On the other side, after leaving, Gento did not head directly to the Hokage Tower.
He turned through several streets and went straight to the Leaf Police Force, knocking on the door of Great Elder Soen.
"Come in."
A somewhat weary voice of Soen came from inside.
Gento pushed the door open and entered.
"Great Elder, I have returned from the mission."
Soen raised his eyes, his brows instinctively furrowing:
"The mission is complete, yet instead of reporting to the Hokage, you come to me… what for?"
Gento sighed inwardly.
Long confined within the perspective of the Hidden Leaf Village and the Police Force, combined with the inherent pride and political naivety of the Uchiha clan, had limited Great Elder Soen's scope.
When it came to the impending war and the opportunity the Uchiha might seize, his political instincts were far too dull.
Gento stopped wasting time and reported:
"I was ordered to investigate abnormalities at the border. It has now been confirmed that the intelligence is true.
"The Hidden Sand Village plans to launch a large-scale attack on the Hidden Leaf Village in two months!"
"What?!"
Great Elder Soen's expression stiffened in disbelief
"How would the Sand dare?
"T-then… how should our Leaf respond?"
His loss of composure exposed the panic within his heart.
It was no wonder he was so astonished.
At the beginning of the Third Great Shinobi War, the Hidden Sand Village had used the disappearance of the Kazekage as a pretext to provoke conflict. Only after a hard-fought battle did Leaf obtain a ceasefire.
Now, with Leaf fighting on multiple fronts and its main forces scattered, it was at its weakest… despite that, the Hidden Sand Village chose this very moment to stir up war once again!
Seeing the Great Elder's reaction, a trace of disappointment flashed through Gento's eyes.
He asked in a deep voice:
"Great Elder, after I report this matter to the Hokage, how do you think the Hokage will decide?"
Soen was stunned by the question and answered instinctively:
"'Urgently prepare for war. Mobilize Shinobi and respond to the invasion.'"
"Exactly, the Hokage will prepare for war as quickly as possible."
"But where will those Shinobi be drawn from? How much can the standoffs on the frontlines with the Hidden Stone, Hidden Cloud, and Hidden in the Mist be relaxed?
"In the end, won't manpower still have to be drawn from the major clans remaining in the village… especially from our Uchiha Police Force?"
These words made Soen's expression turn grim.
Gento continued:
"On other battlefields, our Uchiha have already made great sacrifices… but have those sacrifices earned us any merit?"
"No! The sacrifices of the Uchiha have not earned any merit at all!"
"The Hokage has not remembered the Uchiha's sacrifices, and Danzo only wants to use us as cannon fodder!"
Gento's voice carried grief, and even more so, a suppressed anger.
"The Uchiha, once renowned across the Shinobi world, have now been reduced to tools at the disposal of Leaf's higher-ups."
Gento's words caused Soen's pupils to contract sharply.
This speech struck directly at the core of his heart.
The dissatisfaction within the clan, the mourning of the families of the fallen, the increasingly awkward position within the village…
But what could the Uchiha do?
Seeing Soen's expression, Gento knew the moment was right, so he continued:
"We need a victory.
"A victory great enough to shake the entire Shinobi world, one that will make everyone recognize the glory of the Uchiha once again!
"The upcoming battle at Kikyo Pass is the best stage, and also the Uchiha's opportunity.
"If you are willing to trust me, then please entrust me with coordinating the elite forces within the clan that can still be mobilized.
"I will lead them, in the coming great war, to carve out a path of blood for the Uchiha! To reclaim the respect we have lost and win back the glory we deserve!"
His voice was firm and decisive as he said:
"I will make the Uchiha great again!"
Soen stared blankly at the young man before him.
Gento stood tall, his gaze sharp. The confidence and boldness between his brows made Soen, for a fleeting moment, seem to see the shadow of that legendary ancestor…
Madara Uchiha.
Indeed, ever since this child awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, it was as if he had been reborn. His vision, courage, and strength all far surpassed those of his peers.
Soen fell silent.
After a long while, he finally nodded heavily.
"Good! This old man… will trust you this once! I will use my authority to support you to the greatest extent in mobilizing the clan's forces. The future of the Uchiha will be wagered on this battle of yours!"
It worked!
Gento steadied his heart before speaking once again.
"I will not fail your trust!"
After obtaining Great Elder Soen's promise, Gento did not delay any longer and headed to the Hokage Tower.
Inside the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, took the mission report handed over by Gento and skimmed through it.
After a moment, he put down the report and said in a deep voice:
"Convene a high council and Jonin meeting at once!"
Very soon, the meeting room was filled once again.
"Gento, explain the situation in detail."
Hiruzen ordered.
Gento stepped forward in response.
He gave a detailed account of the border investigation, the encounter with the Hidden Sand's elite squad, the acquisition of intelligence, the battle, and the return.
Of course, he omitted Kurenai being afflicted with the aphrodisiac poison and their intoxicating night.
As he spoke, the atmosphere in the meeting room grew increasingly heavy.
The Hidden Sand would launch an attack on the Hidden Leaf in two months.
For Leaf, which had yet to catch its breath from fighting on multiple fronts, this news was nothing short of making matters worse.
"Everyone is now clear on the situation."
Hiruzen exhaled a thick puff of smoke and said slowly.
"Let's hear it. What should we do?"
Koharu Utatane was the first to speak:
"We absolutely cannot go to war!
"Years of warfare have strained the village's finances, casualties among Shinobi have been severe, and new forces cannot replenish fast enough.
"We no longer have much strength to invest in a new battlefield! The priority now is to recuperate and rebuild."
Homura Mitokado echoed:
"Well said, I absolutely agree!
"How about we dispatch envoys to the Land of Wind, formally inform the Hidden Sand that their scheme has been uncovered, order them to cease all provocations, and reopen peace talks; afterward, we could strive to resolve the conflict through political means."
Listening to the two advisors, Hiruzen tapped his fingers on the table, a contemplative look appearing on his face, seemingly quite moved.
Maintaining peace at the lowest cost aligned with his consistent governing style.
"Absurd!"
A cold shout rang out.
Danzo stood up, leaning on his cane, his single eye sweeping sharply over Koharu and Homura before settling on Hiruzen:
"Hiruzen, you are far too weak! This is blatant aggression! It is a trampling of the dignity of the Land of Fire!
"If we show weakness and seek peace, it will only make the Hidden Sand and other covetous villages think the Hidden Leaf can be bullied, inviting even more schemes and attacks!"
Shikaku Nara rubbed his temples and analyzed calmly:
"Danzo-sama, the Feudal Lord of the Land of Fire is not satisfied with the results of recent wars and intends to cut funding.
"Once a new battlefield is opened, military expenditures, supply logistics, and rear support pressure will all increase sharply.
"With the village's current state, sustaining long-term multi-front warfare will be extremely difficult."
Koharu snorted coldly and mocked:
"Hmph, Danzo, you speak so nicely, but where will the Shinobi needed to open a new battlefield come from?"
Danzo dismissed their doubts with disdain.
"As for funds, if we economize, there will always be enough. As for Shinobi…
"I suppose the major clans will have to endure a bit more hardship."
"Danzo! You…!"
Hearing this, the clan heads all glared at Danzo.
"Listen to what you're saying. Is that even human?"
"What do you mean by 'let the major clans suffer a bit more'?"
Hiruzen watched the arguing crowd, his brows furrowed.
He did not state his position, his gaze sweeping across the faces of everyone present before finally landing on Soen Uchiha, who sat in the corner with his eyes closed, seemingly resting.
"What does the Uchiha think?"
Hiruzen's sudden question instantly silenced the meeting room.
All eyes turned in unison toward the Uchiha seats.
Indeed, if one were to speak of forces within the village that could assemble a considerable combat strength in no time, aside from the Anbu and certain special units, it would be the relatively independent and permanently stationed Leaf Police Force.
There were hundreds of elite Uchiha there.
Great Elder Soen slowly opened his eyes, yet did not stand, nor did he look at Hiruzen; he slightly turned his head and said calmly to Gento beside him:
"Gento, you will represent the will of the Uchiha."
After speaking, he closed his eyes again, as if detached from the matter, handing all decision-making authority to this young clansman.
This scene caused varied expressions among the high-ranking officials present, waves stirring within their hearts.
Soen's action was undoubtedly a public declaration that Gento could now represent the will of the Uchiha.
However, upon reflection, it was quite reasonable.
After all, Gento's political foresight had already been proven.
As time progressed, both the Hidden Stone and Hidden Cloud had shown signs of seeking a ceasefire.
Even Sand's current plans for invasion validated his earlier judgment.
Under the complex gazes of the crowd, Gento slowly stood up.
Suddenly, without warning, a system notification sounded in his mind.
[Ding! Host has triggered a main quest.]
[Main Quest Issued: Become the Commander-in-Chief of the Hidden Sand battlefield!]
⟩ Take command of a major battle that will determine the fate of the Hidden Leaf, and establish an unquestionable leadership position within it.
[Mission Reward: Draw Chance ×1.]
Become the commander-in-chief?
Just what I wanted!
Gento immediately spoke:
"A single decisive strike can prevent a hundred more!
"Our Uchiha stance is this: since the Hidden Sand wants to fight, then we will fight them!
"We will keep fighting until they know pain!"
...
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