Naruto: I am Uchiha Shirou-Chapter 178: Naruto: I am Uchiha Shirou []

When Tsunade arrived to provide reinforcements, she froze at the sight of the battlefield before her.

"Tsunade, what on earth are you doing?!"

Koharu Utatane, retreating in disarray, was furious the moment she saw Tsunade's reinforcements arriving so late. She pointed at the chaotic scene in front of her and shouted:

"The frontlines are drenched in blood! Hiruzen, as Hokage, is personally fighting on the battlefield, and you're delaying—"

"Shut up!"

Facing Koharu's immediate scolding, Tsunade didn't hold back her temper and rebuked sharply:

"Useless! A bunch of useless fools! Even if you had the Inuzuka clan's dog handlers in charge, it wouldn't have ended in such a mess!"

Koharu's face turned red with rage. She glared at Tsunade furiously—how dare she speak this way? Koharu was one of Konoha's Hokage advisors, after all!

"Tsunade, why did you only bring 500 shinobi?!"

Koharu's anger stemmed from the fact that she had issued an order for reinforcements, yet Tsunade had only brought such a small number of troops. To Koharu, this was a deliberate act of negligence.

However, upon surveying the dire state of the battlefield, Tsunade didn't waste time dealing with the old woman's complaints. Instead, she calmly waved her hand and issued commands:

"Set up traps. Support our shinobi's retreat. Prevent a complete collapse..."

After giving her orders, Tsunade finally turned back to Koharu and shouted angrily:

"Do you even realize the consequences of your retreat order? If the Kumo shinobi exploit this opportunity, the entire border defense line will crumble.

The enemies at our borders aren't just the Kumogakure—they're also hiding numerous smaller factions in the shadows. Retreating is an option, but the defensive line cannot be abandoned. Otherwise, the flames of war will spread into the Land of Fire itself..."

Koharu, however, wasn't willing to back down. She glared at Tsunade and retorted:

"Tsunade! We can reclaim lost positions, and even if the enemy invades the Land of Fire, we can regroup and drive them out!

But if the Hokage falls in battle, the resulting turmoil within the village would be catastrophic!"

The two of them stood their ground, glaring at each other with unwavering determination. Koharu prioritized the survival of the Third Hokage above all else, while Tsunade's duty was to defend the border.

Meanwhile, on the chaotic battlefield, the Kumo shinobi forces were gaining momentum and launching frenzied attacks.

...

On the Kumo side:

"Raikage-sama, your arm can't take any more fighting!"

A medical ninja urgently reminded him, but the Third Raikage, Ay, grinned arrogantly.

"No! This time, I won't stop!"

Even the future Fourth Raikage A spoke solemnly:

"Treat the Third Raikage's injuries immediately and restore his chakra to full strength."

Two of the Kumo's top medical ninjas got to work—one treated the Raikage's injury, inflicted by Namikaze Minato, while the other worked up a sweat trying to restore his chakra.

At this moment, a Kumo ninja rushed over in haste:

"Third Raikage-sama! Konoha's reinforcements have arrived."

Hearing the report, the Third Raikage gazed solemnly toward the battlefield, where Konoha's forces were beginning to stabilize their defenses as more reinforcements arrived.

His son, the future Fourth Raikage, added in a low voice:

"Due to Konoha's earlier assault, many of our shinobi prioritized your safety, abandoning large portions of our flanks. Right now, we only control the central battlefield..."

"Father, we've lost the best opportunity to act. We should retreat now!"

But the Third Raikage responded with a ferocious grin:

"No! Konoha gave us a chance to dismantle their forces, so I'll return the favor with a plan to crush them!"

His son froze for a moment before realization struck him, causing his face to pale.

"Father! Your chakra is already depleted..."

Before he could finish, the Third Raikage cut him off with a cold command:

"Prepare the Heavenly Transfer Technique. Bring Killer Bee along—his tailed beast chakra will allow him to endure the process."

The Third Raikage pointed in the direction of Konoha's forces.

"I'll personally appear behind Konoha's lines with the Eight-Tails and cut off the Third Hokage's retreat! This is the Kumo's plan to collapse Konoha!"

Seeing the concern in his son's eyes, the Third Raikage cracked his neck, feeling his chakra recovering somewhat. Laughing loudly, he added:

"A, from now on, you're the commander of our frontline forces. Don't worry—this time, with Killer Bee's support, we'll let Konoha experience the terror of a rampaging tailed beast!"

Hearing the words "tailed beast rampage," the future Fourth Raikage's eyes burned with hatred.

"But Father! Your chakra—"

Despite the intense strain of the battle, the Third Raikage laughed boldly:

"My chakra has recovered enough for another fight! Besides, my mission this time is to sever Konoha's retreat. You focus on leading our forces to encircle and annihilate this Konoha unit!"

"...Understood."

Faced with his father's resolve and the perfect opportunity for vengeance, the future Fourth Raikage hesitated only briefly before making his decision.

This wasn't an ordinary ambush anymore—Killer Bee and the Eight-Tails were involved. Delaying Konoha would be relatively easy. After all, Kage-level fighters weren't common, and how many more could Konoha have?

"I understand, Father."

The Third Raikage patted his son's shoulder heavily, then glanced coldly at Konoha's forces in the distance.

"Now it's time for Konoha to feel the wrath of the Kumo!"

...

On the Konoha side:

"Damn it! Are these Kumo shinobi insane?!"

Konoha shinobi cursed as they fought off the relentless pursuit of the Kumo forces.

Meanwhile, Konoha's reinforcements arrived, gradually stabilizing their lines. However, they could see that the Kumo shinobi weren't letting up—instead, they were regrouping further back, preparing to form a spearhead to once again break through Konoha's defenses.

This sight filled Konoha's rear lines with a heavy sense of dread.

Beneath a large tree, a Konoha sensory ninja closed his eyes, focusing on the Kumo forces' movements in the distance.

"Hokage-sama, the Kumo shinobi have gathered nearly a thousand more soldiers in their rear lines..."

Hearing this, the Third Hokage and his group, now retreating to a wooded area, wore heavy expressions.

"Hiruzen, Tsunade..."

Koharu glared, ready to blame everything on Tsunade. But Sarutobi Hiruzen, panting heavily, interrupted her in a low voice:

"That's enough, Koharu. This isn't Tsunade's fault. After all, this is Konoha's border, while the Kumo shinobi are in the Land of Hot Water—they don't care about losing territory."

Though he didn't blame Tsunade outright, his words still subtly shifted responsibility onto her.

Because Konoha had to defend its borders, most of its shinobi were stationed elsewhere. Only a few hundred elite shinobi had been sent as reinforcements.

This meant that, including Hiruzen's original forces and Tsunade's reinforcements, Konoha had fewer than 800 shinobi on the battlefield.

In contrast, the Kumo shinobi had concentrated their forces, abandoning much of their territory. Their frontline fighters already numbered over 500, and with another 1,000 reinforcements arriving, they now had over double Konoha's numbers.

The situation was clear: while Konoha's forces had the edge in the number of elite jōnin, the Kumo shinobi had overwhelming numerical superiority.

Both sides had their advantages—and the battle was far from over.

"Everyone!"

At this moment, as the Third Hokage spoke again, the elite jōnin who had just experienced a fierce battle in the dark forest turned their calm gazes toward their Hokage.

"The situation before us presents two choices: either we hold our ground, though the Kumo Shinobi have declared all-out war. If this becomes a prolonged conflict, the Iwa and Kiri Villages won't sit idly by, and Konoha will once again face the combined assault of the four great ninja villages..."

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, clad in shattered and battered armor, spoke in a low, steady voice. He appeared calm, but in the depths of his eyes, Shirou noticed a glint of madness, giving him a bad premonition. Unable to hold back, Shirou interrupted directly.

"Hokage-sama, the failure of the Kumogakure Collapse Plan and its consequences should have been anticipated long ago!"

At these angry words from Shirou, the surrounding representatives of the various clans wore grim expressions. Indeed, this was a failure on the Hokage's part.

A leader of the village had dragged the entire village into a quagmire.

"Uchiha! How dare you! Are you questioning the Hokage?!"

Koharu Utatane, burning with anger, glared furiously at Shirou. But this time, she was startled to find that her usual tactic of using authority to suppress others had no effect.

"You! All of you!"

Koharu looked around in amazement and fury, only to see the representatives of the various clans standing silent and expressionless. Shirou had voiced the thoughts they dared not say aloud. This wasn't recklessness on Shirou's part, but a clear realization of reality.

From the perspective of the Hokage's inner circle, the Uchiha were already ostracized. Whether they spoke up or not, the result would be the same. So why not speak?

Moreover, after losing the battle, these old officials still wanted to escape accountability with grand justifications. If they wanted to leave, fine—but they had to take responsibility!

Seeing this, Shirou spoke coldly: "Hokage advisor, I'm not questioning the Hokage. I'm fulfilling my duty as a Konoha jōnin!"

"With such a significant decision, shouldn't the Hokage's advisors have prepared for the worst-case scenario? Now that something has gone wrong, you're trying to shirk responsibility! Under Tsunade's command, at least the flames of war didn't reach the borders of the Land of Fire!"

"You!"

As Shirou stood firm against Koharu Utatane, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, finally spoke. He swept his cold gaze around, noticing that the eyes of the jōnin seemed to be blaming him. This sight struck a nerve in his heart.

More importantly, in the minds of the jōnin, the aura of the Third Hokage had shattered. The major strategic blunder had plunged the village into war.

It turned out their Hokage wasn't that strong after all!

For a village hailed as the strongest, having a Hokage who was neither powerful nor victorious in battle seemed unfit.

At this moment, the jōnin were filled with anger. The failure of the Kumogakure Collapse Plan—a decision of such magnitude—had stemmed from a problem they dared not even imagine. Worse still, the leadership had not prepared for the worst-case scenario and was now trying to pass the blame.

"I am still the Hokage!"

With a commanding, authoritative tone, Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice silenced the gathering.

"I understand the current situation. But as Hokage, my priority is the village. There is still an opportunity to turn this around!"

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As Hiruzen's voice echoed, many people's expressions changed. Especially Minato Namikaze, whose face darkened as he tried to speak but found himself unable to form the words.

"Uchiha! I know what you're thinking! But the moment you became a ninja, you should have been prepared to sacrifice yourself—even me!"

At this point, Hiruzen Sarutobi erupted with the aura of a wounded yet formidable warrior, staring directly at Shirou as he declared, word by word:

"We still have the Nine-Tails!"

At that moment, the jōnin who hadn't yet understood were shocked. They finally realized what the Hokage's second option was.

Hiruzen Sarutobi appeared calm on the surface, but he failed to notice that his mindset had already shifted after his public failure.

Now, it wasn't just about the village—it was also about salvaging his defeat. Or perhaps, in his mind, everything he did was for the village, not himself. He stubbornly tied his sense of self to the fate of the village.

"Absolutely not!"

Tsunade's angry voice rang out as she glared at Hiruzen Sarutobi in opposition to the plan.

"Third Hokage! The jinchūriki is meant to protect the village! The original plan wasn't like this. Do you know the consequences of using the jinchūriki in another nation's territory?"

But Hiruzen Sarutobi, unfazed, retorted coldly:

"If we, Konoha, don't use our jinchūriki, do you think the other villages won't use theirs? This is war! In one-on-one conflicts, the great villages might follow the rules. But in two-on-one or even four-on-one scenarios, no one will abide by those agreements!"

"Can you guarantee that the Kumo Shinobi won't use their jinchūriki?"

Facing Hiruzen's rebuke, Tsunade's expression turned grim. The Kumogakure Collapse Plan had already torn apart any semblance of diplomacy. If given the chance, the Kumo Shinobi would undoubtedly use their jinchūriki first.

Hiruzen Sarutobi scanned everyone and declared in a low voice:

"Everyone, the failure of the Kumogakure Collapse Plan was a severe dereliction of duty by our intelligence division, leading to a major strategic blunder. But there is still one last chance! If we use the Nine-Tails jinchūriki against the densely concentrated Kumo Shinobi, we can crush them and even kill the Raikage on the battlefield. The previous failure will only be temporary. The glory of victory will ultimately belong to Konoha!"

At this moment, countless Konoha jōnin wore grave expressions.

The village had failed. The alliance of the four great ninja villages presented dire consequences. Given the circumstances, perhaps it was better to gamble with the Nine-Tails.

If they succeeded and defeated the Kumo Shinobi, they could seize the opportunity before the Iwa and Kiri Villages reacted. Even if they couldn't intimidate the ninja world as originally planned, they would only have to face three allied villages instead of four.

"I understand!"

Shirou's voice rang out at that moment, causing Tsunade's face to change.

"Shirou, you!"

She hadn't expected Shirou to be the first to agree. Meanwhile, Uzumaki Kushina, standing behind Tsunade with her vibrant red hair, felt the weight of her comrades' gazes. She felt alienated and frightened.

She was nothing more than a tool!

But in that moment, a pair of warm, reassuring hands gripped hers. Shirou's Sharingan spun wildly in his eyes as he gazed at her with unwavering determination.

"Hokage-sama! I, Uchiha Shirou, will stake my life—even the honor of the Uchiha clan—to protect my comrade, Uzumaki Kushina!"

As Shirou's resolute voice echoed, the clan representatives looked down in shame. How could they allow a woman to protect them?

The Third Hokage's time was over; his current actions were merely the desperate struggle of a cornered beast.

"Shirou..."

Tears welled up in Kushina's eyes. She said nothing but nodded repeatedly, deeply moved.

Shirou, too, smiled. His ambition—his everything—meant nothing if he shrank back now. Ambition was about possessing and protecting what was his!

Seeing Shirou's bold declaration, a flicker of unease flashed in Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes. The bond between the Nine-Tails jinchūriki and the Uchiha was far too dangerous.

Meanwhile, Minato Namikaze's gaze lingered on Kushina's red hair. Seeing her look only at Shirou, he felt a pang of sadness but also a sense of release.

"Kushina-san... Shirou can protect you better than I ever could. At least, I don't have that kind of courage right now."

Minato felt envy for Shirou's decisiveness, but thinking of the village, he took a deep breath.

Everything was for the village.

"The Nine-Tails jinchūriki will lead the attack on the Kumo Shinobi. All Konoha shinobi, prepare..."

At this moment, as Hiruzen Sarutobi sternly shouted and issued the command for a desperate counterattack, Koharu Utatane's eyes were filled with unwavering determination.

"Sarutobi! We haven't lost yet! We can win!"

"Now, everyone, stake everything on our Will of Fire, stake everything on the honor of me, the Third Hokage!"

As Hiruzen Sarutobi shouted with a deep, commanding voice, the atmosphere of defeat and despair began to shift. Once again, his unparalleled aura as a ninja erupted forth.

"I, Hiruzen Sarutobi, in the name of the Third Hokage, now declare—"

Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi, with renewed vigor and a face full of determination, prepared to launch a desperate counterattack to reclaim his lost honor, a terrifying shockwave suddenly swept forth from behind. In an instant, the faces of all the Konoha ninjas present turned pale.

The resolute expression on Hiruzen's face, which had just been filled with strength and confidence, suddenly drained of all color. His eyes trembled in disbelief as he looked far behind him at the massive figure looming in the distance.

The Eight-Tails!