"I think this battle can be widely publicized, just like last time when Namikaze Minato tied with the AB combination," Shimura Danzo was the first to express his thoughts.
"It can not only boost the confidence of our village's ninjas in the future of the war but also intimidate our rival ninja villages."
Mokgetsu is a ninja of the Root Organization, and Shimura Danzo believes that Mokgetsu gaining more fame in Konoha and obtaining higher status and more power would be more beneficial to him.
After all, he is the most respected leader of Mokgetsu's Root Organization. How could Mokgetsu refuse his orders?
"It's true that morale can be boosted, but can this increase in morale really compare to the role Habu Mokgetsu plays as a surprise force?" Utatane Koharu voiced a different opinion.
"You must know that this time he killed four members of the Seven-Swords Ninja as well as Minazuki Kan. With a few more results like this, Konoha wouldn't have to worry about winning the war."
Utatane Koharu believes that Konoha should not only refrain from promoting Mokgetsu's achievements but also keep the ninjas below in the dark, letting Mokgetsu act as a hidden assassin.
"Have you been away from the battlefield for too long? Such feats can't be achieved just by having strength," Shimura Danzo retorted unceremoniously.
Even though they were both retorting, Shimura Danzo's retorts to Utatane Koharu were somewhat different from those to Sarutobi Hiruzen.
The main reason Shimura Danzo retorted to Sarutobi Hiruzen was because Sarutobi Hiruzen's suppression made him feel upset.
As for Utatane Koharu, it was because Shimura Danzo knew this old classmate too well.
Like him, Utatane Koharu is a ninja wholeheartedly dedicated to Konoha. As long as the intention is toward Konoha or the final result benefits Konoha, Utatane Koharu wouldn't mind the details.
His more intense words would instead make it easier for Utatane Koharu to understand his sincere loyalty to Konoha.
Thinking it over in her mind, Utatane Koharu did not refute Shimura Danzo's words; she indeed hadn't been to the battlefield for a long time.
Since Sarutobi Hiruzen became Hokage, she had been promoted to the upper echelons of Konoha. Such a powerful ninja village as Konoha rarely needs the upper echelons to mobilize.
Observing Utatane Koharu's reaction, Shimura Danzo nodded silently in his heart. Settling Utatane Koharu meant also settling Mitokado Homura, as the two generally acted in concert.
In fact, Shimura Danzo didn't hold them in too high regard. Although they could all be considered disciples of the Second Hokage, in Shimura Danzo's eyes, only Sarutobi Hiruzen was on the same level as him.
As he had anticipated, after becoming part of Konoha's upper echelons, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu rarely had their own opinions.
It's one thing not to have one's own opinion; they also echoed Sarutobi Hiruzen's responses, which displeased Shimura Danzo greatly.
Because this meant that in high-level meetings, he stood alone without support.
However, Shimura Danzo knew that it wasn't due to his lack of ability; it was just because Sarutobi Hiruzen was the Third Hokage, and he was only the Hokage Assistant.
If their positions were reversed, then Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura would be his echoes.
Shimura Danzo looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen, who hadn't spoken yet.
With the characters of Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, even if they tacitly agreed at the moment, all it would take is one logical opposing reason from Sarutobi Hiruzen for them to immediately support him, making Sarutobi Hiruzen's opinion very important.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, feeling Shimura Danzo's gaze, also didn't speak immediately. Instead, he took up his pipe, inhaled deeply, and exhaled wisps of white smoke.
The question of whether or not to publicize the achievements wasn't something that Sarutobi Hiruzen needed to ponder for too long; he was considering other aspects, including the current strength and momentum of Konoha's Hokage candidates.
At the moment, the one with the weakest momentum was Tsunade, who had not gone to the front lines, while Orochimaru and Jiraiya were currently evenly matched.
When Jiraiya achieved a major victory on the battlefield of the Land of Grass, the support for him surpassed all other candidates. But as Orochimaru made accomplishments on the battlefield of the Land of Hot Water, he gradually caught up with Jiraiya.
Even though Sarutobi Hiruzen, as the current Hokage, held absolute power in choosing the next Hokage, he could not ignore the voices within Konoha.
Because the First Hokage was elected by all Konoha ninjas, if Sarutobi Hiruzen chose someone that everyone didn't recognize as Hokage, it might cause some damage to the sanctity of the Hokage position.
Of course, Sarutobi Hiruzen isn't someone who doesn't know priorities; if he thought that someone with high support wasn't suitable to be Hokage, even if it would damage the sanctity of the position, he would appoint the person he thought was suitable to be Hokage in his heart.
"Jiraiya, why don't you want to become Hokage?" Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed in his heart at this thought.
If Jiraiya were willing to become Hokage, then he wouldn't have to think so much. He had already paved the way for Jiraiya, yet Jiraiya was unwilling to walk it.
From Sarutobi Hiruzen's perspective, it was hard for him to understand Jiraiya's choice.
This was the position of Hokage of Konoha, with supreme authority.
Although nominally the Hokage was a notch below the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, in reality, the two stood on equal ground. The Daimyo of the Land of Fire couldn't command the Hokage to do something he didn't want to do.
Sarutobi Hiruzen then thought of Mokgetsu. If Mokgetsu had been born five or six years earlier, Sarutobi Hiruzen would have unhesitatingly taken Mokgetsu as a disciple and nurtured him towards becoming Hokage.
Mokgetsu was Sarutobi Hiruzen's ideal disciple, with a talent for ninjutsu that far surpassed ordinary people, a gentle and humble personality, a deep understanding of the Will of Fire, and also an unparalleled ability to teach, practically a strengthened version of his younger self.