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

Chapter 379: Change of Strategy
"Don't worry, Father, I know what's important." Huang Tu solemnly promised, then turned and left to begin mobilizing manpower and resources, preparing to restart this forbidden experiment that was both dangerous and full of opportunities.

Onoki looked out the window again, cursing inwardly at the Sunagakure's weakness, which had disrupted all his plans and forced him to take this high-risk path.

When news of the fall of Sunagakure spread, it wasn't just Iwagakure that adjusted its strategic plans; Kumogakure also immediately changed its strategy.

At this moment, the Third Raikage, A, was shirtless, revealing his strong, steel-like muscles, which still bore the scars inflicted by Sasuke Umino, but were no longer a serious injury.

He was processing documents in the Raikage's office, his movements swift and powerful, showing no sign of his previous serious injuries.

With a bang, the office door was pushed open, and young Xiao Ai rushed in, her face filled with shock and anxiety.

"Father! Breaking news: Sunagakure has been captured by Konoha's Umino Sasuke!" Xiao Ai's voice changed.

The pen in the Third Raikage's hand snapped with a crack, his eyes filled with shock.

"Father! Konoha has already dealt with Sunagakure. It seems the balance has been broken. That monster, Umino Sasuke, is a much bigger threat than that old fox, Onoki!" Xiao Ai said anxiously. "Our alliance with Konoha was only recently signed, and it has many restrictive clauses, which aren't particularly advantageous to us. Why don't we just break the alliance, temporarily reconcile with Iwagakure, and even join forces to deal with Konoha first? We absolutely cannot sit idly by and watch Konoha annex the Land of Wind and become even more powerful!"

The Third Raikage finally raised his head, his gaze sharp as lightning as he looked at his son: "Foolish!"

Xiao Ai was stunned, wondering where she had gone wrong.

The Third Raikage said in a deep voice, "You're tearing up a newly signed alliance right away? What will the ninja world think of Kumogakure? Yes, you can use any means necessary during wartime, but what about after the war? Will Kumogakure still be able to take on missions? Will the nobles and merchants of the major countries still trust us? How can the village develop and grow stronger with just the meager military funds allocated by the Daimyo? How can we train the next generation of ninjas? Strength is important, but reputation is also the cornerstone of a ninja village's existence!"

Xiao Ai opened his mouth, unable to refute it. He knew that what his father said was true. Yunyin Village was far from the center of the mainland and had relatively scarce resources. Mission income was a very important source of income for the village.

The Third Raikage stood up, walked to the window, looked at the Cloud Village ninjas diligently training in the training ground outside, and continued, "Umino Sasuke is indeed terrifying, and the threat from Konoha is growing. But precisely because of this, we cannot easily break our alliance and put ourselves on the opposite side of morality. What we need now is time and development, not to be enemies with both Konoha and Iwagakure at the same time."

"So what do we do now? Are we really going to continue helping Konoha attack Iwagakure according to the alliance?" Xiao Ai frowned.

A sly glint flashed in the Third Raikage's eyes: "Help? Of course we'll 'help.' Announce to the public that my old injury has flared up and I need to recuperate for a while, making it impossible for me to personally command the battle. At the same time, spread the word that the Eight-Tails within Brulee has shown signs of instability again, with the risk of going berserk. The frontline troops will switch to a defensive posture, holding their current positions. Without my orders, they are not to launch a large-scale attack on Iwagakure. Let Konoha and Iwagakure fight it out first. We'll sit back and watch the tigers fight, preserve our strength, and observe the situation."

Xiao Ai's eyes lit up: "Brilliant! Father! I'll arrange it right away!"

He was fully aware that his father's injuries had long since healed, and he was not worried about his father's health.

The Third Raikage's physique and regenerative abilities were nothing short of freakish. The severe injuries that Sasuke Unno sustained were largely healed thanks to the medical ninjas of Kumogakure and his own powerful Yang Release physique.

However, the condition of Brubi, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, was indeed terrible. After the Eight-Tails Gyūki was forcibly forced back into its seal by Umino Sasuke, Brubi survived, but his body was as if it had been hollowed out, and his life force was extremely depleted. Although he did not obtain the Uzumaki clan's Book of Sealing Techniques, he managed to strengthen the seal by using some sealing techniques collected from the Land of Whirlpools and combining them with the sealing techniques of the Hidden Cloud Village itself, which allowed Brubi to survive temporarily and not die immediately. His condition was only slightly better than that of Bunpuku, who was on the verge of death. He lay on the sickbed all day, looking emaciated.

The Third Raikage has already begun searching for the next Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, and the candidate is the energetic little boy who is currently standing next to Aiolia, constantly muttering his clumsy rap.

"Xiao Ai, take Xiao Bi to see Brubi." The Third Raikage waved his hand, "Let him prepare himself mentally in advance."

“Yes, Father.” Xiao Ai nodded and pulled Killer Bee, who was still improvising his rap, out of the office.

The Third Raikage sat back down, picked up a document, and continued working, working overtime to think about the future of Kumogakure. Clearly, he was in excellent physical condition and full of energy, enough to support him in completing these tasks.

Compared to the Third Raikage, who had already recovered from his injuries, the Third Mizukage was in a much worse situation, still not fully recovered.

The Kingdom of Water, the Hidden Mist Village.

In the dimly lit office of the Mizukage, the Third Mizukage sat pale-faced in a chair, occasionally letting out suppressed coughs. His breathing was obviously unsteady, completely contrary to the public's claim that he had "already recovered." In fact, his injuries were extremely serious and had not yet healed.

He was injured by Sasuke Umino's Ice Release technique, and the cold air invaded his internal organs. He was able to survive thanks to the fact that he was also an Ice Release bloodline ninja. However, it would be extremely difficult for him to fully recover.

In order to maintain the stability of the village and his own authority, he had to suppress his injuries and pretend to be fine, continuing to handle official business as usual every day.

However, this was not a long-term solution. Within the village, various powerful families were secretly vying for the position of Mizukage, who was "severely injured and unlikely to recover." If it weren't for Elder Yuan Shi's dedication to public service and his efforts to help him stabilize the situation, Kirigakure would probably have already fallen into internal strife.

"Cough cough... Elder Yuanshi, this can't go on any longer." The Third Mizukage took a breath and said to the old man sitting below him, holding a cane, "The internal conflicts must find an outlet, otherwise, the village will disintegrate from within sooner or later."

Master Yuan nodded slowly, his voice low: "Does Lord Mizukage mean to participate in the Ninja War? Given the current situation of the village, it would be extremely risky to rashly get involved in the war between Konoha, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure. Konoha has just conquered Sunagakure and is at the height of its power. Although joining forces with Iwagakure to contain Konoha is a long-term strategy, we should not be the first to act."

The Third Mizukage shook his head, a fierce glint in his eyes: "No, it's not about directly attacking Konoha. There's a more suitable and urgent target!"

"You mean the Land of Waves?" Master Yuan frowned slightly. "That's right!" The Third Mizukage's tone became more serious. "While Konoha poses a significant threat, it is, after all, a traditional land power. The Land of Waves, however, is a newly emerging maritime force, closer to us, and its development is astonishing. They possess a powerful navy and have already seriously threatened the security of our Land of Water's maritime trade routes and its dominant position. If left unchecked, once they fully rise to power, our Land of Water's maritime hegemony will inevitably be shaken. At that time, Kirigakure's mission share will drop drastically, and its profits will plummet, with unimaginable consequences! We must deal with the Land of Waves first. This will not only divert internal conflicts but also contain this thorn in our side. Most importantly, it won't excessively provoke Konoha."

After a moment of contemplation, Master Yuan's aged face revealed his approval: "Lord Mizukage is far-sighted. This move is indeed a win-win situation. Compared to directly challenging Konoha, attacking the Land of Waves is more risk-controlled and the benefits are more direct. I agree to this plan."

"Alright!" The Third Mizukage's spirits lifted slightly. "Then give the order immediately and begin mobilization! Assemble an expeditionary fleet, target—the Land of Waves!"

"Yes!" Master Yuan accepted the order, rose, and left.

The war machine of Kirigakure has begun to quietly shift, its sharp blade aimed at the Land of Waves across the sea.

The orders from Kirigakure were quickly relayed to all departments. Suigetsu Hozuki, who was in charge of intelligence and some special operations, received the outline of the plan to launch a military campaign against the Land of Waves almost immediately.

The obese Watermelon Pufferfish Demon sat in his office, looking at the command documents in his hand, his small eyes gleaming with cunning.

"Attack the Land of Waves?" He licked his thick lips, showing no loyalty to the village whatsoever. Instead, his first thought was how to use this intelligence to gain huge profits.

Selling information to Umino Sasuke was already second nature to him. Initially, there might have been some element of coercion involved, but now, it was entirely his own initiative.

Sasuke Umino is extremely generous, exchanging every piece of important information for a huge amount of money or precious resources, which is far more comfortable than his fixed salary and meager budget in Kirigakure.

"Such important information should be able to get a lot of good stuff in return..." Suigetsu Hobuki thought greedily, and immediately began to take action.

Without making a sound, he summoned a trusted squad leader and handed him a sealed scroll, his face serious: "This is an urgent order. Immediately lead your squad to our spy base in the Land of Waves as fast as possible and personally deliver this order to the person in charge. Remember, this is a top-secret mission. There must be no delays along the way, and you must not leak a single word!"

"Yes! Lord Yamagawa Toonki!" The ANZUS squad leader, without any suspicion, solemnly accepted the scroll. Such missions of delivering orders were nothing out of the ordinary for them.

However, he was unaware that the existence and route of this squad were a carefully designed trap. The so-called "orders" in the scroll were actually a secret letter written by Suigetsu Hobuki to Umino Sasuke, detailing Kirigakure's plan to attack the Land of Waves, the initial troop deployment, and the possible time window.

The route he chose happened to pass through an area heavily monitored by the Iron Wall Anbu intelligence agents under Umino Sasuke's command.

This loyal Kirigakure ANBU squad, from the moment they set off, had become an "express delivery" for Suizawa Fuguki to deliver intelligence, without their own knowledge.

In this squad, there was a young ninja who had just joined. He had a slightly immature face but sharp eyes and a shark-like face. He silently followed the team, perfectly carrying out the mission, completely unaware of the impending ambush and the conspiracy behind it.

As Suigetsu Hozuki watched the team depart, a sinister smile crept across his lips. What did the success or failure of Kirigakure have to do with him? His own interests were paramount. He could almost picture Umino Sasuke receiving the intelligence and rewarding him handsomely.

Just as the major ninja villages were in turmoil due to the fall of Sunagakure, the allied forces led by Umino Sasuke and Tsunade were crossing the desert of the Land of Wind at an astonishing speed, heading straight for the Daimyo's residence.

Tsunade was in high spirits, personally overseeing the central army and constantly urging the troops to advance faster. She enjoyed the feeling of having a large army under her command and being able to command it with great confidence, especially when she was leading a powerful force including Sasuke Umino and his elite troops.

Sasuke Umino faithfully fulfilled his duties as "Chief of Staff," constantly sending out reconnaissance teams to clear out any scattered resistance and early warning outposts that might exist ahead. At the same time, he used his familiarity with the terrain of the Land of Wind to plan the optimal route of advance, ensuring that the troops' physical exertion was minimized.

The two worked together more and more seamlessly. Tsunade was in charge of macro-level command and morale boosting, while Sasuke Umino was responsible for refining his intentions into executable tactics and handling all the trivial problems along the way.

Under his command, the force of more than two thousand men operated like a sophisticated machine, with a marching speed far exceeding Tsunade's initial expectations.

"Hey, handsome young man!" Tsunade, riding on a tall camel, approached Umino Sasuke and asked curiously, "Speaking of which, how did you conquer Sunagakure back then? Did you have any secrets?"

Sasuke Umino smiled faintly and explained, "Even the strongest fortress is vulnerable to internal explosions."

He spoke casually, giving a brief account of the attack on Sunagakure.

"It seems you have indeed built your Iron Wall Legion into an elite force," Tsunade exclaimed, a hint of envy flashing in her blue eyes.

Although she also had her own elite troops, they were indeed slightly inferior in terms of ninja quality.

"Your Highness is too kind," Umino Sasuke said modestly, then looked into the distance and his tone turned serious. "According to the latest intelligence, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind seems to have learned of the fall of Sunagakure. The Daimyo's office has declared martial law and is urgently summoning private armies of nobles and wandering ninjas from the surrounding areas. We must hurry and besiege the city before they complete their assembly, otherwise the difficulty of the siege will increase significantly."

Upon hearing this, Tsunade's eyebrows shot up: "Hmph! A bunch of chickens and dogs, no matter how many come, they're just going to their deaths. Pass down the order, the whole army speeds up again, and tell them that if they capture the Daming Prefecture, I will reward them handsomely!"

As soon as the order was given, the allied forces indeed increased their speed again, raising billowing dust like a yellow storm as they swept toward the heart of the Land of Wind.

(End of this chapter)