HGBW: Ch. 122

Tanaka did not say anything and chose to observe instead.

It wasn't because he lacked the right to speak, but because he had only been in this shadow world for less than three months. His understanding of the Great Ninja War was limited to the original story. Without fully grasping the bigger picture of the war, it was only natural to remain a listener.

Moreover, he had never been on the battlefield. He lacked both knowledge and a reputation that would earn others' trust. Most importantly, without the strength to unleash something like a Susanoo, he had to be extremely cautious when facing such a war—careful, careful, and even more careful.

After all, treating jonin as insignificant did not mean treating Kage as insignificant, let alone an entire ninja village.

"Jiraiya, what about you?"

After listening to Orochimaru and Minato's statements, Hiruzen turned his gaze toward Jiraiya. With the suicide of Sakumo, there were only three people in Konoha capable of leading an army.

The three Sannin.

As for Minato, he had yet to earn the title of the "Yellow Flash." Even though Hiruzen was grooming him to be the Fourth Hokage, he couldn't immediately entrust an entire army to someone with no command experience and an unestablished reputation. He needed to let Minato gain recognition first, starting with an easier battlefield.

Danzō had the qualifications, but his reputation was terrible. He had taken too many falls for others. Which clan would dare entrust their people to his command?

Even if they survived the battlefield, they would be stuck in Root for the rest of their lives.

"Me and Minato together, we're unstoppable."

"Suna, Iwa, Kumo. Just assign us to any one of them."

Jiraiya slapped the table, full of confidence.

There was no other way—after being beaten up by Hanzō, he had gone to Mount Myōboku and trained in Sage Mode. Now, he was looking for an opportunity to show off.

"Then you'll go to Suna!"

Hearing Jiraiya treat the Great Ninja War like a joke, Tsunade coldly cut in. A village conflict involved tens of thousands of ninja clashing—how could it be treated as a game?

"Uh, Tsunade. Can I switch?"

Jiraiya instantly lost his bravado. 

Aside from Magnet Release, Suna was best known for its puppet techniques, which relied on mechanisms, traps, hidden weapons, and poison. Despite being the smallest of the Five Great Ninja Villages in terms of numbers, Suna was the most insidious.

Unless someone like Sakumo could charge into an army, sending Jiraiya against Suna would be disastrous. He wasn't skilled in poison resistance, detoxification, medical ninjutsu, or countering puppet techniques—all essential abilities when facing Suna forces.

Even if he won in the end, his forces would likely be decimated.

"Hmph!" Tsunade snorted coldly and ignored Jiraiya. Instead, she stood up and said, "I don't care what your plans are. But Suna is my battlefield to command. Don't let outsiders lead where specialists should."

Her sharp gaze pierced straight into Hiruzen. She could clearly see that he was planning to choose the weakest among Suna, Iwa, and Kumo to let Minato gain experience.

So, she blocked his attempt from the start.

She had no issue with Minato. In fact, she held him in high regard, knowing that his strength was on par with them. But every skill had its expertise, and Flying Thunder God wasn't invincible.

Against traps, Minato could teleport away.

Against poison, Minato could teleport away.

Against puppet techniques, Minato could teleport away.

But what about everyone else?

The current Kazekage was not only well-rounded but also nearly on par with Hanzō in poison usage. And he didn't just poison one or two people—he could wipe out entire squads.

His poison attacks were instant, large-scale, and contagious.

If thousands of Konoha ninjas were poisoned, Minato would be powerless, forced to watch them die. Even worse, Suna was at its peak strength, with a staggering number of Kage-level powerhouses.

The Third Kazekage, Chiyo, Ebizō, Rasa, Karura, Sasori, Yashamaru, and the One-Tail jinchūriki, Bunpuku.

That was the number of Kage-level fighters in Suna.

Even though Suna had the smallest population among the Five Great Ninja Villages, it had the highest number of Kage-level powerhouses—more than even Konoha at the moment.

There's only one way to describe Suna's current state: Everyone here is trash.

"Tsunade, watch your words!"

Homura's face darkened, and he immediately stepped forward to defend his superior. "He is both the Hokage and your teacher."

"You should show some respect when you speak." Koharu followed closely behind.

Unlike Danzō, if she lost Hiruzen's backing, she would no longer be an advisor, meaning she had to rely on him.

Danzō, on the other hand, was different. Even if he opposed Hiruzen, even if Hiruzen removed him from the position of advisor, he would still be the leader of Root. So both she and Homura had no choice but to defend their superior.

"Then why don't you go?"

Tsunade didn't get angry at their words. Instead, she crossed her arms as she looked at the two advisors with a smirk.

The Tsunade standing here wasn't the one from the original story, who had suffered from hemophobia and lost her edge. At just over thirty, she was in her prime—both her strength and temper were as fierce as ever.

"You—!" Homura and Koharu's faces changed instantly, filled with anger, but the steps they had just taken forward suddenly retracted.

What kind of joke was this?

Even the Third Hokage wasn't going to the battlefield, so how could they, as advisors, be expected to?

"Not brave enough? Then stand at attention and shut up." Having spent a lot of time around Tanaka recently, Tsunade's words had grown sharper under his influence.

"Lady Tsunade, when it comes to Suna, it's true that you are the only suitable choice. Konoha has no one better for the job."

Seeing the tension rising between Tsunade and the Hokage's advisors, Shikaku stepped forward at the right moment to shift the focus.

"As for strategy, I will handle that," he added.

Hiruzen's face twitched slightly. He didn't like Tsunade's tone, but he also knew that what Shikaku said was true.

In a large-scale war, Tsunade was indeed the only one in Konoha who could deal with Suna.

Poison? She could detoxify it.

Injuries? She could heal them.

Puppets? She could destroy them with a single punch.

She was the perfect counter to Suna.

As a Hokage, if he wanted to avoid going to the battlefield himself, he had to use the right people in the right places. He understood this principle well.

"Orochimaru-sama, I'll leave Kumo to you and Danzō-sama. The Third Raikage is a tough opponent."

After learning that the three major villages were attacking Konoha, Shikaku had already analyzed the situation before coming to the Hokage's office.

Who should go?

Who should fight whom?

He had already decided.

If Sakumo were still alive, he wouldn't have hesitated to send him to deal with Kumo. After all, he was the strongest.

But now, the best choice was Orochimaru—someone with the most experience, the most tricks up his sleeve, and the most flexible moral compass. They didn't need him to defeat the Third Raikage or drive Kumo back—just to stall them.

"Hmm." Orochimaru nodded slightly, his snake-like pupils gleaming with anticipation.

In the past, dealing with the Third Raikage was always Sakumo's responsibility. But now it was his turn. Which meant, if he could take down this opponent, he would be the next "White Fang."

As for the so-called "strongest Raikage in history"?

Anyone who reached Kage-level had an unshakable belief in their own strength.