"It was indeed unexpected; no wonder the squad led by Jiraiya was defeated so thoroughly," Sarutobi Hiruzen said as he stroked his small mustache.
Previously, upon receiving the news of Sarutobi Hiroshi becoming a spy, Sarutobi Hiruzen exerted great effort in various investigations, only to find almost no useful information.
He thought Sarutobi Hiroshi must have hidden too well, but it turned out that the problem was never with him.
Seeing Sarutobi Hiruzen trying to find reasons for Jiraiya's defeat, Shimura Danzo opened his mouth to retort but then closed it again.
Because during the meeting to choose the support commander, Shimura Danzo strongly recommended Orochimaru, but under the current circumstances, only Mokgetsu could be the commander.
With White Zetsu acting as a spy in the Hidden Rock, anyone other than Mokgetsu might not defeat the Hidden Rock Squad.
"You truly have foresight, Hiruzen; having Mokgetsu as the commander of the support squad was wise. Otherwise, the news might not be a grand victory but a bitter defeat," Mitokado Homura remarked.
If it weren't for Mokgetsu's special perception abilities, which uncovered the spy and formulated a counterattack plan accordingly, the Konoha Ninja Squad would have struggled not just to win but even to withstand the attack.
The force was nearly halved, and with unidentifiable spies, it was almost at a hellish difficulty level.
"This is an unexpected joy indeed, but Mokgetsu is undoubtedly the most capable ninja of the new era," Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a smile.
He hadn't anticipated Mokgetsu would achieve such a major victory; Sarutobi Hiruzen had opposed deploying Orochimaru just to prevent the Hidden Cloud from making mischief.
Shimura Danzo felt quite displeased looking at Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Mokgetsu was clearly his Root ninja, a talented individual nurtured by Shimura Danzo himself, yet now Sarutobi Hiruzen was taking the credit.
Shimura Danzo felt somewhat like a farmer whose crops have been secretly harvested by others at night after he had painstakingly cultivated them.
"Since the Hidden Rock suffered a major defeat, why not threaten them with war and make The Hidden Rock Village disclose the spy information?" Utatane Koharu presented her idea.
"According to current intelligence, these spies are most likely products of some kind of human experiment. If we successfully decipher their technology, our intelligence ninjas will be invincible in the future."
If you can't beat them, join them; since traditional intelligence ninjas are outdated, let's get in on the innovation as well.
Shimura Danzo looked at Utatane Koharu unexpectedly, surprised that her thoughts coincided with his own.
This kind of evil technology must be handed over to Konoha for safekeeping!
"You're right; we should dispatch a ninja squad and take this opportunity to march into the Land of Earth and head straight to the The Hidden Rock Village," Shimura Danzo agreed eagerly.
Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head, "It's too risky. If the Hidden Cloud takes the opportunity to launch a major assault, it will be a big problem."
While the Hidden Cloud may not necessarily attack Konoha, they might take advantage of the chaos and also attack the Hidden Rock, but Sarutobi Hiruzen refuses to gamble, as the consequences of losing are enormous.
"Hiruzen, hesitating like this will only make Konoha weak!
If Konoha ensures every invading enemy pays a huge price, who would dare wage war against Konoha?" Shimura Danzo countered defiantly.
This time Konoha annihilated more than a thousand Hidden Rock Ninjas, achieving such a great victory — a trip to the Land of Earth would also serve as a significant deterrence.
"You only see the benefits; if the Hidden Cloud and Hidden Mist take the opportunity to invade, can you handle them?" Sarutobi Hiruzen tapped the meeting table and asked firmly.
Sarutobi Hiruzen surely knows this is an opportunity to knock down the Hidden Rock with one blow, but the risk is too high.
Since Konoha's inception, flames of war have been kept outside the borders, with enemies at most entering the Land of Fire, never getting close to Konoha itself.
Sarutobi Hiruzen does not wish to be the only Hokage to let Konoha fall into the flames of war. That would be too shameful.
"If Konoha truly faces danger, I naturally will lead troops to charge," Shimura Danzo stubbornly insisted.
"It's not a matter of going to battle but whether you can deal with the invading enemies," Sarutobi Hiruzen emphasized.
Shimura Danzo is indeed a capable ninja, but just that; he doesn't surpass the Sannin or Mokgetsu.
"Why do you think I certainly can't deal with the invading ninjas?" Shimura Danzo questioned back.
Anyway, since the Hidden Cloud hasn't attacked yet, he decided to boast first.
"Since you are so confident, then you'll command the operation against the Hidden Rock, leading some ninjas to scout and gather intelligence about The Hidden Rock Village," Sarutobi Hiruzen continued.
"Not right now; I have many other matters that need handling," Shimura Danzo bluntly declined.
It's not that he's afraid to die and doesn't dare go; Shimura Danzo genuinely has other things to attend to.
He's been trying to figure out what Sosuke's Ninja Sect inheritance truly entails and how to acquire the Rinnegan.
"If you wish to lead a team, go ahead, but if not, stop discussing attacking the Hidden Rock!" Sarutobi Hiruzen said lightly.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's tough stance made Utatane Koharu abandon her proposal; her combat ability is the weakest among the four high-level officials, and her strength has diminished even more after neglecting training upon becoming a high official.
Shimura Danzo remained unconvinced internally, yet he didn't continue to argue; he couldn't really go himself, after all.
If he carelessly fell in the Land of Earth, it would be a loss for all Konoha.
"It's unnecessary to launch a massive attack on the Land of Earth, but indeed, we should test the attitude of the Hidden Rock," remarked Mitokado Homura, adjusting his glasses with his left hand.
In the two major battles on the Land of Grass battleground, Konoha and the Hidden Rock each scored a victory and a defeat.
Overall, the Hidden Rock suffered more losses, though Konoha didn't escape unscathed either. Considering other Ninja Villages watching them like hawks, Mitokado Homura believes they should proceed cautiously.
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded; he had also considered dispatching ninjas to contact The Hidden Rock Village.
The current situation is too unfavorable for Konoha; they need to negotiate a partnership with a Great Ninja Village.
"Considering this, let's quickly recall Habu Mokgetsu to Konoha; if Hidden Rock spies are that adept and they infiltrate Konoha, it would be a disaster," Utatane Koharu said.
If they plan to attack the Hidden Rock, Mokgetsu — the one currently able to identify Hidden Rock spies — must not be absent.
Now that the decision not to attack the Hidden Rock has been made, Utatane Koharu thinks they should still summon Mokgetsu back.
"You're right; it's best to use a pretext to gather the ninjas and have Mokgetsu conduct a thorough inspection," Mitokado Homura shared the same concern.
Though they are strong enough at the top hierarchy, there's a possibility Hidden Rock spies might disguise themselves as their family members and trick them, not entirely ruling out the chance of failure.
"After the meeting, I will contact the forces in the Land of Grass," Sarutobi Hiruzen agreed entirely with this suggestion.
Besides eliminating potential spies within Konoha, Sarutobi Hiruzen also wants Mokgetsu to teach others Ninjutsu and document them in the Konoha Ninjutsu Library.
By principle, Konoha does not compel any ninja to surrender their Ninjutsu unless it's deemed an inhumane Kinjutsu.
But this time is exceptional; the matter is so grave it's practically a matter of life and death for Konoha, necessitating extraordinary measures.
Sarutobi Hiruzen believes Mokgetsu, who embodies the Will of Fire, should understand and he won't let Mokgetsu teach in vain.
After concluding discussions on the Hidden Rock, the conversation shifted to commendation for achievements.
No matter the situation, it was, in the end, a major victory worth celebrating.
As the planner of the counterattack, Mokgetsu, who slew numerous enemies on the battlefield and wounded Jinchuriki, was undoubtedly the first merit, with Jiraiya and Namikaze Minato coming after Mokgetsu.
After the meeting, Shimura Danzo swiftly located his subordinates from the Root and instructed them to contact frontline Root members.
"Though they rescued the people, since the battle occurred, there might be leftover body tissues," Shimura Danzo thought to himself.
If he researches the technology behind the Hidden Rock spies' Transformation Jutsu, his Root Organization would become the strongest intelligence organization in the Ninja World.
By then, with the Root's assistance, Konoha would triumph over all Ninja Villages, and even Sarutobi Hiruzen would have no reason to further restrict the Root.