Revitalizing the Uchiha clan starts with becoming a Kage.

"Next, I have to announce something very important, which I also need to discuss with you all: the issue of our village's southward expansion strategy!"

Onoki abruptly changed the subject, directly addressing the question.

Don't even mention people like Yan Jue, Wen Ya, and Chi Tu.

Even Jiang Si suddenly widened his eyes at this moment.

What?

Southward strategy?

Where are they heading south? To Sunagakure in the due south? Or to Konoha in the southeast? Could it be that our old man has really gotten carried away and is planning to take advantage of Iwagakure's growing strength to directly attack one of the two great ninja villages?

but.

This isn't the best time either, is it?

Countless thoughts raced through Jiang Si's mind, and his expression became extremely solemn!

"A southward strategy?"

Meanwhile, the Iwa ninja leaders who had previously maintained a solemn demeanor could no longer contain their emotions and began to whisper among themselves.

200. Target: Sunagakure!

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Don't be fooled by the fact that during the Third Shinobi World War, Iwagakure's main force fought fiercely against Kumogakure. Aside from necessary border and village defense forces, they mobilized a whopping 10,000 Iwagakure ninja, representing over 70-80% of the village's fighting strength, to besiege the Third Raikage, A. In reality, over the years, Iwagakure has been at odds most frequently with Konoha and Sunagakure. The former is practically the public enemy of the shinobi world. You might not have fought against the other four great shinobi villages, but you absolutely cannot have never fought against Konoha!

Iwagakure was no exception. From the First, Second, and Third Shinobi World Wars, as well as the local wars that were interspersed in between, the grudge between Iwagakure and Konoha ran very deep. This was a 'public hatred' in the shinobi world!

Konoha was like that, but Sunagakure was a bit different. The reason why Iwagakure repeatedly invaded Sunagakure was, to put it bluntly, that since the first Kage of each clan died for different reasons, Sunagakure had been declining all the way down, and had become the weakest and bottom of the five great ninja villages. When you want to squeeze a persimmon, you have to pick the soft one!

Moreover, no matter how poor the Land of Wind is, there are still quite a few precious metal mines in the northern region. Taking over this area can still bring considerable profits!

During the Third Shinobi World War, if it weren't for an accident that forced Iwagakure and Kumogakure to clash, Onoki's targets would have always been Sunagakure and Konoha. Especially after Sunagakure was defeated by Konoha in a head-on battle, the Iwagakure army began to assemble, and was just short of heading south!

Later on, it really was Kumogakure that saved Sunagakure's life.

Otherwise, if tens of thousands of Iwa ninjas went directly south, Sunagakure would be severely damaged, even if it didn't die!

Therefore, normally, if Iwagakure were to launch a war, its first target would most likely be Sunagakure. However, the current situation is somewhat different. Kumogakure has forged a blood feud with Iwagakure during the Third Shinobi World War, and Konohagakure has suffered considerable losses due to the Uchiha clan incident. While it cannot be said that it has been severely weakened, the departure of the strongest hundreds of Uchiha clan members and the loss of hundreds more in battle is already a very 'considerable' loss. Logically speaking, this should indeed be the biggest reason and the best time to launch a war!

In the original work, the reason why the Uchiha clan was wiped out and no war broke out in the ninja world was not explained in detail. In this life, it is because the Hidden Stone Village is too powerful that the Hidden Cloud Village and the Hidden Sand Village are hesitant to act. Even though the Fourth Raikage had his own intentions, he had to hold back. Otherwise, the Hidden Cloud Village army would have already marched south to conquer the Land of Fire. Even so, the Hidden Cloud Village ninja army has been somewhat restless in recent months.

The entire northeastern border of the Land of Fire has been reinforced with several levels of defense, making it even more tense and exciting than the local clashes of the previous six months, all because of the Uchiha clan!

This is indeed a good opportunity for Iwagakure to take the initiative, and Onoki's words "heading south" also indicate that Kumogakure should put it aside for the time being. But when it comes to the specific target...

The probability of being from Konoha and Sunagakure is equally high.

"Lord Tsuchikage, please forgive my rudeness, but now seems to be the wrong time to launch a full-scale war. Kumogakure and Konoha are still in a stalemate, and our village has some unresolved issues. Now we also have to deal with arrangements for the Land of Snow. In my opinion, it would be better to wait a little longer."

While some people agree, others will naturally disagree. Although Onoki enjoys a very high reputation in Iwagakure, he does not intend to make a one-man show and still respects the right to speak of some senior figures or those who have made great contributions to the village.

The person speaking at this moment is Enshi, the Jonin in charge of the sealing team in Iwagakure, whose seniority is second only to Date and others.

Although he didn't lay out everything he said, everyone present was shrewd enough to understand the underlying meaning of Yan Shi's words: he wanted to see if Kumogakure would take the initiative to attack Konoha first. In addition, he was subtly pointing out that the Uchiha clan had only joined Iwagakure for a little over three months, and the adjustment period was not over yet. It seemed that it was not the best choice to start a war so hastily, regardless of whether the opponent was Konoha or Sunagakure.

Enshi wasn't the only high-ranking member of the Iwa ninja who held this view; as he finished speaking, three or four other people in the next seat nodded in agreement.

"I have considered this point. You don't need to worry, Yan Shi. This time, I don't intend to start a full-scale war, but rather a localized struggle. The target is the fortress that Sunagakure has built in the northern region. This is also closely related to the chakra armor we planned earlier. In the previous land resource survey, we found that the special metal 'lanthanum' needed to manufacture the chakra armor is a very rare metal in our Land of Earth. However, there are large areas of this metal deposits in the northern region of the Land of Wind. In order to reduce costs, we must also seize that area!"

"And the northern fortress of the Wind Kingdom is the core of it!"

A sharp glint flashed in Onoki's eyes as he spoke in a deep voice.

For decades after the establishment of the Five Great Ninja Villages, the North-South War between Iwagakure and Sunagakure was almost entirely concentrated in the northern fortress of Sunagakure. Due to their relatively weak strength, Sunagakure never had the ability or courage to invade the Land of Earth.

Iwagakure, too, was limited by various reasons and could not fully advance south. The war was almost entirely concentrated in the northern fortress of Sunagakure. Over the decades, the number of Iwagakure ninja who died in the northern fortress must have been two or three thousand. Of course, Sunagakure suffered equally heavy losses.

Onoki had long wanted to remove this thorn in his side, but over the years, he had always missed the opportunity for one reason or another. Now that the Chakra Armor was in place, removing the northern fortress of Sunagakure could be put directly on the main agenda of Iwagakure!

"Sunagakure?"

"The northern fortress?"

"That's certainly possible! It just so happens that Sunagakure hasn't recovered very well in recent years!"

"Yes! The risk is acceptable, and it's a win-win situation."

"The only thing we need to consider is the reaction of Konoha and Kumogakure."

"However, the war is confined to the northern fortress, and Konoha and Kumogakure are already in a stalemate, so this is indeed a very good opportunity!"

The Iwa ninja below, including Enshi and others who had previously voiced their opposition, all lowered their heads in deep thought upon hearing Onoki's words.

While a full-scale war still requires careful consideration, localized conflicts are certainly within the capabilities of Iwagakure at present. As long as they decisively defeat the Sand Village garrison at the northern fortress and withstand a counterattack, victory can be virtually assured, provided they are not greedy and do not intend to escalate the war further.

Given the current state of decline of Sunagakure, there is a very high probability that Sunagakure will have to swallow the pain of breaking its own blood fangs, and it will be difficult for Kumogakure and Konoha to react in time.

201. The Discussion on Going to War (Third Update)

Moreover, there is an absolutely advantageous condition: the only Jinchuriki of the Tailed Beast in Sunagakure is completely useless. During the Third Shinobi World War, Sunagakure was unable to use the One-Tailed Jinchuriki. All the major ninja villages also used all their resources, such as their own high-ranking spies, to find out that Sunagakure's original One-Tailed Jinchuriki, Bunpuku, had already died due to old age and decay, and the One-Tail had been resealed back into the altar of Sunagakure.

In the years since the end of the Third Shinobi World War, Sunagakure may have already created a new generation of One-Tail Jinchuriki, but it takes at least several years or even ten years of training for each generation of Tailed Beast Jinchuriki to be ready for combat. If this is the case in Kumogakure, which has the most advanced technology, then it is even more so in Sunagakure, where conditions are the most rudimentary in all aspects!

Even if the new generation of One-Tailed Jinchuriki could be immediately deployed to the battlefield, Sunagakure might not dare to use the Tailed Beast directly unless Iwagakure used it immediately and showed no intention of starting a full-scale war.

The difference in strength between the ninja villages was already evident.

By minimizing clashes between high-level combatants, Sunagakure still has a slight chance of winning. If they actively commit high-level combatants, do you think the two tailed beasts of Iwagakure are just for show? Moreover, both Roshi and Han are Kage-level powerhouses who made their names in the Third Shinobi World War, or even the Second Shinobi World War. Their use of tailed beast power can truly be said to have reached a level of perfection.

The Fourth Kazekage of Sunagakure, Rasa, would only do such a thing if he were completely out of his mind.

Of course, if the war really gets out of control, anything can happen. Therefore, the biggest test for Iwagakure in this southward strategy is restraint!

This so-called restraint refers not only to self-control before the battle, but also to self-suppression after the victory. This is definitely an unequal war. Even though Onoki does not intend to deploy the Tailed Beast Jinchuriki, you can tell how determined Onoki is just by looking at the attendees. Needless to say, if Iwagakure only deploys a quarter of its strength, Sunagakure will have a hard time holding on!

This is why, three or four months ago, as soon as Rasa heard that the Uchiha had joined Iwagakure, he immediately dispatched Baki to visit Konoha. Kumogakure had the resources and power, but Sunagakure did not have that ambition.

Through intelligence analysis from various sources, it can be clearly concluded that the current state of Sunagakure is indeed the weakest it has ever been.

If we don't fight now, it'll be too late.

Seeing the expressions of approval on the faces of his Iwa ninja subordinates below, Onoki nodded slightly, then solemnly continued, "Therefore, I hereby propose that two thousand troops be mobilized from the village, joining forces with the southern border troops, totaling over three thousand men, to directly attack the southern fortress of Sunagakure. This time, the overall commander of the force will be Huang Tu, and Iwa Zetsu and Shoji will serve as deputy commanders-in-chief. All other departments must immediately enter the combat readiness phase and complete all pre-war preparations within ten days to launch the war according to the established plan!"

Even in wars in the ninja world, the preparation of supplies, weapons, and other logistical resources takes time. Add to that the time spent assembling the participants, and ten days is considered a normal timeframe. This is based on the fact that ninjas possess extremely convenient means such as sealing scrolls and summoning ninja beasts.

Although it's highly unlikely that they can keep their presence hidden from spies from other ninja villages, Onoki still hopes to complete all the necessary preparations for war in the shortest possible time.

Launch the attack as early as possible, so that Sunagakure will definitely not have time to react. With the regular defense force of five or six hundred men at the northern fortress of Sunagakure, it will be breached in a few days. Once Sunagakure is given time to react,

Too much power may not be enough to gather.

However, sending two or three thousand reinforcements is still achievable.

In that case, it would be easy to fall into a stalemate. Although the probability of winning would still be high, it would require paying a higher price. After all, it would be a local war. Onoki did not want his own ninja village to suffer too many losses. Although there was direct intelligence proving that Kumogakure still longed for Konoha and the rich land of the Land of Fire, who could guarantee that if Iwagakure encountered any accident, Kumogakure would not turn around and take a bite?

It's only been a little over three years since the blood feud of the Third Shinobi World War!

This is why Onoki didn't mobilize more forces, and even his two Tailed Beast Jinchuriki didn't use them. He wanted to guard against this move. As for Rōshi, he didn't need to make any prior arrangements. The Five-Tails Jinchuriki, Han, had already been dispatched by Onoki to the eastern border of the Land of Earth at the beginning of today's meeting.

While keeping a watchful eye on Kumogakure there, Onoki will focus his attention on the eastern border. With Hidari and Shoji in the south, Onoki is very confident that with such a force, Sunagakure will have no chance against him.

One Luo Sha could not possibly stop two people!

Not to mention, it's still a question whether he, as the Fourth Kazekage, can even participate in the battle!

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

"I will obey Your Majesty's command!"

In the lower part.

Huang Tu, Jiang Si, and Yan Jue all stood up at the same time and responded.

The heads of each department simultaneously lowered their heads in response.

"Is the target Sunagakure? I've heard that northern fortress is Sunagakure's largest forward defensive base. If it can be breached, Sunagakure will be in a very awkward and dangerous situation for the next few years, unless they rebuild a forward base, but that also has its drawbacks."

Shoji really hadn't expected that the 'lanthanum' metal needed to manufacture chakra armor would be abundant in the northern part of the Land of Wind, and that his Tsuchikage would so decisively make a southward invasion strategy. However, this was indeed very much in line with the style of the five great ninja villages.

Moreover, there may be another layer of meaning in this strategy.

This could be beneficial to the Uchiha clan.

Jiang Si glanced at Onoki at the head of the table and thought to himself.

"Very good! Then proceed according to the established plan. Personnel mobilization and allocation must be completed within three days, understand? Huang Tu, Jiang Si, Yan Jue!"

Onoki nodded in satisfaction, then looked at the three of them and said this.

"Yes!"

An unexpected high-level meeting.

The strategy was decided in a very short time.

It can be said that Onoki fully demonstrated his decisive and efficient personality.

The war machine of Iwagakure.

And with the conclusion of a meeting, it began operating at full capacity!

202. Configuration and Preliminary Steps

Because it is only a local war.

The mobilized combat force consisted of only three thousand people, so there was no need for a total mobilization. Even so, apart from ordinary civilian ninjas, each major ninja clan had to send out a certain proportion of combat power. This was practically a tacit rule that these ninja clans joined when the major ninja villages were established.

The same applies to the Uchiha clan.

However, it was only a number of three thousand. The Uchiha clan already had hundreds of adult ninjas serving in various positions in Iwagakure. In this southern campaign, proportionally, the Uchiha clan only needed to send a dozen or so clansmen to participate. Originally, according to the Third Tsuchikage's intention, he did not plan to send these people from the Uchiha clan. One reason was that the Uchiha clan had only joined Iwagakure about three months ago and needed more time to settle down and recuperate. Onoki did not want such a thing to lead to an inevitable conflict between the village and the Uchiha clan. The second reason was that Uchiha Shoji was strong enough, with his combat power being equivalent to hundreds of ninjas!

In this operation, Onoki had two main objectives: to teach Sunagakure a lesson and to seize the 'lanthanum' metal production site. He also intended to cultivate Shoji's connections with more Iwa ninja in the village.

To become a Kage, one must gain the approval of the majority. The current situation of Shoji and the Uchiha clan in Iwagakure is still somewhat ambiguous. The Third Tsuchikage wants to create a stage and an opportunity for Shoji and the Uchiha clan to better integrate into the village. This is in line with his goals and the interests of the entire Iwagakure!

Jiang Si himself understands this point.