Shikaku wasn''t the only one, the two Elders also gazed at Fujin. Fujin immediately wondered, ''What are these old geezers scheming? Did they meet up before the council met?''

    Homura looked at Fujin and thought, ''Before this time, this role belonged to Kakashi since he was expected to lead the next generation. However, Hiruzen specifically passed this responsibility to Fujin before the war even started. I didn''t agree with the decision then, but I now understand why he did so. From today on, it is official that Hiruzen prefers Fujin over Kakashi as the next candidate for the Hokage seat.''

    Shikaku said, "Even though our losses are low, the other villages will be curious about our state. Since we wiped out the spy network of Kumogakure and Iwagakure, they won''t know that we are alright.

    In addition, the minor villages that are allied with us will be concerned as well. Even if Iwa and Kumo don''t dare to make a move against us, they can use this attack to scare the minor villages and tempt them to betray us and ally with them instead. Though it won''t affect us much in the short term, it could be troublesome if everyone switches sides.

    So, we need to send a message across that Konoha is still as powerful as ever."

    Fujin immediately realized, ''So that''s why they were staring at me... Sigh, I shouldn''t have shown off so much. Unfortunately, it''s too late now...''

    Shikaku smiled and said, "The main reason why our losses were so low is you, Fujin. Without you, our losses in the arena would have been very heavy. In the worst case, we could even have lost. I have to admit that I didn''t think Orochimaru could revive the dead Kage with so much strength. Orochimaru outplayed me with that move. Fortunately, you and Lord Third dealt with his cards. As a result, everyone in Konoha is looking up to y..."

    Fujin cut him off and casually asked, "Just tell me who we are targeting. Is it Iwagakure or is it Kumogakure?"

    Fujin''s abrupt interruption caught Shikaku off guard. What surprised him even more were Fujin''s words! For a moment, he forgot to breathe and began coughing roughly while thinking, ''This brat! Does he always have to go all the way? We were just talking about how Iwa and Kumo could be a problem and he wants to go and poke them?''

    Others had similar thoughts as they hadn''t seen this side of Fujin. However, they didn''t have the information that Shikaku did. He fully knew that Fujin could single-handedly start a war if he was let loose. If Suna or Kumo had any proof of his actions in their countries, both would have long launched an all-out war against Konoha. As such, they weren''t aware of the weight of Fujin''s words and assumed that he was taking them lightly.

    Shikaku finally caught his breath and said, "No, we won''t be targeting anyone. Lord Third had already decided to give you three thousand ninjas to lead once the war was over. Take them away from Konoha and march around the Land of Fire for a bit."

    Fujin nodded while thinking, ''So, they finally gave me this role... I remember that Hiruzen made Kakashi lead such armies after I pulled that stunt in the Land of Wind and after I clashed with Kitsuchi in the Land of Waterfall.''

    Shikaku continued, "Due to the possibility of Suna''s and Orochimaru''s attack, I had recalled most of our ninjas back to the village. Their absence and the fact that we just attacked would tempt bandits and rogue ninjas to try their luck.

    Your job will have multiple objectives. The first and the most important one is to have the army conduct war exercises. It''ll send a message to other villages while preparing our forces at the same time and giving you some experience in leading large forces. I''ll send Renjiro with you to help you.

    The second is to eliminate all bandits and rogue ninjas in the vicinity of the army. In addition, I''ll directly transfer any elimination missions that we receive that are in your vicinity to your army. You can send appropriate squads to eliminate them. If you are close to the border area, then I''ll also send missions that are from the neighboring countries.

    A fraction of a second later, Inoichi added, "Same here."

    Homura smiled and replied, "That''s a very good proposal. I agree."

    In just a couple of seconds, every Council Member agreed while Shikaku saw it happen with the same dumbfounded expression. Despite his intelligence, he couldn''t stop it from happening! He finally opened his mouth to protest, but Choza patted his back before a single word escaped Shikaku''s mouth and said, "We''ll be in your care, Shikaku!"

    Shikaku looked at the smile on Fujin''s face and thought, ''This brat! He must have seen me popping that communication seal to inform the Anbu ninjas to send the Daimyo in! Damn it!''

    Shikaku immediately regretted not being more stealthy while doing so. He still wanted to oppose, but a few others got up from their seats and wished him good luck. Knowing how lazy he was, no one gave him a chance to decline.

    Fujin got up as well and said, "I''ll be at my home, Shikaku-san. Send a messenger for me when the army is ready to move."

    Since everything had been discussed, the council meeting finally ended. Everyone left, leaving a speechless Shikaku alone in the room.

    Fujin flickered a few times and reached his house. Without wasting any time, he entered the basement and asked, "So, did you get it?"

    ————————————

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