Chapter 45.6- One Thousand Hands

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My outfit had changed in the weeks since I’d returned from the war effort and been forced to acclimatize to life in Konoha again. For one, spending most of my day at a desk meant I was much less comfortable in armour of anything of the like, so I’d shed my outfit that was a copy of my Grandfather’s. I’d shed my older outfit with the Jonin flak jacket as well. Now, I wore a kimono that reached down to my legs and were made of the most comfortable silk I could find. Seals made my robes comfortable even in the blistering heat that marked a Land of Fire summer and would be equally comfortable when winter eventually came.

Why was I talking about this? Because seated opposite him, I was just beginning to see just how much I looked like my Uncle Hiroshi, the Hyuga Clan Head. He had been the only one to give me a smile as I walked in to the Council room. The rest were satisfied with ignoring my presence entirely, and I didn’t particularly mind that. I took a seat opposite him as we waited for the Hokage to walk in.

When he finally did, I rose and bowed with the rest, even if it grated at me to do so. I would respect the hat, if not the man who wore it. At least until he would be forced to put it down. To my great displeasure, he walked in with Danzo at his right hand side, and the fact that no one was shocked meant this was a regular occurrence.

“Distinguished Clan Heads, I will be brief— we are losing this war” He said with a grave tone. No one around the room was shocked. Everyone had their own means of getting information on the state of the effort.

“We had a victory over Suna, but that remains the only success we have enjoyed. Our thrust into Ame has been halted by constant rains, guerrilla attacks from the warring tribes that call that cesspit home, and now reports reach us of a man named Hanzo who held off both of Iwa’s Jinchurikis at the same time being on a collision course with our effort. In Frost, we face an even worse situation. Our army has been pushed back into the Land of Hot Springs and been forced to split into cells and harass the Kumo offensive with ambushes because any direct conflict with the Raikage is a non-starter. Kiri, who had previously claimed nuetrality, is raiding and burning our coastal allies and settlements. Iwa, has launched separate offensives into Taki and Kusa. Our allies in Taki have sent several letters pleading our help. We must do something” He said, laying out the problems so thoroughly that it was almost unthinkable to come up with a solution.

“The Uchiha have a force of seventeen jounin and twenty-four chunin that remain battle ready. I can lead such a force along with other reinforcements to Taki to halt Iwa’s push” Uchiha Satoru, Uzume’s father was the first to offer help.

“I can also lead my own forces— twenty-two Jounin and thirty-five chunin to join Uchiha-san at Taki” Of course, the Hyuga would never be far behind. From there, the floodgates were opened. All the clans made offers of their own forces. It was admirable, but something in the way Satoru looked at Hiruzen made me hesitant to believe that his support had just been offered out of the blue. I, of course, remained silent. The Uzumaki clan boasted large numbers, but most of us weren’t frontline fighters, and the Senju clan had nearly killed itself off in fighting Konoha’s wars. I wouldn’t be making the same mistake.

“Thank you very much, Distinguished Clan heads. Your support is the trunk that keeps our great tree steady in any wind. I have made my decision. I will personally move to Yu no Kuni to support Sakumo and his forces, along with two thirds the force of Jounin that you have all pledged. Hopefully the two of us will be enough to make the Raikage see the error of his ways. The reports say that Iwa’s push into Taki is led by both their Jinchuriki. Konoha’s own Jinchuriki, Shorirama Senju, will be sent along with half the force of Chunin to put that push to a stop with help from Taki’s own forces. The rest of your promised forces will reinforce my students in Ame. Iwa can gorge themselves on Kusa for the time being” He said.

A/N: And so Shori doesn’t get to spend as much time home as he expected to.