Chapter 176: No Choice
Losing cities and abandoning territory, suffering casualties and losing generals, yet having no achievements to show for it.
Danzo was not a man who cared about face, but he cared deeply about his status and power, for this concerned whether he could realize his ambitions.
If he failed to make any contribution in this war and returned with only such a performance, then Danzo could stop thinking about seizing the position of Hokage; even maintaining his current power would be questionable.
"Failing to maintain one's integrity in old age" was exactly the situation being described.
He, Danzo, had to make a great contribution in this war once again to salvage all of this.
And since he could do nothing against Orochimaru, he could only, in turn, actively cooperate with Orochimaru to fully unleash the strength of all the Ninjas within the Land of Hot Springs.
Having secured Danzo's top-tier intelligence network in the Shinobi World, with Orochimaru's super-class strategic deployment and tactical command abilities, as long as this intelligence was utilized well, it would surely produce extraordinary results.
Holding back the Kumogakure's high-level combat power and trading pieces with each other, it was truly very possible to secure victory in this war.
"My tactical deployment is arranged based on your intelligence. I will make a statement to Sarutobi-sensei and everyone regarding this, but you still need to lead your men to achieve visible results on the battlefield to convince the masses.
Only if you are willing to go all out will our chances of winning this battle be greater."
Orochimaru was using this first merit to bait Danzo, making him go all out.
Not only did he himself need to show performance on the battlefield, but his subordinates did as well.
Regardless of what thoughts they might have towards each other, at the very least, Orochimaru needed to ensure that both sides could be united for the sake of victory in this war.
"Very well. All of Root's external intelligence personnel—I will have all the intelligence they collect gathered for you. If you need any intelligence, just tell me directly, and Root will do its utmost to obtain it for you."
Danzo said this to Orochimaru.
The people of Root could only be commanded by Danzo himself; even the Third Hokage's words were not as effective as his.
Even if this command authority were handed over to Orochimaru, Orochimaru could not command them; it could only be achieved through Danzo.
"Furthermore, if the first merit of this battle is mine, then I will naturally do what must be done. If the Third Raikage appears, I will be the one to block him."
Uchiha Gen, sitting to the side and listening, couldn't help but feel a bit surprised upon hearing Danzo's words.
This old bastard Danzo, could it be that there would actually be a time when he would take the initiative to step forward?
But then again, compared to others, Danzo seemed indeed to be the biggest threat to the Third Raikage.
When it came to Wind Style mastery, if Danzo claimed to be second in the Shinobi World, no one dared to claim to be first. Others could at most only be on par with him.
In this elemental Ninjutsu, he had already climbed to the limit that a conventional Ninja could reach.
With elemental restraint here, Danzo's Wind Style was the most likely to break through the Third Raikage's defense.
However, relatively speaking, Danzo's self-preservation ability was also not as good as Orochimaru's.
He didn't seem like the type of person with the courage to do such a thing.
After all, the strength of the Third Raikage was something everyone had witnessed.
Even if Danzo's Wind Style restrained the Third Raikage's Lightning Style, the restraint was always relative. He might be able to hold off the Third Raikage, perhaps even injure him, but it would be very difficult for him to defeat the Third Raikage, and there was even a high possibility of being overturned by the Third Raikage in return.
"Are you confident?"
Orochimaru looked at Danzo and asked.
"I have some confidence, but I need someone who has sufficient understanding, whose abilities are suitable for cooperating with me, and who can feign attacks and provide cover for me, in order to hold off the Third Raikage."
Danzo stood up from the tatami, the bandages Uchiha Gen had just tied still wrapped around his arm.
Orochimaru, meanwhile, furrowed his brows, his mind quickly analyzing the distribution of high-end combat power on both sides.
"Then the person you need is—"
The gazes of Danzo and Orochimaru turned simultaneously to Uchiha Gen.
After Danzo finished speaking, the latter analyzed almost in an instant who Danzo wanted to choose.
"That's right. The partner I need is Uchiha Gen. He inherited Kagami's Phantom Body Flicker Technique, and back in the day, Kagami and I were the closest of comrades-in-arms. Therefore, I know his abilities, and I know how to cooperate with him to bring the combat power of the two of us to the extreme."
Danzo observed Uchiha Gen's expression, and after finding that he couldn't discern anything, he likewise remained calm on the surface.
"Gen, what are your thoughts?"
Orochimaru asked softly.
In the current Shinobi World, there were not many who could pose a threat to a Ninja of Uchiha Gen's level; they could be counted on one hand.
And the Third Raikage was undoubtedly one of them.
His body, nearly indestructible and known as the Strongest Shield, made him fear no one. His Hell Stab, hailed as the Strongest Spear, gave him the confidence to threaten anyone.
If Uchiha Gen was unwilling, he could also go to hold off the Third Raikage, just like last time.
However, the last battle had already proven that while Orochimaru was more than capable of protecting himself in the hands of the Third Raikage and had the ability to maneuver with him, if the Third Raikage wanted to do something, even he, Orochimaru, could not stop him.
Danzo's Wind Style had the possibility of breaking through the Third Raikage's Lightning Style Chakra Mode. Even if Orochimaru's Wind Style could be called top-tier in the Shinobi World, there was still a gap compared to Danzo's; the degree of threat both sides posed to the Third Raikage was different.
If one wanted to block the Third Raikage, what Danzo said was indeed more secure.
And Uchiha Gen just took a glance at Danzo, and thought of another level.
Danzo was dangerous to his own people, and the Third Raikage was even more dangerous. And when one became Danzo's "own person" and joined forces with him to deal with the Third Raikage, the degree of danger was even higher.
But Uchiha Gen needed to consider more than just danger.
He always remembered that he had been wearing the golden skin of "Heir to the Will of Fire" all along.
At such a moment, when there was a better choice, one that could contribute more to Konoha, if he were to retreat a step, would it have any impact?
At this moment, Uchiha Gen recalled the story of when Tobirama Senju was covering the retreat, and Danzo's hesitation led to him missing out on the position of Hokage.
If he were to take that step back at this time, would it also cause the halo of "Heir to the Will of Fire" to waver?
Although he had the personal validation of Mito Uzumaki while she was alive, Mito had passed away after all.
No matter how high the status of a dead person was, after they died, their words were never as useful as the words of someone who was still alive.
This seemed to be a multiple-choice question, but in reality, it was a political judgment question.
It seemed he—had no choice!
Was this step also within Danzo's plan?
After all, this guy had also once fallen under a similar choice. If he were to refuse, he feared that in the future, he would inevitably be subject to Danzo and the Third using this matter as a topic.