Chapter 579: New Strategy Against Konoha
Genshi asked, "Fifth Mizukage, did Konoha offer you any compensation?"
Kisame nodded. He pulled a scroll from his robes. "This is Konoha's S-rank forbidden jutsu: Edo Tensei."
"I witnessed its power firsthand in Konoha."
"Danzō, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Orochimaru all used it."
"Especially the Mito Uzumaki summoned by Hiruzen."
"Because her goals aligned with Konoha's, she fought of her own free will. Her combat power was likely even greater than when she was alive."
Genshi was surprised. "Konoha summoned Mito Uzumaki?"
Genshi had seen Mito's power in his youth. In their era, she was considered the Jinchūriki who could draw out the most power from her Tailed Beast.
He looked at the scroll. "Fifth Mizukage, do you plan to summon the four previous Mizukage?"
Kisame nodded. "Exactly. According to the Hokage, Konoha's previous Kage can't be summoned for some reason, so the jutsu isn't very useful to them."
"But we can summon all four of our predecessors and let them fight autonomously."
Terumī Mei's eyes lit up. "That's wonderful. Can I summon my deceased relatives?"
Kisame said, "Konoha didn't tell me if there are any side effects, so I'm not sure."
"Let's have someone study it thoroughly first and see the results."
Everyone agreed.
Genshi added, "Fifth Mizukage, there is one more thing. The Three-Tails Jinchūriki, Kae, is in trouble. He drew on the Tailed Beast too many times on the front lines, and his body couldn't handle it."
"On the way back, the Three-Tails was about to rampage, so the Barrier Team and Ao, who was escorting him, transferred the beast."
"The Three-Tails is now inside Ao."
Kisame thought for a moment. "The Ao with the Byakugan?"
"He's strong. He'll make a decent Jinchūriki."
"The Byakugan combined with a Tailed Beast might have unexpected benefits."
Iwagakure, Tsuchikage Tower, Conference Room.
This was the first high-level meeting after the "Konoha Crush Plan."
The atmosphere was relatively relaxed, as the first topic was the spoils of the operation.
Ishiro spoke first. "I'll start with our gains from this battle."
"The biggest gain is obviously Kumo. As of today, Kumogakure is gone. All that remains are rogue ninja."
"Of course, the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, Killer B, is still at large. Everyone must be careful."
"Killer B is a perfect Jinchūriki, stronger than most Kage in our village."
"Until we confirm his location, no one goes out alone. Minimum two-man teams."
Everyone nodded.
Ishiro smiled. "Next is Konoha. Might Guy is finally dead. When I saw him fall, it felt like a giant stone was lifted from my chest."
"The Eight Gates Released Formation is truly terrifying. It allows an Elite Jonin to unleash power surpassing a Kage."
"Fortunately, Konoha has no more wild cards. We can adjust our strategy against them."
"Besides Guy, Hiruzen Sarutobi is also dead. He used the Reaper Death Seal to take Danzō with him."
"It's a pity. Our Danzō ultimately sacrificed himself for Iwagakure's rise."
Everyone wanted to laugh. Thinking about it, Danzō was pitiful; the only ones mourning him were his enemies in Iwa.
Ishiro shook his head. "Don't laugh. With Danzō gone, Konoha is weak, but united. We can no longer exploit their internal conflicts like before."
Ikura nodded. "That's true, but Konoha lost thousands of ninja. Even if they don't infight, they can't threaten us anymore."
Ishiro couldn't mention the Sage of Six Paths directly, so he said, "You can think of it that way. But let's put that aside for now and discuss other gains."
"Kiri lost the Six-Tails and thousands of troops. Their losses are significant."
"Also, Kiri evacuated their entire village. While it protected their civilians, the financial cost of moving back and forth must be immense."
"Those are the major points. There's other loot, but we won't discuss that today."
Everyone nodded. Then, Megumi spoke up. "I'll talk about the losses."
"First, Kawakita is injured. He needs long-term rest and won't be combat-ready for a while."
"Our ninja casualties were low—a few hundred lost in the chaos and pursuit."
"But the material loss is huge. Teleporting 20,000 troops back and forth, plus the multiple battles... it's put a massive strain on the village's finances."
"We expected a big haul from Kumogakure, but in their madness, they destroyed almost the entire village. Our gains were far less than expected."
"I've calculated it. The loot doesn't cover the costs."
She looked at Ishiro.
Ishiro rolled his eyes. He knew what she meant. "Negotiate with Konoha and Kiri."
"Try to make up the war losses at the negotiating table."
"Also, ask the Daimyō for more funds. We conquered a huge territory for him, after all."
"I plan to split the Land of Lightning in two. The northern half remains the Land of Lightning, ruled by their Daimyō, where we'll establish a branch. The southern half will be annexed into the Land of Earth, given to our Daimyō, and we'll build another branch there."
He looked at Megumi. "Let the two Daimyō pay for the construction."
"But do we have enough manpower?"
Megumi thought. "We're short-handed. There are too many rogue ninja in the Land of Lightning; suppressing them will take a lot of people."
"Plus the Moon branch is still under construction. With two new branches, we'll definitely be stretched thin."
"We need to prioritize. Which branch comes first? The rest of the gap can be filled when the new Academy class graduates."
Ishiro was relieved. With Iwa's territory expanding, his biggest fear was a manpower shortage.
"The Moon is peaceful; pause construction there. Focus on the two Land of Lightning branches."
"Especially the southern one, closer to Kiri. Staffing there is the priority!"
"Understood!" Megumi replied.
Ishiro continued, "Alright, let's talk about future strategy."
"For over a decade, our strategy against Konoha has been provocation first, war second."
"It worked well. Konoha managed to kill off Minato Namikaze, Kushina Uzumaki, Danzō Shimura, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Might Guy all by themselves. They drove Tsunade away and forced Orochimaru to defect."
"Konoha is no longer the behemoth it was. We need to shift our thinking. We will focus on striking Konoha! Specifically, their manpower."
"Konoha's losses are financial and military. But the Land of Fire is too rich; we can't outspend them."
"So, we focus on killing. The goal is to reduce their ninja population as much as possible."
"Of course, we can't rush. We need time to digest the Land of Lightning. It's not the right time for a full-scale war with Konoha."
Most people in the room were confused.
Ishiro's logic seemed flawed. The best move right now should be to annihilate Konoha and Kiri.
Even united, Konoha and Kiri were no match for Iwa.
Even without the injured Kawakita, Iwa's high-end power crushed them.
But Ishiro knew his own troubles. Destroying Konoha meant facing the Sage of Six Paths. He had no choice.
Seeing Ishiro's serious expression, everyone exchanged glances and nodded in agreement.
Ishiro said, "I promised Baki I'd give him Konoha's territory in the Land of Wind."
"Ikura, send someone to contact Suna. They can reclaim that area, on the condition that they kill every Konoha ninja stationed there."
Ikura's eyes lit up. "Understood."
Having Suna attack Konoha... excellent idea.
Ishiro continued, "Although occupying the Land of Lightning brings us closer to Kiri, Konoha is still closer."
"So my focus remains on Konoha."
"Konoha is currently weaker than Kiri on paper. Striking them makes it easier to disable their ability to support their ally."
"Once Konoha is crippled, we'll concentrate our forces and wipe out Kiri in one go."
"That's the strategy. Any objections?"
Ōnoki knew a little about the Sage of Six Paths, so he was the first to agree.
With Ōnoki on board, no one else objected.
And so, Iwa's new strategic direction was set.
After the meeting, Ishiro had many things to handle.
First, he visited Kawakita in the hospital.
Kawakita was awake but bedridden.
After confirming the security, Ishiro entered the room.
Kawakita grinned sheepishly. "Ishiro-sensei, I disappointed you. I almost got killed by Darui."
Ishiro laughed. "You're alive, that's what matters. I heard you got a blessing in disguise?"
Kawakita nodded awkwardly. "A little. On the brink of death, my kenjutsu finally improved."
Ishiro's smile faded. "Tell me about that last cut."
Kawakita thought for a moment. "It was similar to a chakra blade, but different. Fundamentally, it had nothing to do with chakra. It was pure kenjutsu."
"A pure samurai technique?" Ishiro asked, surprised.
Kawakita nodded.
The strongest warriors in the world were ninja, but the samurai were not weak. Men like Mifune could contend with a Kage.
Samurai were divided into two types. Most used chakra to enhance their attacks, like ninja.
The other type didn't refine chakra at all, relying purely on sword technique. This type was rare and very hard to master.
Kawakita had been the first type. Ishiro hadn't expected him to master a technique of the second.
Ishiro thought for a while. "Can this be taught in the village?"
Kawakita shook his head. "No. It relies mostly on talent and insight. It's not a technique you can learn just by practicing."
Ishiro was disappointed. That strike was powerful—it had cut Darui, in his Lightning Armor, in half. Its power rivaled an S-rank Wind Release.
Iwa had few jutsu that could match that power, aside from Dust and Light Release.
If they could train a few dozen ninja to that level, conquering the world would be easy.
Putting aside his unrealistic fantasy, Ishiro asked, "Can you use it again? Is the burden heavy?"
After gathering detailed data on the technique, Ishiro left the hospital.
Next, he went to Katsumata's lab. He gave Katsumata the Edo Tensei scroll. "I have a mission for you."
"Study this jutsu. Learn it as soon as possible."
"I don't know when the next war will be, but I want to use this jutsu then."
"Most of the strong ninja who died in recent years died by our hands. We have the DNA of many Kage-level shinobi. If we master this, we can field an entire squad of Kage."
Katsumata took the scroll. Natsuki leaned over to look.
"Brother," Natsuki said, "we brought back the bodies of the Raikage and Nagi Minazuki. Can we use them too?"
Ishiro nodded. "Not just them. We have Hanzō, the Fourth Raikage, the Third Kazekage, the Fourth Kazekage, Chiyo, Pakura, Ryōsuke, and Obito Uchiha."
"Unfortunately, we didn't find the bodies of the First through Third Raikage in the Land of Lightning. Nor did we find Jiraiya."
"I also have some of Kakuzu's blood, though Kiri has more. They might beat us to it."
"But even without Kakuzu, we have ten Kage-level Edo Tensei. Add our own First and Second Tsuchikage, and that's twelve."
"If that's not enough, we can kill Uchiha Shisui and reanimate him to make up the numbers."
"Oh, and Yugito. She's a Jinchūriki like Nagi. I don't know how strong reanimated Jinchūriki are."
Katsumata took a deep breath. "Ishiro-sensei, this task is too important. I'm afraid I can't do it alone quickly enough."
"Your research ability is strong," Ishiro said. "Edo Tensei is a soul-related forbidden jutsu. You're the best fit."
"Ask the village for any resources or personnel you need. I'll notify the advisors to facilitate it. This research is second only to the White Sphere project."
Katsumata nodded heavily, feeling the pressure.
"Natsuki will be your assistant," Ishiro added. "You two work together. When you succeed, I'll host your wedding!"
Natsuki, who had been enjoying the gossip, blushed furiously when the topic turned to her. She glared at Ishiro. "Brother~~!"
She ran out. Katsumata, too embarrassed to run, scratched his head awkwardly.
Ishiro patted his shoulder and left.
After he was gone, Natsuki returned, blushing, and snatched the scroll from Katsumata to read it carefully.
Leaving the lab, Ishiro called for his three disciples from Squad 8.
Aono Shinichi, Shizuka Minamoto, and Rion had performed exceptionally well in the campaign against Cloud.
Ishiro praised them heavily, then said, "Now, based on the intel you have, guess the village's next strategic direction."
The three looked at each other. Aono Shinichi spoke first. "Ishiro-sensei, we've thought about this. We think the village should take advantage of Konoha's weakness and conquer them immediately."
They had discussed this after the fall of Kumo.
Shizuka Minamoto added, "I agree. Although taking Konoha now would stretch our forces, once they're gone, there are no enemies left on the continent. We'd only need to garrison the coast against Kiri."
Rion nodded. "Yeah. We have absolute superiority. Why give Konoha and Kiri a chance to recover?"
Ishiro laughed. "Good analysis. Now, let me add a condition: We cannot destroy Konoha. With that premise, analyze it again."
The three exchanged puzzled looks.
Ishiro bopped each of them on the head. "Don't ask why. Just figure out how."
Helpless, they huddled together and whispered for a while. Finally, Shizuka spoke. "Ishiro-sensei, here is our thought."
"If we can't destroy Konoha, we must maintain a temporary peace. But during that peace, we cannot stop suppressing Konoha and Kiri. We must ensure we grow while they weaken."
"First, Konoha. We can send agents to infiltrate the Land of Fire, cause chaos, and tie down their forces."
"Konoha's biggest weakness now is a lack of manpower. The recent coups have decimated their regular ninja numbers. Our suppression should target this."
"We heard Konoha lost badly in the Chunin Exams, while Iwa excelled. We can use that reputation to steal missions in the Land of Fire. Send extra ninja on every mission, and deliberately provoke conflicts with Konoha ninja. Use those conflicts to whittle down their numbers."
After Shizuka finished, Rion continued, "Next is Kiri. Dealing with them is simpler. Kiri emptied their village, so their biggest loss is financial."
"We should use economic warfare, like we did with Suna. Keep Kiri confined to the Land of Water, preventing them from taking missions outside."
Ishiro smiled. "Excellent. I'm appointing you three as the heads of the 'Konoha and Kiri Suppression Task Force'."
"You will decide who and how many to send on missions related to them."
The three eagerly accepted, excited by the chance to participate in high-level strategy.
After dismissing his disciples, Ishiro went home.
He walked to the fragment of the Gedo Mazo and took out two items.
First was the Eight-Tails horn Ōnoki had brought back.
Ishiro used the Jinchūriki sealing style to open a space within the Gedo Mazo fragment, then extracted the chakra from the horn and sealed it inside.
However, the fragment was an empty shell; its energy was long gone. To condense the chakra into a Little Gyūki, he needed something else.
He picked up the second item: Hashirama Senju's cells.
These were the cells he had taken from Obito's Kamui dimension. Madara had cultivated them painstakingly to create White Zetsu.
Ishiro planned to use them to cultivate Tailed Beasts.
He injected the cells into the fragment. As expected, the statue absorbed the power.
It was slow. Ishiro waited half a day before the cells were fully absorbed.
He then felt the Eight-Tails chakra begin to coalesce.
But after a while, it stopped.
Not enough cells, Ishiro thought. He had injected 10% of his supply. He injected another 10%.
Another long wait. During this time, Little Saiken, Little Chōmei, Little Son Gokū, and Little Matatabi all returned.
They lived inside the fragment.
Seeing Ishiro, Little Saiken rushed over. "Ishiro, is another Tailed Beast being born?"
Ishiro nodded, petting Little Saiken. "Yes. Guess who it is?"
Ishiro adored Little Saiken. After Little Matatabi arrived, Little Saiken had quickly convinced it to give Ishiro control of its chakra. Now, Little Matatabi also wore an Iwa headband.
So when Little Gyūki was born, Ishiro would let Little Saiken take care of it.
(End of Chapter)
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