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"Tsunade……"

Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed, shook his head slightly, and did not answer.

The departure of Tsunade and Orochimaru was something that Hiruzen Sarutobi could never let go of.

Orochimaru committed a serious crime in pursuit of immortality and chose to defect.

Tsunade was extremely disappointed with Konoha's top management and left, even giving up being a ninja.

Although not long ago, Jiraiya asked Tsunade to bring the Senju clan to help, but if he wanted to recall Tsunade to Konoha, Jiraiya alone would not be convincing enough.

If, on the other hand, Jiraiya left the village and Tsunade went to call Jiraiya back, it would probably only be a matter of words.

Everyone who is a little older in Konoha knows that a certain lustful immortal has been secretly in love with Tsunade for decades.

"Don't mention this."

Namikaze Minato also knew that it was unrealistic to invite Tsunade back.

He just mentioned it as a complaint, then changed the topic and asked: "Sarutobi-senpai, do you think Kirigakure Village will officially go to war with us?"

The harassment from Kirigakure Village had just been repelled. Although the losses were not large, it did not even have any impact on the frontal battlefield.

But war is never just the war itself that needs to be considered.

Especially as a decision-maker, Namikaze Minato must carefully assess the possibility of the Kirigakure Village formally declaring war on Konoha, and the chain reactions it would trigger.

Although Konoha now has the upper hand on the battlefield in the Kingdom of Thunder, that is because Konoha only needs to concentrate most of its forces in one direction.

If it is just one-on-one, even if there are several people behind him who are holding him back, Konoha is not afraid of any force in the ninja world.

But one against two, or even more, that's a different story entirely.

If Kirigakure Village also joins the war and is still on the hostile side of Konoha, Namikaze Minato has no doubt that Sunagakure Village will never let go of this opportunity to fight the autumn wind.

The so-called covenant, in the face of interests, is just a fragile piece of paper that can be easily torn into pieces.

And those who tear it into pieces will not have any psychological burden.

"I don't think it's likely."

Sarutobi Hiruzen pondered for a moment and then said: "Before you took over, our Anbu used to conduct long-term intelligence collection work in the Kingdom of Water. The 'Blood Mist' policy at that time had already caused damage to the overall strength of Kirigakure Village. Obvious impact.

According to our intelligence, the fourth generation Mizukage died in the rebellion a few months ago, and the current Mizukage is a member of the Kaguya clan.

Although the 'Blood Mist' has ended, the impact it has had on Kirigakure Village will not be recovered so quickly.The strength of Kirigakure Village should still be in a period of decline. At this time, their most reasonable choice is not to go to war with us, but to recuperate.

I think that the raid on Kirigakure Village should just be to fight the autumn wind and try to see if there is any benefit.Regardless of whether it succeeds or not, it should end soon and not develop into a full-scale war. "

After finishing speaking, Sarutobi Hiruzen did not forget to add: "Of course, given the current war situation, we cannot be too careless and must take necessary precautions."

The last sentence is purely to prepare for the blame.

If there is an error in judgment, Sarutobi Hiruzen will not have nothing to say.

Look, I have warned you long ago that necessary precautions must be taken. You didn't listen to my advice, so you can't blame me.

Namikaze Minato complained in his heart, but he was already used to Sarutobi Hiruzen's behavior, so he didn't say anything and was thinking quickly in his mind.

In the war between great ninja villages, the importance of top-level combat power is self-evident.

In addition to a large number of low-level ninjas, every important battlefield needs at least one top-notch combatant to prevent the enemy from sending top-level ninjas to massacre ordinary ninjas.

A strong man with the strength of a "shadow" would not be able to defeat an ordinary ninja with one against a hundred, or even one against a thousand.

But against a small team of ordinary ninjas, it was definitely a one-sided massacre.

Coupled with the advantages of mobility, hiding ability, etc., even most jounin have no room to fight back.

If one side does not have the same level of combat power to restrain them, a top expert, as long as he is willing to show off his face and spend enough time and patience, will sooner or later kill all the ordinary ninjas on the other side.

Namikaze Minato himself had done this kind of thing more than once during the Third Ninja War, and of course he understood how terrifying the "sharp knife tactics" were.

In order to prevent the enemy from using this tactic on themselves, every important battlefield is guaranteed to have at least one, or even more, top-level combatants. This is the bottom line.

However, although Konoha is already the strongest ninja village in the ninja world, there are not many top-level combat forces that can really be used.

Namikaze Minato himself must sit in Konoha to stabilize people's hearts. Unless something big happens, he must not move.

The same goes for the Nine-Tailed Jinchuuriki Uzumaki Kushina.

The power of the Kyuubi is so terrifying that even the Uzumaki clan, which is known for its sealing techniques and special physique that is most suitable for being a Jinchuuriki, cannot control it.

But no one can afford the risk of losing control of the Nine-Tails.

Therefore, Uzumaki Kushina cannot leave Konoha for even half a step, and must always be under the protection of Namikaze Minato.

Apart from the Hokage and his wife, there are actually only four people left in Konoha who are qualified to be called "top combat power".

Lustful... "Toad Sage" Jiraiya, "Doctor of Ninjutsu" Sarutobi Hiruzen

, "Shunshen Shisui" Uchiha Shisui, and the leader of the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Fugaku, who was nicknamed "Crow Tengu" due to the special pupil technique of the Mangekyo Sharingan during the recent Battle of Yunokuni .

Others either have to face harsh conditions to barely compete with the top experts, and the probability of losing is greater.

For example, the three pigs, deer, and butterflies of this generation fall into this category.

Or, it's just not enough to be able to stand alone, like Kakashi.

Compared with the period of the Third Ninja War, the talent decline in Konoha is too serious now.

On the other side of the Land of Thunder, neither Uchiha Fugaku nor Jiraiya could move.

Even if one of them is sent to other battlefields, he must be replaced by another top powerhouse.

Even if Jiraiya is replaced, two more people will have to be added to make up for the vacancy left by Jiraiya.

Although there is still no clear concept in the ninja world, in the eyes of most people who know the situation, Jiraiya and a few others have completely surpassed ordinary "kage" in terms of personal strength and reached another level. level.

Within Konoha, some people have even begun to discuss whether Jiraiya has reached or even surpassed the strength of the first Hokage Senju Hashirama.

Of course, it is impossible to draw any conclusion from this comparison between Guan Gong and Qin Qiong.

Namikaze Minato never cared about who was stronger or weaker between his teacher and the First Hokage.

The important issue is that only if Jiraiya personally takes charge of the battlefield of the Kingdom of Thunder, and has at least one "kage level" assistant, can he be confident enough to ensure that the strong men gathered in the Cloud Ninja Village will not forcefully break through the defense line.

Although it is not [-]% sure, it is enough.

No war can be [-]% sure. As long as the benefits outweigh the risks, it is worth betting.

The crux of the problem is that when two of the top combat forces are restrained on the battlefield of the Land of Thunder, once war breaks out in other directions, Konoha will have a gap in top combat power.

Both Uchiha Shisui and the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen have the ability to stand alone, but when this opponent is replaced by a large ninja village, if it is just one person, it will appear to be a bit weak.

Even if this Great Ninja Village is Sunagakure or Kirigakure, the weakest among the Five Great Ninjas.

At that time, Orochimaru was able to sit on Mount Kikyo by himself because of the special terrain there and because Orochimaru was cruel enough. He directly sent thousands of Konoha ninjas to the Sunagakure Village to be used as bait, and he was able to conquer Mount Kikyo in one fell swoop. , Defeat the Sand Hidden Village.

Shunshen Shisui was able to become famous on the battlefield of the Kingdom of Water, and it was because he had the entire Uchiha clan standing behind him that he was able to kill the Kirist ninja in places that were not suitable for the Sharingan.

But now, most of the ninjas of the Uchiha clan have been taken to the Kingdom of Thunder by Uchiha Fugaku. The small number that remain have to bear the responsibility of Konoha's security and other tasks. It is impossible to transfer too many clan members to other battlefields.

It’s not that they are unwilling to contribute, but that they really don’t have that many manpower.

Assuming that Kirigakure and Konoha officially start a war, at least Uchiha Shisui and Sarutobi Hiruzen must be sent there at the same time to ensure that this battlefield will not be at a disadvantage.

However, if Konoha goes to war with Kumo Ninja Village and Kirigakure Village at the same time, and a large number of troops are restrained, will Sunagakure Village be tempted to take advantage of it?

Even though there is an alliance between Konoha and Sunagakure Village, from the perspective of this war, the two sides are "hostile countries", but they are not fighting head-on.

The Sand Ninja are at war with Konoha's "ally" Iwa Ninja Village.

Konoha is also at war with Kumo Ninja Village, the Suna Ninja's "ally".

If Konoha falls into a multi-front battle, Namikaze Minato believes that Rasa, the guy who would rather die to fight for the interests of Sunagakure Village, will definitely come to take advantage of the situation.

There is a sharp contrast between the prosperous Fire Country and the poor Wind Country. Even if hundreds of people die, just grabbing a batch of supplies and going back will be a big profit for Sunagakure Village.

In Konoha now, there is no question of whether ordinary ninjas are enough.

The number of top experts alone is completely insufficient to support the needs of three-line operations.

just in case……

If the worst happens, when Konoha falls into a three-front battle, Iwanin Village can't help but turn its guns and join the siege of Konoha, it will definitely be a disaster.

In the first three great ninja wars, Konoha was one against four each time.

Although they could barely be considered victorious in the end, it greatly depleted Konoha's foundation.

With the strength that Konoha currently possesses, it can no longer withstand a second war with one against four.

If in another five or six years, when Kakashi's generation grows up, there might be a chance.

But now, the number of strong men in Konoha is still a bit low.

Although it is unlikely that Kirigakure Village will formally declare war on Konoha, and even if a war begins, it may not lead to the point where the situation collapses.

But as long as this possibility exists, we must do everything possible to prevent it from happening, or find effective checks and balances.

Until after the third generation left, Namikaze Minato was still thinking about this matter.

It is naturally impossible to conjure a strong man out of thin air.

However, it is not impossible to find ways to find "foreign aid" for Konoha.

There are actually several suitable candidates.

Apart from anything else, once Princess Tsunade returns to Konoha, even if she is not part of the Senju clan, just Tsunade herself, the meaning she represents will be far more than just a shadow-level powerhouse.

With Tsunade's attainments in medical ninjutsu, she can at least reduce the number of casualties in Konoha by more than one-third!

Although it is limited to the battlefield where Tsunade is at most, it is of great significance and can greatly alleviate Konoha's shortage of manpower.

In addition to Tsunade, Orochimaru is also one of the candidates.

However, Orochimaru is in bigger trouble than Tsunade.

The most critical point is that before Orochimaru defected, he committed an unforgivable crime.

If Orochimaru is invited back "regardless of past grudges", I'm afraid many Konoha ninjas will have complaints in their hearts.

As a Hokage who relied on "popular support" to rise to power, it was impossible for Minato Namikaze to do such a thing of digging his own grave.

After just a moment of hesitation, he immediately crossed Orochimaru off the list in his mind.

For the sake of the third generation's affection, and because Konoha really didn't have any extra energy, it was the limit not to hunt down Orochimaru.

But inviting him back to the village and pretending that nothing happened would simply not pass the "public opinion" level.

Tsunade is indeed worth considering.

Although it is very difficult to operate, once it is successful, the benefits in all aspects are obvious.

only……

Thinking of the reason why Tsunade left Konoha in the first place, Namikaze Minato couldn't help but feel a headache.

Regarding Tsunade's top-secret files, Namikaze Minato had naturally seen them.

For the part involving Kato Dan and Senju Nōju, even if the parties involved were dead, Namikaze Minato would like to dig them out of their graves and kill them again.

What is this thing called? !

Because of these intrigues, Konoha lost Tsunade, a top powerhouse and a top medical ninja, and the remaining members of the Senju clan also separated from Konoha and moved directly to the Land of Fire. The capital of the country, defected to the daimyo.

If he wanted Tsunade to put aside her past grievances and return to Konoha, Danzo's death would not be enough to give an explanation.

What's more, Danzo didn't die in Konoha's trial, but in an assassination attempt by someone unknown.

This matter can only be discussed in the long term.

As for the others...

As Minato Namikaze was thinking, a white-haired young man with a delicate face suddenly appeared in his mind.

The "outsider" with the Mangekyō Sharingan seems to have an unusual relationship with both the Hinata and Uchiha families.

Although they had never fought each other, Namikaze Minato could still feel a strong threat from his opponent.

That was a threat that could kill him!

Moreover, Jiraiya once said that he was no match for the opponent.

If through the relationship between Uchiha and Hinata, they can be persuaded to help Konoha, even if they just participate in the war as a mercenary, it will be of great help to Konoha.

I heard that the other party is also the teacher of the young Uchiha clan leader?

With this kind of relationship, as long as you pay enough price, maybe it's not impossible to invite this strong man... right? !