manynovel Chapter 126 Schemes
Chapter 126 Schemes
The situation on the battlefield was constantly changing. Even Hyuga Kanan, an outsider, could sense that Konoha was at a significant disadvantage and faced the imminent collapse of the battlefield.
But Hyuga Kanan remained unconcerned. These countless conflicts in the ninja world always ended in negotiation. It was unlikely that a major power's ninja village would be directly overrun; after all, the mastermind behind it all wouldn't want their carefully laid plans disrupted. The established ninja village structure, built up over countless years, allowed the enemy to continuously gather the energy they needed.
Even if Konoha loses this war, in the end it will only be paying out huge amounts of resources and wealth to other ninja villages, laying the groundwork and preparing for the next Shinobi World War.
To say that Konoha will definitely lose this time is not so exaggerated. At least Konoha is still holding on, and its true strength has not yet been revealed. Not to mention, Konoha still has a large number of unregistered ninjas in various clans, and the Sarutobi clan's ninjas, which Hiruzen Sarutobi has been developing over the years, have not appeared on the battlefield in large numbers. Moreover, the powerful clans of Konoha have not truly mobilized the personnel they have accumulated over the years.
It's important to understand that the Uchiha clan alone still has at least a thousand ninjas who haven't joined the battle. The Uchiha clan is renowned for its strength, and any Uchiha ninja who awakens the Sharingan is at least a Chunin-level ninja. If these thousand Uchiha ninjas were to join the battle, they could instantly turn the tide of the war and potentially secure victory.
The same applies to the Hyuga clan. Even without the formidable strength of the Uchiha clan, it's quite normal for them to have an absolute advantage against ordinary ninjas.
Now we need to see what incentives Hiruzen Sarutobi will offer these clans to send their off-duty ninjas to the battlefield to salvage the situation, especially the powerful Uchiha and Hyuga clans.
In Konoha Village now, even children who have just entered school for a year have been sent out, but Hiruzen Sarutobi still has no intention of going to the battlefield. He no longer has the imposing aura of a ninja hero who fought against the Third Mizukage during the Second Shinobi World War. He is still scheming to get the clans of Konoha to send more ninjas to the battlefield.
The Kage of the other ninja villages all went to the battlefield to participate in various battles on the front lines, causing heavy losses to Konoha. On Konoha's side, only Jiraiya remained fighting on the front lines. Orochimaru, because of the many things Hyuga Kanan had traded for him, remained in Konoha, focusing on his research, showing no intention of leading troops into battle. Previously, Orochimaru had aspirations for the Hokage position and a strong affection for Konoha, but since the death of Senju Nawaki and Tsunade's departure, he has completely abandoned any thought of becoming Hokage, and his feelings for Konoha have faded as he has decided on his path. Hiruzen Sarutobi even came to discuss the matter with Orochimaru, but Orochimaru remained aloof, showing no intention of going to the battlefield to fight for Konoha. Hiruzen Sarutobi even threatened Orochimaru, stating that any Konoha ninja must obey orders, but to no avail. Orochimaru even stated directly that if he had to carry out orders, he would leave the Konoha ninja ranks and leave Konoha.
For the first time, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt that Orochimaru was completely different from before. The coldness he exuded when facing Orochimaru even made Hiruzen feel like a stranger. As Hiruzen's most valued disciple, Orochimaru had now completely turned against him, which was entirely unexpected. He truly realized that if he forced Orochimaru, the latter would actually leave the Hidden Leaf Village's ranks, just like Tsunade.
In the end, he abandoned the idea of forcing Orochimaru. Hiruzen Sarutobi could no longer see through Orochimaru at all, whether in his behavior, personality, or strength. This gave Hiruzen Sarutobi an unprecedented sense of frustration. It seemed that ever since Hyuga Kanan, his plans for Konoha's future had gone astray, and even his most beloved disciple had become a stranger.
Hiruzen Sarutobi gave up on his schemes against Orochimaru. He knew Orochimaru's current situation; if he discovered anything, Orochimaru would immediately defect from Konoha. Given Konoha's current internal and external troubles, Orochimaru's defection would cause unimaginable turmoil throughout the village.
However, Hiruzen Sarutobi did not intend to abandon his other plans. His strategy to weaken the other clans of Konoha would continue, especially the Uchiha and Hyuga clans. He already had a perfect plan for the Uchiha clan, but he was now somewhat confused about the Hyuga clan. Since Hyuga Kanan's return to the Hyuga clan, their behavior had become very strange, making him unsure if he could outmaneuver them.
The Uchiha clan, a rebellious and unruly family, currently desires the emergence of an Uchiha Hokage in Konoha. This makes them easy targets for manipulation; they can be manipulated whenever needed. However, the Hyuga clan currently appears indifferent, with their ninjas mostly staying within their clan's territory and showing no signs of vying for power in Konoha. They meticulously complete any missions assigned to them and dispatch ninjas to join the war as requested, leaving Hiruzen Sarutobi unsure how to outmaneuver them.
However, the Uchiha clan issue must be resolved first. At the subsequent Konoha high-level meeting, Hiruzen Sarutobi stated that he would relinquish the Hokage position after this war, and the best performers would be eligible to run for Hokage. Furthermore, outstanding ninjas would receive double contribution points, which could be exchanged for various ninjutsu from Konoha's collection, including forbidden techniques.
The news, once it reached the Uchiha clan, caused a huge stir, like a boulder thrown into water, igniting a frenzy among the entire clan's ninjas. While the Uchiha clan might have had reservations in other areas, such as harmonious coexistence with other clans—none of which were their strengths—when it came to fighting on the battlefield and achieving victory, something purely based on overwhelming strength, the Uchiha clan thrived. After all, the Uchiha were a clan of warriors; defeating enemies and gaining merit in battle filled the entire clan with immense confidence. For a clan renowned throughout the ninja world for its exceptional fighting prowess, Hiruzen Sarutobi's announcement meant that the Hokage position was already theirs for the taking.
The Uchiha clan's leadership also believed this was the best opportunity for their clan to become Hokage and take control of Konoha. Konoha was originally founded jointly by the Uchiha and Senju clans. If a Senju member became Hokage, the Uchiha clan could barely accept it, given the Senju's past victory over the Uchiha and their formidable strength. However, the fact that someone from a smaller clan like Hiruzen Sarutobi became Hokage greatly displeased the Uchiha clan. The death of Kagami Uchiha had left the Uchiha clan without a ninja capable of fighting strong opponents, which was why they respected Hiruzen. Expecting the Uchiha clan to obey his orders was simply wishful thinking. Now, with the emergence of the exceptionally talented Shisui Uchiha, the clan felt once again that the Hokage position was destined for them. Furthermore, the current Uchiha clan head, Fugaku Uchiha, was also incredibly powerful, capable of contending with ordinary Kage-level ninjas. Moreover, he is very young and has not yet reached the peak of his ninja career. He has the potential to grow into a Kage-level powerhouse and become the best candidate for Hokage.
If Fugaku Uchiha becomes Hokage, then when Shisui Uchiha grows up, the position of Hokage of Konoha can be passed down among the Uchiha clan, and Shisui will eventually inherit the position.
Other smaller clans were also very interested. They had no interest in the Hokage position, as it was beyond their reach. However, they knew that Konoha possessed many powerful and mysterious ninjutsu. Acquiring just one of these techniques could become a clan's foundation, allowing them to grow stronger and achieve a special status and power in Konoha, like those clans specializing in secret techniques.
Thus, many clans in Konoha sent highly skilled ninjas, not officially part of the Konoha ninja ranks, to join Konoha's reinforcements, ready to showcase their abilities and secure a better future for their clans. The Uchiha clan, in particular, declared that they would take over a battlefield, demonstrating their power and prestige to the ninjas of other villages.
Only the Hyuga clan remained lukewarm, taking no action. Hiashi Hyuga was actually quite interested in what Hiruzen Sarutobi had said, but the Hyuga clan had never aspired to become Hokage. Moreover, they were currently in a period of growth; the teachings left by Kanan Hyuga wouldn't instantly elevate the clan's strength, but if they persisted for a few years, the Hyuga clan could truly become the strongest clan in Konoha. Even the Uchiha clan, Hiashi Hyuga was very confident in suppressing Hiashi Hyuga.
Therefore, it's impossible to send clansmen who are still in the development stage to fight to the death on the battlefield right now; this is for the future of the Hyuga clan. Moreover, Hiashi Hyuga has a very bad impression of Hiruzen Sarutobi. His forcing Kanan Hyuga to leave Konoha Village made many Hyuga leaders feel dissatisfied. You have to know that Kanan Hyuga was so powerful at the time that he could even suppress Konoha's War God, Sakumo Hatake, and he had no interest in power at all. If he had stayed in the clan, the Hyuga clan would have had a very powerful protector, and he could also guide them in the training methods he passed down, allowing the entire clan to improve faster and better.