A group of people were advising Jiraiya, trying to talk him out of going to Amegakure to die.
Jiraiya was helpless.
Danzo looked at Kushina and said, "Kushina, you must master the power of the Nine-Tails as soon as possible. Only then can we counter Uchiha Madara."
Kushina was helpless. "How am I supposed to master it? The Nine-Tails roars the moment it sees me. Even Grandma Mito couldn't control the Nine-Tails's power, so how could I possibly succeed?"
Inside Kushina's belly, the Nine-Tails was like an incompetent husband, bound up tightly.
Inside the bellies of Kushina and Uzumaki Mito, the Nine-Tails could only hiss; it didn't even have a single bit of room to move.
While such a powerful seal could indeed suppress the full Nine-Tails, the Tailed Beast's power was also completely locked away, making it impossible for the Jinchuriki to utilize.
The Eight Trigrams Seal that Minato gave Naruto allows the Tailed Beast's Chakra to leak out, which is what gives Naruto the chance to control the Nine-Tails's Chakra.
Minato began laying his plans from the moment he met Obito; his vision for the big picture was comparable to Tobirama's.
"..."
Everyone fell silent.
Danzo said, "Ally with Kumogakure as soon as possible. Kumogakure has been utilizing Tailed Beasts since the Warring States Period; their research on Tailed Beasts is at the forefront of the Five Great Ninja Villages."
Everyone nodded.
But Minato shook his head. "No, Kushina is already pregnant with my child. She cannot go to the battlefield, let alone try to control a dangerous Tailed Beast like the Nine-Tails."
Minato stood in front of Kushina, shielding her from all danger.
Danzo shouted, "Then abort the fetus! If we can't defeat Uchiha Madara, your child will have no hope anyway!"
Minato said firmly, "No, I believe we can definitely defeat Uchiha Madara."
"What do you have to believe in? Your Flying Thunder God? No, Flying Thunder God can't deal with Madara," Danzo questioned.
The Third Hokage stepped forward. "Danzo, how many times have I told you? Don't say things that are detrimental to unity."
"This matter ends here. Kushina is pregnant and cannot go to the battlefield."
"If even pregnant women have to go to the battlefield, then we are too much of a failure. We might as well just let Uchiha Madara rule us."
"Hiruzen!!"
Danzo barked angrily. Was now the time to be acting on impulse?
Did these people have even the slightest sense of the big picture?
The Third Hokage shouted even louder than him, "That's enough! Konoha is already incompetent enough to send children who have just graduated to the battlefield. If we send pregnant women as well..."
"...I will commit seppuku in front of the First Hokage's Hokage Rock."
Danzo withdrew his head, his teeth clenched so hard they almost shattered.
How he wished he had stepped forward one step faster than Hiruzen back then, so the teacher would have recognized him and passed the position of Hokage to him.
Unfortunately, it was his fear of death that made him a step too late.
If the teacher were present, what would he do?
Danzo looked out the window at the Second Hokage's face on the Hokage Rock, gnashing his teeth.
Danzo thought hard. All these people were mediocre; only Tobirama's powerful judgment could come up with the best solution.
Would the teacher let the Jinchuriki fight?
No, the teacher had a kindness that he didn't.
What would the teacher do?
The only one who can defeat Madara is the First the Hokage!
The First Hokage!
Right! Edo Tensei!
Danzo's pupils constricted as he finally remembered Tobirama's most bizarre Ninjutsu, also a powerful Forbidden Jutsu that he had desperately tried to seal away.
Now, only by reincarnating the teacher and the First the Hokage through Edo Tensei can Konoha be saved.
Danzo stormed out, slamming the door.
"Hiruzen, go ahead and act willfully on your own! I'm going to commit seppuku before our teacher's grave. I'll go down and tell the old man that your indecisiveness will destroy Konoha sooner or later."
"..."
Danzo didn't want to tell them about Edo Tensei; he wanted to hog all the glory of saving the Ninja World for himself.
Perhaps, this time he could become the Hokage.
I, Danzo, shall also dance.
The Third Hokage wanted to call back Danzo's departing figure; he wanted to say that the graves of the Previous Hokage had been dug up.
But he feared Danzo would just hiss again if he heard it, so he decided against it.
The Third Hokage said to Kushina, "Kushina, don't worry. We will never let you go to the battlefield."
Kushina was somewhat unwilling. "How can I rest easy when I can't stand up when I'm needed most?"
Minato comforted her, "Kushina, for the sake of the child, you must not be impulsive."
Kushina nodded.
Kushina then looked at the white cat in her hand. "What should we do with this thing? How about we kill it as a sacrifice to the flag when the Five Kage Summit is held and the Shinobi Allied Forces is formed?"
Jiraiya was extremely resentful towards Ryou, so he nodded upon hearing this suggestion. "Good idea. When the Five Kage Summit is held and the Shinobi Allied Forces is formed, we'll bring Ryou's clone out to be sacrificed to the flag before we set out."
The white cat hissed.
Everyone chuckled.
The Third Hokage looked at Ryou's clone, and an idea gradually formed in his mind.
Based on his analysis of Ryou, this construct couldn't possibly accept Madara's Genjutsu World.
It was precisely because of his uncontrollable desires that he wanted to research Forbidden Jutsu and restore his youth.
Perhaps they could cooperate.
"Kushina, I'll leave Ryou's clone to you for now. You have a lot of Chakra; make sure it doesn't disappear at any time."
"But it must also be sealed day and night. Don't let it establish contact with its main body."
"Yes!"
Kushina nodded.
Minato also saw it; Ryou and Madara weren't on the same side. The Third Hokage was planning to win Ryou over.
If that were the case, their chances of winning would be even greater.
After everything was arranged and everyone had left, the Third Hokage called out Shisui, who was serving in the Anbu.
"Shisui, take a trip to Kirigakure front. Explain the details of the Eye of the Moon Plan to the people of the Uchiha Clan."
"Yes!"
Shisui left with a Body Flicker. Only the Third Hokage remained in the Jonin Council Room, looking at the Hokage Rock with his head down, smoking, thinking about who knows what.
...Deep underground in Konoha.
The Jonin Council meeting had ended, and Orochimaru had overheard what he wanted to hear.
To summarize, the Eye of the Moon Plan was forcing the Five Great Ninja Villages to set aside their hatred for each other and move towards an alliance.
Orochimaru was disdainful of this.
What does "a motley crew" mean? Obito had explained it to the orphaned Naruto. It refers to a group of people thrown together temporarily, with no organization or discipline.
To expect this group of people to deal with Madara's Rinnegan was simply preposterous.
The Ninja World still needs me, Orochimaru, to save it.
Orochimaru created a clone to find Anko and research the White Zetsu cells together.
What could Anko's little brain possibly research? She was here to be researched by others.
Hiruko looked at Sakumo. "Well? Sakumo, do you know what you were summoned for now?"
Sakumo sighed. "I know. I will participate in the war against Uchiha Madara, but I have one condition."
Orochimaru said, "Sakumo, name it. Is it to kill Danzo? I can kill Danzo now."
Having reincarnated the First and Second, Orochimaru was basically the Underground Emperor of Konoha; he could kill whoever he wanted!
Sakumo shook his head. "I want to see Kakashi!"
Orochimaru nodded. "Go ahead! That child has become a bit distracted by the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan; his talent shouldn't be limited to the Sharingan."
Orochimaru was now a fervent supporter of Bloodline Theory, but he didn't support just any ordinary Sharingan.
What Orochimaru supported was the Mangekyo Sharingan and Wood Release like Hashirama's.
He looked down on everything else.
In the long run, Kakashi's excessive reliance on the Sharingan was a waste of his talent.
He became a Chunin at age six and was the youngest Jonin in Konoha's history.
Kakashi's Chakra attributes cover all types.
What does that mean?
The Second Hokage, the Third Hokage, and Orochimaru all had all natures of Chakra.
Theoretically, their Ninja talent was among the top tier; they were born geniuses, destined to be the elite among Ninjas.
Geniuses always appreciate other geniuses. Orochimaru didn't want to see a talent go to waste; he wanted to see Sakumo pass his complete legacy to Kakashi.
So that Kakashi could truly grow.
As for the White Fang's Ninjutsu, even the Sannin would have to avoid its sharp edge.