The sacredness of the Daimyo is inviolable, and nobles are born superior—this is a prejudiced belief embedded in the Ninja World like an ideological brand (thought seal).
Even more bizarre was the fact that, aside from the Uchiha, Hyūga, and the Senju long buried in history's dust, no other ninja—including those from ordinary ninja clans—seemed to have any objection toward the reality where the weak controlled power while the strong remained subordinate.
Even stranger still, even ruthless rogue ninja rarely targeted the feeble yet wealthy nobility. Instead, they hid anonymously in dark corners of black markets, surviving miserably on scraps left behind by aristocrats.
Although he could not fully understand this phenomenon, Hyūga Soushu nevertheless felt deeply shocked!
Especially after the Kumo Ninja Animal Companions stationed at the Kumo Ninja Force headquarters suddenly broke their intelligence silence regulations and sent news about the Lightning Daimyo personally arriving at the Ninja Camp, Soushu's first reaction was to recall all available Jonin to make a full-scale assassination attempt on the Lightning Daimyo.
However, with only the current Jonin forces available in the border defense units, it would be difficult to match forces or execute such tactics effectively. Therefore, after brief consideration, Hyūga Soushu directly notified Hatake Sakumo of this good news, strongly recommending that he immediately summon all Jonin to join him in launching a bold lightning war straight across the Central Provinces to strike the Kumo camp near the Lightning Daimyo's palace!
Yet Hatake Sakumo firmly rejected this suggestion. He rushed to Soushu's frontline command post and pleaded with him not to pursue reckless ambitions against the Daimyo, to avoid unnecessary bloodshed and disaster.
Hyūga Soushu had no choice but reluctantly comply.
However, through this incident, his eyes were once again opened wide to the inexplicable and deeply ingrained ideological brand persisting within the Ninja World. Still filled with regret and sighs, he reluctantly returned home and made love to Mahiru Uchiha as a way to vent his frustration.
Meanwhile, as Konoha's Ninja Forces prepared themselves for battle, the Kumo Ninja Army, which had been confronting them for several days, also started making probing movements.
After the Daimyo arrived in person at the Ninja Army headquarters and occupied the central command tent, Tsuchi no Tai—who served as commander—could do nothing but submit beneath the Daimyo's authority and reluctantly agree to dispatch Kumo ninja squads into the three southern fallen districts of the Land of Lightning in hopes of reclaiming lost territory.
Nevertheless, what officials decree, subordinates can circumvent. Although the Daimyo's pressure couldn't be refused, execution could still allow for reduction and slack. In particular, the three Kumo Jonin Commanders—each leading a troop—were Dodai's trusted men and well aware of their own disadvantages. So when issuing military orders, Dodai made sure to use prearranged code words, indicating to merely carry out cautious probes without initiating large-scale engagements against Konoha's occupying forces.
Hyūga Soushu was equally cooperative; upon detecting the cautious advance of these small Kumo squadrons, he deliberately abandoned several settlements along the district borders, allowing those advancing Kumo detachments, determined to die fighting, to regain partial lost ground.
When the Lightning Daimyo received news of a victory from the frontlines, his immediate reaction was to take full credit for it, believing it proof of his brilliant and decisive leadership. Encouraged by agitated nobles whose lands had been previously occupied, the Daimyo became even more confident, beginning an obsessive level of micromanagement.
After pretending to analyze maps—though in reality he simply stared at them blankly—the now self-proclaimed genius of ninja warfare directly requested rosters of the three battalions already dispatched by Kumo and began playing a child's coloring game on the map, assigning each Ninja Force squad with extreme precision!
"Lord Dodai, the battle plan has been fully arranged. Proceed immediately as instructed!"
When the Daimyo personally handed over what he called a detailed military operation—though it was really just childish scribbling—Dodai, a veteran hardened by countless battles, felt like he was about to completely lose it!
Even without a close look, a single glance told Dodai that the Daimyo's wild fantasy was truly painful to behold!
Leaving everything else aside, who in their right mind would deploy every single Ninja Force unit across the board without discrimination?
Wasn't there still a need for support personnel? A command center? Reserve forces prepared for Konoha's counterattacks? And how could Medical Ninja squads be treated like standard combat units and tossed into some color-coded zone to seize territory? What kind of nonsense was this?!
Could it be the Daimyo thought Kumo had too many ninja and wanted to thin their ranks under the guise of war?
"My lord, this is highly problematic!"
Refusing to let the Daimyo's foolishness send his elite troops to their deaths, Dodai immediately raised his voice in protest: "The nation and the village are equal! Entrusting military affairs to the Hidden Village is the foundation of the one-village, one-nation system. You should not interfere with this!"
"Dare you speak so boldly!"
Before the Lightning Daimyo could even open his mouth, the courtiers tightly surrounding him jumped up, screeching angrily, "If you weren't so incompetent, why would His Highness have to lower himself to such a filthy place!"
"Now that our wise and mighty ruler has laid the path to victory, simply following it faithfully will send the Konoha forces retreating in disarray, and total victory along with a powerful counterattack shall be ours effortlessly!"
"Dodai! I advise you not to bite the hand that feeds you! Otherwise, not even Lord Raikage will be able to protect you!"
A barrage of abuse rained down from these aristocrats, spittle flying as they screamed.
But Dodai—who had long since mastered the art of enduring humiliation—was not angered at all. He simply ignored these pompous, clueless nobles and defiantly fixed his stare past the thin veil where the Daimyo sat.
No matter what, he couldn't allow this hopeless fool to recklessly endanger his own subordinates!
Moreover, if a careless Konoha counterattack shattered the carefully crafted illusion of Kumo's invincibility he'd worked so hard to build, it might ignite renewed fighting spirit among Konoha's ninja—and then the mess would be nearly impossible to clean up!
More importantly, to prevent enemy forces from discovering their weaknesses, Dodai never mentioned any disadvantages or flaws of their ninja forces to the Lightning Daimyo and courtiers. Even the threat from Mist shinobi lurking along the northwest coastal region of the Land of Lightning was kept completely secret upon the Third Raikage's orders. All of this was done to act as a skillful cobbler, patching things together to help the village survive its most difficult times.
"Your Highness! Please withdraw your order!"
Dodai urged again.
But the Lightning Daimyo behind the curtain still gave no response. Though the courtiers had stopped their furious cursing, they wore expressions filled with resentment, as if ready to devour Dodai alive.
"In matters of ninja warfare, I am not your equal,"
The Lightning Daimyo finally replied after a long silence.
Dodai immediately felt a sense of relief, even taking comfort in the daimyo's rare moment of wisdom.
But he rejoiced too soon.
"However!"
At this sudden shift in tone from the Lightning Daimyo, Dodai immediately became anxious.
"As for courage in battle, Minister Dodai, you're far from good enough!"
This arrogant declaration almost made Dodai furious enough to pass out!
"Your Highness!"
Dodai's tone was no longer respectful—it even carried a hint of threat.
While he wouldn't dare lay hands on the sacred-born daimyo, Dodai wouldn't mind using other pretexts to send the daimyo back to the palace.
"If Minister Dodai insists on disagreeing, then we shall drop the matter."
With a slight lift of his hand, the Lightning Daimyo signaled, and one of his courtiers immediately stepped forward to snatch back the battle strategy deployment that Dodai tightly held in his hands. Then he continued, "This Prince shall personally question the Raikage regarding the matter—let's see how Kumo commands its ninja forces!"
"I beg Your Highness' forgiveness!"
Dodai merely said politely.
But the daimyo took this as Dodai backing down, so he pushed further: "Since you have your own plans, when exactly can you reclaim the three lost territories? And when will you counterattack into the Land of Fire?"
"As for matters of ninja warfare, I naturally know my limits. I kindly ask Your Highness to return to the palace for rest and avoid troubling yourself over such matters."
Though seething inside, Dodai remained formally composed—though his tone carried a sharp edge.
"Then we'll just wait for Minister Dodai's victory report!"
The Lightning Daimyo had no interest in further conversation and simply waved Dodai off. His attendants immediately ordered to move the royal procession back to the city.
"Phew! Finally got rid of that ignorant bunch of pompous fools!"
Only after the daimyo's entourage left the main camp did Dodai finally relax completely.
[Meow~]
A fat orange cat strutted gracefully toward Dodai, rubbing its round, fluffy head against Dodai's calves.
"Hm."
Even Dodai, with a heart of stone, could feel it slowly melting!
No wonder those young soldiers were so fond of these little wildcats—despite doing nothing but catching mice. They'd sneak out occasionally to catch fish just for them, even risking punishment by secretly keeping the strays in their tents. Now Dodai could see that these affectionate little cuties truly are much more lovable than those pompous daimyos and courtiers who think nothing of themselves except for their power and wealth!
"Come here, little kitty. Uncle will take you for some cat treats."
Dodai's face wrinkled into a smile like blooming chrysanthemums. He cackled weirdly as he scooped up the fat orange cat, stroking its fur while walking toward his tent. "As long as you behave yourself, there'll be plenty of treats waiting for you!"
"Dodai-sama"
An inopportune messenger jonin approached with urgent news: "When we sent off the chariot earlier, I overheard the prince requesting the Minister of State to send word to our village, demanding that the Raikage personally lead the battle. What should we do?"
"The Third wouldn't give him the time of day—that'd be strange indeed!"
Dodai snorted coldly: "Now that Mist has grown bolder, we've confirmed over a thousand enemy ninjas lurking along the northwest coast. The Third won't head south until these suspicious riffraff get cleared out!"
"Sigh—"
The messenger jonin could only sigh helplessly without further words.
The northwest coast of the Land of Lightning occupied an extremely delicate position.
According to the ninja world map, the Land of Water where Mist resides lay eastward across the sea from the Land of Lightning. In past incursions, Mist usually landed on eastern or northeastern shores.
This appearance along the northwest coast seemed highly unusual since such a detour defied conventional military strategy.
Another concern emerged too—would Mist suddenly reconcile with Iwagakure from the Land of Earth westward? Could they possibly conspire together to launch joint attacks against Kumo? Theoretically possible; otherwise why would Mist travel such a long distance?
Thus, under current circumstances, the Third Raikage couldn't afford to move recklessly nor enter drawn-out battles where quick victories remained uncertain!
"Don't let these worries throw you off balance. Remember—you're a ninja! Have faith in the Third's judgment!"
Though slightly reproachful, Dodai didn't press harder against this dutiful messenger, continuing instead to scratch the orange cat resting in his arms with his rough palms.
Although this purring feline appeared perfectly content—just like any ordinary orange cat—it had already memorized crucial intelligence about Mist's unexpected presence along the Land of Lightning's northwest coast. Patiently waiting for a chance to escape, it planned to pass the information to its Uchiha contact in return for the finest bonito shavings.
"Time waits for no one!"
Upon receiving this breakthrough intelligence about Mist movements through the ninja animal companion channel, Hyuga Soushu immediately turned back toward Hakone Prefecture city. He needed to meet with Sakumo Hatake, who was still organizing the various units of the Ninja Force.
This time even Sakumo Hatake was genuinely intrigued.
The sudden appearance of over a thousand Mist ninjas signaled that their notorious aggression wasn't just about simple raids and skirmishes anymore. Worse yet, even the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist—the ace unit rumored capable of hunting down Kage-level targets—had mobilized. Evidently, Mist harbored significant ambitions indeed.
And this also meant they'd finished their tactical planning for the decisive showdown with the Kumo forces moving south. The only thing left now was to step into the fight!
"What a pity," someone sighed. "It would've been great if we could pin down roughly when Mist would launch their attack on Kumo."
Still, Sakumo Hatake couldn't help but feel a deep sense of regret. After all, such a thin piece of intelligence wasn't enough to give him real peace of mind.
Hyuga Soushu, though, didn't react at all—as if he hadn't even been listening. He wasn't some fortune-telling turtle in a temple pond—how the hell was he supposed to know everything? So instead, he kept insisting that the time for the decisive battle was almost here. Missing this chance would be unforgivable. If they hesitated any longer, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, currently locked down because of his unstable condition and temporarily out of action, might soon regain control—and that would spell real trouble!
"If that's decided, then we'll launch our full attack in three days!"
Sakumo Hatake realized he couldn't change Hyuga Soushu's mind, so he dropped it and made the call to begin the war immediately!
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