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Naruto Peerless Flying Dagger (32)
🕑 Added 2025-04-25 17:00:16 +0000 UTCChapter 32 - Decision
"Him?"
Hearing Tsunade's explanation, the surrounding ninjas couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
After all, before the Ninja Academy was established, all ninjas in Konoha village belonged to ninja clans.
Only after the Academy's founding, with the first graduating class three years ago, did "civilian ninjas" emerge in Konoha.
As students of the first class, they had received a fair amount of attention from the village's established ninjas.
Moreover, it was noteworthy that someone had actually failed the graduation assessment in that first class.
Even if they hadn't seen him personally, they had heard Li Anshi's name.
However, they could never have imagined that the person who couldn't even pass the Ninja Academy graduation assessment three years ago possessed such a powerful secret technique.
Although Tsunade's words revealed the technique's weakness – the inability to use elemental ninjutsu –
With such a potent secret technique, who needed elemental ninjutsu?
Look at them, the Jonin – wasn't each one proficient in at least two types of elemental ninjutsu?
The Sarutobi clan head, Sasuke Sarutobi, and the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, were even masters of all five elements.
And yet, weren't they all incapable of harming the Third Raikage?
But Li Anshi, relying on this secret technique, had instantly inflicted severe injuries upon the Third Raikage.
This clearly demonstrated the sheer power of his technique.
What was the minor weakness of being unable to use elemental ninjutsu compared to that?
"Yes, that's him."
Tsunade nodded.
"Master Hiruzen, I believe if you explain the situation clearly to Anshi and ask him to serve as the commander for this battlefield, Anshi will definitely be able to deter the Cloud ninjas."
"Never mind that the Third Raikage is already injured by Anshi; even if the Third Raikage were unharmed, knowing Anshi is stationed here, would they dare attack the Land of Fire again?"
As Tsunade finished speaking, silence fell upon the group.
Indeed, as Tsunade suggested, whether Li Anshi went with the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi to reinforce the Land of Earth battlefield, or if Li Anshi took command here, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Sasuke Sarutobi, and Kagami Uchiha could be freed up, allowing them to cover both fronts.
But, what kind of person could command a battlefield?
A Jonin!
Only a Jonin, recognized and respected from the bottom of everyone's hearts, was qualified to command a front.
Civilian ninjas had existed for three years, but to date, not a single one had successfully been promoted to Jonin.
While this was partly due to many civilian ninjas lacking sufficient strength, even a talented ninja like Sakumo Hatake hadn't received a promotion.
Because the clan ninjas, including the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, knew that this line could not be crossed lightly.
Once a civilian ninja was promoted to Jonin, that person would inevitably become a spiritual pillar for all civilian ninjas, gaining immense prestige.
It might not have much impact in a year or two, but after five or ten years, the civilian ninjas would surely rally around this figure, forming a power bloc comparable to the established clans.
This outcome was something none of the ninja clans wished to see.
If the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, were still alive, with his prestige, the other clans would have had to comply, even if they had objections.
Unfortunately, the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju hadn't lived to see the civilian ninjas mature. He was ambushed by the Land of Lightning and died protecting his disciples.
As for the Cloud Village's claim that the Gold and Silver Brothers were rogue ninjas – only a fool would believe that.
It could only be said that when the Cloud ninjas prepared to ambush the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju, the Gold and Silver Brothers had to become rogue ninjas, even if they weren't originally.
Otherwise, how could the Sage of Six Paths' treasured tools, artifacts whose importance in the Cloud Village rivaled Konoha's Scroll of Seals, possibly be stolen by the Gold and Silver Brothers?
It could only be said that to kill the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju, the Cloud Village had cast aside all semblance of honor.
Now, with the Third Hokage in power, even though Hiruzen Sarutobi considered himself wholeheartedly devoted to Konoha, he was inevitably constrained in certain aspects.
Furthermore, because his strength and prestige were inferior to the Second Hokage's, Hiruzen Sarutobi had to strengthen his ties with the ninja clans to maintain Konoha's stability.
These clan Jonin remained silent, and Hiruzen Sarutobi naturally knew what they were thinking.
Shaking his head, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a wave of exhaustion.
This was the nature of clan ninjas...
Although Konoha had been established for fourteen years.
In the hearts of Konoha's clan ninjas, "family" still ranked higher than "village."
Konoha was practically at its wit's end, yet these clan ninjas clung to their outdated ways of thinking.
Did they really think that if Konoha fell, they could simply switch allegiance to another village and maintain their power?
Too naive.
Lady Mito Uzumaki's presence in Konoha wasn't just as the village's ultimate deterrent against other villages; she also served as a deterrent against the clans within the village.
Take the Uchiha clan, for example. When the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju was away resisting attacks from other villages, they launched a rebellion led by the Great Elder Setsuna Uchiha. In the end, hadn't Lady Mito crushed them completely without causing much of a stir?
Even now, over a dozen powerful Uchiha clan members were imprisoned in Konoha's jails.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was certain that if these clans did anything to displease her during a time of crisis for Konoha, erasing one or several clans wouldn't be difficult for Lady Mito.
"Forget it..."
"This bridge has to be crossed eventually anyway."
"At most, it could only be delayed for three to five years."
"Letting Li Anshi become the first civilian Jonin now won't have a huge impact."
Thinking this, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked down at Tsunade.
"Tsunade, could I trouble you to invite Li Anshi here?"
"No problem!"
After Tsunade left, Hiruzen Sarutobi swept his gaze over the Jonin beside him.
Especially the one with the pineapple-shaped hair.
The Nara clan was universally acknowledged as the most intelligent clan in the ninja world.
Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't believe this Nara Jonin hadn't considered making Li Anshi the commander of this battlefield.
But the man remained silent, and Hiruzen couldn't accuse him of dereliction of duty.
After all, if Tsunade hadn't brought it up, Hiruzen himself wouldn't have considered it either.
Otherwise, even without knowing Li Anshi's name, Hiruzen could have waited for the intelligence-gathering ninjas to deliver information on Li Anshi, then decide whether to take him to reinforce the Land of Earth or make him the commander here.
Since Tsunade had proposed it, so be it.
In any case, the ninjas remaining here all knew Li Anshi had killed the Two-Tails Jinchuriki and injured the Third Raikage.
In other words, having Li Anshi command here, no one would object!
