"This… this is!" Seeing the contents of the scroll, Isamu's eyes widened. He glanced at Danzo Shimura, and suddenly he had a bad premonition.
"Looks familiar, doesn't it?" Danzo crossed his arms and looked at Isamu calmly.
Inside the scroll was information about the Hidden Sand Village secretly mobilizing troops near the border of the Land of Fire. At the same time, the Hidden Stone Village had also begun increasing military activity. Although no official war had broken out yet, anyone with experience could already smell the tension in the air.
"The Third Great Ninja War is about to begin?" Isamu narrowed his eyes slightly.
Danzo nodded slowly.
"The higher-ups have already confirmed it. The smaller countries have begun clashing first, and now the major villages are all preparing for war. Based on the current situation, a full-scale war is only a matter of time."
"Hah… so it's finally starting." Isamu leaned back in his chair and sighed softly.
Peace in the ninja world had never lasted long. The end of the Second Great Ninja War had only brought a few years of breathing room before another storm arrived.
Danzo stared directly at Isamu and said in a deep voice, "I came here today because I need your help."
"Help?" Isamu immediately became alert. "Old Danzo, let me make this clear first: I'm retired now. I'm living the life of an ordinary citizen. Don't suddenly try dragging me back into overtime work."
"Ordinary citizen?" Danzo's mouth twitched slightly. "What kind of ordinary citizen can suppress the Nine-Tails with a Three-Tomoe Sharingan?"
"That was a family matter," Isamu replied shamelessly.
Danzo was instantly speechless.
After a long silence, he finally said, "The Village lacks high-end combat power. Sakumo is stationed outside the Village, Jiraiya and Orochimaru are both occupied, and Hiruzen cannot leave Konoha casually. If war breaks out completely, the Village will need people capable of stabilizing the battlefield."
"So you came to find me?"
"Yes."
"No."
Danzo's face darkened immediately.
"You refused before I even finished speaking?"
"Of course." Isamu picked up his teacup and took a sip leisurely. "I finally managed to escape the Root. Why would I jump back into the fire pit myself?"
"The Village raised you."
"The Village also chased me for years."
"That was because of misunderstandings."
"That misunderstanding almost got me killed."
"…."
Danzo suddenly realized he had no way to refute him.
Back then, Isamu had indeed been forced into a miserable situation. If Uzumaki Mito hadn't protected him repeatedly, things would have become even more troublesome.
Seeing Danzo fall silent, Isamu waved his hand.
"Relax. I'm not someone without feelings for Konoha. If the Village truly reaches the point of collapse, I naturally won't stand by and watch."
Hearing this, Danzo's expression eased slightly.
"But…" Isamu suddenly changed the topic.
"I won't become a tool for the higher-ups again. I can help, but only on my own terms."
Danzo frowned. "What terms?"
"Simple. Don't interfere with my freedom, don't drag my family into political nonsense, and don't make me join the Root again."
"That's impossible. With your strength—"
"Then there's nothing to discuss."
The atmosphere instantly became tense.
The two stared at each other for a while before Danzo finally compromised first.
"…Fine."
"Oh?" Isamu looked slightly surprised. "You actually agreed?"
"The current situation is special." Danzo snorted coldly. "Compared to losing Konoha's combat power, your conditions are acceptable."
"Hahaha! Old Danzo, you're getting more and more reasonable with age." Isamu laughed loudly.
"Don't get too pleased with yourself." Danzo glanced at him coldly. "I'm only agreeing temporarily."
"Temporary is good enough."
After saying that, Isamu rolled up the scroll and tossed it back onto the table.
"So, what exactly do you want me to do?"
Danzo lowered his voice.
"The Village plans to secretly form several elite squads. Once war officially begins, they'll be sent directly onto the battlefield for special operations."
"Special operations?" Isamu raised an eyebrow. "Sounds dangerous."
"It is dangerous. But ordinary ninjas cannot handle missions of that level."
"Let me guess… assassination, infiltration, intelligence theft, destroying supply lines?"
"Correct."
"Tch. Same old Konoha methods."
Danzo ignored the sarcasm and continued, "I want you to personally train a squad."
"A squad?" Isamu frowned slightly.
"Yes. A true elite unit."
Hearing this, Isamu suddenly became thoughtful.
If the Third Great Ninja War was truly beginning, then the future ninja world would become extremely chaotic. Training a capable squad in advance might not actually be a bad thing.
At the very least, it would increase the survival rate of certain people.
After thinking for a moment, Isamu suddenly smiled.
"Interesting."
"So you agree?"
"I can train them." Isamu tapped the table lightly. "But whether they survive or not depends on themselves."
"That's enough."
Danzo finally relaxed slightly.
Just as he stood up to leave, Isamu suddenly asked:
"By the way, Old Danzo, who are the candidates?"
Danzo paused for a moment before slowly speaking several names.
"Minato Namikaze."
"Uchiha Fugaku."
"Aburame Shibi."
"And… Senju Senba."
Hearing the last name, Isamu's expression immediately became strange.
"You included my son too?"
Danzo said calmly, "War doesn't care whose child he is."