HCB Chapter 157: Strike first to avoid another punch!
Chapter 157: Strike first to avoid another punch!
The will to fight.
A boiling fighting spirit rose and gathered in every corner of the conference room.
Even the usually composed Hiashi Hyuga stood up, his young face flushed red with excitement.
"Hokage-sama! The Hyuga clan is also willing to dedicate all its strength to protecting our allies!"
The entire conference room was filled with excitement.
Every face was burning with the same rage for the same reason.
No one raised any objection.
Not a single person suggested backing down.
No one weighed the pros and cons.
Faced with irrefutable evidence and blatant aggression against its allies, the Konoha that had been united under Hiruzen Sarutobi revealed its sharpest and most ferocious side.
"Um……"
Nara Shikanobu's usually lazy eyes showed no sign of weariness at this moment, only the shrewd glint of a Konoha strategist who had calculated everything.
He glanced at Sakumo Hatake beside him.
Sakumo Hatake didn't speak, but simply placed his hand gently on the Mist-Hidden Headband on the table.
His fingers slowly traced across the cold metal surface.
A single action speaks louder than a thousand words.
"Wow, that's amazing!"
Orochimaru licked his lips. His golden snake eyes, instead of showing any anger, were filled with the fervor and excitement of a scientist seeing a rare specimen.
"The fact that they could make such irrational collective decisions under such enormous external pressure makes the psychological structure of the Cloud Village and the Mist Village leadership excellent research material."
Hiruzen Sarutobi listened quietly.
He did not stop the fire of anger that was spreading in the conference room.
He simply watched calmly, observing Uchiha Tetsuka's face flushed with excitement, Tsunade's golden eyes burning with fury, and Hyuga Hiashi's spine straightened by a sense of responsibility.
well.
This is the Konoha he wanted.
A Konoha that can instantly unite as one when facing external enemies.
Konoha, a village where everyone values the village's honor more than their own lives.
The moment the fighting spirit in the conference room reached its peak.
"cough."
A very slight cough.
The once noisy and bustling conference room, which was almost as if it would lift the roof off, became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop in that instant.
Everyone froze in their tracks.
Uchiha Tekka's raised fist, Akimichi Torifu's flushed face, and Tsunade's hand about to strike—all were frozen in that moment.
Everyone's gaze instinctively converged on the person in the main seat.
Hiruzen Sarutobi remained seated calmly, simply picking up his teacup and gently blowing on the floating tea leaves.
His relaxed demeanor created an eerily stark contrast with the tense atmosphere around him.
He slowly stood up.
The movements were not fast, but they carried an undeniable sense of rhythm.
His white divine robe swayed gently with his movements, and the flame patterns on the hem seemed to come alive.
He didn't look at anyone, but slowly walked to the huge ninja world map.
The invisible pressure made everyone instinctively straighten their backs and calm down.
"I feel your anger."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice, like the man himself, was calm and composed.
"very good."
"This shows that the Will of Fire passed down from the First Generation has not been completely worn away in the peaceful years."
He first affirmed everyone's fighting spirit, which made Uchiha Tetsuka, Akimichi Torifu, and others, who were just excited, feel like they had punched a cotton ball, but they also felt inexplicably comforted.
Then, Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly changed the subject.
"However, I know that some of you may still have doubts."
These words made the air in the conference room tense once again.
"Some people might think that since the Land of Whirlpools is located in a remote corner of the country, far away from Konoha, even if it is conquered, the impact on our homeland would be limited."
"Some might think that it's not a worthwhile deal to halt our just-get-on-the-track construction and cause our ninjas to bleed and sacrifice again for the sake of an ally."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice echoed clearly in the conference room, each word precisely striking at the deepest, most hidden anxieties in the hearts of a select few.
Nara Shikanobu's eyelids twitched. He looked at the Hokage's back and thought to himself, "Brilliant."
Rather than letting such doubts fester in private and become a destabilizing factor, it's better for the Hokage to voice them personally and then crush them completely.
"Some might even think that we could choose to compromise, using condemnation and negotiation to achieve temporary peace, and continue to devote our energy to our great construction cause."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice carried a hint of mockery.
He slowly turned around, his deep eyes sweeping over everyone present like stars in the night sky.
Those he saw felt as if their thoughts had been completely read.
"but!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice suddenly rose in pitch!
"I'm asking you!"
"Can compromise and concessions bring true peace?!"
"Did the century-long war between the Senju and Uchiha clans during the Warring States period end through compromise?!"
"Did we secure Konoha's position through repeated Shinobi World Wars by making concessions?!"
No, it never was.
Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't give anyone a chance to answer; his voice was already filled with overwhelming power.
"Our peace in Konoha was won with our fists, with our lives, and with victory after victory!"
"If we abandon the Land of Whirlpools today, it would be tantamount to declaring to the entire ninja world that Konoha can be challenged! Konoha's allies can be bullied at will!"
"Then tomorrow, they'll dare to extend their greedy claws onto the land of our Fire Kingdom!"
"The day after tomorrow, they will dare to lay siege to the city, coveting the homeland we built with our own hands!"
His words, like bolts of lightning, cleaved through the fog in everyone's hearts.
Yes.
The dignity of a village has never come from the charity of others.
Taking a step back won't bring you a brighter future; it will only lead to them taking an inch and wanting a mile.
Uchiha Tekka's breathing became heavy. He looked at the figure in the main seat, who was not tall but now seemed as majestic as a mountain, and felt his blood burning.
boom! !
A deafening roar interrupted everyone's thoughts.
Hiruzen Sarutobi slammed his hand on the ironwood table in front of him.
In the conference room, everyone was stunned by this sudden scene.
They had never seen it before.
I have never seen the Hokage, who is always gentle, calm and composed, as if he has everything under control, reveal such a... violent side.
"so!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly raised his head, his face, which always carried a gentle smile, now filled with murderous intent.
He uttered this declaration, destined to be recorded in the history of Konoha, to everyone present, and it resounded throughout every corner of the conference room.
"We must fight this battle."
"And we're going to fight big! Fight fiercely!"
"A single punch can ward off a hundred more!"
The roar echoed in the meeting room like rolling thunder, lingering for a long time.
Everyone was completely awestruck by this overwhelming and domineering will.
Tsunade's chest heaved violently as she looked at her teacher, her beautiful eyes burning with a fervent flame.
This is the real Naruto!
This is the granddaughter of the First Hokage, the Hokage she is willing to follow!
Uchiha Tekka's body trembled slightly, not from fear, but from extreme excitement.
He seemed to see a brand new door opening before him, behind which lay the supreme glory of the Uchiha clan following this iron-blooded Hokage in conquering all directions.
Hatake Sakumo's hand, which was always on the hilt of his sword, had somehow come to rest.
Just watching Hiruzen Sarutobi quietly, he once again showed me what it means to be a Hokage through his actions.
Even Nara Shikanobu, the Konoha strategist who always found troublesome, subconsciously straightened up at this moment, his usually sleepy eyes now gleaming with a sharp, meticulous light.
He looked at the figure on the main seat who seemed to be burning, and a smile of admiration appeared on his lips.
The trouble is big.
But it was also... too exhilarating.
Of all the people, Orochimaru's reaction was the most unusual.
He looked at his teacher with great interest, his golden pupils gleaming with an intensely burning light.
What an amazing chakra fluctuation!
No, it's not just chakra.
It is also a manifestation of will on a spiritual level.
Through language, actions, and emotions, one infuses one's will into the spirit of other individuals, thereby achieving unity of thought and synchronization of will.
This power...
It is more terrifying than any ninjutsu.
And even more...charming.