After finishing his speech, Shimizu himself was momentarily stunned.
Only then did he realize just how deeply he craved battle at this moment.
Since the war began, Konoha had endured one humiliation after another—intelligence leaks, repeated encirclements of their main forces… too many comrades had died, some without even leaving behind complete bodies.
And he himself had brushed against death more times than he could count.
All of it—
Every frustration, every narrow escape, every loss—
Seemed to erupt all at once in this very moment.
He would make Sunagakure pay.
In blood.
So this… is what it means to have true fighting spirit, he thought.
"Shimizu," Hiruzen Sarutobi said calmly, "courage and determination alone are not enough. Do you have a plan?"
There was a chance.
The Hokage hadn't rejected him outright.
Shimizu glanced around and realized that everyone was looking at him with expectation in their eyes.
Of course he had a plan—otherwise, he wouldn't have spoken at all.
"We split our forces," he began, his voice steady. "First, we send a portion of our troops to pursue the retreating enemy. They don't need to defeat them—just maintain pressure, make them believe we intend to press the advantage, and slow their return."
"Right now, Sunagakure may still have defensive forces in the village… but their top combat power—including the Jinchūriki and the Kazekage—was deployed here at Kikyo Castle."
"If we dispatch an elite force deep into the desert and strike directly at Sunagakure…" His eyes sharpened. "They won't see it coming. And they won't have enough strength left to stop us."
A faint, dangerous smile tugged at his lips.
"They destroyed Kikyo Castle…"
"So we burn their home."
An eye for an eye.
Blood for blood.
The crowd erupted instantly.
"YES!"
"Well said, Uzuki-senpai!"
"The Land of Fire isn't somewhere they can come and go as they please!"
"Let's burn Sunagakure to the ground!"
"Let them taste our Fire Release!"
Hiruzen raised a hand slightly, quieting the noise before asking, "And who do you propose to carry out these two tasks?"
Shimizu didn't hesitate.
"For the pursuit force… I believe Lord Hokage is the most suitable."
"And as for the strike force—" he paused briefly, then continued, "—Orochimaru and I will lead the elites in a direct assault on Sunagakure."
In Shimizu's mind, Sunagakure's retreat had everything to do with Hiruzen's arrival.
They were afraid.
Afraid of the Third Hokage's strength.
And with Hiruzen leading a fully restored elite force, the Sand would inevitably take his pursuit seriously—focusing their attention on him and delaying their return.
That would create the opening.
As for himself and Orochimaru…
Yes, they were nearly out of chakra now—but with enough soldier pills and the time it would take to cross the desert, they could recover.
They didn't need to be at full strength.
Even at half capacity, against a Sunagakure stripped of its top fighters, it would be more than enough.
Hiruzen frowned deeply, weighing the risks and gains.
Everyone held their breath, waiting for his final decision.
"Lord Hokage… may I say something?"
All eyes turned toward the speaker—a young member of the Uchiha clan.
"It's Shisui, isn't it? Go on," Hiruzen said, recognizing the boy as one of the top newly promoted chunin.
Shisui Uchiha stepped forward, his frame slender, yet his voice rang with unwavering resolve.
"Konoha is the strongest of the Five Great Ninja Villages. If we allow a mere Sunagakure to push us this far without response… the world will think we are weak."
"What Konoha lacks right now isn't strength—it's the courage to strike forward without hesitation."
"Sometimes, victory and defeat cannot be measured purely by gains and losses."
His gaze burned with conviction.
"Right now… we must show our fangs."
"I fully support Uzuki-senpai's proposal."
He paused for a brief moment, then continued, his tone growing even firmer—
"And more than that…"
"I, Shisui Uchiha, am willing to stake my life to complete this mission!"
"I am too!" Might Guy roared without hesitation, his blood already boiling with fervor. "Shisui, let's go together! We'll follow Uzuki-senpai!"
"Let the spirit of Konoha burn within us!"
"I volunteer!"
"So do I!"
One after another, more voices rang out, each person stepping forward of their own accord, eager to throw themselves into what could only be called a mad mission.
Watching the group of young shinobi before him—eyes blazing, battle intent surging—the Third Hokage suddenly felt the weight of his years.
There was a time when he had been just like them—fearless, reckless, willing to give everything without a second thought.
Back during the First Great Ninja War, when the Second Hokage had led the six of them into a desperate, inescapable situation, he too had stepped forward, volunteering himself as bait so the others might live.
Those wild, unforgiving days…
"…Ah, I really am getting old…"
He let out a quiet sigh before raising his head once more.
"In that case… go. Give it everything you've got."
…
......
.........
In less than half an hour, over six hundred gathered shinobi had swiftly formed a brand-new unit of 288 members.
Shimizu Uzuki was pushed into the role of commander of this hastily assembled force, while Orochimaru, surprisingly, took the position of his deputy.
Orochimaru showed no objection—in fact, he had been the one to suggest that Uzuki take command.
Was it because he knew he couldn't win a power struggle and chose to step back gracefully?
Or was there something more beneath the surface…?
"Uzuki-senpai, I've completed the headcount. We're ready to depart at any moment!" Arai reported. He was no longer a regiment commander but a squad leader under Shimizu's command, overseeing nine small teams.
Many others were in similar positions—former commanders and elite ANBU members who had willingly relinquished their ranks just to take part in this expedition.
"Do we have enough explosive tags?"
"More than enough!" the second captain replied.
"And supplies?"
"Fully stocked!" another answered.
Though the backbone of this 288-man elite force was still composed of chunin, the number of jōnin had reached a staggering fifty.
Such a ratio was unheard of—even the elite forces led by Minato Namikaze did not boast such a high proportion of top-tier shinobi.
Since the Third Hokage had approved this reckless mission, he had naturally committed as much strength as possible to ensure its success.
Even so, he did not forget to caution Uzuki: preserving lives must remain the top priority. They only needed to strike a blow to enemy morale—actually burning down Sunagakure was not a necessity.
And so, half an hour later, the force set out, heading straight for the Land of Wind.
"Hokage-sama… is it really wise to let them go like this?" an ANBU operative who had stood silently at his side finally spoke.
"Do you think assigning him all those jōnin is too risky?" the Third Hokage asked calmly.
"Yes. No matter how weakened Sunagakure may be, it won't be easy to attack. If things go wrong… we could lose all of them."
Jōnin were the backbone of any hidden village's military power. Gathering fifty of them for a single mission…
If they were lost, the damage to Konoha would far exceed even the losses from the Battle of Kikyo Castle.
It simply wasn't worth the risk.
"What do you think of Uzuki Shimizu as a person?" the Third Hokage suddenly asked.
"His strength is undeniable. I'd say he's not far from the level of the Legendary Sannin…"
"Only his strength?"
"…What do you mean, Hokage-sama?"
"No one has ever proposed attacking Sunagakure outright," the Third Hokage said slowly, his gaze sharp as a hawk. "Not even the White Fang ever suggested such a thing."
"A village built over decades isn't something you can simply destroy without overwhelming numbers…"
"And yet he dared to say it," the Third Hokage replied, a faint smile forming on his lips. "If he spoke those words, then he must have some degree of confidence."
He let out a quiet chuckle.
"Do you really think he would lead them to their deaths?"
"It's still too risky…"
"I thought so at first as well."
"…Then, Hokage-sama, you were influenced by their passion?"
"Hahaha! At my age, do you really think I'd be swayed by mere emotion?" he laughed heartily. "But if there truly is a chance to bring down Sunagakure… then in all these decades, this may be the only one."
He turned, his robes swaying slightly.
"It's time for us to move as well. We have our own role to play—we'll need to mobilize more forces to buy them enough time."
He paused, his expression settling into quiet certainty.
"Trust him."
Trust in the one who carries Konoha's destiny.