Of course, Lin Nian, who never hesitated to assume the worst about his enemies, also suspected that many members of the Shimura clan had secretly changed their names, but what if they couldn't find them?

As for why Sarutobi, Utatane, and the Mitomon clans were taken on the expedition?

Who told them to become so powerful after Hiruzen Sarutobi's death? Without sufficient strength and achievements, they couldn't maintain such a vast fortune!

Upon noticing Lin Nian's gaze, Sarutobi Asuma, whose eyes still held a hint of sadness, stood up and made a promise.

"My Sarutobi clan can deploy two thousand ninjas in this battle, and all actions will be carried out in strict accordance with Konoha's orders."

Although he had left Konoha when he was young, how could Sarutobi Asuma, who had witnessed the intrigues and schemes of nobles while serving the Daimyo, not understand these subtle purges?

After all, his father had offended too many ninja clans in his later years. If it weren't for the fact that he fought bravely against Orochimaru and died protecting Konoha during the Chunin Exams, everyone would have witnessed it, and the reckoning would probably have come at the moment of his death.

Now, facing these prying eyes, Sarutobi Asuma has also revealed his hand.

Leaving aside the fact that they directly dispatched two thousand ninjas to participate in the battle, including the proportion of Jonin, Chunin, and Genin, the fact that the Sarutobi clan could support four figures of ninjas shows the Sarutobi clan's current strength.

Unless the major ninja clans unite, no one can touch the Sarutobi clan. As for whether they will unite...

Do you really think the master-disciple relationship between Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Hiruzen Sarutobi was fake? Do you really think those ninjas who received Hiruzen Sarutobi's kindness and are still alive are fake?

Do you really think that the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and Wood Release successor, who were raised by Hiruzen Sarutobi, are fake?

In short, as long as the Sarutobi clan still has strength, they will not fall into a situation where everyone hates them, and overall they are already quite safe.

Lin Nian and Sarutobi Asuma wanted to make it more legitimate for the Sarutobi clan to obtain these things. After all, only by having merit could they sit at the table with a clear conscience. Those who sneak up would not only have no place at the table, but would also be beaten to death by the people sitting next to them.

As for how much one has to pay to actually sit at the table?

That depends on how much each of the major ninja clans is willing to give. After all, Lin Nian is only concerned with his own livelihood, and the Senju clan's overall wealth is still in Tsunade's hands. These things are not his concern. If all else fails, he can always try to get some help from Uchiha Sasuke.

"Alright, since that's the case, Uncle Asuma, would you be willing to bring some people with you this time?"

Lin Nian's words caused all the Jonin who were looking at the Sarutobi clan to silently look away, and Sarutobi Asuma's face lit up with joy, and he immediately bowed to Lin Nian.

After all, letting him command troops and assist is already the greatest help we can give him. As for the losses of the Sarutobi clan on other battlefields after he leaves...

With Lin Nian setting an example, other areas are unlikely to suffer too much damage. After all, everyone knows the normal battle damage ratio; once that line is crossed, things will look very bad.

Lin Nian, having obtained the manpower he wanted, directly continued to make suggestions to Nara Shikaku after completely ignoring the trembling and speechless representatives of the Utatane and Mito people.

"Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki can serve as the spearhead of the Land of Earth's front. Their already extremely fast speed allows them to evade the Third Tsuchikage's Dust Release to the greatest extent possible. The Third Tsuchikage is cunning and treacherous, and I hope Uncle Shikaku can take command in this regard."

Upon hearing this, Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki also stood up and bowed to Shikaku Nara together with Lin Nian.

Although they could completely ignore others with their current strength, they still had to give them some face when it came to sharing the spoils. After all, none of them planned to leave Konoha and go it alone. Instead, their current goal was to control Konoha and realize their own ideals.

As for letting these two experience babies run directly to the Land of Earth, will they be ambushed by the rice carrier and the one-against-seven?

It can only be said that at this point in time, if someone can defeat two people working together and leave them helpless, then even if Lin Nian joins in, it won't change much. This can only mean that the cunning old fox named Ci Xian has come out to stir up trouble.

Faced with this situation, Nara Shikaku, who was responsible for dividing the cake, felt relieved. After all, the older generation who were still alive were not involved, and he was the only one among the younger generation who had the right to do so. It seemed like this was a burden made specifically for him, so if he didn't take the blame, who would?

Fortunately, his years of being a good-natured person and a strategist have paid off, and everyone gives him face. Now, with the three newly appointed leaders of Konoha as his foundation, even if the future Hokage wants to settle scores, he won't be able to.

“My three nephews, please rise quickly.”

After jogging down and helping the three up, Nara Shikaku praised his decision years ago to let his son play well with these three little ones, and then made a promise.

"In that case, I will personally lead the battle on the front lines in the Land of Earth and will absolutely not allow my two nephews to fall into the enemy's trap!"

As he spoke, he silently made an eight gesture to Sarutobi Asuma, who silently nodded in agreement.

The other Jonin, seeing the three young men take on the two most difficult tasks, looked at them with increasing friendliness. After all, wars kill people, especially the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning, which were truly tough to deal with.

"Neji, although the possibility of the Land of Water invading is unlikely, I hope you can go and hold that defensive line. I will resolve the battlefield in the Land of Lightning as quickly as possible, okay?"

As for this, Hyuga Neji, who had already communicated with Lin Nian the day before, nodded to Lin Nian and stood up to take over the water defense line on behalf of the Hyuga clan.

Until the final Wind Defense Line, all the Jonin turned their attention to the representative Jonin of the Utatane and Mitokado clans.

After all, given how smoothly Sarutobi Asuma sold them out, it would be unreasonable not to rip them off.

As for this, Sarutobi Asuma, who had clearly communicated with the two clans but betrayed them first, smiled apologetically. After all, there were two thousand ninjas in total. Even if you asked the entire Utatane and Mito clans, they wouldn't have that many people!

Moreover, in order to save those two old geezers, almost all of the clan's elite Jonin were sacrificed. Now that the time for reckoning has come, if they are not unlucky, who will be?

As for the previous meetings, why did they remain silent throughout?

Damn it, with so many menacing gazes, who would dare to speak out of turn?

Do you really think they're trembling with fear because they're angry?

Of course, the people of Konoha weren't heartless. Although they took most of their resources, didn't they give them the safest places?

Could this be considered a form of sustainable development?

Anyway, no one is like Hiruzen Sarutobi and his friends, who would smash all the eggs just because they're afraid of chickens.