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

Chapter 385 Spring in the Desert
"Flying Thunder God Technique!"

Leaving a shadow clone to oversee things inside the palace, Umino Sasuke used a space-time ninjutsu to arrive at the underground laboratory in the Land of Waves.

At this moment, several shadow clones used powerful illusions to interrogate the daimyo, who had become a prisoner, without reservation.

With Umino Sasuke's current mastery of genjutsu, although not as bizarre and powerful as Uchiha Shun or Kurama Yakumo, it far surpasses that of ordinary Jonin and is comparable to or even stronger than Yuhi Shinku. Interrogating a daimyo with ordinary chakra cultivation and whose willpower is more reflected in power politics than in the way of ninja would be a piece of cake.

Through interrogation, he obtained some crucial information: apart from Shadow and the general in charge of security in Daming Prefecture, no one else knew for sure about the existence of the double and the detailed plan, not even Daming's concubines.

This result completely put Sasuke Umino's mind at ease.

After the interrogation, he returned to the Daming Mansion of the Land of Wind, and then used the Spore Technique to easily control the captured Guardian General, creating a tragic illusion of "loyalty to his lord, fighting bravely to be captured, unable to bear the humiliation, and committing suicide in anger".

With the "suicide" of this guardian general, the hidden danger of the daimyo's stand-in identity was also eliminated.

At this point, the core element of the entire "substituting one thing for another" plan has been completed.

Now that the Daimyo's capital has fallen, Sunagakure has been captured, and even the Daimyo himself and the Third Kazekage and other high-ranking officials have become prisoners, the outcome of this war is no longer in doubt.

The focus then naturally shifted to the final negotiation stage.

As the Hokage's special envoy, Koharu Utatane immediately sought out the "Daimyo of the Land of Wind," who was "protected" in the deep palace, after the situation had initially stabilized. She was eager to finalize a ceasefire agreement as soon as possible so that Konoha could withdraw from the western front and focus all its efforts on dealing with Iwagakure on the Takigakure front.

Inside the side hall, which still smelled slightly of gunpowder.

Koharu Utatane presented a draft treaty to the "Daimyo." Compared to the previous almost "unconditional" and generous agreement, the terms of this new treaty were vastly different.

The draft stipulated that: the Land of Wind must acknowledge its unconditional defeat and assume full responsibility for the war; cede several strategic border locations and mineral-rich oases to the Land of Fire; the war reparations would be enormous and payable over twenty years; the number of Sunagakure ninjas would be strictly limited and subject to Konoha's supervision; the Land of Fire would be granted most-favored-nation status, all trading ports would be opened, and tariffs would be agreed upon by both sides (in reality, Konoha would dominate); it even included clauses allowing Konoha to station troops in specific areas within the Land of Wind, among others.

To be fair, given the near-extinction of the Land of Wind, the conditions proposed by Konoha, while harsh, were not ruthless and even preserved the dignity of the Land of Wind as an independent nation. Compared to historical treaties that often ceded large portions of territory and imposed reparations that left the people impoverished, these were quite "restrained" and "reasonable."

Xiaochun, who was switching dorms, felt that she had shown enough "sincerity." She looked at the "name" on the other side and waited for him to sign and stamp it.

However, to her utter surprise, the daimyo merely glanced at the contents of the treaty before gently pushing the draft back, a hint of arrogance and dissatisfaction appearing on his face.

"Elder Koharu, is this Konoha's sincerity?" The Daimyo mimicked the tone of someone in a high position, with a hint of sarcasm. "If you're going to sign, sign the previous treaty based on peace and friendship. This one... I'm afraid we can't comply."

Xiaochun, who was turning over to her dorm, could hardly believe her ears.

That previous treaty? That treaty that was practically equivalent to Konoha's defeat and having to pay them off with resources? Are you kidding me!
At the time, Konoha had to make significant concessions in order to quickly end the war on the western front. Now the situation has reversed, and Konoha is the complete victor. We have captured your capital and ninja village, and taken the daimyo and the remnants of Sunagakure prisoner. And you still want to sign a treaty based on the terms of the defeated party?!

Koharu Utatane even laughed in anger. She suppressed her rage and her voice turned cold: "Daimyo, I hope you understand the current situation. It's not that I'm begging you to sign, but that you are seeking a way out for the survival of the Land of Wind. This treaty is already the greatest goodwill Konoha can offer!"

"Goodwill?" The Daimyo scoffed, feigning toughness. "I see no goodwill whatsoever, only opportunism. If this is the kind of treaty we want, I'd rather not sign it. Even though the Land of Wind has suffered a temporary setback, its foundation remains. The high monks of the Wind Temple will not stand idly by, and the loyal ministers and righteous men of the oases across the land will rise up to defend the king. Does Konoha really want to be bogged down in an endless quagmire of war in this desert? Don't forget, on the front lines in the Land of Waterfall, there is also the powerful Iwagakure village eyeing you covetously!"

These words do make some sense and accurately pinpoint Koharu Utatane's and Konoha's current weaknesses.

Koharu felt a slight chill run down her spine, thinking to herself: This Daimyo is indeed no pushover; his judgment of the overall situation remains clear.

But she showed no sign of it on her face, instead sneering, "The Temple of the Wind? Does Your Excellency still intend to rely on those monks? I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. As far as I know, those monks' families and relatives are enjoying wealth and luxury in this Daimyo's residence. Now, they are all under the 'protection' of Konoha. Do you think those monks care more about the life and death of the Land of Wind, or about the safety of their wives, children, and elderly parents?"

These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over his head, causing "Daming's" face to turn several shades paler instantly, though he pretended to have genuinely overlooked the point.

The ascetic monks of the Wind Temple are only a minority; most of them have close ties with the aristocratic class, and some even have many wives and concubines and children around them, making them excellent bargaining chips.

The daimyo's tone softened slightly, but he still refused to budge: "Even so, I need time to consider it and discuss it with my senior ministers. How can such an important treaty be decided hastily?"

"Discuss? Discuss with whom?" Koharu Utatane pressed on, "Cabinet ministers? The Third Kazekage? Elder Chiyo? They're all 'guests' in my Konoha camp right now, as for your so-called 'loyal retainers'..."

Her face revealed undisguised sarcasm. "They're probably busy dividing up the power and resources of the various oases right now. Who remembers your name, trapped in the capital?"

Daming was speechless, but he still gritted his teeth and refused to sign. He repeatedly emphasized that it would take time and that the terms needed to be revised. His attitude was sometimes tough and sometimes soft. In short, he just dragged it out!

Koharu, after arguing with him for a while, finally lost all patience and keenly sensed something was amiss. The daimyo didn't seem to genuinely care about the terms; his purpose seemed more like deliberately stalling for time. She stormed out of the side hall and found Tsunade, who was inventorying the daimyo's treasury, and Umino Sasuke, who appeared to be doing nothing.

"He's gone mad! I think the Daimyo of the Land of Wind has completely lost his mind, or perhaps he's hiding some trump card that we don't know about?" Koharu Utatane recounted the negotiation process and her doubts. "Where does he get the confidence to be so tough? And dare to stall for time? Does he really think that the Wind Temple or those scattered soldiers can save him? Or is it that the Iwagakure has put immense pressure on us on the Takigakure front, and the news has already reached us?"

Upon hearing this, Tsunade's eyebrows furrowed, and she slammed the ledger in her hand onto the table: "Don't overthink it. What trump cards could he possibly have? Sunagakure is finished. The families of the Sunagakure ninja are all in our hands. Do you think they would dare to rebel? The Temple of the Wind? The wives and children of those monks are also in our hands. Do you think they would dare to make a move? As for those powerful figures in the oases, hmph, a bunch of opportunists. Right now, they're probably busy grabbing territory and reaping benefits. Who cares about their lives? I think my cheap uncle is just stubborn and won't learn until he sees the coffin. He's hoping we suffer a major defeat on the Takigakure front so he can take the opportunity to raise his price."

Koharu thought about it and agreed that Tsunade's analysis made sense. At present, it seemed to be the only reasonable explanation. The Daimyo was just unwilling to give up and was just holding on to a sliver of hope.

However, Sasuke Unno, who had been standing silently to the side, knew exactly what was going on.

The reason why the daimyo's double was so "tough" in stalling for time was entirely due to his secret orders.

He had his reasons for doing this.

Firstly, and most importantly, it buys more time for the Daimyo's stand-in's "substitution" plan. The real Daimyo of the Land of Wind is still undergoing illusion interrogation and brainwashing in the Land of Waves laboratory. He needs to drain all of his memories, habits, and interpersonal networks to ensure that the stand-in can play the role perfectly without revealing any flaws.

Secondly, this opportunity will greatly weaken the future war potential and cohesion of the Wind Kingdom.

As long as the ceasefire agreement is not signed, the Land of Wind will remain in a state of anarchy. Although Konoha controls the Daimyo's residence and Sunagakure, its control over the oases scattered throughout the vast desert of the Land of Wind is quite limited.

This power vacuum was precisely the hidden move that Umino Sasuke had already laid out, the golden period for the rampant development of those free bandits.

Under his remote command and support, the Free Sand Bandit Group, led by leaders such as Sha Chongba, An Lujing, and Xin Xie, expanded rapidly like a snowball during this power vacuum.

Umino Sasuke not only provided them with detailed battle plans and material support, but also further optimized and modified their "chakra regeneration cores," greatly increasing the strength of leaders such as Sajuhachi, Anroku, and Sasori, who steadily entered the Jonin level. In the desert environment, their difficulty in dealing with them was even comparable to that of elite Jonin.

After the collapse of the two great mountains of Sunagakure and Daimyo's Mansion, these free sand bandit leaders, who possessed special abilities equivalent to half-bloodline limit Jonin, became the top fighting force in the desert of the Land of Wind.

Under the banners of "equalizing wealth," "seeking freedom," and "resisting the exploitation and oppression of the nobility," they frantically recruited commoners who could not survive, bankrupt samurai, and even some low-ranking ninjas.

Through secret channels, Sasuke Umino provided them with basic chakra extraction techniques and a simplified, watered-down version of ninja training. Although it could not cultivate real ninjas, it could quickly produce a large number of low-level armed personnel with meager chakra, who knew how to cooperate, and were willing to fight to the death.

These individuals might not even be as strong as some low-level Iwagakure genin, most of them having only just refined their chakra and possessing some rudimentary samurai swordsmanship and throwing skills. However, their sheer numbers and the fact that they were mostly adults, full of youthful vigor, made them incredibly destructive once their discontent with the nobility and the old order was stirred up.

They might not be a match for regular ninjas or samurai in a one-on-one fight, but when they formed groups of three or five, relying on their ruthlessness and sheer numbers, they were more than capable of dealing with the private guards of those oasis nobles.

What's even more frightening is that the Free Sand Bandits' cause has a considerable following among the lower-class people and lower-middle-class warriors of the Wind Kingdom.

For a long time, the oppression of nobles and daimyo, and the high commissions for missions in Sunagakure Village, have made the lower classes suffer unbearably.

The actions of the free sand bandits in fighting local tyrants, distributing land, freeing slaves, and providing clean water were like sparks that quickly spread like wildfire in the desert of the Land of Wind.

During the short negotiation period, the Free Sand Bandits' sphere of influence spread like a plague, sweeping across almost half of the Wind Kingdom. Apart from the Wind Temple and the surrounding oases that were under strong control, most oases were powerless to resist this torrent of "Desert Spring," and they changed their flags or were attacked and plundered.

The total number of the Free Sand Bandits has reached an astonishing figure, even exceeding the number of ninjas that Sunagakure could mobilize at its peak. Of course, the quality and discipline of its core combat personnel are completely incomparable to those of regular ninja villages, making it more like a large and chaotic peasant uprising army.

Regardless, this force has substantially altered the landscape of the Wind Kingdom. If the Wind Temple hadn't realized its donations and influence had plummeted and intervened, uniting with some powerful nobles to defend the core oasis, the entire Wind Kingdom would likely have been completely transformed.

Sasuke Umino cleverly exploited the power vacuum created by the Daimyo's substitute delaying negotiations, secretly fueling this wave. What he needed was a severely weakened Land of Wind, riddled with internal conflicts, and incapable of posing a threat to Konoha for at least the next ten years.

A wind kingdom severely impacted by free sand bandits, with its noble power wiped out and traditional structure shattered, presents a situation perfectly suited to his interests.

As for whether the Free Sand Bandits will become too powerful to control in the future, Umino Sasuke is not worried. The "core" of Sand Shigehachi, Anroku, and Shin Sasori are all under his control. More importantly, their chakra regeneration cores have been restricted by a backdoor, and their power source depends entirely on him. In essence, they are just a white glove for him to indirectly control the Land of Wind.

Once he loses his usefulness or attempts to break free from control, he can take back everything he has given at any time.

Koharu and Tsunade, of course, could not see these undercurrents. They could only see the stalemate in negotiations and the increasingly chaotic security reports within the Land of Wind. They attributed it to the inevitable chaos after the war. Since it would not affect Konoha and could even restrain some of the forces of the Temple of Wind, they naturally would not bother to interfere.

(End of this chapter)