This was one of the rare times Tsunade and Danzo actually agreed.
Or rather, the dire situation had forced their hands. In the original timeline, Danzo's stance toward the rogue Sasuke had always been crystal clear—he just never got his way because Tsunade kept blocking him. This time, things were different from the start. Menma's choices and the rapidly shifting state of the ninja world had left Tsunade with no other option.
The priority had been made clear from the very beginning.
Attitude was one thing, but the cold reality was that Menma's personal strength and the power of his growing faction now posed a genuine threat to the Hidden Leaf. That was no longer speculation—it was fact.
And now Naruto had pulled this stunt.
Tsunade's resolve hardened. Menma had to be eliminated, no matter how ruthless the methods. She refused to let the Leaf fall into darkness. That would be the greatest tragedy of all.
"Mhm. Since we've reached this point, we'll proceed with this plan," Homura Mitokado said slowly, nodding. "I'll handle negotiations with the Hidden Mist and Hidden Sand. I understand certain… aspects of those villages better than most."
"Understood. Then I'll leave that to you, Elder Homura. Elder Koharu, please speak with the Daimyo. Shizune, continue issuing conscription orders and send more reinforcements to the front lines!"
Tsunade took a deep breath and gave the commands without hesitation.
"Yes, Lady Tsunade."
Homura, Koharu, and Shizune answered in unison.
When the situation demanded it, Tsunade never lacked decisiveness or courage. Even as the first female Kage in the history of the Five Great Villages, her vision, methods, and big-picture thinking were second to none.
Once she set a goal, she would see it through—no hesitation, no second-guessing.
Under the Fifth Hokage's orders, another wave of Leaf shinobi was mobilized.
Even today, when it came to sheer foundation and scale, the Hidden Leaf still stood at the top of the ninja world. At least in terms of pure numbers, no other village could match them.
To crush Menma Uzumaki and his Waterfall-Grass alliance in one decisive blow, Tsunade conscripted more than three thousand additional Leaf shinobi.
Among them were over a hundred elite jonin and special jonin—an army only the Hidden Leaf could field so easily.
The major clans also answered the call, sending their best. The Hyuga, Aburame, Inuzuka, and the Ino-Shika-Cho trio were especially critical.
The history of shinobi had evolved, and while civilian-born shinobi could now be trained effectively—and a few geniuses did emerge—the vast majority still topped out at the weakest kind of chunin.
Clan shinobi were different.
Unless they were truly talentless, chunin was their floor. Those with secret techniques or kekkei genkai could easily suppress or kill multiple civilian shinobi. The truly outstanding ones could fight several at once.
That unbridgeable gap was why the Leaf had won so many victories in the three Great Ninja Wars. The power of its clans was the foundation of everything.
Byakugan, Sharingan, sensory control, shadow imitation, insect manipulation, ninja hounds—these were abilities ordinary civilian shinobi simply could not match.
Especially the Byakugan. Its value in war was almost unmatched. As long as a Hyuga jonin was present, Leaf forces could never be truly surrounded.
Unlike the previous half-hearted alliance with the Cloud and Mist, Tsunade was now going all-in. This time the Leaf would be the main force, so she pulled out every elite she could.
The clan leaders cooperated without question.
They trusted the granddaughter of the First Hokage—the current Fifth Hokage.
The Hyuga clan, now the largest in the Leaf after the Uchiha massacre, was a perfect example. Clan head Hyuga Hiashi personally sent dozens of chunin and jonin to the front. Almost all were branch members, with only a few main family leaders. Hiashi's full support came not only from his trust in Tsunade and the clan's deep ties to the village, but also because he had just discovered the enormous mess his daughter had created.
Inside the Hyuga compound on the eastern side of the Leaf Village.
In the most heavily guarded residence, Hyuga Hiashi stared down at the long-haired girl kneeling before him—his eldest daughter and the official first heir of the main family: Hyuga Hinata.
"Hinata, do you understand what you've done!? Lady Tsunade personally ordered ANBU to watch Naruto so he wouldn't leave the village. You knew exactly where he was going and who he was going to find, yet you still helped him escape! You—!"
Hiashi's face was filled with disappointment and fury as he scolded her.
That's right.
Naruto had only managed to slip past the ANBU because of help from others—and Hinata's assistance had been the most crucial. The Byakugan's scouting ability was simply too powerful.
It had allowed her to pinpoint every ANBU's exact location.
That had been the decisive factor in Naruto's escape plan.
When Hiashi received the news later, his face had gone deathly pale.
Hinata's close relationship with Naruto was something Hiashi had always approved of. In the original timeline he hadn't opposed it, and in this life Naruto carried the honored title of the Fourth Hokage's son.
But helping him escape like this? That was something else entirely.