Shikaku understood Hiruzen’s plan. If they were going to send soone to show their strength, they were going full force. Considering the monstrous talent and already high strength of these teenage ninjas, it was not an overstatent that they would crush every one of their opponents in the Chunin Exam. Heck, even every single one of them had the capability of passing each round alone, all while showing off the overwhelming lead Konoha had in talent.
If all three of them combined as a team, there would be no doubt that the result would be more than satisfactory. But...
“Itachi is the next heir of the Uchiha Clan. If he goes to the Chunin Exam in another village, there is no doubt they will use every ans necessary to eliminate him. His talent isn’t hidden in Konoha, and by the number of spies other villages have in Konoha, they also know about his talent. If given a chance, they will most likely eliminate him.
And the other two talents would be an additional bonus for them. Even though it may be a very good reason for starting a war, they will not give up this chance,” Shikaku said.
“I’m planning on sending Jiraiya as their sensei, along with Shisui as their bodyguard, and an Anbu squad consisting only of Anbu captains,” Hiruzen said.
Shikaku’s eyes widened upon hearing that.
“Two S-rank ninja and four elite Jonin specialized in killing... That’s a team even a Kage would fear, and it may be sufficient to guard those three. But even they aren’t invincible. The Chunin Exam will go on for at least a month. If the enemy knows about this team, they will surely make plans to handle them. Even though Jiraiya-sama is powerful, he wouldn’t be able to handle the situation if four or five S-rank ninja attack him all at once,” Shikaku said.
Though S-rank ninja were rare, if two villages, like Kumogakure and Iwagakure, combined their strength, four or five S-rank ninja could easily be gathered. Three Jinchuriki, Darui, Aye, Onoki, and many others.
“The Chunin Exam is going to happen in Kumogakure this ti. Onoki isn’t going to risk sending his best ninja or even going himself so deep into enemy territory,” Hiruzen said.
“Yes, but even if that’s the case, the temptation to effectively cripple Konoha is too hard to resist,” Shikaku said.
“You’re thinking of the optimal route, Shikaku. Think from Onoki’s perspective,” Hiruzen said. The gears in Shikaku’s mind started turning rapidly.
“Why did we send so many ninja to Kumogakure? Is it a trap to lure them out and take care of so common enemies?” Shikaku asked, but these weren’t his own thoughts—they were his idea of what Onoki would think.
“Yes, he’s not going to take such a risk, especially since Jiraiya could easily take on two to three Kage-level ninja if he enters Sage Mode,” Hiruzen said.
“Right. And without Iwagakure’s support, Jiraiya-sama could easily hold his ground against Kumogakure. Unless they really deploy all their village’s force, it would be very difficult to do anything to our troops,” Shikaku said.
Hiruzen just nodded his head at this.
“Lord Third, are you really serious about this? Because if we take this step, the other villages will start to get wary of us. Especially since you’re planning on showing the top three talents of our village— all three of them have the potential of becoming S-rank, and along with Kakashi and Fugaku, our village will have the most S-rank ninja in the future. There’s no way other villages will take this lightly, and the consequences of this action will be very dire,” Shikaku said.
“If I send only one ninja, it would be a high-risk, low-reward scenario. The effect wouldn’t be as grand, and the risk would still be the sa. If we’re going to take the risk, the reward should match it, right? As for other villages, when have we not had to worry about them? They’ll cause trouble for us, one way or another. As a leader, it’ll be my responsibility to handle those situations. But for now, this is final. Start making preparations. The Chunin Exam is in one month,” Hiruzen said.
“Yes, Lord Third. I’ll call Fugaku for a eting as soon as possible,” Shikaku said. Though lazy, he was one of the most talented and responsible people when he got serious.
He quickly went to his office and sent an official order to Fugaku for a eting with the Hokage. Though the timing wasn’t ntioned, Fugaku was asked to co as soon as possible. As a clan head, they couldn’t summon him whenever they wanted, so this type of order was sent.
…
Fugaku was sitting in his office, enjoying so rare peaceful ti. Ever since Danzo was removed from the equation, his workload had beco far less hectic. He didn’t have to worry about assigning life-threatening missions to his clan mbers anymore, nor did he have to worry about the increasing number of D-rank missions that not many would take. Though he still had to assign missions, they matched the skill and level of the Uchiha, reducing his workload.
Knock knock
“Co in,” Fugaku said.
“Sir, an order ca from the Hokage building,” his secretary entered, carrying a letter in her hand.
“Okay,” Fugaku said. As soon as he took the letter, the secretary left the office.
'A summons, huh? What happened this ti?' Fugaku thought. Since he was already free at the mont, he decided to visit the Hokage building right away.
…
Knock knock
“Co in,” Hiruzen’s voice ca from inside the office.
“Sir, Fugaku-sama is here for the eting.”
“Send him in,” Hiruzen said.
Fugaku entered the office after a couple of minutes, only to find that soone other than Hiruzen was also present.
“Shikaku is joining the eting? Did sothing serious happen?” Fugaku asked as soon as he entered the office.
“First, take a seat, Fugaku,” Hiruzen said, his tone firm.
“Yes, Lord Third,” Fugaku said, bowing slightly before taking the seat in front of Hiruzen.
“As you know, Fugaku, our village hasn’t been performing well in the Chunin Exams…” Hiruzen proceeded to explain the pretext of his decision.
“So, since we’ve now recovered sufficient strength, I’ve decided to stop holding back. We’re going to send the best team for the Chunin Exam this year,” Hiruzen said.
“I understand, Lord Third, but I still don’t understand why you’re telling all this,” Fugaku asked, though he had already guessed the reason.
“The team I’m planning to send is Itachi Uchiha, Kaida Uchiha, and Kabuto Yakushi,” Hiruzen said.
Fugaku went silent for so ti, then said, “I refuse, Lord Third.”
It was a direct challenge to the Hokage’s authority. Hiruzen released a little of his chakra subconsciously, and the atmosphere beca tense, but Fugaku sat there, unperturbed by it.
This was the very reason Danzo had used to oppress the Uchiha: they were too powerful. Even though Hiruzen, the Hokage, was powerful in terms of both strength and rank, Fugaku was not weak either. Being a Kage-rank ninja and the head of the Uchiha Clan, one of the—if not the—most powerful clans in Konoha, his position wasn’t small.
That’s why he had the confidence to refuse the Hokage’s order. If there were any other clan head in his place, they would have to accept the order, whether they wanted to or not. But Fugaku had power, and with that power, he had the chance to negotiate, which he did.
“I’m sorry, Lord Third, but I’m sure you can understand why I’m refusing. Two out of the three mbers are from the Uchiha Clan, and my son Itachi is a once-in-a-generation talent and the hope of not just but my whole clan. I can’t put his life at risk. Then there’s Kaida, a young prodigy just like my son. He’s on the sa level of talent. If sothing happens to them, not only the Uchiha Clan but the entire village will face a huge loss,” Fugaku said, trying to explain his reasoning.
“I know what you’re thinking, but don’t worry. Their lives won’t be in danger. Jiraiya will take responsibility for their safety. I’ll also send an Anbu squad consisting only of Anbu captains, and Shisui will accompany them as well. If this doesn’t guarantee their safety, then nothing will,” Hiruzen said.
Fugaku’s face hardened. On the surface, it looked like a perfectly good idea, but for him, it was a double-edged sword. Three of the most promising next-generation ninja of his clan were going into enemy territory to crush their young ninja and showcase their talent. If, by any chance, sothing bad happened, Konoha would face a monuntal loss, but the Uchiha Clan would be the most devastated. Still, there wasn’t much he could do.
"I agree, Lord Third, but just to be on the safe side, I would like to send an Uchiha squad with them as well," Fugaku said.
"I don’t have a problem with that if the heir of the Uchiha clan takes his bodyguards with him," Hiruzen replied with a smile.
"Thank you, Lord Third," Fugaku said.
"They will leave in one month. You can use this ti to train your son a little more. As for Kaida, tell him to co and et tomorrow," Hiruzen added.
"I can take care of his training as well, Lord Third," Fugaku offered.
"He is already a strong Uchiha, but not yet a strong Senju. Let the boy try to maximize his full potential, Fugaku," Hiruzen said, his tone gentle, though Fugaku knew there was no room for argunt now. He simply accepted the order.
"As you wish, Lord Third. I will send him here tomorrow," Fugaku said.
"Okay."
Fugaku bowed and left the office.
"The Uchiha are becoming a little autonomous," Shikaku noted.
"I'm not so mind-controlling monster, Shikaku. It's good to have soone who can question your decisions once in a while. That role used to be filled by Danzo, but now maybe Fugaku will take it," Hiruzen said, puffing out smoke from his freshly lit pipe.
"You should stop doing that, Lord Third. You're getting old, and it's not good for your health," Shikaku advised.
"Yeah, I’ll quit tomorrow," Hiruzen said, waving his hand dismissively.
"Now go and send a letter to Jiraiya. Tell him to co back as soon as he can," Hiruzen ordered.
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