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

Chapter 377 Breaking the Balance
"To visit the Daimyo's residence in the Land of Wind?"

Tsunade was taken aback at first, then her blue eyes suddenly flashed with excitement and a warlike light. "You mean, we should just march into the capital of the Land of Wind?!"

Far from finding the idea crazy, she was eager to try it out: "Great! Great idea! Let's do it! I've long been disgusted by those incompetent, vampire-sucking people in the Wind Kingdom. I'll gather my troops now and wage a war to destroy the nation!"

Seeing Tsunade's "useless but addictive" attitude, as if she had found a new toy, Umino Sasuke couldn't help but laugh and deliberately teased, "Are you sure you can handle it? Attacking a country's capital is no small matter; the command and coordination are very complicated. Why don't you let me take command?"

"Who do you think you are?!" Tsunade, as expected, bristled like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, puffing out her ample chest and arrogantly declaring, "When it comes to large-scale army battles, I have far more experience than you. It's just attacking a daimyo's prefecture, right? Watch how I take it down with ease! Besides..."

She winked slyly and pointed to the less than one hundred elite soldiers behind Umino Sasuke: "Your main force is supposed to stay in Sunagakure to quell the situation and prevent a backlash, right? With so few people around you, what makes you think you can compete with me for command? I have a full two thousand fresh troops under my command!"

Sasuke Umino touched his nose, revealing a helpless expression that said, "I lack the strength to speak confidently."

Seeing this, Tsunade became even more smug. With a wave of her hand, she adopted the air of a Konoha princess and announced in a deliberately authoritative manner: "Squad Leader Umino, listen to my command! Now, in the name of the Princess of the Land of Fire and the Supreme Commander of the Rain Country front, I hereby formally conscript you and all your subordinates, temporarily incorporating you into my army. I appoint you as the Chief of Staff for this special operation, responsible for formulating the operational plan to attack the Daimyo's residence in the Land of Wind! Execute immediately!"

She felt that she had given the order with great flair and high spirits.

Looking at Tsunade's face, which was feigned seriousness but couldn't hide her excitement and anticipation, Umino Sasuke couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. However, on the surface, he obediently bowed slightly, performing a standard ninja salute, his tone carrying a hint of mockery and "full" respect: "Yes, my princess. I will do my utmost to devise a perfect 'visit' plan for you."

In fact, Sasuke Umino had originally planned to have Tsunade serve as the apparent commander-in-chief for the attack on the Daimyo's residence in the Land of Wind.

The reason is quite simple. As the princess of the Land of Fire, Tsunade's attack on the Daimyo's capital in the Land of Wind can largely be seen as an internal "conquest" or "punishment" of the nobility. This would greatly mitigate the negative political impact of "ninjas conquering the capital of a major country" and avoid provoking the Daimyo and noble classes of other major countries. If someone with a ninja background were to be the commander-in-chief, he would easily be portrayed as a second "lawless Madara Uchiha." Before he has fully developed his power and reached the Six Paths level, it would not be wise for him to become the target of everyone's criticism too early.

Furthermore, from Konoha's perspective, this military operation was an unauthorized "unauthorized deployment" without the Hokage's or the higher-ups' approval. Although the result was glorious, it would inevitably be used against them by Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo. Therefore, it was undoubtedly the best choice to have Tsunade, the princess who was known for "disobeying orders," take the main responsibility. Could Hiruzen Sarutobi really punish his disciple, the princess of the Land of Fire, for this?
Tsunade's seemingly impulsive "recruitment" of Sasuke Umino actually led her right into a carefully laid trap. Of course, it wasn't that Tsunade was unaware of this situation; the two simply understood each other perfectly and cooperated seamlessly.

Therefore, after quickly handling the aftermath of the battle in the Land of Rain and handing over the prisoners and some wounded to the follow-up troops, Tsunade and Sasuke Unno led a mixed force of nearly two thousand people, mainly composed of Tsunade's troops and supplemented by the Iron Wall elite brought by Sasuke Unno. After a short rest, they attacked directly into the heart of the Land of Wind like a drawn sword, their advance aimed directly at the Daimyo's residence in the Land of Wind.

Just as Sasuke Umino and Tsunade led the allied forces, full of vigor, pointing their swords at the Daimyo's residence in the Land of Wind, a completely different scene unfolded in the Hokage's office in Konoha Village.

Hiruzen Sarutobi clutched a encrypted scroll that had just been delivered by an Anbu communication beast tightly in his hand. His expression was extremely complex, a mixture of shock, joy, and anger.

The information on the scroll struck Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind with every word, shattering his beautiful fantasy of quickly ending the Ninja War.

"Third Kazekage, you're a complete idiot!" Hiruzen Sarutobi slammed the scroll on the table, letting out a low growl filled with suppressed rage. "Konoha has already offered such generous terms, and you still weren't satisfied?! You had to be greedy and take this risky step. Now look what happened, you've lost more than you gained, even your own village has been lost. You're utterly foolish!"

He paced back and forth in his office in anger, the smoke from his pipe thicker than usual. This victory came too suddenly, and it also deviated from his carefully planned script.

The advisor elder, Zhuan Qin Xiaochun, picked up the scroll, quickly glanced through it, and her eyes were filled with shock.

Looking at the agitated Hiruzen Sarutobi, she carefully chose her words and advised, "Monkey, calm down and think about it carefully. This isn't actually a bad thing."

"Not a bad thing?" Hiruzen Sarutobi stopped and glared at her. "Umino Sasuke disobeyed my orders, launched a private attack, and conquered a ninja village. You call that not a bad thing? The half-dead Sunagakure is the good ninja village. Now that the balance of the ninja world has been broken, do you know how serious the consequences will be? If the Cloud Village gets this news and is afraid that Konoha will break the alliance, what will be the consequences of facing an attack from all the major ninja villages?"

Koharu Utatane, having weathered many storms, calmly analyzed, "While the consequences need to be considered, the immediate benefits are tangible. With Sunagakure captured, the military strength of the Land of Wind has been essentially crippled. This means that we no longer need to sign that 'generous' ceasefire agreement with them. We can suppress and control the situation in the Land of Wind with minimal forces, thereby completely freeing our main forces from the western front."

Her eyes grew brighter as she spoke: "In this way, we can transfer the main force to the battlefront in Takigakure. At that time, our forces there will have an absolute advantage. In addition, we have already reached an alliance with Kumogakure. With a pincer attack, defeating the Iwa ninja who are fighting on two fronts will only be a matter of time. Compared to your previous idea of ​​ending the war hastily, we can now end the Second Shinobi World War with a complete and glorious victory. How much benefit and prestige this will bring to Konoha!"

As Hiruzen Sarutobi listened to Koharu Utatane's analysis, his agitated mood calmed down a bit. He had to admit that Koharu Utatane was right. Judging from the result, it was indeed an unprecedented victory, which was extremely beneficial to Konoha.

However, the knot in his heart could not be removed. Things were good, but they were not accomplished under his leadership, and even completely went against his will and orders. This was tantamount to slapping him, the Hokage, in the face, proving that his decision was conservative or even wrong. How could he feel good about this?
He took a deep drag on his cigarette, exhaling the smoke, and voiced his concerns: "Have you considered this? Conquering a ninja village is a huge undertaking. It will completely shatter the balance of power established by the First Hokage, inevitably causing extreme fear and panic among the other major ninja villages, especially Kumogakure. Those muscle-bound brutes have no credibility whatsoever. They've already been disobeying the newly signed alliance, not putting in any real effort. Now that they know we've conquered Sunagakure, won't they tear up the alliance out of fear, or even turn their guns on us?" He continued, "And then there's Kirigakure. Although they suffered considerable losses in the Uzushiogakure incident and sent a strongly worded diplomatic note to Konoha, if we annihilate Sunagakure, it's hard to guarantee that those madmen hiding in the Blood Mist won't react excessively. If the four major ninja villages unite to besiege Konoha, the consequences are unpredictable."

Koharu, who was turning the dorm, had obviously thought about these issues before. She shook her head and replied with certainty, "Monkey, your concerns are valid, but the situation may not be that bad."

She explained in detail: "First of all, Kirigakure suffered extremely heavy casualties in the Uzuki Country incident. The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist are practically extinct, and the Third Mizukage's injuries have not yet healed, greatly diminishing his strength. Moreover, their main target of hatred now is the Land of Waves, which caused them great losses. Their hostility is far greater than towards Konoha. Until we deal with this rising star of the sea, the Third Mizukage will not provoke us unless he is stupid."

"Secondly, Kumogakure." Koharu Utatane paused. "They also suffered considerable losses in Uzushiogakure. More importantly, Captain Umino used the Mutual Multiplication Explosive Tags technique to blow up almost half of Kumogakure. That hatred and fear are real. The reason they didn't put in much effort after signing the alliance is partly because they wanted to preserve their strength, and partly because their strength was severely damaged and they were powerless to do so."

The fact that they hate Sasuke Umino to the bone but haven't broken the alliance yet precisely shows that they have serious internal problems and are incapable of opening a second front against us in the short term.

Therefore, the only entity we truly need to focus our full attention on right now is Iwagakure in the Land of Earth. If we can swiftly and decisively defeat their army in the Land of Waterfall, we will have won this war!

As Hiruzen Sarutobi listened to Koharu Utatane's clear and logical analysis, his worries were gradually dispelled. He had to admit that the situation was indeed extremely favorable to Konoha, just as Koharu had said.

Just then, Koharu Utatane changed the subject, her tone becoming flattering and meaningful: "Monkey, the most important thing is, you are the Hokage!"

Looking into Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes, she slowly said, "No matter how capable or skilled Captain Umino is, he achieved victory under your leadership and guided by the Will of Fire you established. This monumental achievement of conquering Sunagakure and winning the entire war will ultimately be attributed to you! If handled properly, you can achieve a complete victory in the Second Shinobi World War during your term. This achievement will be enough to make you surpass all previous Hokage!"

"Surpassing all previous Hokage..." Hiruzen Sarutobi murmured to himself, his eyes suddenly lighting up.

The allure of power and the desire to be remembered in history instantly overwhelmed the slight displeasure he felt from being humiliated.

That's right! I am the Hokage! All of Konoha's victories should rightfully be attributed to the Hokage's effective leadership. As for Sasuke Umino, he is merely an incredibly sharp blade. But a blade, no matter how sharp, is ultimately just a tool; the one wielding the blade is the key.

As for whether the sword would be too sharp and hurt his hand, Hiruzen Sarutobi thought of Sasuke Umino's behavior of signing the treaty he was so dissatisfied with without hesitation. This proved that he was a "perfect ninja" who prioritized missions and obeyed orders. Compared to the ambitious and uncontrollable Danzo, Sasuke Umino was simply a perfect weapon that was both sharp and obedient.

If used properly, this knife can cut through all obstacles for him and help him reach the pinnacle of prestige.

Thinking of this, most of Hiruzen Sarutobi's resentment dissipated, replaced by boundless anticipation and calculation for the future.

His current concern is no longer whether the fall of Sunagakure was the right thing to do, but rather how to quickly digest this victory and focus his main efforts on how to win the next step of the war.

"Koharu, you're right!" Hiruzen Sarutobi sat back down in his chair, regaining his usual composure and decisiveness. "The most urgent task is to stabilize the situation in the Land of Wind as soon as possible, and then concentrate our forces to deal with the Iwa ninja!"

A glint flashed in his eyes, and he immediately began issuing orders: "You must prepare immediately and personally lead a team to the Land of Wind to be in charge of the negotiations. Sign a formal ceasefire agreement that is absolutely in our favor as soon as possible. At the same time, take over the defense of the Land of Wind and stabilize the rear."

Turning to the next room, Xiaochun was overjoyed. This was a great opportunity to gain merit and make some extra money. She quickly replied, "Yes! I understand!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi continued, "I will order Sasuke Umino to lead two thousand elite troops back to Konoha as soon as possible after the handover is completed. At the same time, the village will immediately begin a new round of mobilization, collect supplies, and form a new reinforcement corps!"

His finger tapped heavily on the map on the table, landing on the location of the Land of Waterfall: "This time, I will personally go to the front line of the Land of Waterfall to command the decisive battle against Iwagakure!"

Last time in the Land of Grass, he led Umino Sasuke to repeatedly defeat Iwagakure. The feeling of being in charge and winning battles from afar still lingers in his memory. Now, with Umino Sasuke as his weapon, he must personally grasp the hilt and win this decisive victory. Only in this way will all the glory and accolades be firmly gathered on him, the Hokage.

It can both suppress Sasuke Unno's overly inflated personal prestige and add dazzling achievements to oneself, killing two birds with one stone, so why not?
(End of this chapter)