Chapter 32: The Calm Before the Storm (2)

One would think that the Hokage has it all. Strength, power, probably women aside from their wife or at times, wives, wealth beyond belief. But not him. Not the Hokages it would seem as Hiruzen felt cursed. He'd had a boy last year, Asuma Sarutobi, and what he wouldn't give away to be with him... what he knowingly refused to give away. Hiruzen was aware of his vices by now.

He had strength, yes, but it was shackled by a desk and a hat of power. He had political power, sure, but it was shackled by the council of clans and the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. He had a wife, yes, but keeping them parted was a mountain of paperwork that he CHOSE to do. He had wealth, not beyond belief, but he and his clan were certainly rich yet, he couldn't spend it on himself or shower his family with the love they deserved.

He chose to be here. He would argue, for the good of the clan. But Hiruzen was being increasingly perceptive that the reason was a bit too personal... a bit too selfish. He enjoyed this. The frustration in his veins as he sat in front of the three elders, his comrades from war, as they bickered about anything and everything. He was innocent before but... that's power for you. It's seductive, far beyond his wife's touch. It's corruptive, far beyond an Uchiha's Sharingan. Hiruzen felt he could keep it at bay and he was succeeding at that, but the fact that he refused to give it up even after more than 10 years with already quite several prospective candidates ready to take over the position made it clear... he had changed.

When? Sarutobi didn't know.

But he had changed.

"I propose to enlist Chunin Kai into war missions," Danzo's words broke Hiruzen out of his thoughts as Homura and Koharu grew silent. They... had their fears about the boy. His growth was monstrous and their little control over him due to his affiliations with the Uzumaki Clan and the Senju Clan. But they knew that Hiruzen won't take the news kindly. All of them could perceive his changes but a few things remained the same.

The Will of Fire, as dictated to others, also remained in Hiruzen Sarutobi but he wondered if it had been twisted. It couldn't be, right? The thought of sending a child... to a war...

"And I propose you're out of your goddamn mind!" Hiruzen narrowed his eyes, obviously aware of the fears of his friends but before they could berate him, he added coldly, "And I also propose one Anbu unit is enough under the Hokage as all Root does anything different is the added seal mark that I allowed you to put on the men and women of Konohagakure. I also propose that men and women ill in mind be removed from the Advisory Council of the Elders because if you're suggesting to send a child to war, contradicting the very thing that formed this village, then you're out of your damn minds!"

Danzo, Koharu, and Homura instantly felt stifled with his chiding, fully knowing that there are a few things Hiruzen would never budge for or would be persuaded in favor of. Danzo frowned and gritted his teeth, "Kai killed his first prisoner without an ounce of trauma. He has shown enough talent and my sources are 20℅ sure that Team Tsunade has already started to train in Nature Transformation and if his previous record and growth indicate anything is that he will be ready for war. Would you keep away such a prospective jonin away from war when he could work for the village and save as many allies as possible?"

But sweet and flowery words won't have any effects as Hiruzen inhaled the 'stuff' from his pipe to calm his nerves before he does something stupid like stripping Danzo of his position and spoke a bit more calmly now, "Yes, I would keep away such a boy from the impending war."

The straight refusal made Danzo feel a little bitter. But he only felt like that for a second as Koharu frowned and added, "Hiruzen... as much as I understand your concerns. The war may make us lose sight of some internal problems. The Uzushiogakure has refused our call for assistance and refuses to participate in a war, claiming that they will have no hand in another wave of bloodshed. And given how the other three villages have long torn away from the pretenses, they are fortifying their borders quicker than we are... and now there's the problem of Uchiha."

As Hiruzen had expected before, Uchiha would want to support the village when Tsunade's actions of funding the village through the Senju Treasury became apparent. Hiruzen thought he knew the deeper problem that the Senju clan was being targeted by mysterious forces. The Uchihas stepped up by enlisting their young chunins for war forces. Well, it was clear that Hiruzen was just a few months away from ordering them either way, but their act of voluntarily doing this made the elders curse Uchihas. This wouldn't have happened if the Senju and the Uchiha weren't showing signs of cordiality most beneficial for the village but... terrible news for the elders.

Hiruzen narrowed his eyes. Cordial or not... Uchiha had a complicated history. A past that made the present fear them. After all, they were just one Madara away from destroying the village and from what it looks like, a new Hashirama is too rare to come by again.

'No... there already are a few candidates that WILL surpass me...' The first thought of Hiruzen went towards his own three disciples.

Tsunade with her Iryo-nin and massive strength threatening even the likes of Kages alongside her naturally strong body and healing factor due to her Senju Kekkei Genkai.

Orochimaru with his unorthodox and unpredictable fighting style that makes it harder to counter him and his interest in jutsus unheard of makes him a threat to the uninformed.

And Jiraiya. Call him whatever you want but Hiruzen, Orochimaru, and Tsunade were well aware that the man of white mane had the potential to learn something that only the first Hokage ever mastered and his training was going well. Jiraiya's strength lay in his luck. If Tsunade is a gambling hellhole then Jiraiya will remain the ace that best all the cards when it matters the most.

Then Hiruzen recalled the reports on their disciples.

The first and the most unassuming— Nawaki. A solid chunin candidate that will become a Jonin in time. Deep clan heritage and he had inherited only the good things from his clan as his body's resilience was second to none among his clan peers and Orochimaru's training only enhanced the boy's good qualities while covering the most glaring holes.

Then came Minato. Jiraiya had some rather stellar hopes for the boy and was already preparing him in a way that would allow Minato to learn THAT skill more easily, something Jiraiya wished he did while growing up. Minato also showed a good amount of Fuinjutsu talent and managed to gain some form of improvement from Lord Second's scroll. Hiruzen figured that Tsunade would come knocking and demand the scroll for her disciples, too, something he would have provided but... she never did.

Last but surely not the least was Kai. Hiruzen didn't know where to start in a rare moment of speechlessness. If Minato had stellar hopes riding on his shoulders then Kai had those hopes surpassed already in more ways than one. Reports from Tsunade were clear enough. Training ethic, unmatched. Mission ethic, too good. Taijutsu at the level that Tsunade wondered if he stole the Senju Clan's knowledge. Ninjutsu and sensory skills being top-notch. Fuinjutsu skills that would allow him to set up a business venture related to the shinobi tools easily. Orochimaru praised the boy for his Genjutsu expertise more. One thing that did put a blemish was his... and Jiraiya's acts of cordiality, they say. Exchanging magazines and stuff... some of which even Hiruzen was envious of.

But nobody is perfect.

Then came the two rather contentious candidates.

Kushima Uzumaki and Mikoto Uchiha. Kushina... could never replace him, not with the role she was brought in Konoha to fulfill. Meanwhile, Mikoto's ancestry did make things harder for her but not impossible. Not with the Uchiha's current reputation that grew with the knowledge of them voluntarily enlisting their men to preserve the peace outside as they would do inside.

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The reality was that even now, nobody would admit publicly that a war is brewing. None would.

Hiruzen leaned back on his chair, arms crossing as he set his pipe on the table meaning that their 'informal' chat was coming to an end, "If all you three are here to do is complain and fuss over things then I believe we have a war to prepare. Anything else?"

They grew silent and eventually shook their heads, making Hiruzen wonder what even they really wanted from him? Should he just wipe the Uchiha and Senju just because they can sleep easily? Hiruzen... failed to even see the shadow of his comrades that Homura and Koharu were once while Danzo... for all his strength and abilities to get work done, his radical mindset was starting to become the slightest more bothersome.

But that wasn't the end of it. The elders had a... habit of having a word with him before the actual council so that they could have things go a bit in their favor and Hiruzen knew he was a bit biased in their favor for unimportant things. Soon, he walked out, too. Walking down the familiar hall in the Hokage Building, he soon entered the room filled with the elders he just dismissed and the clan leaders.

Settling down and taking a breath, Hiruzen looked over to the Village's Jonin Commander— Shikudo Nara as he sat straight in one of the rare moments of attentiveness, "Commander Nara... did you set up the 'Diplomatic' Missions Center?"

"It was set up today, Lord Hokage," Shikudo revealed as others looked at him, "These Diplomatic Missions will all be considered at least B-rank missions with the number of shinobi and kunoichi expected entirely dependent on the Hokage's discretion. That is what will be published outside. The war missions will range from the assassination of high profile targets based on our intelligence and setting up outposts in Amegakure."

"As everyone here is informed already, Hanzo of Amegakure will allow the war to occur on the outskirts of his land. For every village destroyed, he expects payment in the form of Shinobi tools, seal, and of course, money."

"But this is only one such case. Hanzo is a man too strong to be antagonized and if he is offering a method for us to deal with our problems, it is expected we take it. Such conditions, however, cannot be expected from the Land of Rice, Waterfall, Grass, and Hotsprings. The Diplomatic Missions will be focused on these lands and a few missions we must complete for Hanzo free of charge that will involve... the liberation of some occupied lands in Amegakure..."

The meaning was clear. They'd have to act like Hanzo's butcher and cull the populace against his tyranny while they themselves will be the tyrant who will have to occupy some advantageous locations...

"You're suggesting that Konoha starts the war," As usual, quick to pick on and not beating around the bush, the Aburame clan head concluded calmly.

There was silence in the council at the moment. Hiruzen noted the flashes of silent indignation on many. Most notable of them came from the Akimichi head, Tsunade, Yamanaka, and Shikudo himself. But Hiruzen knew that everyone on the table understood one thing. The moment the enemy finds their sweet time to start the war, they will be utterly prepared. Konohagakure is strong. Arguably, the strongest. But if the three manage to reach the level of preparation they felt enough to face Konoha, then Hiruzen felt they would have to face tremendous losses while defending themselves.

"The First Hokage," Hiruzen looked a little thoughtful. He wouldn't have done this but things were shifting and if he wanted to remain on top of it... he must give the credit when deserved, "And Madara Uchiha created the village so that no child faces a war without them meaning to."

Many shuffled in their seats and even Yata Uchiha looked a bit speechless before a gratifying smile touched his lips which were in stark opposition to Danzo's thinned lips and his eye narrowed in a reproachful look.

"The Second Hokage appointed me the Third Hokage before sacrificing his life against the forces deployed by Third Raikage during his coup against the Second Raikage. Konoha is built on the spirit of sacrifice and if it means sacrificing our morals, our values, and even our lives to protect the lives of our future generation so they may grow safely... we must do what is necessary."

Hiruzen took a deep breath. He had witnessed large battles but never had he witnessed or even initiated a war. Yet, here he was.

Strangling the last bit of hesitation, Hiruzen remarked unexpectedly quietly for such a shaking action, "Prepare the men for the Diplomatic Missions. All of you will now answer to the orders related to war and the relevant clan privileges will cease until the war is successfully passed. Every A-rank and above Diplomatic mission must be completed successfully with failure not being an option."

His cold words filled the room in chilling silence as they all quietly stood up and bowed, indicating their acceptance of the situation without any squeak of resistance.

***

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