Konoha: The Soul King from the Uchiha Clan

Chapter 185 A Battle Between Shadows! (4000 words)

In the Hokage Building of Konoha Village, in a small conference room, Hiruzen Sarutobi once again gathered his old comrades for a meeting.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was still wearing the Hokage robes and smoking a pipe, but his slightly aged face carried a hint of worry.

"The Hidden Cloud Village has been fighting with Konoha for almost a year and a half, and the Hidden Stone Village has been fighting with Konoha for almost half a year."

"In addition, the war in the Land of Whirlpools, which has already ended, cost Konoha countless sums of money, and has clearly affected Konoha's recovery of strength and economic development."

"The war with Kumogakure and Iwagakure shows no sign of ending. If this continues, Konoha's strength will eventually fall from being the world's number one."

"The situation must change!"

What are your thoughts?

Danzo Shimura, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane exchanged glances.

Then Mitokado Homura said, "How about we secretly send more troops to the front lines of Kumogakure?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head and said, "The main force of Kumogakure is stationed in the Land of Hot Springs. Even if they catch Kumogakure off guard, Kumogakure has enough strength to cover them."

"We send more troops, and Kumogakure also sends more troops. Konoha is stuck in a quagmire of war, which suits Kumogakure's purposes perfectly."

Koharu Utatane said, "Since things aren't going well in Kumogakure, let's send more troops to Kusanagi Country."

Orochimaru's side has achieved some results.

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head and said, "Theoretically it's possible, but practically it's not."

"After carefully studying the battle reports from the Land of Grass and the intelligence gathered below, I was shocked to find that Orochimaru's style of warfare had changed from before."

"Orochimaru is probably deliberately delaying the war..."

After fighting on three different battlefields, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally noticed that Orochimaru was acting strangely.

It was also because Hiruzen Sarutobi had been worried about the war recently and was racking his brains for a way to defeat the enemy, so he paid close attention to battle reports and intelligence, and suddenly a flash of inspiration struck him.

"What?"

"Impossible, right?"

Mitokado Yan and Utatane Koharu exclaimed in surprise.

Danzo was first startled, then delighted, and finally said in a serious tone, "Hiruzen, Orochimaru is expressing his dissatisfaction with you."

The more strained the relationship between master and disciple, the less likely Orochimaru is to become Hokage. Hehe, that would increase his chances.

No matter how small the possibility, Orochimaru could still become Hokage, as long as he changed the direction Hiruzen hoped for.

I wish Orochimaru had left the village like Jiraiya and Tsunade.

"I know, Orochimaru is getting more and more unorthodox."

"There are many ways to express dissatisfaction to me, but he chose the one that would cause the most damage to Konoha. That's really going too far!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi took the pipe out of his mouth and exhaled two plumes of smoke, "angry and dissatisfied," from his nostrils.

Danzo smiled slightly and sowed discord, saying, "It is indeed very excessive, but judging from Hiruzen's current state, the effect is obviously very good."

Since the goal is to express dissatisfaction and anger, it's natural to target weaknesses, and Hiruzen Sarutobi's greatest weakness is naturally Konoha.

"Alright, stop making sarcastic remarks."

"Both Menyan and Xiaochun have spoken up, what's your opinion?"

Danzo stopped short of saying that and said seriously, "My suggestion is to send Root assassins to infiltrate Iwagakure and have the spies in Iwagakure cooperate with their actions, so that they can cause a big incident and make Iwagakure too busy to take care of itself."

"For example, if you want to assassinate a high-ranking member of Iwagakure, the best option would be to assassinate Ōnoki."

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head and said, "Taking a risky approach is extremely dangerous, the outcome is unknown, and there is a possibility of escalating the war. It can only be considered as a backup option among backup options."

Danzo was somewhat unconvinced and said coldly, "Then Hiruzen, tell us your thoughts and let us see what you're thinking."

Hiruzen Sarutobi, with a pipe dangling from his lips, smiled faintly and said, "My idea is to send an envoy to Sunagakure to send troops."

"Sunagakure?"

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu's eyes lit up upon hearing this, while Danzo seemed to have realized something as well, and his expression turned somewhat unpleasant.

"Yes, let Sunagakure send troops."

"Sunagakure is our ally, even though we were forced into this alliance, it is still an ally."

"The Land of Earth is adjacent to the Land of Wind. Since the emergence of the one-country-one-village system, the Hidden Stone Village and the Hidden Sand Village have been fighting and killing each other for many years. The two sides have accumulated a deep-seated grudge and hatred."

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend. How can Sunagakure stand idly by when our allies are in trouble?"

"Of course, you can't convince those incredibly pragmatic guys in Sunagakure with just words, so you have to offer some benefits."

"Furthermore, Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage of Sunagakure, has only recently assumed the position and urgently needs to achieve results to consolidate his position and gain more power."

"The benefits we provided, the benefits we gained from defeating Iwagakure, are quite a considerable achievement."

"With the assistance of Sunagakure, the combined forces of Iwagakure and Kusagakure will be at a complete disadvantage. Let's see what excuse Orochimaru can use to delay the war..."

"If you still don't do your best, I will cut off Orochimaru's research funding, prohibit him from participating in any research projects in the village, and he will also lose the rewards such as choosing ninjutsu from the Book of Sealing."

"What do you guys think?"

"That's feasible," Mitokado Yan said with a smile.

"Great!" Xiaochun, who was turning over to her room, laughed.

"That's fine then," Danzo said expressionlessly.

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't bother arguing with Danzo's stubbornness and laughed, "Next, let's discuss the selection of the envoy and what specific benefits would be most worthwhile."

……

That afternoon, Konoha secretly dispatched an envoy to Sunagakure in the Land of Wind.

Three days later, the Konoha envoys traversed the endless yellow sands to reach Sunagakure, where they held very low-key discussions with the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, Chiyo, Ebizo, and other high-ranking officials.

After intense bargaining, the two parties finally reached an agreement.

On the day the agreement was reached, the senior executives of Sunagakure held a discussion in a small conference room in the Kazekage Building.

Finally, it was decided to send Jonin Maki and Jonin Pakura as commander and deputy commander, respectively, to the Land of Grass to fight alongside the Leaf Village ninjas.

After a day of preparation, on the morning of the second day, a thousand Sand Village ninjas disappeared into the vast desert.

Despite the Konoha envoy and Sunagakure's efforts to keep a low profile, their actions were still detected by Iwagakure spies lurking in Sunagakure.

The Iwagakure spies didn't obtain the specific arrangements of Konoha and Sunagakure, but rather the news that a Konoha envoy had come to Sunagakure.

Ninjas who can become spies are naturally intelligent individuals who, upon detecting potential risks, immediately transmit the information to the Iwagakure headquarters at the highest level.

Within half a day, the intelligence reached the relevant ninja in Iwagakure and was then delivered to Onoki at top speed.

Upon receiving the intelligence, Onoki's expression changed slightly, but he quickly regained his composure and decisively dispatched men to provide early warning to the front lines as quickly as possible.

Afterwards, Onoki sat on the Tsuchikage's throne, pondering a countermeasure, his not-so-young brain working at full speed...

Sunagakure is not far from the Land of Grass; it takes a day to reach it by normal march, and half a day by forced march.

Supporting Konoha wasn't an extremely urgent matter, so Sunagakure naturally traveled at a normal marching speed, but they only had half a day left at most.

Half a day is enough time for Iwagakure to give early warnings to the front lines, but it cannot change the battlefield situation.

The Sand Village ninjas, marching normally, conserved enough stamina and chakra to launch an attack together with the Konoha ninjas once they reached their designated positions.

The combined forces of Iwagakure and Kusagakure could not possibly withstand the attack of the combined forces of Konoha and Sunagakure; this was an absolute disparity in strength.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Iwagakure is doomed to lose.

But an unexpected turn of events occurred. Ohnoki Makoto was no pushover; he quickly devised a countermeasure and promptly relayed the order.

Only after relieving himself did Onoki convene a meeting with the Iwagakure leadership, because Onoki's countermeasures could only treat the symptoms, not the root cause.

In the small conference room of the Tsuchikage Building in Iwagakure, the high-ranking officials of Iwagakure, with stern faces, filed in after receiving the urgent notification and quickly found their seats.

Once everyone had arrived, the conference room door was closed, and the area outside and around the conference room was guarded by members of the Iwagakure secret service to prevent spies from spying on them.

Onoki briefly explained the situation and then sought the opinions of the Iwagakure leadership.

The Iwagakure leadership was taken aback when they learned that Sunagakure had sent troops to participate in the war, and they showed different attitudes.

Some senior executives were at a loss, while others, trusting Onoki, remained calm and composed despite not having come up with a solution themselves.

Some high-level officials did offer suggestions, but they were either impractical or there wasn't enough time.

Seeing the performance of the Iwagakure leaders, Onoki sighed inwardly. Iwagakure had no successors; at least these people were not to be relied upon.

"Ahem, quiet down," Onoki coughed twice and said in a deep voice.

Upon hearing this, the high-ranking members of Iwagakure quickly fell silent, and their gazes all turned towards the direction mentioned above.

Facing the gazes of the crowd, Onoki remained calm and composed, and said in a deep voice, "Regarding the sudden incident of Sunagakure's dispatch of troops, I have already made corresponding arrangements."

"First, the front lines were notified using the fastest means of communication."

"In this way, the front line can at least be somewhat prepared, so as not to be completely caught off guard."

Because it was a normal procedure, the higher-ups at Iwagakure remained calm; it would have been strange if they hadn't immediately notified them.

"Simply issuing a notice is not enough to resolve the crisis on the front lines, not even temporarily. Therefore, I have made four additional arrangements."

"First, have Huang Tu dispatch the Grass Ninja to the Land of Rain to intercept the Sand Ninja."

"Secondly, inform Hanzo about the Grass Ninja's entry into the Land of Rain, and offer some benefits to Hanzo in exchange for sending ninjas to help stop the Sand Ninja."

Hanzo wasn't dead at this point in time; in fact, he was far from dying.

Hanzo's death should have occurred between the Chunin Exams and the start of Shippuden, roughly between Konoha Year 63 and Konoha Year 67.

During the Chunin Exams, the Rain Village ninja who participated wore headbands with four vertical lines.

When Jiraiya interrogated Yotaka, a horizontal line had been drawn on Yotaka's headband, which was the mark of a rogue ninja, but this mark was already the mainstream in Amegakure.

The traditional four-line headband has become a remnant of the former Amegakure, and these remnants are the ninjas who still pledge allegiance to Hanzo.

Amegakure was also one of Konoha's allies, so it was impossible for Konoha to be completely unaware of news about its allies.

Ordinary things are one thing, but how could they be completely unaware of something as important as Amegakure changing its leader?

Jiraiya traveled extensively throughout the ninja world, not only searching for the chosen one but also gathering intelligence for Konoha.

With Konoha as his backer and Jiraiya traveling extensively, it's impossible for him to be completely out of touch with the news, but his understanding of the Land of Rain was still limited to its internal strife.

This suggests that with Hanzo dead, it won't be long before Payne takes over and ends the internal strife.

"Although Amegakure is an ally of Konoha, Hanzo is a man who won't act without a reason. As long as the benefits are big enough, Amegakure will not hesitate to disguise themselves."

"Thirdly, I have allocated a sum of money to hire various ninja organizations, who will also participate in the retaliation against the Sand Ninja."

"The disorganized Grass Ninja, Rain Ninja, and Sand Ninja organizations can never hold off the Sand Ninja for long."

"The first three points are all designed to buy time so that the reinforcements sent out can reach the front lines in a timely manner."

"To avoid escalating the war, the number of reinforcements this time is only nine hundred."

"However, with the returning Grass Ninja and the original ninjas on the front lines, their numbers and strength should be no less than the Konoha-Sunagakure Allied Forces."

"There's no need to worry about the front lines for now."

Seeing Onoki speaking eloquently and strategizing with such confidence, the Iwagakure leaders finally felt relieved.

Many high-ranking officials looked at him with admiration and respect.

Some high-ranking officials looked as if they had known this all along, as if to say, "See? I told you with the Tsuchikage here, there was nothing to worry about..."

"But the Grass Ninja can never compare to the Sand Ninja, whether in terms of the general quality of their ninjas or their mid-to-high-level combat strength."

"We must find a way to deal with the Konoha-Sunagakure alliance."

"What are your thoughts?"

A high-ranking member of Onoki immediately spoke up: "I think it would be best to use the Tsuchikage's famous method of sowing discord to break the alliance between Konoha and Sunagakure."

Onoki: "..."

Are you praising me or insulting me?

After thinking for a moment, most of the high-ranking members of Sunagakure nodded in agreement.

They're familiar with this, so they can do it.

Onoki's face darkened further, and he rebuked, "The methods of stirring up trouble and sowing discord are not suitable for use now."

"At this moment, no matter who did it, for the sake of the bigger picture, Konoha and Sunagakure will just throw the dirty water on Iwagakure, which won't do any good."

"You're all younger than me, so why are you so slow-witted?"

"They're completely inflexible. Konoha has already shown them their method, and they still can't figure it out..."

"What a bunch of good-for-nothings!"

The Iwagakure high-ranking officials lowered their heads after being reprimanded by Onoki.

After a while, a high-ranking member of Iwagakure said, "Lord Tsuchikage, do you mean to join forces with Kirigakure?"

"At least he didn't mention Kumohime; he still has some brains."

The high-ranking member of Iwagakure chuckled awkwardly. "Does this require any brains?"

The Hidden Cloud Village lost its Third Raikage to them, and the Hidden Stone Village also suffered heavy losses due to the war of attrition. The two sides have a deep-seated grudge.

Moreover, the Hidden Cloud Village is still at war with the Hidden Leaf Village, so how could they possibly help?

"That's right, they sent envoys to join forces with Kirigakure."

"I don't think that baby-faced guy Yagura is a peaceful person; there's a good chance he'll agree."

"If words alone don't work, then offer some benefits. Don't delay, and don't be stingy."

"It's been a short time since Kirigakure was defeated by Konoha, so it's difficult for them to attack Konoha again, but they should still be confident in attacking Sunagakure."

"They don't even need to venture deep into the heart of the Land of Wind; they can just attack the borders of the Land of Wind."

"While it won't force Sunagakure to withdraw its troops, Sunagakure will definitely be affected."

"In this way, the gap in combat strength at the front will be eliminated, and our side may even have the advantage, if Kirigakure is capable enough."

The high-ranking members of Iwagakure thought it made a lot of sense and expressed their agreement.

After discussing the selection of the envoy and the criteria for the benefits, the Iwagakure envoy secretly set off with his men half an hour later.

(End of this chapter)