Naruto's civilian cannon fodder starts with the three-body technique

Chapter 287 Public revenge and private revenge
Umino Sasuke and Hatake Sakumo blended into the shadows of the sand and retreated silently, their target turning to the large oases in the southern part of Daimyo Prefecture that had not yet been liberated.

Meanwhile, deep within the Daimyo's residence in the Land of Wind, in a luxurious secret room filled with complex soundproofing barriers.

The daimyo of the Land of Wind, who was as fat as a ball and whose small eyes gleamed with intelligence, was leisurely sipping a secret-recipe tea from the Land of Tea. Before him stood the Minister of Commerce, who was also dressed in luxurious attire, with his hands at his sides and his head slightly bowed, displaying a humble demeanor.

"How is it?"

The daimyo of the Land of Wind set down his exquisite teacup, the bottom of which made a crisp clinking sound against the jade tray, breaking the silence of the secret room.

His voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable sense of control. "My rabbit cousin from the Land of Fire, any response? Has he fallen into my trap as I suspected?"

The Minister of Commerce immediately bowed, his voice carrying a barely perceptible hint of flattery, and said with a touch of smugness, "Your Excellency, everything is within your brilliant plans. My daughter married the Minister of Finance of the Land of Fire as a concubine, and he has always been deeply favored. After some persuasion from my daughter in bed, and with a sum of money we carefully prepared as a bribe, my son-in-law has very eagerly offered the Lord of the Land of Fire many good strategies for governing the country!"

He paused, observing the daimyo's expression, and continued, "The daimyo of the Land of Fire was indeed furious when he heard that the Konoha ninjas dared to openly collud with the sand bandit rebels of the Land of Wind, and even raised the treasonous slogan of 'Overthrowing the rule of the nobility and liberating the entire ninja world.' He cursed Konoha, saying that this was not only a rebellion against the Land of Wind, but also a challenge to the entire noble order of the ninja world. It was a test by the Konoha ninjas, who wanted to overthrow the Heavenly Generals, completely disregarding him, the daimyo of the Land of Fire!"

"Heh!" The daimyo of the Land of Wind let out a disdainful chuckle, his fat fingers tapping lightly on the table. "As expected, he's a brainless idiot. I knew it. Just a little bit of flattery would make him lose his mind and be led by the nose. My cousin of mine, besides enjoying the blessings of the Land of Fire's vast land and abundant resources, his brain is probably full of mush."

Upon hearing these words, the Minister of Commerce seemed to ignore them, simply lowering his head even further, keeping his eyes downcast. While his superiors might criticize their own foolish relatives, he didn't dare to echo them, let alone slander the daimyo of the Land of Fire.

The Daimyo of the Land of Wind glanced at the Minister of Commerce, offering no agreement. Knowing his place in the hierarchy, he was quite satisfied and then asked, "And then? What did my foolish cousin do next?"

The Minister of Commerce hurriedly replied, "The Daimyo of the Land of Fire has officially issued an extremely strict edict to Konoha, ordering the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, to immediately recall Sagumo Hatake and Sasuke Umino, cease all illegal military operations within the Land of Wind, and especially prohibit the dissemination of any inflammatory rhetoric advocating for the overthrow of aristocratic rule and the liberation of the entire ninja world. The pressure has already been placed on the Konoha leadership, and it is said that Hiruzen Sarutobi convened an emergency meeting on this matter, where the debate raged on."

"Very good!" The Daimyo of the Land of Wind clapped his hands and laughed. A relieved smile finally appeared on his fat face. "As long as Konoha is forced to recall these two hotheads, the weight on my heart can finally be lifted. The White Blood Demon and Konoha White Fang, these two brutes with only strength, are still too dangerous."

Then, his gaze shifted to a shadowy corner of the secret chamber where light could hardly penetrate, and he said in a deep voice, "Shadow, in your opinion, if those two hotheads really launch a desperate attack, can they break through my Daming Prefecture?"

From the shadows, a hoarse voice devoid of any emotion came: "Reporting to Your Excellency, my strength is only on par with Elder Ebizo. The White Blood Demon's methods are unpredictable and the White Fang of Konoha's swordsmanship is unparalleled in the ninja world. If only one of them attacks, I can barely hold them off. But if the two of them join forces to launch a strong attack on the mansion, I am no match for them. The defenses inside the mansion will probably not be able to hold out for long, and we won't be able to wait for Elder Chiyo's reinforcements."

Upon hearing this, the daimyo of the Land of Wind's face instantly darkened, his smile vanished without a trace, and was replaced by deep disappointment and worry about his own safety.

He remained silent for a moment, then an overwhelming surge of resentment and unwillingness welled up inside him. He slammed his fist on the table: "Useless! All of you are useless! The Land of Fire is a vast and resource-rich land, a treasure bestowed by heaven, yet it has fallen into the hands of my stupid, pig-like cousin. It's a complete waste of resources, a pearl cast before swine! If I were the daimyo of the Land of Fire, with such a foundation, why would I have to worry about unifying the ninja world? Why would I be forced into this situation by these two Konoha hotheads!"

He grew angrier as he spoke, and his anger turned to Sunagakure, as he cursed, "And that useless Kazekage, he's a complete idiot! A village kage, ruling over such a large ninja village, yet he can't even handle two rising stars from Konoha. I had to personally intervene, racking my brains to scheme against my idiot cousin, using such petty tricks to drive those two Konoha greenhorns out of the Land of Wind. Sunagakure, you're truly hopeless, each generation worse than the last!"

The secret room was deathly silent, with only the Daimyo's angry and heavy breathing echoing incessantly.

The Minister of Commerce's head was almost buried in his chest, his body slightly tense, and he dared not breathe. The guardian in the shadows, [Shadow], was also silent, like a true shadow.

After venting his jealousy towards his cousin from the Land of Fire and his dissatisfaction with the Third Kazekage, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind slumped onto the soft couch, his heavy breathing sounding particularly clear in the deathly silent chamber.

The daimyo of the Land of Wind was a man of deep cunning, able to control his emotions at will. The anger in his small eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a shrewd glint of wisdom.

"No!" he muttered under his breath, his fingers unconsciously twirling the rim of his teacup. "We can't put all our hopes on Konoha recalling those two hotheads. Chiyo has laid a tight net, but those two are no pushovers. What if they manage to get through the quicksand pass and head straight for the Daimyo's capital..."

He suddenly raised his head, his small eyes flashing with shrewd calculation, and looked at the Minister of Commerce who still maintained a humble posture: "That old monk Fenfu, he went to the front line, didn't he?"

“Yes, Your Excellency,” the Minister of Commerce replied hastily.

"Hmph!" The daimyo snorted coldly, quite dissatisfied, "Now that the old monk Fenfu has gone to the front lines, are those monks in the Wind Temple, who live a life of luxury, acquiring land everywhere to build temples, marrying wives and having children, and enjoying offerings, just going to stand by and watch the daimyo prefecture fall into danger? They have enjoyed the Wind Kingdom's offerings and privileges for so many years, shouldn't they also do their part?"

The Minister of Commerce understood immediately and nodded in agreement: "Your Majesty is concerned with the safety of the Land of Wind, and it is indeed necessary to summon the monks of the Wind Temple to come and protect you."

“That’s right!” The daimyo of the Land of Wind slapped his thigh and said in a deep voice, “Immediately issue an imperial edict in my name to the abbot of the Wind Temple, telling them that the daimyo’s prefecture is facing a powerful enemy. At this time of national crisis, the Wind Temple should step forward to protect the country and its people. Tell them to quickly dispatch the temple’s elite monks and ninjas to come and defend the daimyo’s prefecture.”

Then, a glint of light flashed in his eyes, and he threw out a bait: "Tell them that I will not mistreat those who have made contributions. I can give the Wind Temple another spot among the Twelve Guardian Ninja. In the future, the Daimyo Prefecture will increase its support for the Wind Temple. More importantly..."

Sunagakure's response to Konoha's invasion was poor, resulting in heavy losses and a significant drop in prestige. After the war, some of their interests in the Land of Wind can be redistributed. If the Temple of Wind makes a significant contribution in this national defense operation, I can allow them to appropriately take over a portion of the interests ceded by Sunagakure.

From now on, the Temple of the Wind and the Hidden Sand Village can check and balance each other, and together with the power of my personal Guardian Shinobi, a stable triangular balance will be formed.

Only in this way can my authority and the peace of the Wind Kingdom be secure and long-lasting!

These words were blunt and direct, laying bare the calculations of exchanging interests and checking and balancing power.

The Minister of Commerce felt a chill run down his spine and quickly bowed: "Your Excellency is a man of profound wisdom. I will carry out your orders immediately and convey them to the Temple of Wind without error!"

"Yes, go ahead." The daimyo of the Land of Wind waved his hand, picked up his teacup again, and his fat face regained its composure as if the anger and fear he had just felt were nothing but an illusion.

He sipped his fragrant tea, already plotting how to weaken Sunagakure during the Ninja War, reshuffle the power structure of the Land of Wind, consolidate the power of the Daimyo's government, and establish a stable triangular balance between Sunagakure, the Temple of the Wind, and the Guardian Ninja Army.

To quell external threats, one must first secure internal stability. Once he concentrates his domestic forces, seizes the fertile lands of the buffer state, and uses that as a base to plan for the expansion of the Fire Kingdom, it's not impossible...

The daimyo of the Land of Wind's scheme proved quite effective, quickly causing a stir among the higher-ups in Konoha.

Konoha, Hokage's office building.

Inside the office, the atmosphere was extremely heavy. The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, looked at the imperial edict scroll in his hand, personally delivered by the envoy of the Daimyo's office in the Land of Fire. The veins on his forehead throbbed slightly, showing the great shock in his heart.

"This is utterly outrageous!" Hiruzen Sarutobi slammed the scroll onto his desk with a dull thud. "What on earth have Sasuke Umino and Sakumo Hatake done in the Land of Wind?! 'Overthrow the aristocratic rule and liberate the entire ninja world'—such treasonous words! Do they even know what that means?!"

“Hiruzen, this is no longer a simple military operation that crosses the line!” Mitokado Homura pushed up his glasses, his eyes behind the lenses icy cold.

Then, a murderous glint flashed in Mitomon Homura's eyes. Taking revenge, he instigated, "This is a blatant challenge to the cornerstone of the entire ninja world's order. It is inciting rebellion. The fire daimyo's anger is entirely justified. We must take severe measures immediately. Recalling them is only the first step. We must punish them severely and give the daimyo's mansion a clear explanation!"

Koharu Utatane, standing nearby, also looked displeased. Although she harbored resentment after being publicly humiliated by Sasuke Umino on the front lines in the Land of Rivers, as an advisor, she understood the importance of prioritizing tasks and knew she couldn't act impulsively. Sasuke Umino and Sagumo Hatake were currently stirring up trouble in the rear of the Land of Winds, tying down a large number of Sunagakure troops, which was crucial to the operations of the Konoha ninja army on the front lines. A hasty and severe punishment, especially given Sasuke Umino's high prestige as the commander of the mobile support force, could easily trigger a strong backlash from the frontline ninja army, just like last time, and could even shake morale and cause a mutiny.

“The recall is necessary. The daimyo has given the order, and we cannot disobey it.”

Koharu Utatane spoke slowly, her voice tinged with caution, "But if we punish them severely, the battle on the front lines is currently at a stalemate. Although the actions of Umino Sasuke and Hatake Sagumo were somewhat excessive, they have indeed dealt a heavy blow to Sunagakure's logistics and morale."

If we punish them severely without asking why, the ninjas on the front lines will likely lose heart, leading to instability in the army.

In my opinion, it would be more prudent to first summon them back to the village, conduct a thorough investigation, and then discuss a mutually acceptable solution with the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep drag on his pipe, weighing the pros and cons. Koharu Utatane's words had hit the nail on the head. Suppressing Sasuke Umino and Sagumo Hatake and weakening their influence was something he, as the Third Hokage, needed to maintain the balance of power.

However, the two were carrying out a mission deep into the heart of the Land of Wind under his orders, and their results were remarkable. If they were to be severely punished simply because of the pressure from the Daimyo without investigation and verification, it would not only make him, the Hokage, appear weak and incompetent, but it would also discourage the ninjas who were fighting on the front lines.

That guy Danzo Shimura will definitely take advantage of this situation and try to win over these two sharp blades, especially Sasuke Umino. Danzo Shimura was the first to discover and promote him. He only managed to win over this talent by taking advantage of his position as Hokage. How could he just hand him over?

“Xiaochun is right.” Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, finally making a decision. “Recalling them is the top priority. Order the Anbu to convey the Hokage’s order to Umino Sasuke and Hatake Sakumo with the highest priority: immediately cease all military operations within the Land of Wind and return to Konoha! As for the follow-up actions… we will make a decision after they return to the village and conduct a detailed investigation.”

This arrangement both responded to the daimyo's recall request and left room for maneuver.

Upon hearing this, a barely perceptible hint of disappointment flashed in Mitokado Homura's eyes. He had originally intended to take advantage of this opportunity and the daimyo's wrath to take down that despicable guy, Umino Sasuke, in one fell swoop. Seeing that Sarutobi Hiruzen had once again made this compromise, he quickly put on a worried expression.

"Hiruzen, the Daimyo's edict is unprecedentedly harsh. He explicitly demands that we punish him severely as a warning to others. If we merely recall him without taking any substantial disciplinary action, I'm afraid—the Daimyo will think we are being perfunctory, or even disrespectful!"

Mitomon Homura spoke with great sincerity, continuing to flatter, "The Daimyo's attitude concerns the fundamental interests of Konoha. In order to quell the Daimyo's anger and also to give an explanation to the outside world, we should at least make some gestures first."

(End of this chapter)