The Hidden Mist Village is an island nation surrounded by sea on all four sides. Their shipbuilding technology is highly advanced, and the village is renowned for its mastery of Water Release, allowing them to exert several times their strength on the open sea.
However, the islands in the vast sea are poor in resources, utterly unable to support the development of a ninja village. Therefore, the main battlefield of the ninja world remains on land, which severely curtails the power they can unleash.
Thus, at this moment, the shinobi of the Hidden Mist are using warships as their base, constantly patrolling Konoha's coastline, diverting Konoha's defensive efforts.
They didn't want to engage Konoha on land, where they were not adept, so quickly. They would only occasionally raid ashore when Konoha was slow to react, then swiftly retreat back to their ships, acting very much like pirates.
This was because the Land of the Sea, an archipelago nation right next to them, had no military of its own. Thus, to guard against frequent pirate attacks, they had continuously hired shinobi from the Hidden Mist Village to protect their country. The Mist Shinobi, therefore, were very familiar with pirate combat tactics.
The commander on this defensive line was Hyuga Hiashi, the clan head of the Hyuga clan.
As Konoha's oldest and most prominent clan, the Hyuga clan had an agreement with Konoha when they joined: the clan head of the Main Branch did not have to go to the battlefield, nor did their children have to attend the Ninja Academy. They didn't even need recommendations from a squad leader; they could directly participate in the Chunin Exams at an appropriate time.
This was a privilege Konoha granted to the Main Branch!
But the Hyuga clan had never used this privilege. They deeply understood their place and never considered themselves superior, integrating the Hyuga deeply with Konoha.
Just like in the Kidnapping Incident ten years ago, although the one who ultimately died was Neji's father, if Neji's father hadn't stepped up then, Hiashi, as the clan head, would have sacrificed himself for Konoha!
In fact, Hiashi's father was also conscripted by the village during the Third Great Ninja War, becoming the commander on the front line against the Hidden Mist Village. He ultimately died fighting bravely, and even lost a Byakugan of the Main Branch!
This was the Hyuga clan's way of survival in Konoha. They were even willing to sacrifice the clan head of the Main Branch for Konoha, which is why Konoha never suppressed the silently dedicated Hyuga, allowing them to flourish into Konoha's largest clan!
So this time was no different. Konoha sacrificed a large number of excellent ninja in a short period, and being short-staffed, they once again called upon the Hyuga.
And this time, the Hyuga still did not refuse. Hiashi, as the clan head, once again came to this front line against the Hidden Mist. One reason was to alleviate pressure on the village, and the other was to wash away the Hyuga's shame, to destroy or even reclaim a lost Byakugan!
The Hyuga clan had a unique style passed down for a thousand years. Hiashi sat calmly in the tea room, resting with his eyes closed.
He was not anxious when facing the constant harassment from the Hidden Mist; instead, he quickly made decisions.
As mentioned before, the Mist Shinobi, skilled in Water Release, could unleash extraordinary power at sea. However, on land, Konoha held the advantage.
For this, he retracted the defensive line, absorbing significant economic losses, and fully evacuated the coastal villages and towns, leaving the Hidden Mist Village's forces with no targets to attack!
Therefore, if the Hidden Mist still wanted to expand their gains, they would have to step onto land!
And this was the invitation Hyuga Hiashi extended to the other side!
The commander on the Hidden Mist Village's side was their Ninja Army Commander, Mei Terumī.
Mei Terumī possessed two Kekkei Genkai: Lava Release and Boil Release. Her strength was astonishing, yet her reputation in the ninja world was not prominent. This was because as the Ninja Army Commander, she had always been guarding all four directions in the Land of the Sea, accumulating immense prestige there. However, due to the Land of the Sea being too remote, her reputation had not spread to the ears of other villages.
However, her formidable strength and decisive style made everyone believe she was the best candidate for the next Mizukage!
This Fourth Great Ninja War might just be her time to make a name for herself in the ninja world!
Evacuating all coastal villages and towns was a decision not just anyone could make. Hiashi's decisiveness was astonishing. At this moment, the Hidden Mist Village had lost all targets they could attack.
At this moment, Ao, who had acquired a Byakugan during the Third Great Ninja War, came to Mei Terumī's side and asked her, "This should be Konoha's invitation to us. What should we do? Should we land?"
Mei Terumī rested her chin, contemplating the matter. She frowned and said, "The Fourth Mizukage's orders are too strange. He only told us to cause as much slaughter as possible, but gave us no specific combat objectives. He even dispersed the village's forces, sending them towards the Cloud Village and Sand Village..."
Ao also thought for a moment. "Perhaps the village has other considerations."
Mei Terumī shook her head silently. She always felt something was off. Then she replied, "Perhaps. In any case, let's not rush to land. The great war has just begun. Let's see the results of the other villages first. Perhaps Cloud Village will be able to break through Konoha's defensive line and draw their defensive forces over here."
Mei Terumī also couldn't understand why the village was doing this. She could only attribute it to the village having other plans.
Otherwise, one couldn't possibly say that their Fourth Mizukage was controlled by genjutsu and then wanted to destroy the Hidden Mist Village, right?
Heh heh, thinking this, Mei Terumī herself found it amusing.
The Fourth Mizukage was a perfect Jinchuriki, and perfect Jinchuriki were immune to genjutsu. How could he possibly be controlled!
Hiashi was waiting for the Hidden Mist to land, while Mei Terumī cautiously awaited changes.
And so, on the front line against the Hidden Mist, the battlefield fell into an eerie silence.
Or perhaps, it was just the calm before the storm.
.....
The Stone Village mobilized over four thousand ninja for this war, the vast majority of whom were Chunin and Genin.
Unlike other villages, Stone Village was not adept at small-scale operations; instead, they excelled at large-scale battlefield advancements.
Because their talents rarely included super geniuses who could fend off a hundred opponents, they were at a severe disadvantage in small-scale battles. They could only rely on numbers and teamwork to regain their disadvantage on the front lines.
The shinobi of Stone Village were very united and coordinated. Their most famous battle was a siege by ten thousand ninja that killed the Third Raikage of Cloud Village.
Furthermore, in the Battle of Kannabi Bridge that led to Obito's 'death', Stone Village had planned to deploy its ninja army to the battlefield, but the bridge was ultimately destroyed, and the operation was terminated.
From this, it can be seen that Stone Village was skilled at, and preferred, large-scale troop movements.
The vast and mighty Stone Village army had already entered the territory of the Land of Grass. They and Konoha had once fought a world-shaking battle here. Back then, Grass Village dared not resist, and the same was true now.
However, just as Ōnoki was about to pass through the Land of Grass and enter the Land of Fire's territory, he received a report from his subordinates that an elder from Grass Village was requesting an audience with him.
Ōnoki didn't know the purpose of the visit, but he still agreed to the request.
Soon, an elder was brought before him.
The elder, with a faint smile on his face, said to Ōnoki, "Hello, Mr. Ōnoki. We are here to discuss a transaction. May I ask if Stone Village requires the services of Grass Village's forces? We can deploy at least two thousand ninja to fight alongside your troops."
Ōnoki valued his village's comrades greatly and was unwilling to see anyone die or get injured. To minimize losses, he was also the only Kage among the Five Great Ninja Villages who hired the Akatsuki organization to carry out tasks for him.
Even in the later stages of his life, he accepted artificial human technology just to reduce village casualties.
Ōnoki scrutinized the elder from head to toe.
Many people thought that Clone Jutsu or Transformation Jutsu would be easily seen through, but in reality, they wouldn't. These two ninjutsu could not be detected for flaws in appearance or detail. Only special sensory ninjutsu could perceive differences, or one could make a judgment by observing subtle differences in the opponent's behavior.
At this moment, Ōnoki naturally couldn't spot any flaws, but he instinctively felt that there was something wrong with the other party, because that Uzumaki who claimed to seek revenge on the ninja world was from Grass Village. Furthermore, Grass Village's subsequent actions proved that they had already been manipulated by the Ōtsutsuki.
So, Ōnoki stared at the elder and probed, "No matter what, it's alright?"
The elder nodded with a smile, confirming Ōnoki's thoughts. "As long as it's not a suicidal mission, we can do it."
"Is that so?" Ōnoki nodded. He understood that the master of Grass Village had changed.
However, he didn't care about this. The strength of these medium-sized ninja villages was fundamentally different compared to his Five Great Ninja Villages. Moreover, he could even hire the Akatsuki organization, where rebellious figures gathered, so he wouldn't refuse Uzumaki's proposal.
"What do you want?"
The elder replied, "Two ninjutsu: the Super Added Weight Rock Technique and the Super Lightened Weight Rock Technique. After that, Grass Village's forces will be at your service. Whether as backup or bait, two thousand ninja will obey your command."
These two ninjutsu are both Earth Release techniques. The Super Added Weight Weight Rock Technique can increase an object's weight by hundreds or even tens of thousands of times. The Super Lightened Weight Rock Technique, conversely, can infinitely decrease an object's weight. Ōnoki is able to fly because the Super Lightened Weight Rock Technique reduces his body weight.
Ōnoki thought for a moment. These two ninjutsu were precious, but no matter how precious, they couldn't compare to the strategic significance of two thousand Grass shinobi.
So, he nodded to the elder. "I accept your proposal. Go back. I will soon provide you with the detailed operational plans, and the ninjutsu scrolls will be handed to you at that time."
The elder bowed, then slowly retreated.
At this moment, Kurotsuchi, who had been hiding behind, walked out. "Grandpa, I just feel that making a deal with them is a mistake."
Ōnoki was already very old, and his son Kitsuchi was also not young. So he hoped to cultivate a Tsuchikage for the village before he died, and that candidate was his precious granddaughter, Kurotsuchi!
Even if Kurotsuchi's strength wasn't formidable and she had no particular specialties apart from her legs, she was still his granddaughter!
Ōnoki shook his head, then said solemnly, "Kurotsuchi, you must remember, any means that can reduce the village's losses is the correct one."
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