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

Chapter 368 Just what you want
Sasuke Umino blended into the desert shadows, silently lurking behind a sand dune not far from the Sunagakure temporary command post.

His perception, like invisible tentacles, cautiously yet with extreme precision, probed that area, capturing the conversations and chakra fluctuations within.

Inside the tent, the atmosphere was not as united as the outside world imagined.

The Third Kazekage, hailed as the strongest Kazekage of all time, now had a somber expression, tinged with barely perceptible weariness and doubt, as he looked at Elder Chiyo, whose aura was gloomy.

"Chiyo, what exactly do you want to do by mobilizing so many elite troops?"

The Third Kazekage's voice was low, yet carried an undeniable authority: "The Sand Village of today is like a camel struggling in a sandstorm; it can no longer withstand any unnecessary turmoil or risk!"

Chiyo slowly raised her head. Her face looked much older than it had a few years ago. Her once charming face was now etched with deep wrinkles, and her hair was almost entirely white. Only her deep-set eyes burned with a deep-seated hatred and an almost obsessive determination.

"Lord Kazekage, everything I've done is naturally for the future of Sunagakure!" Chiyo's voice was hoarse but resolute.

"For the village?" The Third Kazekage sneered, his eyes sharp as venomous senbon. "I think you're blinded by hatred! For your dead brother Ebizo, and your son Tetsuran, right? They both died at the hands of the White Blood Demon! You're clearly doing this to avenge your personal grudge!"

Upon hearing those two names, Chiyo's body visibly trembled, and a surge of overwhelming hatred welled up in her eyes. However, she forcibly suppressed it, instead raising her head to look directly at the Third Kazekage: "That's right, I hate the White Blood Demon! I wish I could eat his flesh and sleep on his skin! But Kazekage, please think about it calmly, is my hatred merely for personal revenge?"

She took a step forward, her tone becoming urgent and highly inflammatory: "That White Blood Demon, how old is he now? He already has the title of 'Konoha Demigod'! At the beginning of the Ninja War, he was just an unknown Chunin, but now he can defeat the Third Raikage and suppress the Eight-Tails single-handedly. The speed at which his strength is growing is terrifying! Think about Hashirama Senju back then, think about Madara Uchiha. At this rate, how terrifying will he reach in the future? Once he truly grows up and possesses power comparable to or even surpassing the First Hokage, will our Sunagakure Village still have a chance to survive? At that time, we will be fish on a chopping board, at their mercy!"

Upon hearing this, the Third Kazekage's pupils suddenly contracted. The names of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha weighed heavily on the hearts of all the Kage-level powerhouses. He recalled the information about Sasuke Umino, his various brilliant achievements, especially his single-handed suppression of the rampaging, fully-formed Eight-Tails. This was simply monstrous strength. Such an enemy who was too young and had almost limitless potential was indeed unsettling.

Seeing that the Third Kazekage was tempted, Chiyo intensified her attack: "Moreover, with the strength and methods he's displayed now, how can he be the next benevolent 'God of Shinobi'? He's clearly the next ruthless 'Konoha Shura' Uchiha Madara! Kazekage-sama, you should know very well how Uchiha Madara treats other villages! Once Umino Sasuke reaches that level, our Sunagakure Village won't even be able to exist, let alone be revived!"

These words struck at the deepest fear in the Third Kazekage's heart. As the Kage of a village, he had to consider the long-term future of the village. An uncontrollable, hostile, and infinitely powerful super strongman was indeed the most deadly sword of Damocles hanging over Sunagakure. The hesitation and doubt in his eyes were gradually replaced by a cold killing intent.

"You're right!" The Third Kazekage spoke slowly, his voice low and deep. "This child must not be allowed to live!"

Chiyo was overjoyed, but her face remained solemn and grave: "Therefore, this signing is our best opportunity, and possibly our last. He personally escorted Bunpuku here, and to show his 'sincerity,' the number of guards he brought must be limited. Konoha's main force has also retreated. We can take advantage of his unpreparedness, concentrate the most elite forces of Sunagakure, and lay a trap to completely surround and kill him here! For the future of the village, this risk is worth taking!"

The Third Kazekage nodded, but still maintained his last shred of rationality: "I agree to eliminate the White Blood Demon and remove this future threat, but the situation must be kept to a minimum. Our target is limited to him personally. The ceasefire agreement with Konoha must be signed. Sunagakure's war potential has been exhausted, and its finances are on the verge of collapse. It can no longer afford the costs of a new round of large-scale warfare. This point must not be wavered!"

“Of course!” Chiyo immediately assured her, her eyes gleaming with calculation. “As long as we successfully slay the White Blood Demon and reclaim the One-Tailed Jinchuriki, we will have absolute control! Konoha has lost its sharpest blade, its strength is greatly diminished, and it is eager to end the war. At that time, we can use this to propose new conditions: war reparations, more mission quotas, or even forcing them to cede some strategic locations in the Land of Rivers. It’s not impossible!”

Upon hearing about "war reparations," "mission quotas," and "territory cession," the Third Kazekage's eyes lit up instantly, and his breathing became somewhat heavy. The enormous potential profits dispelled his last shred of concern. Sunagakure desperately needed these tangible resources to heal the immense wounds of war and restore its vitality.

"Alright! We'll do as you say!" The Third Kazekage finally made up his mind. "However, the White Blood Demon's strength is unfathomable, especially his incredibly powerful Ice Release technique and that puppet army that's rumored to be comparable to a full-fledged military force! Although the desert environment somewhat suppresses his Ice Release, his threat is still not to be underestimated. We have the advantage of terrain and manpower, but our chances of surrounding and killing him are slim..."

"Lord Kazekage, you are overthinking this!" Chiyo immediately interrupted him, her tone filled with absolute confidence. "No matter how strong his puppetry is, the super-large puppets he uses are ultimately made of metal. In front of you, the strongest Kazekage with the Magnet Release bloodline limit, your Magnet Release counters all metal puppets. As soon as you make your move, his puppet army will instantly become a pile of immobile scrap metal. Without puppets, and with his Ice Release greatly reduced in the desert, he will undoubtedly be a tiger without claws in this vast desert. Facing the combined attack of you, me, and many of Sunagakure's elite troops, even if he has extraordinary abilities, he will surely die! In this battle, we have a huge advantage!"

This praise greatly satisfied the Third Kazekage's vanity. Indeed, his Magnet Release was a bloodline limit for manipulating iron sand, which was the nemesis of most puppets. The desert environment was his home ground, and Sasuke Umino's Ice Release was greatly reduced in power here. Furthermore, the puppets were countered by him. With the balance shifting, the advantage was indeed in his hands!
"Eighty percent! At least eighty percent certain!" The Third Kazekage was filled with pride. To ensure that the remaining two-tenths chance of an accident could also be eliminated, he immediately ordered the people outside the tent, "Men! Pass on my order! Immediately use the fastest hawks to notify the village and have Zhuo Lan Feng City send out more troops, carrying all the explosive tags and sealing scrolls they can carry, to the designated location on the border as quickly as possible to await orders. This time, we must leave the 'White Blood Demon' completely in the desert of the Wind Kingdom!"

"Yes!" A respectful reply came from outside the tent. Chiyo's eyes flashed with the ruthlessness of a successful conspiracy and the pleasure of revenge. She bowed and accepted the order.

Umino Sasuke, who was lying in wait, heard all of this and was not worried but happy.

"It's like a pillow being delivered to someone who's just fallen asleep! I was worried about not having a reason to tear up this humiliating treaty created by Hiruzen Sarutobi, and you've actually handed me the sword yourself!" He suppressed a laugh. "You want to kill me? You're gambling with my life and the future of Sunagakure? Chiyo, you're really blinded by hatred. Third Kazekage, you're also blinded by greed."

However, what he saw next completely shattered his relaxed mood, replacing it with shock.

After parting ways with the Third Kazekage, Chiyo did not immediately arrange specific deployments and ambushes, but instead returned to her own tent alone.

Inside the tent, two figures dressed in standard Sunagakure ANBU uniforms and wearing masks stood silently.

Chiyo walked up to the two men, stretched out her hands, covered in age spots and wrinkles, and placed them on their chests, her hands trembling.

A rich, vibrant green chakra light emanated from her palms.

"This is Yang Release chakra?! Its life force is so pure and vast!" Sasuke Umino was shocked.

What surprised him even more was that, under the infusion of this life-giving Yang Release chakra, the puppet cores within these two "Anbu" members, which had been lifeless and driven by chakra regeneration cores, seemed to be given real life. They began to emit a faint but real heartbeat, and their bodies even trembled slightly. Deep within their eye sockets beneath their masks, a faint light seemed to flicker, no longer the emptiness of puppets, but with a trace of—spirituality?!

"Little brother, Lan'er..." Chiyo murmured to herself, her voice filled with endless sorrow, longing, and an almost obsessive determination, "Wait a little longer, give me a little more time, I will definitely revive you, I will definitely make Xiao Xie grow up happily, and I will never let him be all alone again..."

Ebizo? Sandstone?!
Sasuke Umino instantly realized that these two were not living Anbu members at all, but human puppets created by Chiyo using the corpses of her brother and son. What she was doing at that moment was attempting to use some powerful forbidden technique involving the essence of life to infuse these two human puppets with real life and restore their souls.

"Forbidden Technique: Reincarnation of Self?! She actually started developing and actually using this forbidden technique at this point in time?!" Umino Sasuke was extremely shocked.

In the original story, Chiyo only started thinking about this forbidden technique after Sasori made the puppets of her father and mother. Unexpectedly, due to the successive deaths of her younger brother and son, she was so overwhelmed with grief that she began to research and perform this forbidden technique ahead of time.

Moreover, the effect before our eyes is far more astonishing than we imagined. This is no longer a simple puppet technique. It is touching the forbidden realm of life and death, containing extremely profound Yang Escape secrets, and even touching the scope of Yin-Yang Escape!

"No wonder she has aged so much. It wasn't just sadness, but also the enormous amount of life force and soul power she had consumed by constantly experimenting with this forbidden technique."

Sasuke Umino suddenly realized, and at the same time, his evaluation of Chiyo instantly rose several levels. This old woman was probably one of the most underestimated ninjas in the entire ninja world. Her mastery of medical ninjutsu and forbidden techniques was absolutely unbelievable!

He immediately focused his mind and carefully used a more sophisticated perception technique, trying to steal the secrets of life creation. The incomparably exquisite way of circulating Yang Release chakra, and the strange fluctuations that attempted to communicate between life and death and give life to inanimate objects, were all fascinating.

However, just as he was engrossed in his thoughts, Chiyo seemed to sense something, abruptly raising her head, scanning her surroundings warily, and shouting sharply, "Who?!"

Sasuke Umino was startled and immediately stopped all his senses, suppressing his aura to the extreme, as if he had completely become part of the desert.

Chiyo carefully sensed for a while but found nothing unusual. She rubbed her temples wearily and smiled self-deprecatingly, "Is it just my imagination again? It's been like this lately. Little brother, Lan'er, are you watching me?"

She assumed it was a mental lapse caused by excessive longing and the use of forbidden techniques, shook her head, and didn't delve any further, continuing to focus on channeling life energy into the two human puppets.

Sasuke Unno breathed a sigh of relief, his vigilance towards Chiyo reaching its peak. This old woman's perception was far beyond that of ordinary people; it seemed that stealing her skills was out of the question, at least not now.

Now that the key intelligence was in hand and Sunagakure's conspiracy was clear, Umino Sasuke didn't linger. He left a shadow clone to continue monitoring while his main body instantly locked onto the coordinates of the Flying Thunder God technique, which was located far away on the border of the Land of Rivers.

Flying Thunder God Technique activated!
The spatial ripples spread silently, and his figure vanished instantly from behind the sand dunes of the Land of Wind. The next moment, he appeared on the rooftop of the Konoha Iron Wall Legion's forward command post on the border of the Land of Rivers.

At this moment, the afterglow of the setting sun dyed the sky orange-red. A figure wearing a Jonin vest and sporting a pineapple-shaped haircut was lying on the rooftop sunbathing without any regard for appearances, with a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, looking utterly bored. It was none other than Nara Shikaku.

Startled by the sudden appearance of another person beside him, Nara Shikaku sat up abruptly. Upon seeing that it was Umino Sasuke, he breathed a sigh of relief and then put on an exaggerated expression of complaint.

"Captain! You've finally arrived! If you hadn't come, I would have been overwhelmed by all these tedious tasks!" He pointed to the staff and civilian personnel below, who were busy to the point of exhaustion. "Look at all this, so much work, all on my shoulders. Lord Orochimaru is nowhere to be seen all day, and you often disappear. My father is even worse... Ugh, don't even mention it! I'm the only one in charge of the entire legion. Do you know how hard it is for me?!"

Umino Sasuke glanced at the small basketball hoop and a few crumpled pieces of paper next to him, clearly from playing basketball when bored. Then, looking at his lazy sunbathing posture, he couldn't help but tease, "Oh? So busy with work that you still have time to play basketball and sunbathe on the roof?"

Nara Shikaku, without batting an eye, retorted seriously, "Captain, you don't understand. I'm replenishing my brain's energy. Using my brain to plan the deployment of the entire legion and appease those guys who are full of resentment because of the inexplicable withdrawal from the Land of Wind is much more tiring than simple physical labor. If I don't find a quiet place to bask in the sun and let my brain fully rest and process, how can I handle so many troublesome matters?"

He sighed, his tone becoming more serious: "To be honest, Captain, there's a lot of resentment in the legion after the retreat order came down. Everyone fought their way into the heart of the Wind Kingdom, and we were on the verge of an unprecedented victory, but then a single order from above ordered us to withdraw. I heard we even have to sign a treaty that's practically a surrender... Many people just can't understand it."

Looking down at the busy but clearly disgruntled camp below, Umino Sasuke nodded: "I know, everyone's blood will not have been shed in vain."

Upon hearing this, Nara Shikaku was not relieved at all. Instead, his expression changed, and he suddenly leaned closer and lowered his voice: "Captain! Please don't do anything rash. This is the Hokage's official order. I know you're angry, but disobeying military orders and disrupting peace talks is no joke!"

As clever as he was, he had already sensed something different in Umino Sasuke's tone.

Umino Sasuke smiled, his tone calm yet tinged with coldness: "Don't worry, it's not me acting recklessly. It's Sunagakure itself that seems to have other plans."

“Sunagakure doesn’t want a ceasefire?” Nara Shikaku was taken aback, then shook his head. “That shouldn’t be the case. Their situation is ten times worse than ours. They should be the ones who crave a ceasefire even more.”

Sasuke Umino looked towards the Land of Wind. "They want a ceasefire, but they also want to stir up trouble during the signing ceremony."

"What?!" Nara Shikaku exclaimed in shock.

His expression instantly turned extremely serious. "Could they be planning to replicate the attack on the Second Hokage by Kinkaku and Ginkaku from Kumogakure?! Captain, this is too dangerous! You absolutely cannot go, or you must strengthen the security!"

“Why not?” Sasuke Umino’s lips curled into a meaningful smile. “They want to surprise me, and I just want to give them a ‘surprise’ too. I can’t wait for them to jump out and cause trouble.”

Nara Shikaku stared at Umino Sasuke's confident yet dangerous smile, then suddenly realized what was happening. His face showed a look of sudden understanding mixed with a hint of pity for Sunagakure: "I understand, Captain, you knew all along? You did it on purpose! Poor Sunagakure, it seems you're going to screw them over again this time."

He seemed to already see the tragic future of Sunagakure, and couldn't help but sigh and rub his forehead: "Sigh, this means I'll be busy again. Post-war negotiations, division of spoils, troop mobilization... Just thinking about it gives me a headache! When will this ninja war ever end? I'm about to collapse from exhaustion!"

Umino Sasuke flicked him on the head in an annoyed tone: "Stop complaining. Aren't your clerical and staff officers the ones who are busy? You, the chief of staff, are just lounging around in the sun all day, slacking off, and you still have the nerve to complain?"

Nara Shikaku covered his forehead and argued righteously, "Captain, you don't understand. Those clerical staff officers are just busy doing trivial things, while I'm busy here!"

He pointed to his head. "Strategic planning, managing people's hearts, allocating resources... these are the real brain-burning things. I'm sunbathing to recharge my brain and speed up my calculations. Otherwise, how can I coordinate the overall situation?"

Umino Sasuke was too lazy to expose this guy's fallacies, but Nara Shikaku did have reason to be proud. Even with him and Orochimaru, the two hands-off managers, barely managing things, he was still able to keep the massive Iron Wall Army in good order. Even under such a frustrating retreat order, he still maintained basic stability and combat effectiveness. This ability was truly amazing. Being able to find time to sunbathe in the midst of his busy schedule was also a skill.

"Alright, stop joking around." Sasuke Umino's expression turned serious. "Since Sunagakure wants to play big, then we'll play big with them. Immediately issue a secret notice to all officers at the battalion commander level and above to attend a meeting. The action plan needs to be adjusted. Remember, absolute secrecy!"

"Yes!" Nara Shikaku instantly dropped his lazy expression, a wise and sharp light flashing in his eyes, and his entire demeanor changed abruptly, like a sword drawn from its sheath.

He nimbly jumped off the roof and quickly disappeared into the command center, where he began to execute orders efficiently.

Sasuke Umino stood on the rooftop, gazing towards the Land of Wind, the desert winds carrying a sweltering heat.

The atmosphere inside the Iron Wall Legion's front-line command post was heavy and somber.

Upon receiving an urgent and confidential notification from Nara Shikaku, all captains and above quickly arrived, filling the not-so-spacious conference room to capacity.

Everyone wore expressions of doubt and a hint of suppressed excitement; they all vaguely sensed that something big was about to happen.

However, Orochimaru, as the nominal commander-in-chief of the front lines, still did not attend. This genius ninja, one of the Legendary Sannin, seemed to have little interest in power. He devoted most of his energy to the research of those dangerous and tempting forbidden techniques, and completely neglected the daily management of the Iron Wall Legion and the specific matters of this signing.

Without wasting words, Sasuke Unno got straight to the point: "I just received definite intelligence that the Sand Village, especially Chiyo and the Third Kazekage, do not genuinely want peace. They plan to deploy a large force at the signing ceremony in an attempt to ambush and kill me and seize the One-Tailed Jinchuriki."

These words immediately caused an uproar in the meeting room.

"What? They dare!"

"These Sand Village scum are definitely up to no good!"

"Captain! We absolutely cannot go!"

The crowd was outraged, especially the captains who had been withdrawn from the front lines of the Land of Wind, who were furious.

Sasuke Umino raised his hand to quell the commotion, his voice chillingly calm: "This is exactly what we wanted to see. Their willingness to tear up the peace talks has given us the perfect reason to take action. That treaty was humiliating to begin with; now, we can reclaim what rightfully belongs to us in our own way!"

His gaze swept over everyone: "The plan has changed, but the signing will proceed as scheduled. What we need to do is turn the tables on them, Lu Jiu!"

"Yes!" Nara Shikaku responded immediately, his eyes gleaming with intelligence.

"You must immediately formulate a detailed battle plan. First, on the surface, I will only lead my personal guards and necessary clerical staff to escort Bunfuku to the signing ceremony; second, the secret service brigade, led by Mitarashi Shishou, will lie in ambush outside Akagan Castle, responsible for intercepting and killing any Sunagakure high-ranking officials and elites who may try to escape; third..."

Sasuke Umino's gaze sharpened. "You will remotely command the main force of the Iron Wall Legion. Make sure to maintain a sufficient distance so that Sunagakure cannot detect them in advance. Once a battle breaks out at the signing location, I want you to complete the encirclement as quickly as possible. This time, I don't want to repel them, but to annihilate as many of Sunagakure's forces as possible, especially their high-end combat power!"

"Yes! We guarantee to complete the mission!" Nara Shikaku and the other captains responded in unison, all rubbing their hands together in excitement. After holding back for so long, they could finally unleash their full potential and get to work!

After the meeting, the cadres quickly left to prepare for their own events, while Sasuke Unno remained alone in the command post, deep in thought as he looked at the sand table.

(End of this chapter)