https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-622-Lightning-Strike-in-the-Land-of-Fire/12558912/
Chapter 623: Worsening Situation
Chapter 623: Worsening Situation
Whoosh!
Just as the Konoha ninja on patrol was about to fire the signal flare, a bolt of blue lightning struck.
Bang!
Intense pain caused the patrolling ninja's pupils to dilate, and he was sent flying backward as if he were a projectile himself.
"Speed is of the essence!" The Fourth Raijin commanded to the Cloud-hidden jonin rushing up behind him.
Although Konoha hadn't deployed any ninja units in this area due to their limited numbers, there were still some border patrol ninjas.
The first task for the Fourth Raijin and his team was to eliminate Konoha's defensive forces in the northern Fire Country, effectively blinding Konoha to a large extent in that region.
The Cloud ninja village had never intended to defeat Konoha with just their force of 1,200 ninjas. They were merely the vanguard, responsible for opening up the battlefield.
Whoosh! Whoosh!!
The Cloud jonin led the charge, swiftly sweeping the area and eliminating any Konoha ninja within their sights.
There were fewer ninjas on patrol at night, and with the swiftness of the Cloud ninja army's operation, they didn't even have time to send a message back to Konoha. The most they could do was alert the nearby squads, but that wouldn't amount to much.
However, during this sensitive time of war, the absence of news was, in itself, noteworthy. It just meant that the discovery came a little later.
When several border patrol squads suddenly lost contact, Konoha took it very seriously. They immediately dispatched elite squads from the nearby ninja forces to investigate.
"How is Orochimaru handling things?! Even when the Rock ninja were about to assault our northwestern defenses, he didn't recall any of his forces, and now we have the Cloud ninja sneaking in without a sound!"
Seeing the unfavorable reports from the front lines, the usually calm Mito Menyan couldn't help but speak with heightened emotion.
The death of Danzo Shimura had just occurred, and now with the Cloud ninja invading their homeland, it would undoubtedly spark covetousness in the other Great ninja villages.
"With the demise of the Root Organization, we've lost a significant portion of our intelligence capabilities. If Danzo hadn't taken the Root with him to the Rain Country, perhaps Orochimaru would have detected the Cloud ninja's movements," Shizune lamented, still resentful of Danzo's unilateral actions.
If he was going to mess up, he could've at least done it without causing so much trouble for Konoha.
"The most important thing now is not to assign blame but to solve the problem," Hiruzen Sarutobi emphasized, rapping his knuckles on the table.
"Having an unknown number of enemy ninja within our country is not only a threat to the Fire Country but also a huge danger to Konoha."
Ninja wars had no rules about sparing civilian populations. If given the chance, the Cloud ninja would undoubtedly relish the opportunity to blanket Konoha in flames.
"What if we recall Jiraiya and his forces from the Grass Country to the north, and then have Orochimaru mobilize his forces to coordinate with Jiraiya? That should be enough to crush the Cloud ninja in the north," Shizune suggested.
Jiraiya's ninja forces were stationed in the Grass Country, northwest of the Fire Country, while Orochimaru's forces were in the Hot Springs Country, to the northeast.
With the two major ninja forces approaching from their respective directions, even if the Cloud ninja had 2,000 ninjas, they might not be able to withstand the onslaught.
"Jiraiya's forces cannot be moved," Hiruzen immediately vetoed.
"In recent years, we've had quite a few conflicts with the Rock ninja village. If Jiraiya's forces are withdrawn, there's a high probability that the Rock ninja will seize the opportunity to launch another assault," Hiruzen shook his head.
Although the Rock ninja had been consistently losing in their battles with Konoha, the damage was not severe enough to cripple them. They still posed a significant threat to Konoha.
"Then let's send Minato or Mugetsu," Mito suggested after a moment's thought. "We can also recall some ninjas from the various forces and Konoha to assist them."
There were many ninjas in Konoha qualified to lead a ninja force, especially among the older jonin. However, if we add the prerequisite that they must be able to defeat or repel the enemy ninja force, the pool of candidates becomes much smaller.
Basically, it would have to be one of the strongest ninjas of this era.
"This problem must be resolved quickly, or we will have a hard time explaining it to the Feudal Lord."
Although the Feudal Lord of the Fire Country only nominally led Konoha, Konoha was the official military power of the Fire Country. They had a responsibility to protect the Fire Country, and if the country was invaded by foreign enemies, it would be Konoha's failure.
"Then let it be Minato," Hiruzen nodded.
Both Minato and Mugetsu were capable of fighting on the battlefield, but when it came to leading a developmental training squad, Mugetsu was far superior.
So, as long as Minato could spare the time, Hiruzen preferred not to dispatch Mugetsu.
...
With the death of Danzo Shimura, the major ninja villages were sending more spies into the Fire Country, closely monitoring the situation.
Thus, the information about the Cloud ninja force breaking through the Fire Country's defenses quickly reached the desks of the leaders of the other Great ninja villages.
In the Hidden Mist Village, the Mizukage's office.
The Third Mizukage put down the intelligence report, a slight smile lifting the corners of his mouth. It was a smile that came from the heart.
"It seems someone couldn't bear to sit idly by any longer."
The Third Mizukage was eager to defeat Konoha, to reclaim the prestige they had lost, and to retrieve the ninja swords that Konoha had taken from them.
However, he didn't want to be the first to make a move. He had been waiting for someone else to take the lead.
"Send for Yakura," the Third Mizukage ordered one of his Anbu.
Although Yakura had suffered a rather crushing defeat the last time, the Third Mizukage believed that the primary reason for that loss lay not with Yakura himself but with the fact that their opponent's strength had far exceeded their expectations.
Before Mugetsu's true power was revealed on the battlefield against the Mist ninja, neither the Mist ninja nor even Konoha had any idea just how formidable he was.
"Lord Third!" Yakura arrived at the Mizukage's office and greeted his leader respectfully.
The Third Mizukage had always treated him as the potential Fourth Mizukage, and Yakura had never forgotten that. Their relationship was a close one.
"This time, you will again be the commander of our forces. Do your best, and reclaim everything that our village has lost, and more," the Third Mizukage said with a smile.
Yakura looked at the Third Mizukage with gratitude.
Because of the Third Mizukage's protection, Yakura had not suffered much criticism for his previous defeat. However, he still felt tormented by it.
He was a proud ninja, and this crushing failure was a hurdle he struggled to overcome in his heart.
"I will not disappoint you or the village. This time, we will surely crush the Konoha ninja forces!" Yakura said solemnly.
Since his defeat, Yakura had reflected deeply on it. He had not only studied more battle strategies and tactics but had also intensified his training.
This change might not be enough to call it a metamorphosis, but compared to before, he had undoubtedly improved.
Facing the same situation again, he was confident that he would perform better.
"It's good that you have this confidence," the Third Mizukage said with a smile.
Confidence was an important thing. If one didn't believe in oneself, how could they expect others to believe in them?
With the current chaotic state of the ninja world, if the opportunity presented itself, they could even forgo attacking Fire Country and choose another major country as their target.
While revenge was important, they must not forget their initial motive for entering the Great Ninja War—to claim a share of the continent's interests, not for the sake of vengeance.
...
In the Wind Shadow's office in Sunagakure.
"They haven't engaged in a full-scale war with Konoha's ninja forces yet." With a disappointed look, the Fourth Kazekage, Roasa, put down the intelligence report he was holding.
All he wanted to see was blood flowing like rivers between Konoha and Kumo, regardless of whose blood it was.
Kumogakure had taken advantage of Sunagakure's internal strife, striking hard and inflicting severe damage.
Even a powerful village like Sunagakure, one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, became weakened after the internal strife and Kumogakure's successive attacks.
Hence, Roasa was eagerly anticipating Kumogakure's downfall.
As for Konoha, his reasons were even simpler. The Land of Wind and the Land of Fire were neighboring countries, separated only by the Land of Rivers. They were just too close for comfort.
Roasa did not want a neighbor stronger than Sunagakure. If he had a choice, he would prefer a neighbor that needed Sunagakure's help and was barely surviving.
A good neighbor was one that relied on Sunagakure for assistance.
...
In contrast to the restless actions of Kirigakure and the indifferent attitude of Sunagakure, Iwagakure's response to the current situation in the ninja world presented yet another different choice.
In the Land of Rain, Rikudou City.
"There's probably no ninja in the ninja world who doesn't know Sou Yuukei now." Huang Tu gazed at the flourishing town, sighing with emotion.
The first time he came to Rikudou City, it was even less impressive than some remote small villages. But now, it had become a bustling town.
And Sou Yuukei's growth was even more astonishing. When Huang Tu first learned about him, Sou Yuukei was just a somewhat famous ninja in the Land of Rain.
Now, Sou Yuukei had become a legend in the ninja world, surpassing the demi-god, Hanzou.
"As expected of him." Huang Tu thought of Sou Yuukei's personality and abilities, and he felt that all of this was normal.
Then, Huang Tu retracted his gaze and headed straight for the Ninja Sect's base.
Huang Tu often served as Iwagakure's representative when dealing with the Ninja Sect, so most of the Ninja Sect ninjas were familiar with him. Soon, he arrived at the Ninja Sect's reception room and met with Sou Yuukei.
"Regarding what happened to your sect, Iwagakure feels deeply sorry. We never expected Konoha to be so relentless and still covet the Land of Rain." Huang Tu recited the lines he had memorized beforehand.
It would have been difficult for him to come up with such words on his own.
Watching Huang Tu's stern expression as he expressed his apologies, Muyue felt that Huang Tu must have performed poorly in acting classes during his ninja training.
"It's not necessarily Konoha coveting the Land of Rain. Perhaps it's just that Danzo Shimura had a personal grudge against me." Muyue replied with a smile.
He could easily guess Iwagakure's motives.
At this time, coming to find him, the killer of Danzo Shimura, could only mean one thing—they wanted the Ninja Sect to become Iwagakure's pawn in their scheme against Konoha.
"Is there something more to it?" The Iwagakure jonin who had accompanied Huang Tu asked eagerly, his eyes gleaming with curiosity.
The most widespread rumor in the ninja world regarding Danzo Shimura's death was that Konoha had sent him to assassinate Sou Yuukei to steal the Ninja Sect's inheritance.
However, ninjas from the Great Ninja Villages didn't buy this story. The Great Villages had deep roots and possessed countless secret techniques and jutsus. It would be demeaning for them to make a move just for an inheritance whose contents were unknown.
The notion that Konoha was suppressing the Land of Rain held a bit more credibility, given the Land of Rain's recent promising developments.
"It's just my personal guess. After all, the incident happened so suddenly, and I haven't had the time to investigate it thoroughly yet." Muyue shook his head in response.
He indeed knew the truth, but there was no way he would reveal it.
The Iwagakure jonin felt that Sou Yuukei was hiding something but didn't press further. He closed his mouth, realizing that while they might be able to manipulate the Ninja Sect through various means, they had no leverage over Sou Yuukei himself.
As the saying goes, the shoeless man is not afraid of the one wearing shoes.
If they pushed Sou Yuukei too hard, he might dissolve the Ninja Sect and then wreak havoc in the Land of Earth on his own, which would indeed give Iwagakure a headache.
"Our collaboration with the Ninja Sect has brought Iwagakure significant benefits. Therefore, we wish to pursue a deeper collaboration with the Ninja Sect."
Huang Tu might not be adept at social graces, but he could tell that Sou Yuukei didn't want to dwell on the topic of Danzo Shimura. So, he switched to another set of prepared lines.
"What kind of in-depth collaboration?" Muyue feigned interest and asked.
Even though he already knew what the upcoming conversation would entail, he had to put on an act.
After all, Iwagakure had contributed significantly to the development of Rikudou City and had provided substantial commission funds to the Ninja Sect. It was only polite to give them some face.
"We can expand the scale of ninja training, collaborate to establish a ninja academy, and Iwagakure can also entrust some of its missions to the Ninja Sect." Huang Tu presented the conditions that Iwagakure could offer.
With only a small number of ninjas, the Ninja Sect's actions were easily noticeable, and Iwagakure had recently discovered their plans to establish a ninja academy.
"There should be more to it than that, right?" Muyue said with a smile.
Indeed, establishing a ninja academy would have been a significant burden for the Ninja Sect before Muyue took over Amegakure.
However, after taking control of Amegakure, Muyue could easily assign some of the Amegakure ninjas to undergo training and then serve as teachers.
Huang Tu nodded and continued, "To protect the interests of our collaboration partners, Iwagakure will dispatch ninjas to safeguard the Ninja Sect, ensuring the safety of our cooperation."
"Sou Yuukei, what do you think of this in-depth collaboration?" Huang Tu looked at Sou Yuukei and asked.
He felt that the conditions offered by his father were quite favorable, essentially treating the Ninja Sect as a small Iwagakure.
"Iwagakure's conditions are very generous." Muyue smiled and replied.
"Then..." A smile appeared on Huang Tu's face as he believed that Sou Yuukei was about to agree.
Before Huang Tu could finish his sentence, Muyue interrupted, "However, I refuse."
If they truly went through with this so-called in-depth collaboration, Iwagakure would be able to legally deploy their ninja forces within the Ninja Sect.
Not only would Muyue not agree to this, but even Hanzou, if he were here, would never accept such a 'collaboration.'
Huang Tu's smile froze as he didn't expect Sou Yuukei to suddenly change his attitude.
PS: Lately, due to possible sleep deprivation, my mental state hasn't been at its best.
I had planned to write more during the holidays, but I only managed to reach four thousand words.
I hope I can fall asleep before one o'clock tonight and adjust my sleep schedule.
(End of Chapter)
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