Hokage: Unable to persuade Madara, I chose to build my own ninja village.

Chapter 80 I'm surrounded by opponents, but I haven't been defeated yet. Why should I be considered a war criminal?

"Go to war?"

Kaguya Masao had just finished speaking.

Uchiha Makoto saw the Akatsuki village leaders looking at each other in bewilderment before continuing their noisy discussion.

"Isn't this a bit too hasty?"

"How can this war be treated so lightly?"

"Clan Chief Kaguya, don't bring your clan's bad habits to the Akatsuki meeting."

"."

War is not something you can just talk about; it not only involves deaths but also costs a lot of money!

The saying "When the explosive tag goes off, gold and silver flow in" is no joke.

This only covers a portion of military supplies; common consumables like kunai and shuriken are not included in the calculations. In addition, there are logistical support, post-war compensation, and so on. The cost of each of these items is staggering.

Moreover, the era of ninja villages has only just begun, and the wars between the various ninja clans have only been over for a year or two. This period is undoubtedly a precious time of peace.

Each village is feeling its way across the river, trying its best to adapt to this new era.

At least for now.

Most ninja villages spend their funds on village construction, with military spending making up only a small portion. Only a very few ninja villages, like Uchiha Makoto, invest huge sums in military spending. Akatsuki's secret explosive tag factory has never stopped operating since it went into production.

the most important is

The war between ninja villages is unprecedented in the history of the ninja world. Once the war begins, when will it end?

No one can predict how brutal such a war will be, but one thing is certain: it will be an unprecedented level of warfare, and many people will die in it.

All of them present had barely survived the wars of the Warring States period.

If only I could live a good life.

Who wants to die?

Most importantly, is launching a war of this magnitude just for two Chunin?

Is this really reasonable?

Shouldn't the most important thing for the ninja village right now be to develop the village, invest precious funds in cultivating the next generation, and maintain good relations with surrounding forces as much as possible to avoid major conflicts?

Especially in an incident involving the deaths of people from two major ninja villages, shouldn't both sides do their best to minimize the impact of the incident, then negotiate compensation, shake hands and make peace, and once again maintain the hard-won peace?

Why choose to start a war directly?

Not only the smaller ninja clans opposed it, but most of the larger ninja clans also opposed it. Even the Yuki clan and Kurama clan, which are also bloodline ninja clans, completely disagreed with Kaguya Masao's opinion. Could we just kick this battle maniac who spouts nonsense out of the Kaguya family?

Uchiha Makoto frowned.

He naturally understood the thoughts of the Akatsuki village leaders in front of him.

The peace we enjoy today did not come easily.

Just for two Chunin

Moreover, they were two Chunin who were already dead.

Well known.

No one would pay a higher price for a dead ninja.

Now Akatsuki is waging war against another major ninja village. The benefits gained are far less than the costs paid. Everyone here is an adult, and adults think by weighing the pros and cons. Acting impulsively will only make things worse.

This is similar to how the Hyuga clan sacrificed Hyuga Hizashi as a scapegoat in order to maintain peace. In return, the village achieved peaceful development and saved countless people from war. From Hiruzen Sarutobi's perspective at the time, this deal was a huge win for Konoha, which desperately needed to recuperate.

The relationships between ninja villages are based on human relationships and social customs, and are definitely not just about fighting and killing.

However, Uchiha Makoto and the Akatsuki village leaders in front of him were thinking on completely different levels. The Akatsuki village leaders were concerned with their own little plot of land. At present, the Akatsuki village was in a very good state, with sufficient funds, rapid economic development, and the clan members growing up healthily. It was a vibrant and flourishing place.

Why ruin this wonderful life for two Chunin?

However, Makoto Uchiha had a god-like perspective. He clearly knew the future changes and developments of the world. Once Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju fell out and Madara Uchiha defected to Konoha, the First Shinobi World War would already be on its countdown. The subsequent battle at the Valley of the End would be like lighting the fuse of the powder keg of the First Shinobi World War. The time it took for the fuse to burn was the time for war preparations. Konoha was capable of taking on the four great ninja villages single-handedly. How could their Akatsuki village possibly escape unscathed?

For a more distant future.

Now that the Hidden Cloud Village has found a pretext for war, the Akatsuki Village absolutely cannot miss this opportunity. Now is the best time to weaken the Hidden Cloud Village's strength. Anyway, with Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha as their backers, the Ninja War is definitely not going to be lost, and it can even be said to be a one-sided battle.

However, Makoto Uchiha could only keep these words to himself and couldn't say them to the Akatsuki leaders in front of him. Even if he told them that the First Shinobi World War would break out, they probably wouldn't believe him.

Humans are always more concerned with immediate gains and losses.

"Everyone, please be quiet."

As soon as Makoto Uchiha finished speaking, the meeting room fell silent.

Everyone looked up at Uchiha Makoto.

"There are generally six ways to handle this situation."

"First, let it be."

"Second, issue a statement expressing regret over the accident."

"Third, lodge a formal protest."

Fourth, cease aid.

Fifth, sever diplomatic relations!

"Six: Declare war directly."

"Letting things slide will only make outsiders think that Akatsuki and Konoha are weak and easy to bully. Issuing statements and lodging formal protests will not demonstrate the strength of Akatsuki and Konoha."

"The fourth option, 'Stop Aid,' is out of the question since Akatsuki and Konoha did not provide aid to Kumogakure. Similarly, 'Sever Diplomatic Relations' is also out of the question since Akatsuki and Konoha did not establish diplomatic relations with Kumogakure."

"So we only have a sixth option left: to go to war!"

Makoto Uchiha first presented six options, then quickly eliminated the first five, leaving only the last option: "Start the war immediately."

The Akatsuki village leaders stared in disbelief, completely bewildered by the long and complicated sentences. In the end, they only heard the last sentence: "Let's start the war!"

"Lord Light and Shadow, please reconsider!"

"This matter isn't that serious!"

"It's just two Chunin who died, is it really necessary to start a war?"

"."

Not surprisingly.

Makoto Uchiha's decision was met with unanimous opposition from the Akatsuki's leadership. No one wanted to start a war with no end in sight at this time. For most of those present, a ninja war could break out, but it absolutely could not break out now. As for when it would break out, it definitely could not be now!

"Quiet down!"

Makoto Uchiha once again silenced the noisy voices in the conference room.

"Do you really think that by not fighting this war, we can have lasting peace? Is that even possible?"

"As the various ninja villages grow stronger, the conflicts between us will increase, just like in the Warring States period. Sooner or later, an unprecedented war will break out. Right now, we have the upper hand, ample funds, and a large number of ninjas. Since we already have a pretext for war, why not take this opportunity to weaken or even eliminate the other ninja villages? You are not fighting for yourselves, but for your descendants!"

"A single blow can prevent a hundred more. We must use this battle to firmly establish Akatsuki's position in the ninja world, and make those ninja villages that secretly covet Akatsuki tremble in fear. Today, other ninja villages may clash with Akatsuki due to missions, resulting in casualties, but after this battle, they will all avoid Akatsuki ninjas whenever they see them!"

"Because they saw how much we in Akatsuki value our comrades. Even if two Chunin were to die, we in Akatsuki would pounce like hungry wolves to avenge our fallen comrades!"

Makoto Uchiha's impassioned speech prompted the Akatsuki village leaders present to begin to think.

Especially those wavering representatives of the small ninja clans, who were already a vulnerable group in the ninja world.

Warring States Period

The smaller ninja clans were utterly powerless against the larger ninja clans. When they encountered them on missions, they could only retreat. Even if there were casualties, in most cases, the smaller ninja clans didn't even dare to ask for compensation.

Small ninja clans join large ninja villages seeking protection from other ninja forces. If they join large ninja villages and still act timidly like before, then they've joined for nothing.

Who wouldn't want a powerful protector when they're out and about? Facing vicious enemies, all they have to do is say, "If you dare touch a hair on my head, our Lord of Light and Shadow will lead a massive army to wipe you all out the very next day," and those enemies will retreat in terror.

A great ninja village should have the imposing presence of saying, "Putting everything else aside, are you without fault? Why don't you just tell Akatsuki ninjas to get lost as soon as you see them?"

This scenario

Just thinking about it makes their prostates feel so excited they could explode.

Seeing the gradually wavering leader of the minor ninja clan, Uchiha Makoto was secretly delighted and decided to intensify his efforts. So he spoke again:

"You just said it's not worth waging war against Kumogakure for two Chunin. Then I ask you, when exactly do you intend to start a war?"

"At the very last moment."

Someone below responded.

"When will it be considered the final moment?"

"The death of two Chunin isn't the final straw, but what if a Jonin dies?"

"Isn't that enough?"

"What about the entire Jonin squad?"

"Still not enough?"

"What about the loss of more than a dozen Jonin?"

"Is it still not the final moment?"

"If Kumogakure is already on high alert and ready to attack Akatsuki at any moment, should we still wait?"

"Do we really have to wait until the Hidden Cloud Village's ninja army is at our gates before we can make a decision? I'm afraid even then, you'll still be thinking this isn't the final moment."

Uchiha Makoto bombarded the Akatsuki leaders with a series of questions, using the classic "salami slicing" tactic to leave them speechless: when exactly is the final moment, and what if it's too late by then?

"This battle is imperative!"

"I'm determined to fight!"

After saying everything, Makoto Uchiha made his final decision. In important matters, especially in launching a war, as the Shadow Lord, he actually had the final say.

However, he still spent a lot of time and effort on ideological work. After all, it was the ninjas who were going to fight, so it was necessary to do a good job of pre-war propaganda and unify their thinking. Uchiha Makoto had already conceived several short essays in his mind, and it was essential to mobilize the emotions of the rank-and-file ninjas.

The key is to focus on the rise of ninja villages and the dignity of ninjas.

To get the Akatsuki ninjas to empathize with the two deceased Chunin, even if they died while carrying out Akatsuki missions, the Akatsuki would not only inscribe their names on the Akatsuki memorial stone and provide compensation, but would also publicly behead the culprit who killed them.

Regardless of who the target is, even a major ninja village like Kumogakure is no exception.

We're all ninjas, so who doesn't know how dangerous the profession is? The average age of a ninja is no more than 30, and they could die on any mission.

The powerful ninja village I've joined is incredibly domineering. If any ninjas are killed or injured on a mission, someone has to pay the ultimate price. But for the Akatsuki, dying for them would be worth it!

A pre-battle meeting has ended.

In a gloomy atmosphere, the ninja representatives walked out of the meeting room. Because of Uchiha Makoto's stubbornness, the shadow of war reappeared.

At least half of them don't want to fight, but no one is willing to stand up and lead the opposition to Uchiha Makoto's decision yet.

They are waiting for the right opportunity.

Once a war breaks out, and the frontline battles become difficult or even result in defeat, Uchiha Makoto will immediately be attacked by the masses. Even though he is the founder of Akatsuki, his career as a shadow will come to an end, and he may even be pushed out as the culprit.

only.

These are all defeated CGs.

What the hell?

Will we lose?

How is that possible!

Will Konoha join him in fighting against Kumogakure?

Makoto Uchiha thought it was unlikely.

Given Hashirama Senju's temperament, he was probably similar to the higher-ups in Akatsuki. He certainly wouldn't be willing to launch a major war for this. At most, he would actively compensate the Chunin's family with a sum of money and then shake hands with Kumogakure to make peace. If he had even a little ambition, the ninja world would definitely not have become what it is today.

But Makoto Uchiha didn't care.

Akatsuki Village was simply no match for Konoha.

Do you really think Akatsuki is weak?

If they can't take on four opponents like Konoha, what's there to be afraid of in dealing with a mere Kumogakure village?

The Akatsuki Village's hundreds of billions of ryo in funding didn't come for nothing. We'll blow them apart with explosive tags alone. We have to show the ninja world what "Van Fleet's ammunition capacity" really means!

Even if everyone in the Hidden Cloud Village is a Jonin or Kage-level ninja, it doesn't matter if they can withstand the Akatsuki's explosive tag attack and break through the Akatsuki's lines.

Unable to defeat Uchiha Makoto, he went directly to Konoha to beg Uchiha Madara!

"Lord Madara, the Uchiha clan members have been beaten to this state, and you still aren't taking action? Aren't you just making the entire ninja world laugh at the Uchiha clan?"

all in all.

Even though I'm surrounded by opponents, I haven't lost the war yet. Why should I be considered a war criminal?

(End of this chapter)