After hearing Orochimaru's analysis of the Second Great Ninja War, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage of Konoha, genuinely spent time considering the possibility of war breaking out.
Based on the reasons Orochimaru speculated for the outbreak of war, Hiruzen Sarutobi combined this with intelligence from spies planted in various countries and finally reached a conclusion.
The news of the Second Great Ninja War potentially breaking out might be true!
The Land of Earth, which had just fought a battle, is not worth mentioning for now; both Konoha and Iwagakure suffered damage.
Although I could not defeat Onoki, who possessed flight abilities, Onoki was equally wary of the power of my five-element composite ninjutsu.
The cunning and seasoned Onoki, after testing some of Konoha's current strength, would inevitably develop a sense of apprehension and would not easily initiate another conflict.
However, the intelligence from the Land of Wind and the Land of Rain was not optimistic.
The Third Kazekage of the Land of Wind, known as the strongest Kazekage, was, like Onoki, a Kage unwilling to settle for mediocrity.
Although he had never met the mysterious Third Kazekage, according to the intelligence brought back by spies, this Third Kazekage had mastered Magnet Release ninjutsu to an exquisite degree. Furthermore, he had single-handedly suppressed rampaging Tailed Beasts on several occasions.
Strength was only one aspect; after taking the throne, this Third Kazekage successively appointed Chiyo and Ebizo, two incredibly wise Jonin, as elder advisors to Sunagakure.
He then further cultivated a large number of ninjas with puppet talent, based on the puppet techniques left by the First Puppeteer Monzaemon, with Elder Chiyo, who possessed the strongest puppet talent, as the core.
Through these measures, the actual combat strength of the low to mid-level ninjas in Sunagakure significantly improved in a short period.
However, with the rapid development of Sunagakure's strength, a very serious problem arose!
From the initial training to the development of combat capability, a qualified puppeteer required resources far exceeding those of ordinary ninjas.
The Land of Wind was already lacking in resources.
Wood, biological toxins, chakra-conducting metal...
These abundant raw materials necessary for puppet creation were undoubtedly a heavy burden for Suna.
If they lacked money and couldn't bear the burden, what could they do?
Hiruzen Sarutobi only needed to put himself in their shoes for a moment to immediately arrive at a conclusion.
War!
Launch a war against the resource-rich Land of Fire!
As long as they won the war, they would not only obtain the vast resources needed for Sunagakure's rapid development but also spread the formidable reputation of Sunagakure throughout the ninja world, thereby attracting more merchants or nobles to issue mission requests.
The consequences of losing the war?
At worst, they could retreat back to the center of the desert!
The Land of Fire demanding war reparations would be a pipe dream; did they not see how, during the First Five Kage Summit, the First Kazekage, citing the extreme barrenness of the Land of Wind, claiming inability to even produce seventy million ryo, managed to extort a Tailed Beast from Hashirama Senju?
As long as I am shameless enough, no matter how strong you are, you cannot do anything to me!
If you have the ability, expend your forces to attack me in the center of the desert!
In the end, who would suffer greater losses: your Land of Fire, or the benefits you could extract from Sunagakure?
...
Meanwhile, the actions of Hanzo of the Salamander, known as the "Semi-God of the Ninja World" in Amegakure, recently left Hiruzen Sarutobi quite perplexed.
Under the guise of pursuing peace in the ninja world, the Semi-God first subdued the ninjas of the neighboring Land of Grass, then marched north, passing through the Land of Water, and his final destination was none other than the hitherto neutral Land of Iron.
These localized conflicts between small countries had not previously garnered the attention of the Great Nations. It was only after receiving Orochimaru's reminder and reviewing this intelligence again that Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly discovered a problem.
Previously, Hashirama Senju, for the sake of peace in the ninja world and to prevent children from stepping onto the battlefield again, had swept through the ninja world with his immense power, forcibly establishing Konoha amidst chaos.
With this successful example, Hanzo of the Salamander's current actions of instigating wars between small countries for the same reason could not help but make Hiruzen Sarutobi vigilant.
Now, it was merely small skirmishes between a few small countries; what if Amegakure were to integrate the scattered forces of these small ninja villages?
Could Amegakure become the second Konoha, and could Hanzo of the Salamander become the second God of the Ninja?
Hanzo of the Salamander's ambition to subvert the existing order of the ninja world was becoming increasingly apparent!
After a moment of thought, Hiruzen Sarutobi dismissed this somewhat laughable idea from his mind.
Having witnessed the might of the First Hokage in his youth, Hiruzen Sarutobi knew clearly that although the titles differed by only half a word, the gap between them was immeasurable.
That being said, the threat Amegakure posed to Konoha had been elevated by Hiruzen Sarutobi to the same level as that of Suna, or even higher.
He had a premonition that if the Second Great Ninja War were indeed to break out, Hanzo of the Salamander's actions might very well be the true trigger for this war.
Since he had internally confirmed the possibility of war, Hiruzen Sarutobi naturally would not sit idly by.
Today, by seizing the opportunity of Danzo summoning Orochimaru, inviting Orochimaru to join the ANBU was part of his prearranged plans.
Once war broke out, the selection of commanders for each battlefield would inevitably be of paramount importance.
Hiruzen Sarutobi already had plans for the commander on the Land of Wind front.
The potential offensive from the Land of Earth, due to Onoki's existence and the necessity for him to personally oversee the battle, did not leave much room for consideration.
Only Hanzo of the Salamander from Amegakure was a troublesome issue.
He had intended to use this opportunity to have Orochimaru join the ANBU and serve as a captain for a period, accumulating some experience and seniority, and then, as a matter of course, to appoint him as the commanding general for the Land of Rain front, leading Jiraiya, Tsunade, and other new generation ninjas.
Facing the renowned Semi-God of the Ninja World, Hiruzen Sarutobi did not expect the three of them to achieve any great feats; he merely hoped they could hold the defensive line of Konoha.
After the situation on other fronts in Konoha had eased, he would then take over in the Land of Rain.
This was his confidence as a strong ninja and the Third Hokage of Konoha!
This way, not only would it alleviate pressure on the Land of Wind and Land of Earth fronts in the early stages of the war, but it would also add a significant achievement to Orochimaru's resume, a truly win-win situation.
However, he did not expect Orochimaru, who had clearly seen his intentions, to choose to refuse.
...
Puffing on his pipe with a melancholic expression, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at his serious disciple through the smoke and sighed softly.
"Three months is too long!"
"You know, Teacher cannot give you that much time!"
Orochimaru pondered for a moment, considering the shortest possible time, and then slowly said,
"It will take at least two months!"
"There shouldn't be any major issues during this period, and I will return to Konoha before that matter occurs!"
Calculating the time required for war preparations, Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded gently.
"Agreed!"
"Two months is the maximum duration. I hope your strength will improve considerably by then."
"This way, I won't be too worried about assigning troublesome tasks to you."
Orochimaru nodded with gratitude in his eyes.
"Thank you, Teacher, for your understanding!"
"I will not disappoint you!"
Witnessing the harmonious master-disciple interaction, Danzo Shimura, standing nearby, snorted with displeasure.
"Hmph!"
"Orochimaru, what do you think a Jonin is?"
"Do you know the significant loss the village incurs when a rostered Jonin goes on no missions for two months?"
Before Orochimaru could retort, Hiruzen Sarutobi reached up and adjusted his hat, pointing the large "Fire" character towards Danzo and said sternly,
"Danzo, I am the Hokage!"
"I do not need anyone to interfere with my arrangements for the Jonin of this village!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's words almost made Danzo Shimura spit blood. His grip on his cane tightened, his knuckles turning white, and the veins on the back of his hand bulged.
"You trust a poisonous snake whose heart is full of darkness!"
"Hiruzen, you will regret this!"
Their gazes met, and they immediately loathed each other.
Stamping his cane forcefully, Danzo spat out a harsh sentence through gritted teeth, abandoning any further intention to attack Orochimaru. He turned and slammed the door shut as he left.
Orochimaru looked at the office door that was banging shut with a creak, chuckled lightly, and turned to Hiruzen Sarutobi, his expression serious.
"Teacher, you will absolutely not regret your decision today!"
"I swear by my pursuit of truth and my dreams!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi raised his pipe and took a deep draw.
Looking up at his earnest disciple, a smile of relief spread across his face.