In his great joy, Hiruzen Sarutobi overlooked the disappearance of a small number of Ninja.
Those were Ninja who had once been extremely loyal to him and deeply inherited his Will of Fire.
But their strength was too low, and they were all on missions outside the village...
Hiruzen Sarutobi subconsciously attributed these missing people to the aftermath of the Land of Waves incident.
He wasn't called Ninja Bear for nothing.
Anyway, if the plan continued, he would have a Perfect Jinchuriki completely obedient to him in the future...
Of course, Hiruzen Sarutobi had been so flattered that he even forgot a crucial matter like not seeing Naruto for a long time.
In short, for Hiruzen Sarutobi himself, everything was developing for the better.
It was even better than when his eldest son was still alive.
After 'discussing' the Chunin Exams matters, Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand.
"Then it's decided."
"Everyone, be prepared."
"This Chunin Exams... must not have any mishaps."
"Wait." Just then, Utatane Koharu, who had been silent for a long time, finally couldn't help but speak.
Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at her indifferently.
Because he wanted to play with his close friend, Hiruzen Sarutobi still gave these two Hokage Advisors a lot of face.
But now, Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't want to play anymore.
Nor could he spare the energy to play.
Feeling Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze.
Utatane Koharu's old face instantly fell.
"Advisor Koharu, do you have any suggestions?" Hiruzen Sarutobi said casually.
"Hiruzen... this matter isn't quite right, be careful."
Utatane Koharu hesitated to speak.
"Alright, I understand." Hiruzen Sarutobi responded indifferently.
Homura Mitokado narrowed his eyes slightly.
He couldn't stand Hiruzen Sarutobi's attitude.
"Hmph!"
"So many Ninja being promoted at once requires a lot of resources."
"And they're all commoner Ninja..."
"It has never happened before, but after the Uchiha... incident, and the recent Gato, and now Danzo..."
Homura Mitokado didn't say it so directly, leaving some room.
If he were to say it directly.
It would be that the wealth of the Uchiha Clan, Gato's wealth, and after the Root Organization was brought under control... such a huge amount of resources, if used to train those commoner Ninja, could indeed lead to the current situation where these commoner Ninja sprout up like mushrooms after rain.
"Oh?"
"Advisor Homura, do you mean that these matters are all related to this old man?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at Homura Mitokado.
"I didn't say that." Homura Mitokado was silent for a moment before finally squeezing out this sentence.
"Asuma, tell him."
Asuma opened his mouth, but seeing his old father's demeanor, he could only give up.
He sighed inwardly and looked at Homura Mitokado, saying, "All the remaining evidence does not point to Hokage-sama, nor does it point to the Anbu."
"Instead, the Root Organization left many traces within it."
"Advisor Homura, these matters have nothing to do with Hokage-sama."
"If there is no evidence... even an Advisor, to question the Hokage without cause..."
Asuma didn't continue.
Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at him, a flicker of imperceptible disappointment in his eyes.
Senju Tobirama: "What great authority!"
Senju Tobirama: "Hiruzen, what? After being silent for so long, have you thought of a move?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi: "I wouldn't dare... Teacher Tobirama, I am repenting."
Orochimaru: "Hehehe~"
Orochimaru: "Teacher Sarutobi, do you even believe what you're saying?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi: "Hmph! Orochimaru, shut your mouth!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi: "While I repent, I also deeply regret not killing you with my own hands back then!"
Danzo Shimura: "Hiruzen, I told you, you would regret it."
Hiruzen Sarutobi: "Yes, Danzo, I really regret it. I should have listened to you entirely."
Danzo Shimura: "..."
"Alright, let's stop here with this matter."
"The focus will now be on the joint Chunin Exams."
"If done well, Konoha will be able to develop rapidly for a long time to come."
"At the same time, we must also be prepared... after this joint Chunin Exams, there is a high possibility of war."
After saying this, Hiruzen Sarutobi closed his mouth and said no more.
Hearing this, everyone present's expressions changed slightly.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's words meant that Sunagakure, as an allied nation, would be ruthlessly suppressed.
With previous 'experience,' once Sunagakure reached a crisis point, it would actively spread the flames of war to its surroundings, and then throughout the entire Ninja World, to muddy the waters, seeking self-preservation and... to take advantage.
Temari: "There's nothing to be ashamed of."
Kankuro: "Indeed, we had such intentions this time."
Kankuro: "If it weren't for Orochimaru..."
Sakura Haruno: "In that case, wouldn't Orochimaru be..."
Senju Tobirama: "Without this Konoha Crush Plan, it would likely have escalated into the Fourth Great Ninja War."
Senju Tobirama: "This Konoha Crush Plan... should be called the Konoha Salvation Plan."
Orochimaru smiled, saying nothing.
How to put it, if he really wanted to destroy Konoha, it wouldn't have been like this.
All in all, to sum it up.
Orochimaru had prevented a full-scale war between Sunagakure and Konoha, as well as the subsequent spread of war throughout the Ninja World, leading to the Fourth Great Ninja War.
Incidentally, Orochimaru also had his own objective—Uchiha Sasuke.
Because of the Impure World Reincarnation, his soul had defects, leading to a decrease in Spiritual Power and an excessively low resistance to Yin Release.
After being defeated by Uchiha Itachi with a single glance, he developed an almost obsessive fixation on the Sharingan.
Of course, the Uchiha were also secondary.
He could achieve it without personally coming to Konoha.
The main thing was—to kill Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Out of gratitude, he allowed him to die as a hero.
It was considered a relatively perfect ending.
"If there are no problems, then disperse and prepare yourselves."
Hiruzen Sarutobi scanned the room, and seeing no one speak, he decided not to waste time.
There were many more decisions that he, the Strongest Hokage, needed to make.
Seeing this, Asuma quickly followed.
In reality, this situation was not what he wanted to see.
However, the blow from Kurenai Yuhi, coupled with his old father's continuous pressure.
Asuma reluctantly took on this position.
He, who disliked being arranged by Hiruzen Sarutobi, eventually walked this path.
Especially the more he understood, the less he could act on impulse.
Given the current situation, if he were to step down, it would be a devastating blow to the Sarutobi Clan.
In addition to being the Hokage Assistant, he also officially became the young patriarch of the Sarutobi Clan.
"Father!"
Asuma called out to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Hiruzen Sarutobi turned to look at him.
"What did you call me?"
"Fa... Hokage-sama."
"Mm." Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, then didn't give him a chance to speak.
"No matter what means you use, win over Kurenai Yuhi."
"Also, find suitable people within the clan to replace the two Hokage Advisor positions yourself."
"If you can't even do these two things, then continue to be a Guardian Shinobi for the Daimyo."
Asuma lowered his head slightly, the words he was about to say stuck in his throat.
"Go."
"Don't disappoint me again."