After proposing that Namikaze Minato assassinate the Kazekage, Fox made another unbelievable suggestion:
Let Uchiha Kagen serve as battlefield commander.
This went directly against Konoha's long-standing policy of suppressing the Uchiha clan.
Inside the Hokage's office, the other senior leaders all seemed opposed to Fox's decision—or at the very least, they could not understand it.
After looking over everyone's expressions one by one, Yako's attitude remained firm.
"Hokage-sama, Captain Shikakaku, Advisor Tsunade—do not be bound by habitual thinking.
Uchiha Kagen already served as deputy commander on the Land of Whirlpools front during the Second Shinobi World War. He is forty this year, still in the prime of his life. He is fully qualified to serve as battlefield commander.
As for Captain Shikakaku's concern—that the Uchiha clan lacks strength and has no Kage-level ninja—that is completely unnecessary.
A few years ago, the Uchiha clan sent an elite force to the Land of Rain to investigate Uchiha Madara. Some of them died.
But after that battle, Uchiha Gogo and Uchiha Kirihi awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan one after another.
As long as the Uchiha clan is given a chance to fight, to experience life-and-death stimulation, they can always unleash astonishing power.
The Uchiha grow stronger the more they fight. We do not need to worry about lacking Kage-level ninja.
Perhaps one month after the war begins, we will hear news that another Uchiha has awakened their eyes.
The reason the Uchiha clan has gone so many years without anyone awakening is because the village pressed them into the Police Force.
Dealing with petty thieves and street vendors won't awaken their eyes."
Nara Shikaku sucked in a cold breath.
Commander Fox spoke this bluntly?
What kind of hellish joke was this?
According to Commander Fox, once half the Uchiha clan died, the remaining half would erupt with terrifying power?
Nara Shikakaku said, "Fox, that is precisely what I'm worried about—the Uchiha growing stronger the more they fight. If another rogue ninja like Uchiha Madara appears, Konoha won't know peace for decades."
Yako thought to himself, You only say that because you haven't seen Uchiha Obito's eye technique yet. Konoha's next few decades are already doomed to be turbulent.
Even with Yako's cheat-like strength, facing Uchiha Obito's dual Kamui would still be troublesome.
Perhaps Konoha would gain another Uchiha Obito.
But if they gambled, perhaps they might gain another Uchiha Itachi too.
Someone as deeply ill as Uchiha Itachi, once he recognized Konoha, would go mad in the calmest way possible. If you told him to go back and cut down his own mother, he wouldn't hesitate.
Before Uchiha Madara defected, the Uchiha clan had not been suppressed much. Hashirama Senju was overwhelmingly strong, so he did not fear the Uchiha making small moves.
It was the same now.
Even if the Uchiha clan produced a few rogue ninja, Yako was confident he could eliminate them quickly.
After Yako, Namikaze Minato would not fear the Uchiha either.
After Minato, perhaps other geniuses would appear—such as Yako's own children.
The reason the village guarded against the Uchiha at every turn was because they feared the Uchiha would become too strong to suppress.
Yako said, "One major reason for sending the Uchiha clan to the Land of Hot Water is that our enemy is not only the four great villages."
Nara Shikakaku frowned, thinking of a possibility.
"You mean... the four great villages may collude with those people?"
Before the others reacted, Nara Shikaku was the first to understand who his father meant.
After the rogue ninja Uchiha Madara was killed four years ago, Madara's powerful subordinates had all vanished without a trace.
Shikaku had read their files.
Every one of them possessed Kage-level strength.
The rogue ninja Sarutobi Kanosuke.
Spiral Zetsu, who possessed Wood Release and the Mangekyō.
Uzumaki Nagato, who possessed the legendary Rinnegan and had defeated Hanzo.
And more.
If those people also...
No.
Those people would definitely kick Konoha while it was down.
"Indeed..." Nara Shikakaku's expression became grave. "Uchiha Madara's subordinates are no less threatening than the four great villages."
Yako said, "I have obtained intelligence. Among Uchiha Madara's subordinates, there is someone even more troublesome than Spiral Zetsu or Sarutobi Kanosuke. His name is Uchiha Obito.
Uchiha Obito possesses a special Mangekyō eye technique that allows him to move freely through space across the shinobi world. It is even more convenient than Flying Thunder God.
I will not become commander of the Land of Hot Water front or the Land of Whirlpools front.
As long as I do not move, Uchiha Madara's subordinates will not dare move lightly either.
But once I appear on a battlefield—for example, if I appear in the Land of Hot Water—the other battlefields will instantly become passive.
If Uchiha Madara's subordinates enter the field and cooperate with the ninja from other villages, they could instantly kill hundreds of Konoha ninja.
That is something we absolutely cannot bear.
I understand the village's concerns about the Uchiha clan.
I will go to the Uchiha compound and confirm their stance.
If they are willing to sacrifice for Konoha, I am willing to serve as their guarantor.
If the Uchiha clan is unwilling to sacrifice for Konoha, then I, their guarantor...
will become the Uchiha clan's executioner.
I will kill every Uchiha who betrays the village without hesitation."
Hearing Fox's killing intent-filled promise, Nara Shikakaku looked toward the Third Hokage.
The Third Hokage nodded, agreeing to Fox's suggestion.
The four great villages were already troublesome enough. Add Uchiha Madara's rogue organization to that, and Konoha could no longer afford to worry about so many things.
The Uchiha clan had to go to war too.
Nara Shikakaku continued assigning battlefronts.
"My original plan was for Fox to serve as commander on one of the fronts. Since Fox must guard against Uchiha Madara's subordinates, it seems I will have to go to the Land of Whirlpools front."
Nara Shikaku glanced at Minato.
Could the strength of the Ino-Shika-Cho clans truly deal with Kirigakure's bloodline clans, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, and the Three-Tails and Six-Tails?
Minato already had the ability to fight the Kazekage.
Meanwhile, he, Yamanaka, and Akamichi together could only guarantee they would hold out for a while in front of a Kage-level ninja and not collapse instantly.
The Land of Hot Water front desperately lacked a Kage-level ninja.
On the surface, Konoha currently had only six Kage-level forces: Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sannin, Fox, and the yet-to-be-fully-verified Namikaze Minato.
Facing the four great villages, that was stretched far too thin.
"Kushina!" Yako said. "Captain Shikakaku, you can bring the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, Uzumaki Kushina, to the Land of Whirlpools front."
"What?"
Not only Nara Shikakaku and Nara Shikaku were shocked—even Tsunade turned to look at Fox.
This was an option no one had ever considered.
The Nine-Tails Jinchūriki was the village's first trump card.
Unless the enemy reached the village gates, she would not be released.
Yako said with absolute firmness, "You must trust Uzumaki Kushina's effort and strength.
Even if you do not trust her strength, trust the work I have put in.
Over the past few years, I have often trained Princess Kushina personally. She is more than capable of dealing with the Three-Tails and Six-Tails Jinchūriki.
Forget Jinchūriki—even if the Three-Tails and Six-Tails go completely berserk, Kushina can protect our Konoha ninja."
Nara Shikakaku was about to say that this was too risky, but in the end, he swallowed the words.
He could design countless tactics for the Land of Whirlpools front.
But every tactic required a powerful executor.
What the Ino-Shika-Cho clans lacked was a spearhead.
As long as he had one, he could design many tactics around that spearhead.
Nara Shikakaku said, "Yamanaka Inoen is the captain of the Nine-Tails Barrier Sealing Team. I believe he understands Princess Kushina well and can coordinate with her."
Sarutobi Hiruzen had been about to say that, if necessary, he could go to the Land of Whirlpools himself.
But after thinking about it, every other village was sending out Jinchūriki. If Konoha's Jinchūriki did not go to the battlefield, Konoha would be at far too great a disadvantage.
Since Fox had proposed it, and Tsunade had not objected, they would send the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki to the front.
Namikaze Minato's expression was solemn and worried.
Kushina was going to the battlefield.
Her identity was special. Inside her was the strongest Tailed Beast in the shinobi world—the Nine-Tails.
He secretly made up his mind.
He had to complete the mission to assassinate the Kazekage as soon as possible.
Sarutobi Hiruzen said, "Then we will arrange it this way for now. We have response plans for all four directions. Each of you, go prepare.
We will prove again and again that the final victor of any shinobi world war can only be Konoha!"
Everyone nodded.
Yako left the Hokage Tower and headed for the Uchiha compound.
It was time to unseal the sleeping beast known as the Uchiha clan.