to Kumo.
Thus, the war between Kumo and Iwa concluded with Iwa's victory.
With this victory, Iwa became one of only two villages to have defeated another of the Five Great Ninja Villages during the current war. But the story didn't end there.
After Kumo's defeat, domestic outrage erupted within the village. To divert internal tensions, Kumo declared war on Konoha.
This was the situation as it stood now.
To counter Kumo's aggression, Hiruzen convened a jonin assembly within the village. Although called a jonin assembly, not all jonin had the right to participate. Only a select few could gather in the Hokage's office to discuss strategy.
The remaining jonin could only vote on decisions made during the meeting. Of course, these jonin often cast their votes carelessly, as they were generally under the influence of those who attended the meetings.
---
"Chirp chirp chirp~"
A spotted bird with a red tail sat leisurely on a tree branch, grooming its feathers and occasionally chirping. The bird had no idea it was already being stalked by a predator.
"Shukaku, you're moving too much."
"Quiet, I'm almost there."
Yes, the predator was none other than the One-Tail. At this moment, Shukaku was sprawled on a tree branch, slowly inching closer to the spotted bird. When the distance was less than half a meter, a leaf fell. Now was the moment!
"Go, Shukaku!" shouted Ryouma.
Roar!
Shukaku leapt from the branch, pouncing toward the bird.
But the spotted bird didn't move at all. Instead, Shukaku barely managed to jump 10 centimeters before falling straight off the branch.
"What kind of nonsense are you two up to...?" Tsunade, who had been watching the entire spectacle with a frown, finally couldn't hold back and asked in exasperation, covering half her face.
The truth was, the whole incident began because spring had arrived, and this spotted bird kept coming into the Senju clan's courtyard, chirping incessantly.
They all had grown increasingly annoyed by the noise. Shukaku then volunteered to use his sand bullets to take down the annoying bird.
However, Ryouma thought it was silly for Shukaku to use ninjutsu just to catch a bird.
When Shukaku heard his partner mocking his methods, he resolved to show his skills and prove his worth, before everyone started thinking he was just a creature molded from sand.
And so, the earlier scene unfolded.
Watching the bird still chirping away on the branch, Shizune couldn't help but agree with Tsunade's words.
Rin, seeing Shukaku's failed first attempt at hunting, quickly went over, picked him up from the ground, and comforted him.
"It's okay. You did really well. You almost got it just now."
"Oooh, my battle for glory…" Shukaku whimpered, covering his face with its paws.
Rin turned her pleading eyes toward Ryouma for help. With no other choice, he joined her in consoling Shukaku. He thought to himself that it would've been better to just let Shukaku use his sand bullets to deal with the noisy bird in the first place.
Just as everyone was enjoying the moment, an ANBU ninja arrived, handing Ryouma a scroll.
"This is from the Hokage, addressed to you and Lady Tsunade," the operative said with a formal bow.
"Understood." Ryouma accepted the message with a nod.
Once the ANBU ninja departed, Ryouma made his way back to the courtyard with the scroll. He found Tsunade and they examined its contents together. After reading its contents with Tsunade, both sighed deeply. "Sigh… another war?"
The scroll's message was simple: Ryouma and Tsunade were to attend a meeting at the Hokage's office at 8 AM the next day.
---
The following morning, just before 8 AM, Ryouma and Tsunade arrived punctually at the Hokage's office meeting room. They casually picked two chairs and sat down.
The room was already bustling with people, mostly clan heads or their representatives from across the village.
Among the familiar faces were Hiashi, Fugaku, and an old acquaintance, Danzō, who had finally deigned to step out of Root. As for the others, Ryouma couldn't recognize most of them by their faces, except for the Akimichi clan members, who were quite distinctive.
While he was observing the crowd, others were equally curious about him. As a rapidly rising civilian jonin, he was well-regarded and drew a lot of attention.
Just moments ago, representatives of the Ino–Shika–Chō trio had even come over to exchange a few pleasantries with him.
Hiruzen cleared his throat with a firm "Ahem," commanding attention as the room fell silent. He stood behind his desk, hands clasped behind his back, surveying the gathered jonin with a steady gaze.
"Thank you all for coming on such short notice," he began. "As you're aware, Kumo has declared war against us following their defeat against Iwa."
He moved to a large map on the wall, tapping a finger against the Land of Lightning's borders.
"Our intelligence suggests they'll launch a coordinated offensive within the month. We need our most capable tactical minds leading our forces on this front. The Kumo forces include the A-B Combo and several uniquely trained units. Our response must be decisive."
Hiruzen shifted his attention to another section of the map.
"Meanwhile, our ongoing conflict with Kiri has intensified. Their naval blockade has become more aggressive, and they've deployed more of their Seven Swordsmen to the mainland." He traced the coastline with his finger. "We need to reinforce our eastern divisions with our most elite fighters immediately."
He returned to his position at the center, expression grave but composed.
"Iwa, for the moment, remains quiet. Orochimaru's forces have maintained our western borders effectively, and it seems the Third Tsuchikage is consolidating his recent gains rather than opening another front. For this small mercy, we owe an unexpected debt to the Third Raikage's sacrifice."
Hiruzen placed both hands on the desk, leaning forward slightly.
"So I put this question to all of you. Who among Konoha's fighters are best suited to meet these challenges? Which of our ninjas should we entrust with these critical missions?"
"The A-B Combo has been deployed? Who should we send to face them?" The one speaking was a kunoichi with face paint.
The A-B Combo was a legacy team from Kumo, consisting of two ninja who had been trained together since childhood to develop an extraordinary bond. They even referred to each other as brothers.
The current generation of the A-B Combo was particularly formidable. They had already displayed their ferocity during the war between Kumo and Iwa.
Both members excelled in taijutsu. Especially A, whose speed was his greatest asset. B, on the other hand, was known as a perfect jinchūriki, capable of fully controlling the power of the Eight-Tails.
Thus, the candidate sent by Konoha to confront them needed to be not only fast but also powerful enough to counter the strength of a tailed beast. Ideally, this ninja would also have the ability to suppress a jinchūriki, making it possible to resist the duo effectively.
Hiruzen had already discussed this with the council before the meeting. He directly appointed the candidate.
"Minato, will you take on the task of facing Kumo?"
Naturally, Minato did not refuse. With a bright smile, he agreed.
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Of course, he alone would not suffice. Hiruzen also summoned several skilled ninjas from various clans to support him.
After much discussion among the participants, it was decided that Minato would serve as the commander, supported by Dōtō, Shibi, Inoichi, and Tsume as deputies, leading 3,000 Konoha ninja to the Kumo battlefield.
It was at this moment that Ryouma learned the name of the kunoichi with war paint on her face who had spoken earlier, Tsume.
To be fair, Hiruzen's arrangements were highly logical.
Minato, with his Flying Thunder God Technique, could match the speed of A.
Dōtō was the strongest member of the Akimichi clan in this generation. His Multi-Size Technique, combined with Inoichi's clan-specific mind techniques, would likely be effective in limiting the movements of the Eight-Tails jinchūriki.
In truth, Hiruzen had wanted to send Jiraiya and Ryouma to the Kumo battlefield as well. However, Jiraiya had insisted on going to the Iwa battlefield to assist Orochimaru, assuring him that Minato was more than capable of handling Kumo's duo.
Hiruzen, unable to argue with Jiraiya, eventually agreed. Sending him to keep an eye on the crafty Ōnoki also seemed like a prudent decision. As for Ryouma, Hiruzen had another purpose in mind for him.
With that settled, they moved on to the second important topic of the day: selecting candidates to support the Kiri battlefield.
He first asked for the opinions of Fugaku and Hiashi, as their clans were leading the battle against Kiri.
"Fugaku, how is the situation on the Kiri battlefield?"
"The situation is still under control. The Uchiha clan is fully capable of continuing to hold off Kiri," Fugaku calmly replied.
However, Hiashi, standing nearby, couldn't help but feel exasperated by Fugaku's words.
Seriously? The Kiri battlefield had turned into a complete bloodbath for both their clans. Didn't he realize this?
Or maybe the Uchiha clan simply hadn't lost enough members for him to care. Meanwhile, the Hyūga clan had already had a Byakugan stolen, was this what Fugaku called being "under control"?
"Hehehe." Danzō, who had been sitting quietly beside Hiruzen, suddenly let out a cold laugh.
Fugaku frowned slightly but dared not say anything. For a moment, the atmosphere in the meeting room grew tense. Most of those present felt that the Uchiha clan leader had just been boasting.
Although they weren't fully informed about the specifics of the battlefield, they knew enough to recognize which side had the upper hand. The coastline of the Land of Fire was practically becoming Kiri's backyard. In the past, it was just the Seven Ninja Swordsmen occasionally launching attacks. Now, small teams of Kiri ninjas were freely invading the Land of Fire, causing destruction.
Hiruzen was acutely aware of this, as the daimyo of the Land of Fire had recently been furious about the situation.
To ease the tension, Hiashi spoke up, "Hokage-sama, the Hyūga clan has fought valiantly on the Kiri battlefield. However, the Kiri ninjas' sheer numbers are overwhelming. Even we have suffered, one of our Byakugan has been taken. We deeply apologize for letting our comrades in Konoha down."
His words were sincere and heartfelt. After speaking, he even bowed deeply to everyone present. The other participants expressed their understanding. The Hyūga clan had indeed sacrificed a great deal for the village.
Hiruzen's face showed a trace of guilt.
"Hiashi, this is not your fault. As Hokage, I bear responsibility for this."
"No. It is my failure to lead my clan effectively."
Meanwhile, Fugaku, who felt increasingly alienated from the meeting, twitched the corner of his mouth. He suddenly found Hiashi's behavior incredibly performative.
You can't even protect your own clan's dōjutsu, and yet you have the audacity to say all this publicly? And to think the Hyūga clan is supposed to be on par with us as one of Konoha's noble families. How disgraceful, he thought.
Ryouma felt it was the right moment to speak up. "Hokage-sama, Konoha's jonin, Aotsuki Ryouma, requests to join the Kiri battlefield."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Hiashi's eyes lit up instantly. This was fantastic, reinforcements from a strong ninja!
The name Leaf's Gale had recently spread throughout the shinobi world. A fighter like him was exactly what the Kiri battlefield desperately needed.
Hiashi immediately said, "If Ryouma joins the Kiri battlefield, that would be wonderful!"
He then looked at Hiruzen with hopeful eyes. There was no other choice, the Hyūga clan was exhausted. Their combat strength was depleted to the point where even branch family members had to be sent to the battlefield.
Hiruzen, hearing Ryouma's request, agreed without hesitation.
"Very well, I approve."
In fact, he had already intended to send Ryouma to the Kiri battlefield. Just recently, he had learned that the boy had mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique.
With his adequate chakra reserves, he could use the Flying Thunder God Technique to provide rapid support along the coastline of the Land of Fire, striking back at the Kiri ninjas' infiltration teams.
Finally, after further discussion, he issued a decisive order.
"Then it's settled. Ryouma will lead 1,000 ninjas to reinforce the Kiri battlefield. As Hokage, I hereby appoint him as the advisor for the Kiri battlefield."
Since Hiruzen was deploying such a valuable asset as Ryouma, he wasn't about to make him follow someone else's orders on the frontlines. Hence, he directly assigned him the position of advisor.