The Uchiha's Path to the Top, Starting from Konoha

Chapter 141 The Back Garden

"That's the bad news."

"The enemy has as many as sixty or seventy powerful individuals in the Heroic Realm. If they were scattered, they could cause fundamental damage to the Empire's rule."

Fluder looked at the handsome emperor before him in a deep voice, a hint of a smile in his tone, "The only good news is that Your Majesty's arrival has united the entire empire and drawn the enemy here, eager to fight us to the death!"

"this!"

Suddenly, Nimbur, who was about to detain the prisoners, let out a cry of alarm that lost all composure. Gilkenif, his heart sinking, frowned and looked over, only to see that the five prisoners had already coughed up blood and were lifeless.

"Your Majesty, Lord Furuda, I..."

"This is none of your business, get out of here."

Seeing the bewildered Nimbur, Gilkenif waved him away. The wise and rational Blood Emperor would not be swayed by emotions. If it was not his subordinate's fault, how could he blame him?

"Yes, Your Majesty."

With Nimbur gone, only the Emperor and the Imperial Archmage remained in the hall.

Gilkenif leaned back on the sofa, rubbing his temples, and unusually showed signs of fatigue in front of his teacher, Fluda.

He slowly stated the full extent of the empire's current military strength.

"The Empire has a total of eight knight legions. Excluding the Seventh Legion which was sacrificed, there are still seven legions left. Each legion has about 10,000 men, and their average strength is at the Silver Rank adventurer level, which is one rank lower than the enemy's strength."

"Next is my Imperial Guard, which consists of eighty people. They are the elite of the empire, indispensable to the empire in the future, and are top elites who are very likely to enter the hero realm. Their strength is equivalent to that of a gold-level adventurer."

"The Royal Air Guard consists of knights riding tamed magical beasts, approximately fifty in number, and are adventurers with overall strength at the Platinum level."

"The Silver Guards, who are the Emperor's personal bodyguards, are even fewer in number, numbering only eighteen. They are all mithril-level adventurers or above, and their captain is a hero."

"Next up is the magic chanting unit trained by Professor Furuda of the Imperial Magic Ministry. When they are gathered together, they can rival a knightly order."

As he spoke, Gilkenif's tone grew increasingly somber, and his expression darkened slightly.

"Of the Four Horsemen, only Nimbull can be trusted right now."

"Finally, there's Professor Fluda, who could single-handedly wipe out the entire Imperial Army."

Gilkenif straightened up and looked solemnly at Fluda, who was stroking his beard and deep in thought. With a hint of dejection, he said, "I never thought that an empire that has developed to the point where it is ten times stronger than the previous emperor would still need my teacher's help."

"The world is like a vast and boundless magical realm; no one can predict how things will develop in the future."

Fluda, who had watched Gilkenif grow up, gently shook her head and comforted him, "Your abilities have already overwhelmingly surpassed those of all previous emperors. There's no need to blame yourself anymore; just do your best."

Gilkenif raised his head, looking at the guardian deity who had protected the empire for over two hundred years, his tone cold and ruthless.

"Although the enemy is powerful, even ants can kill an elephant. The army of more than 70,000 people gathered here is twenty times the number of the enemy."

"As long as the other side remains within the realm of humanity, we will ultimately prevail."

"The only problem is the number of casualties and whether we can kill their leader, Hanzo the Salamander."

As long as victory can be won and the enemy army annihilated, Gilkenif doesn't mind the knights' sacrifice, but the predicament they face after the sacrifice is also something he must consider.

It's important to know that the enemy's initial departure point was the kingdom's fortress city, [Ye Lantier], so the kingdom must have been behind the enemy.

Thinking of Lana, the "Golden Princess," with whom he was competing remotely, Gilkenif couldn't help but ponder the deeper meaning behind it all.

(The theocracy is also under attack from the kingdom. These suddenly appearing powerful figures are definitely not warriors from the declining kingdom. It's possible that the kingdom has already been replaced by these ninja warriors.)

Having already guessed the truth of the matter, Gilkenif took a deep breath and looked at Fluda.

He knew perfectly well that if Hanzo the Salamander, who was above Fluder, were to be defeated and escape, the Empire would face endless bloody retaliation.

"Fruta-sensei, the arduous task of keeping an eye on Hanzo the Salamander is entrusted to you."

Fluder nodded, accepting the task. He also looked forward to relying on the strength of the Knights to defeat Hanzo the Salamander, capture him, dissect his body, and study why the other was stronger than him.

(Perhaps my path to magical transcendence lies with these mysterious ninjas.)

As the two continued to talk and discuss countermeasures, not far away in the military camp of Amegakure, Hanzo of the Salamander sat imposingly in the central command tent, with rows of kneeling ninja officers below him.

He noticed the unusual movement of the mother insect on the table, looked towards the direction of the imperial fortress, and said indifferently, "The mission to send five elite Jonin to assassinate the emperor has failed."

The Konoha Academy of Sciences has developed a method for information gathering and reporting based on the insects of the Aburame clan—the Chakra Positioning Insect.

If a ninja swallows a locator worm smaller than a grain of rice, the mother worm can sense the worm's state and, according to a pre-arranged program, release a potent toxin that can kill the ninja instantly.

When the larvae die, the mother larvae can sense it and will make a soft squeaking sound.

"The fact that he was able to kill five elite Jonin suggests that the Emperor has a threat to Kage-level beings. The most likely reason is that the Imperial Guardian, Fluta, has also arrived at the front lines."

Following the system of Konoha, an advisor from Amegakure said at the opportune moment, "Lord Amegakure, please be extremely careful in the upcoming battle."

"Battles can change in an instant, and sometimes it's not up to me."

Hanzo the Salamander waved his hand and said with great confidence, "We have already sent ninjas to infiltrate the Empire's army and have a general understanding of the situation. The next step is simply to figure out how to win decisively, minimize our losses, and take over the entire Empire completely."

"To catch the thief, first catch the king."

Another advisor replied succinctly, "As long as Lord Rain Shadow captures the Emperor or the Grand Mage of the Empire, the remaining Knight Legion will most likely surrender."

"The next operational strategy will be formulated in accordance with this objective."

Hanzo the Salamander's tiger-like eyes swept across the entire area. "Gentlemen, let this land become the backyard of Amegakure!"

(End of this chapter)