After the war in the Land of Earth settled down, Konoha immediately convened an emergency meeting.
The meeting included all major clan heads, several Jonin from the village, and the two elders, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado.
It could be said that almost all of Konoha's remaining elite Jonin strength was gathered in one place.
The atmosphere made it clear that an important decision was about to be announced.
Once everyone was seated, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, got straight to the point.
"I intend to withdraw our shinobi forces from the Land of Earth, and then gradually send two thousand shinobi from the village back to the battlefield."
After the conclusion of the Land of Earth operations, Konoha's overall strategy was not to immediately launch a full scale offensive against Kumogakure to force their withdrawal.
In fact, the situation was the opposite.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was concerned that a direct attack at this stage would provoke a desperate counterreaction from the enemy.
If Konoha pressed forward aggressively, Kumogakure would likely abandon all restraint, pull back their defenses to the Land of Lightning, and fight with the resolve of burning all bridges behind them.
In that scenario, the war would become even more costly, and Konoha would be forced into unnecessary casualties.
For now, a prolonged war actually favored the Land of Fire more.
As long as Konoha maintained its current strength, victory in the long run was still achievable.
Because of this, instead of pursuing a large scale offensive, Konoha chose to rotate its forces.
The six thousand shinobi stationed in the Land of Earth would be withdrawn back to the village for rest and reorganization.
From this point onward, Konoha's focus would shift away from large scale warfare and return to mission based operations.
A steady flow of missions would maintain the village's economy and preserve its advantage over other nations.
Hiruzen Sarutobi cleared his throat before continuing.
"Additionally, I plan to have the three commanders, Hayashi, Orochimaru, and Sakumo, return to the village along with the troops. Tsunade and Shinnosuke will head to the Land of Hot Springs."
A wave of confusion spread through the room.
Ordinary shinobi being recalled made sense, but reassigning frontline commanders was unexpected.
The Land of Hot Springs was not short on manpower. What it lacked was high level combat strength.
If those three were not going there, then why were they being pulled back?
Especially Hayashi.
He was the one who had defeated the Third Raikage.
Seeing the confusion among the gathered shinobi, Hiruzen Sarutobi continued to explain.
"I have considered this decision from multiple angles."
"These three have been continuously active since the beginning of the Third Great Ninja War. Orochimaru is still acceptable, but Hayashi and Sakumo have fought across four battlefronts without rest. They need time to recover."
His gaze became more serious.
"Especially Hayashi. He killed the Third Raikage. Given Kumogakure's current state, if he appears again on the battlefield, he will immediately become their primary target. They will swarm him without hesitation."
"For now, caution is the better choice. Victory can still be achieved without unnecessary risk."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"Furthermore, the pressure on the frontlines will decrease significantly. This is not only because of the death of the Third Raikage, but also because Kumogakure has just officially declared war on Iwagakure."
The room immediately erupted in discussion.
This was unexpected news.
Hiruzen raised his hand slightly to restore order.
"Yes. The son of the Third Raikage has taken the position of Fourth Raikage. His first action after ascending was to declare war on the Land of Earth."
"This means Kumogakure is now fighting on two fronts. They will not be able to concentrate their full strength against Konoha."
That explanation eased the tension in the room, and most of the shinobi gradually accepted the decision.
"There is one more matter," Hiruzen said, pulling out a list.
"Because of Kumogakure's declaration of war, the Third Tsuchikage has expressed a desire to conclude a surrender agreement quickly, particularly regarding the exchange of Tailed Beasts."
"I have decided to send Homura to the Land of Earth to lead the negotiation team. This is the list of selected shinobi."
After the meeting ended, the gathered shinobi quickly dispersed.
Koharu Utatane gave Homura Mitokado a long, meaningful glance before leaving.
Homura noticed it but did not think much of it.
Once the room emptied, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Homura Mitokado remained by the window.
A long silence passed before Hiruzen finally spoke.
"Danzo wrote to you, didn't he?"
Homura's expression stiffened slightly but he did not answer immediately.
The content of Danzo's letter had been simple.
He urged that Hayashi, Orochimaru, and Sakumo be recalled from the battlefield.
His reasoning was divided into three points.
First, Sakumo was not directly part of the Hokage faction.
Second, Orochimaru's mindset was unstable and could lead him toward dangerous experimentation.
Third, Hayashi belonged to the Uchiha clan.
These three were currently the most accomplished shinobi in Konoha's military history, and in Danzo's view, they needed to be restrained.
Homura had not cared much about the first two points.
But the third point had struck deeply.
Even though Hayashi was the son of Uchiha Kagami, he was also a rising figure within the Uchiha clan.
He had captured the One Tail, Four Tails, and Five Tails. He had defeated Hanzō of the Salamander, and even the Hidden Mist Village had been crushed under his actions.
He had also participated in major battles alongside Hiruzen and Hanzō, wiping out thousands of Sunagakure shinobi at the border of the Land of Wind.
Among older shinobi like Homura, Hayashi was both respected and feared.
But precisely because of his strength and achievements, Homura felt uneasy.
He feared what would happen if Hayashi continued to rise unchecked.
That was why he supported Danzo's suggestion to pull him back from the battlefield.
Not to mention, Homura himself had volunteered to lead negotiations in Iwagakure.
Part of the reason was clear.
To secure the Tailed Beasts quickly before they could become a source of further complications, especially with the Uchiha gaining influence.
Hiruzen watched him for a moment before speaking again.
"I only guessed, but Danzo wrote to you as well, didn't he?"
"I received his letter months ago. He also opposed sending Orochimaru and the others to the Land of Hot Springs."
"I believe your recent change in attitude is also connected to him."
Hiruzen's voice remained steady.
"I will allow this decision this time. They do need rest. But this will not happen again."
"They are all heroes of Konoha. Do not push things too far, you and Danzo included."
Homura remained silent.
Whether Hiruzen was truly warning him or testing him, he could not tell.
Outside the window, the autumn wind slowly began to rise.
Hiruzen's gaze drifted outward as memories of fallen comrades resurfaced.
"We are getting old. We can still fight, but compared to the younger generation like Orochimaru, Hayashi, and Sakumo, our time is passing."
"This village will eventually belong to them."
Homura nodded slightly before taking his leave.
Left alone, Hiruzen Sarutobi stood by the window for a long time.
Finally, he murmured to himself.
"If that is the case, then let the next generation take the final step forward."
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