Chapter 166: Uzushiogakure
Hatake Sakumo was willing to step down as deputy commander and join the war as an ordinary jonin?
Status mattered, even in Konoha.
Sakumo had served as a battlefield deputy commander. Any Konoha ninja who saw him had to respectfully address him as "Lord."
On the battlefield, a single order from a deputy commander could decide the life or death of dozens.
He could request to go to the front lines as an ordinary jonin, but the higher-ups couldn't actually let him do it.
If he went to the front, the brass had to give him the deputy commander position, otherwise the chain of command would fall apart.
Nara Shikaku said, "Sakumo, under the joint assault of Konoha and the Hidden Cloud Village, the Hidden Stone Village is steadily losing ground. The war in the Land of Earth is coming to an end.
"The Hidden Cloud Village is incredibly belligerent. Once they free up their forces from the Land of Earth, they will likely launch another war against Konoha.
"We must keep some of our forces in reserve to deal with a potential surprise attack from the Hidden Cloud Village and the reopening of the Land of Hot Water battlefield.