As one of the most powerful nations in the ninja world, the Land of Lightning had always been ambitious—hoping to replace the Land of Fire's dominant position someday.
Therefore, both the Raikage of Kumo and the Lightning Daimyo tirelessly devoted themselves to strengthening their military might and national power.
But ninja are ultimately still human beings. A thriving ninja population requires not only enough resources and mastery of secret jutsu, but also—and most importantly—ample time for training and growth.
So when the Second Great Ninja War broke out, unlike the fervor during the First Great Ninja War, Kumo chose a strategy of gradual encroachment into the buffer states between the Land of Lightning and the Land of Fire. They even went as far as posing as hired hands doing jobs for cash, while slipping extra payments to corrupt Konoha ninja.
At the same time, regarding relations with their traditional enemy Iwagakure, Kumo did not rush to strike while Iwa was stuck in the quagmire of the Land of Rain. Instead, they applied pressure slowly like boiling a frog in warm water, successfully taking over key northern areas of the strategically important Land of Frost. In response, Iwagakure, unwilling to fight on two fronts and fall into disadvantage, chose to ignore Kumo's slow but steady advance.
Because of this, the expansion advocated by the Third Raikage achieved remarkable results. The steady effectiveness of his military expansion policy significantly increased the village's support for the Raikage and earned him growing trust from the Lightning Daimyo, resulting in continuously increasing military budgets.
In such a positive cycle of continuous benefits, from the Raikage down to ordinary Kumo ninja, everyone looked forward to the future with high hopes.
However, a sudden cleansing strike by the Leaf's Northern Border Forces hit Kumo like a thunderbolt, leaving confident Kumo completely stunned!
Naturally, after news spread about the complete annihilation of the southern infiltration unit, previously confident Kumo ninja were suddenly overcome with rage.
"Declare war against despicable Konoha!"
"An eye for an eye, blood for blood!"
"March South! March South!"
Almost simultaneously with the formulation of revenge plans within the Raikage Headquarters, enraged Kumo ninja spontaneously gathered outside the Raikage building, shouting wild battle cries, demanding immediate revenge on the traitorous Konoha ninja behind the ambush!
As for exactly how many Leaf forces participated in eliminating the infiltration unit, how much time and military supplies were burned through, and what the actual casualty ratio was—these hot-blooded Kumo ninja didn't care at all.
All they wanted was to vent their fury—to exact revenge!
However, although he felt anger too, the Third Raikage, as leader of the village, hadn't let anger cloud his judgment completely.
While it was necessary to unite fellow villagers, equally important for a village head was making decisions based on clear judgment of circumstances, thus gaining greater interests for the village.
Following his instruction, his son—the beloved heir and next generation leader, the Fourth Raikage, A—publicly addressed all Kumo ninja, announcing the [Smite] of those dishonorable Konoha ninja who launched surprise attacks while promising to reclaim the promised lands along the southern border.
However, A did not accept the request from the Kumo ninja within the village who had come to petition for battle. Instead, he stated that for the sake of combat efficiency, the village would send elite forces southward for revenge, urging everyone to remain at their posts and contribute properly to the village.
The sudden outbreak of war fervor within Kumo also greatly shocked the spies from other hidden villages currently hiding inside Raimei Canyon. In no time at all, the skies above Raimei Canyon were soon filled with birds as these spies risked exposure to release ninja hawks and other birds to report back to their respective villages.
After all, knowing Kumo's usual behavior, even if they hadn't yet engaged in a large-scale direct conflict with Konoha, it was practically taken for granted among everyone that they'd seize the chance to strike other ninja villages to replenish their resources!
Konoha's Hokage Tower became aware of the situation almost immediately after Hyuga Soushu issued the orders for the operational squads to mobilize. However, it remained silent until Soushu officially submitted his battlefield report under the identity of the Northern Front Border Forces commander.
Unsurprisingly, Konoha's F4, being apprentices of the Second, Tobirama Senju, deeply hated Kumo for killing their teacher and hunting down the six of them across hundreds of miles. Yet due to their high ranks, they couldn't afford to let personal feelings dictate policy. Considering Kumo's strength, it wasn't easy to destroy them in a short time, so they had previously maintained a deliberately distant relationship to ease their deep hatred.
Moreover, no matter what, even though Hyuga Soushu and the two powerful clans—the Hyuga and Uchiha—posed a significant threat to the Hokage line, that was an internal matter within Konoha. Even someone as despicable as Danzo merely hoped those disobedient figures would fight each other to death with Kumo, preferably eliminating both sides completely. Still, no one would ever consider openly collaborating with the enemy or sacrificing an entire Ninja Force.
Therefore, upon receiving Soushu's battlefield report and intelligence from spies embedded in Kumo, the Hokage Tower quickly called for a council of all clan leaders to be convened before the Kage, to discuss how to deal with the inevitable threat from Kumo.
"Initiating war at such a critical moment—it's simply too reckless! Commander Soushu went too far!"
At the beginning of the meeting, the Nara clan leader immediately launched criticism: "Right now, most of our main forces are concentrated on the western front and the Land of Rain. If we keep withdrawing ninja stationed in the village, it'll be hard to maintain our current mission capacity. Long-term, this will be harmful rather than beneficial to the village!"
"Border defense forces need level-headed leadership," added the Yamanaka clan leader in a calm tone.
"But reclaiming lost territory and clearing out infiltrated enemy forces is indeed part of the border units' responsibilities. There's nothing wrong with what Soushu did tactically," offered the more aggressive Tsume Inuzuka in a fair-minded manner.
"He didn't do anything wrong—but neither did he do anything wise!" Clearly serving as the Hokage faction's vanguard at this meeting, the Nara clan leader countered swiftly and sharply: "As a regional military commander, inciting border conflicts that could potentially escalate into village-wide warfare while the village faces imminent major battles—that's extremely reckless behavior!"
"So according to you, we should just sit here and let those savages from Kumo steal the Land of Fire's vassals?"
The Inuzuka Clan Leader shot a glance at the impassive Hyuga Clan Leader before snapping back, "If it weren't for Soushu directing the Ninja Force to wipe out those infiltrating Kumo ninja, in a couple more years, Kumo's army might already be marching into Fire Country's districts!"
"By then we wouldn't just be clearing border buffer states—we'd be preparing homeland defenses and fortifying Takasago Castle!"
"Konoha, which once commanded respect across the Ninja World, is crumbling under spineless cowards like you!"
After this barrage of scathing accusations from the Inuzuka leader, supporters of the Hokage faction all wore grim expressions but didn't know how to respond.
From Konoha's interests perspective, Commander Soushu hadn't made any mistakes. In fact, he turned things around immediately upon taking office by completely recovering the Northern Border Buffer State that had been infiltrated without the village's knowledge—this was a shining example of loyalty put into action.
Yet viewed from Konoha's current situation, Soushu's actions were somewhat untimely. The village's main standing Ninja Force was mostly deployed on Sakumo Hatake's Western Front and the Rain Country Frontline Army led by the Third Hokage's three apprentices—the Sannin. If large-scale war truly broke out, they would definitely have to intensify mobilization efforts, drawing strength not only from the ninja clans but also from village ninja themselves.
But here lay precisely the problem—during the previous mobilization round, the Hokage faction had already conceded a big slice of the pie. Now if further clan recruitment was needed, exactly how much more territory would they have to offer these ninja clans to satisfy their appetites?
"As ninja serving Konoha, we must never forget the Second Hokage's passing."
After exchanging glances, the Uchiha Clan Leader voiced his opinion first: "And it falls upon us as descendants to avenge those grudges."
"One generation bears its own responsibilities. Leaving everything to the next generation isn't the right path."
The Hyuga Clan Leader added calmly.
With that, both influential clan leaders fell silent.
The conference room instantly became so quiet one could hear a pin drop.
"Internal troubles and external threats,"
Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed inwardly, signaling his old friend Danzo with a meaningful look.
This moment demanded precisely the time when Danzo should step forward—as both spokesperson and scapegoat.
Convince everyone, and all celebrate together. Say the wrong thing? It's just your personal opinion—easily dismissed. That's how he survives as both a figurehead and scapegoat, stirring up trouble repeatedly but staying unscathed.
When Danzo caught his longtime friend's gaze, he immediately understood exactly what kind of feces he would now have to produce.
Yet he still felt hesitant.
Though he deeply disliked Hyuga Soushu—a noble clan ninja who once brought him tremendous humiliation—that didn't prevent Danzo from appreciating certain measures taken by Soushu. This wasn't about personal interest but purely from the Martial Faction's perspective!
However, if he needed to publicly criticize Hyuga Soushu, he would necessarily take an overarching stance representing Konoha's broader interests, inevitably forcing him to part ways with the revenge-driven Martial Faction mentality. And that was exactly what Danzo wished to avoid—especially now with the Ninja Clan Coalition just forming. He could no longer forcibly conscript talents from declining clans like before. Instead, he could only resort to brainwashing—luring in misguided hotheads who bought into his propaganda to join Root Division.
But the problem was, Danzo was in direct competition with Soushu for influence — after all, Soushu could walk freely under the sunlight, while Danzo had been mocked as a repulsive maggot lurking in darkness. They were worlds apart!
"Soushu is too young and far too cautious!"
After a long pause and deep thought, Danzo's words stirred intense reactions!
"What the—?!"
Even his longtime friend, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was left speechless.
You've gotta be kidding me! Now he's turning traitor?!
The Third Hokage's face hardened instantly.
"As a military commander, Soushu, as a Jonin, seems hesitant to engage in battle!"
Danzo kept shocking everyone with every word: "He remained behind in safety while his subordinates went into combat. Even after the battle, he didn't dare visit the front line to comfort those loyal Konoha ninjas who fought bravely. Clearly, he severely lacks the courage and sense of responsibility essential for any Konoha ninja!"
Everyone exchanged glances, half-amused and half-baffled.
What does that have to do with being overly cautious? If staying away from the frontline equates to cowardice, then since the start of the Great Ninja World War, hasn't the Third Hokage himself — who always stayed at Konoha headquarters — been the biggest incompetent in the entire village?
They all perfectly understood why he had ordered those veteran ninja units into battle. In their eyes, it showed Soushu's youthful brilliance and strategic mind.
Besides, speaking of scheming and political maneuvering, who in Konoha could possibly rival Konoha's F4 — those old foxes who controlled the village's power?
But could they really bring up such matters openly?
This is exactly the kind of thing Konoha has always done — but never spoken aloud. How could Danzo, a top leader, fail to understand such an unspoken rule that everyone knew but no one ever said out loud?
"How intriguing,"
Hiruzen Sarutobi thought along different lines, and his expression quickly brightened again.
"Give me a break!"
But before Danzo could finish his train of thought, the Uchiha Clan Leader cut right through his scheme without mercy: "Now is a time of crisis. For Elder Danzo to engage in baseless speculation and accuse others like this may lead people to question whether the village's leadership truly possesses competent governance ability!"
"That's true!"
Aside from the calm-as-an-old-fox Hyuga Clan Leader, the other clan heads within the Coalition of Ninja Clans voiced their agreement in unison.
"You..."
Danzo, originally prepared with plenty of arguments, was furious — at least outwardly he appeared so.
Then he huffed angrily, bowed his head, and clammed up completely.
After successfully thwarting Danzo's scheme, the ninja clan leaders immediately shifted their attention back toward the Third Hokage.
"That son of a bitch..."
A sudden possibility struck the Third Hokage: Could it be Danzo deliberately spouted such nonsense to distance himself?
Once the suspicion was sown, it quickly grew roots.
After casting a suspicious glance at Danzo, the Third Hokage sighed helplessly and finally decided to voice his own stance personally: "Without doubt, the Northern Border Defense Force's recent cleansing operation ended in a complete and decisive victory!"
"This large-scale purge truly showcased the loyalty and bravery of Konoha's ninja. As the newly appointed commander, Jonin Soushu also deserves credit for his strategic planning. This fact cannot be disputed."
To silence the clan leaders, one must acknowledge Hyuga Soushu's contribution.
As for those underhanded political tactics? Better not to speak words that harm unity.
Especially under current circumstances when the clans hold significant power, we absolutely cannot disrupt the village's unity — even just outwardly!
"The village needs reinforcements at the front lines. Please advise how we should proceed, Lord Hokage."
Said the Hyuga Clan Leader slowly, "After all, we're Konoha ninja too, so naturally we'll do our part."
"The village simply cannot spare enough manpower anymore, which is precisely why this meeting was convened. I hope each clan leader can demonstrate their spirit of sacrifice and help ease the village's burdens!"
Since he'd already lost face once, the Third Hokage didn't mind losing face again — he adopted a somewhat 'broken jar might as well remain broken' attitude as he shrugged and employed an extremely high-level compliment-with-criticism tactic: "This meeting proposes forming a new regiment of three thousand ninjas conscripted from various ninja clans. Which I'm sure each clan leader would happily contribute. So then, how many ninjas will your clans be willing to dispatch?"
"We have already done much for the village."
The Hyuga Clan Leader deflected smoothly, "Plus, regular village ninja are also being mobilized northward for support."
Absolutely unacceptable! If they didn't mobilize the clan ninja for combat, how could the Hokage's faction — which would suffer heavy losses in the war — control these increasingly arrogant ninja clans afterward?!
"This matter is extremely important and requires careful deliberation."
The Hyuga Clan Leader remained expressionless.
Several clan leaders nodded in agreement.
That's exactly how a top-tier clan leader should speak! Every word was powerful and impressively calculated.
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