Revitalizing the Uchiha clan starts with becoming a Kage.

348. The war horn sounds straight (Happy New Year's Eve!)

"what?"

"Konoha actually made this choice?"

"Did that Third Hokage lose his mind?"

"No, there must be some conspiracy involved, right?"

As soon as Jiang Si finished speaking, not only did Huang Tu's pupils shrink suddenly in the opposite position, but Akatsuchi, Yashiro, and other Jonin from Iwagakure who held important positions on both sides below also burst into an uproar.

It's not that Konoha's choice was outrageous. From a general perspective, when a ninja village faces attacks from two powerful enemies, the most reasonable choice is to fight one and then retreat the other. But when it comes to Konoha, it just seems unreliable. In the past three Shinobi World Wars, when has Konoha ever done anything like this?

Every time, he directly fought against the combined attacks of two or even three ninja villages.

The most important question is, why did they choose to agree to the conditions of Kumogakure while firmly rejecting Iwagakure's? Was this a sign of looking down on Iwagakure? In any case, most of the people below believed that this was the attitude that the Konoha leadership wanted to express.

At that moment, anger clearly outweighed surprise.

The ninjas of the five great ninja villages all have their own pride, and the Iwa ninjas are no exception. Iwagakure was originally the victor of the Third Shinobi World War, and in the last two years, their momentum has been at its peak. How could they tolerate others looking down on them? Even Konohagakure, which is still considered the strongest ninja village in the world!

"It seems this is the choice Konoha has made: on one hand, to stabilize Kumogakure with conditions, and on the other hand, to concentrate its main force to seek a decisive battle with Iwagakure and eliminate us in the shortest possible time!"

Huang Tu narrowed his eyes slightly and said in a low voice.

"Yes, that's what I think too, Huang Tusang!"

Jiang Si nodded and continued.

Humans ultimately have their limits. Although Jiang Si has integrated the memories of two lifetimes and his soul in the previous world was a relatively outstanding young man, he is still just a young man. In terms of experience and knowledge, there is still a gap. Some things can be guessed based on familiarity with the original plot and characters' personalities, but other things are difficult to see through.

The Konoha high-level meeting was held in the Hokage Building, which was heavily guarded and had a well-established sensory barrier. No matter how strong Shoji was, it would be impossible for him to sneak in and obtain the information he wanted.

Therefore, in his actions against Konoha, Shoji still made a misjudgment. He also believed that Konoha was really planning to concentrate its forces to actively seek a direct confrontation with Iwagakure. In addition, he also discovered that the Third Hokage seemed to intend to recall Jiraiya and Tsunade, which further confirmed Shoji's judgment.

This is also consistent with Konoha's approach in the previous three Shinobi World Wars.

The judgment on loess was also based on this latter point.

"Should we play it safe and observe the movements of the Hidden Cloud Village? Or what?"

After pondering for a moment, Chi Tu, who was on the left, asked a question.

"Both options have their advantages and disadvantages, but if you ask me, Huang Tusang, I would prefer to take the initiative!"

As Chi Tu finished speaking, Jiang Si, with a solemn expression, looked at Huang Tu on the main seat and said.

"Hmm? Why? General?"

To be fair, Huang Tu personally would definitely prefer a more conservative strategy. Since Konoha wants to seek a direct confrontation with Iwagakure, if a quick victory is desired, then avoiding battle and delaying the fight would be the least risky strategy for his side.

Don't even mention the high risks of a direct clash with a large army. A defeat could have a chain reaction, and even if your side wins, it will be a Pyrrhic victory. Don't be fooled by the fact that they have a Tailed Beast Jinchuriki and two Kage-level ninjas, Kyoto and Shoji. But as the Third Raikage said, even someone as strong as him couldn't change the battlefield situation of thousands or tens of thousands of ninjas clashing on his own.

It's impossible for either of them to do that.

If it were true that one or two Kage-level powerhouses could easily decide the outcome of a war, Sunagakure would have been wiped out countless times. The reason Iwagakure withdrew from the war last year was precisely because if they really angered Sunagakure, Sunagakure could still unleash tens of thousands of troops. A Pyrrhic victory is not a true victory.

Especially since there are more than just two super ninja villages, Konoha and Iwagakure, in the ninja world, all strategic choices must be made as cautiously as possible. Konoha originally had more than 2,000 troops stationed in the northwest near the border of the Land of Grass, and now it has sent more than 5,000 reinforcements, and there seems to be further mobilization!

This blatant display of numerical and combat strength means that unless their own ninja village urgently dispatches another batch of fresh troops to reinforce the front lines, even if the Iwagakure village has a relatively high probability of winning due to the presence of Shoji, Huangtu, and Han, their own side will still suffer heavy losses.

Even Jiang Si, Huang Tu, and Han cannot be said to be able to escape unscathed.

This is a risk that is clearly laid out before us, and Huang Tu cannot afford to be careless in considering it.

However, since it was Shoji who brought it up, Huangtu naturally had to listen. This was not only because Shoji's status in the village was becoming increasingly important, but also because Shoji was the most familiar with the situation, especially Konoha. He was unmatched in Iwagakure in terms of understanding the situation, and his judgment must have its own reasons.

"Yes, Huang Tu-san, the reason I say this is because Konoha can afford to drag this out, but we Iwagakure may not. We must not assume that just because the other side has set up a formation, they will definitely only choose to clash head-on with us. If we really enter into a protracted war, although Konoha will also bear a high risk, so will we in Iwagakure. Moreover, relatively speaking, the price we will have to pay may be higher. In some aspects, we are still hard to compare with them. In addition, Sunagakure seems to be a bit dishonest. The forces deployed by Kumogakure on the eastern defense line have not weakened!"

"It's difficult for us to send more troops to the front lines. If Konoha wanted to, it could spare a little time and send another five or six thousand, or even more, troops to the front lines. This is far from Konoha's limit. Right now, the only place Konoha should be wary of is Kumogakure. If Konoha chooses to boldly relax its vigilance against Sunagakure in the west and Kirigakure in the southeast, it can send more troops back. At that time, it will truly be a dilemma for Iwagakure!"

Jiang Si said with a very serious expression.

Konoha is Konoha after all.

Winning the three Shinobi World Wars was definitely not a matter of luck. Although Hiruzen Sarutobi did some stupid things during his tenure as Hokage, his achievements cannot be denied. Even though top-tier Kage-level figures died one after another, the hierarchical development of the middle and lower-level forces was done very well.

Not to mention the effective combat power that the major ninja clans can provide each year, just the number of genin who graduate from the ninja academy and are put into active duty is as high as seven or eight hundred or even more. Even if some of them are sent back or choose to give up after a period of time because they cannot accept the ninja career.

But the huge number of cases still piled up here.

The number of genin that Konoha can add each year far exceeds that of any other ninja village. In its most prosperous years, it even surpassed the total number of two major ninja villages. This accumulated number year after year ensured that Konoha's ninja population never fell below 20,000 at any time. In one peak year, this number even approached 30,000.

Even though the subsequent years of full-scale wars and local conflicts gradually weakened Konoha's power, its foundation remained intact.

Without exaggerating, if Konoha were to unleash its full fighting power right now, it would be highly likely that it could mobilize a ninja army of nearly 20,000 people, after leaving a necessary force stationed outside the village!

As a former member of Konoha, Shoji is quite knowledgeable about this matter. Of course, there is a prerequisite: all the major clans in Konoha must support the Third Hokage without hesitation!

As mentioned before, even after so many years of development, the powerful ninja clans are still powerful ninja clans, especially in Konoha. The total combat power provided by those large and small ninja clans accounts for at least six or seven tenths of the village.

The initial establishment of the ninja village was precisely due to the alliance of these ninja clans, wasn't it?

As someone from a ninja clan, Shoji naturally understood this. If the Third Hokage were to give a death order, these ninja clans would most likely cooperate. At that point, it wouldn't be a question of whether they could defeat Konoha, but rather which route to choose for their retreat!

Even someone as strong as Shoji is now. If he were surrounded by nearly a thousand elite Konoha soldiers, he would still die. Without activating Susanoo, his high attack and low defense would make him vulnerable to being caught off guard and dying. With Susanoo activated, even if he could slaughter all one thousand people, his Mangekyou Sharingan would probably be almost exhausted.

In the end, it all comes down to death!

Konoha is really strong.

But it is precisely for this reason that Jiang Si wants to seize this opportunity to strike Konoha hard. Before Konoha can fully concentrate all its forces, he wants to launch the most fierce attack. Considering the current strength of both sides gathered at the border, the price that our side needs to pay may not be too high!

Although there is a high probability that doing so will fall into Shikaku's trap, Shoji is unaware of this. Moreover, even if Shoji did know about Shikaku's scheme, he might not abandon his own plan. In short, if Iwagakure wants to truly rise and dominate the ninja world, this step will have to be taken sooner or later!

If they don't take advantage of the fact that Konoha is still worried about Kumogakure, that Jiraiya and Tsunade didn't return to the village immediately, and that Sunagakure was just severely damaged by them last year, they will only miss the opportunity if they wait any longer.

While being decisive might lead to a loss, hesitation is more likely to result in defeat!

"!"

Huang Tu's expression also turned somewhat cold as Jiang Si spoke. He just wanted to be more composed, which did not mean that he was completely unaware of the situation. He understood Jiang Si's words very well, and he also knew how long his old man, the Earth Shadow, had been waiting for this moment.

If it were my own Tsuchikage father on the front lines right now, he would probably choose to attack without hesitation!

Taking over the Land of Grass and bringing it under the overall influence of Iwagakure is the minimum expected outcome that can be achieved.

"Hiss, whoosh!"

Thinking of this, Huang Tu took a deep breath, slowly exhaled, and then opened his eyes again, revealing a cold glint in his pupils.

"I understand! Commander, Red Earth!"

The words that followed were spoken in a low voice.

"You two will each lead 500 troops, advancing parallel from the north and south, clearing out and eliminating all of Konoha's strongholds within the Land of Grass, and pushing the battle line all the way to the Wuyuan Mountain area of ​​the Land of Fire in one go."

Hesitation will only lead to more trouble!

This was a crucial moment when decisive judgments had to be made, and Huang Tu demonstrated the basic qualities and magnanimity that a leader should possess.

According to the intelligence from the chief, it would take at least half a day for Konoha's reinforcements to arrive. The total number of Konoha's garrison troops on the front line was less than two thousand, and half of them were scattered in the eastern part of the Land of Grass, near the Land of Fire.

Wuyuan Mountain is the most convenient mountain range for the Land of Grass to enter the Land of Fire. When the Iwagakure army was mobilized, some of the closest troops, following the Third Hokage's orders, were deliberately concentrated and joined with the original garrison forces stationed at Wuyuan Mountain. There were a total of one thousand troops. With the help of some defensive mechanisms and traps, as long as no super strong person intervened, it was not too difficult for the one thousand Konoha garrison to hold off five thousand Iwagakure ninja for a period of time.

Although Huang Tu has not yet made a firm decision to engage in a head-to-head confrontation with Konoha, eliminating Konoha's forward outposts and bases and advancing the battle line to the Wuyuan Mountain area is still the most basic operation.

Now that we've mobilized troops, we must at least accomplish the most basic goal we originally set out for the Third Shinobi World War—to bring the Land of Grass under the sphere of influence of our ninja village.

As for the opinion of Kusagakure Village?

Excuse me? And what is that?

Despite the fact that Kusagakure may have two or three thousand ninjas, if Konoha were to suffer a direct defeat and flee back to the Land of Fire, even if Iwagakure's leader had ten times the courage, Kusagakure would have no choice but to obediently accept becoming Iwagakure's vassal.

Just like the Hidden Hot Spring Village in the Land of Hot Springs.

The weak should have the awareness and self-awareness that comes with being weak.

"Yes!"

Jiang Si and Chi Tu also lowered their heads simultaneously and replied.

"Furthermore, Arai-san, you will lead a thousand troops toward the location of Kannabi Bridge, where you will establish an advance base, store necessary supplies, and dispatch relevant negotiators to the capital of the Land of Grass and Kusagakure Village to request assistance from the Daimyo and that leader. I think you should know very well what to do when necessary!"

Huang Tu then turned to look at a middle-aged man in his forties on the other side and said, "This is a Jonin from Iwagakure named Arai Kenjiro. He also comes from a prestigious family in Iwagakure and has experienced two Shinobi World Wars. He is one of the few senior ninjas in Iwagakure. Not only is his personal strength outstanding, but he is also among the most outstanding in terms of overall planning and management. Letting him be in charge of 'communicating' with Kusagakure and building the forward base is a testament to our trust in his abilities."

Facing this senior ninja who was far older and more experienced than himself.

The loess soil is also meant to express basic respect.

"Yes! Please rest assured, Lord Yellow Earth, I will certainly live up to your mission!"

Arai Kenjiro replied in a very calm tone.

"And then, there are things you all need..."

After Huang Tu nodded, he began to instruct the relevant personnel in the main tent on the necessary pre-battle preparations.

"Then, I wish you all great success in your military endeavors!"

"Yes!"

The agreement that has been reached is the final order that is issued.

At the conclusion of this pre-war meeting.

The general also left the main tent to prepare the troops he was supposed to lead. Although the reinforcements from Konoha were moving much slower than his own, the distance was not particularly far. Half a day should be a fairly accurate timeline to estimate their arrival location, which would be around the Wuyuan Mountain area.

If they wanted to be the first to win, they couldn't wait any longer.

Although our side holds an absolute advantage in high-end combat power, the enemy has the advantage of terrain and numbers. If we wait until the enemy's full forces are assembled, the outcome will be at most 70/30, and that is based on the fact that General, Huang Tu, and Han are all committed to the battlefield, and how many reinforcements Konoha has left.

This is an uncertain number.

This time, Jiang Si has no intention of coming with a bang only to leave disappointed.

Along with Shoji, Uchiha Inahashi and another Jonin from Iwagakure named Gin also left the main tent. The Eighth Hokage was to stay in the central army to assist Koto. There were more than fifty Uchiha clansmen dispatched to the front line this time. Some of them would follow under Shoji, while the rest would be assigned to other units.

While the Sharingan isn't as powerful as the Byakugan in terms of perception, it can still detect traces that ordinary ninjas, or even specialized sensory personnel, cannot at crucial moments.

Previously, there was no hope, but now that their own ninja village possesses such a powerful bloodline limit, the Third Hokage, Onoki, has no reason not to integrate and utilize it properly. Moreover, this is a war against Konoha, and the Uchiha clan is extremely excited.

In other words, Fugaku wouldn't allow it, and Ōnoki couldn't possibly agree to it either.

Otherwise, at least 70-80% of the clan would want to go to the front lines together.