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

Chapter 387 The New Bandit Army
After leaving the palace, Koharu immediately found Sasuke Umino and Tsunade and explained the situation. Both of them were surprised and pleased that the daimyo was so "understanding".

Without delay, Xiaochun decided to set off immediately.

Umino Sasuke then ordered: "Tekudo, you will lead the Giant Falcon Air Force Squadron to escort Elder Koharu throughout the entire journey, ensuring her safety and the successful completion of the recruitment mission."

"Yes, Captain!" Tejido shouted as he received the order and immediately went to assemble the troops.

Soon, several enormous desert falcons took to the air, carrying Koharu Utatane, Tekudo, and a team of elite guards, and flew into the depths of the desert.

Standing on the back of the lead giant falcon, with the strong airflow blowing against Koharu Utatane's robes, she looked at the sand sea rushing past below and felt a little more at ease.

She glanced at Takuto, who was intently controlling the giant falcon beside her, and tried to build a closer relationship to facilitate future actions.

"Dojo Shinobu, if I remember correctly, you are a member of the Teku clan, right?"

"Yes, Elder Koharu," Tejido replied respectfully.

"Hmm, not bad! Once this mission is completed, I will award an S-rank mission merit to all participants." Koharu Tsurugi promised, "We must find the trail of those bandit leaders as soon as possible."

Tejido smiled confidently: "Please rest assured, Elder Koharu, finding them will not be difficult. Leave it to me!"

He had already obtained the precise coordinates from Captain Haiye, so finding those bandit leaders was not difficult at all.

Koharu Utatane nodded, looking at the exceptionally magnificent falcon beneath her, and couldn't help but exclaim, "I remember these desert falcons were taken from the Sand Village's ninja beast base by Konoha's White Fang, right? It's only been a few years, and they've already reached full adulthood? It seems that the secret medicine used by your fish, bird, and dog clans to cultivate ninja beasts is indeed extraordinary."

Tekudo's heart skipped a beat, knowing that this was a good opportunity for the family to expand its influence and business. He quickly seized the opportunity and said, "Elder Koharu is wise. The secret medicine does have a great effect on promoting the growth of ninja beasts, but the cost is also extremely high. It requires a lot of precious medicinal materials. If your Utatane clan has any ideas about raising ninja beasts in the future, you can come to us. We will definitely give you the best price."

This well-timed gesture of goodwill and promotion pleased Tsurugi Koharu, who smiled and nodded, "Thank you for your kind offer. We can discuss this later; let's focus on the important task of securing amnesty first."

As the two talked, the Giant Falcon Squad sped through the sky.

The speed of the Desert Falcon far exceeded Koharu Utatane's expectations. In less than an hour, based on Tekudo's "reconnaissance," they had already arrived above a seemingly desolate bandit stronghold located in a remote canyon.

"Elder Xiaochun, the area below should be one of the main strongholds of the bandit leader Sha Chongba," Tejiu-do said, pointing to a seemingly ordinary sand valley below.

Turning to the dormitory, Xiaochun looked down intently and saw only endless yellow sand, with almost no sign of human activity.

She couldn't help but wonder, "Where? It doesn't look like anyone's here."

Tekudo smiled confidently: "These bandits are very cunning, and their strongholds are well hidden. Please wait a moment."

He made a hand gesture, and an air force ninja immediately released a low-level earth-escape technique downwards.

A moment later, a patch of sand below suddenly began to move, as if it were quicksand, revealing a hidden cave entrance.

Immediately afterwards, dozens of figures emerged from the cave entrance and the surrounding sand, looking warily at the sky.

The leader was a tall man with a bronze complexion and sharp eyes. Dust swirled around him, and he was none other than Sha Chongba, one of the leaders of the sand bandits!

They were actually hiding under the desert, a method of concealment that secretly alarmed Koharu Utatane.

Tekudo controlled the giant falcon to slowly descend, hovering at a certain distance from the ground.

Koharu Utatane channeled her chakra to its fullest extent, and her voice carried clearly:
"Is that the righteous man, Sajuhachi? I am Koharu Utatane, an elder of Konoha. I have come by order of His Majesty the Daimyo of the Land of Wind to issue this decree of amnesty and pardon! His Majesty knows that you were forced into banditry by circumstances and are not heinous criminals. Now that the nation is in peril, His Majesty is eager for talent and has pardoned all your past transgressions. He has also bestowed upon the righteous man, Sajuhachi, the title of 'General Who Pacifies the Sands.' He hopes that you will abandon the darkness and embrace the light, serve the country, and assist the court in quelling local rebellions. What do you say, righteous man?"

As she spoke, she instructed a ninja to use a water rope technique to deliver the rolled-up imperial edict.

Sha Chongba took the imperial edict, opened it, and examined it carefully. Looking at the bright red seal of his name and the title of "General Ping Sha," his face showed an extremely complex expression. First, he was shocked, then he was incredulous, then excited, and finally he became extremely loyal and grateful. His superb acting skills were no less than those of the big stars of the Snow Kingdom.

He suddenly knelt on one knee, facing Koharu Utatane in the sky, and shouted in a voice trembling with excitement:
"This humble subject, Sha Chongba, thanks Your Majesty for your great favor! Long live Your Majesty! Sha Chongba and his brothers are willing to die for Your Majesty to quell the rebellion, even at the cost of ten thousand lives!"

Although most of the bandits behind him were confused, when they saw their leader kneeling and heard words like "amnesty," "becoming an official," and "pardon," they also knelt down and shouted in a mess that they were willing to submit.

Everything went more smoothly than I imagined, it felt like it was all rehearsed.

Looking down at the bandits kneeling before her, Xiaochun felt a huge weight lifted from her heart.

She naturally had no idea that Sha Chongba's "Best Actor" level performance was entirely due to Umino Sasuke's prior arrangements and the absolute control of the "Chakra Regeneration Core" within his body.

The offer of amnesty was part of the plan all along. "Very good! General Sha Chongba, please rise!" Koharu Utatane said with satisfaction, "From this moment forward, you are the official Ping Sha General of the Wind Kingdom! I hope you will quickly gather your troops, enforce military discipline, obey the orders of the Daimyo Prefecture, and punish the disobedient!"

"Your subordinate obeys!" Sha Chongba replied loudly, his voice full of enthusiasm.

The first attempt at recruitment went unexpectedly smoothly, greatly boosting Koharu Utatane's confidence. She immediately urged Tekudo to head to the next target, Anroku's stronghold.

The enlistment process that followed went so smoothly that even Xiaochun, who was switching dorms, was somewhat dazed.

With the astonishing speed of the desert falcon and the "incredibly accurate" intelligence in Tekudo's possession, they quickly located the main strongholds of the sand bandits, including Anroku-i and Shin-scorpion.

The process was almost a carbon copy of what happened on Sha Chongba's side. Konoha's air force suddenly arrived, and Utatane Koharu read out the imperial edict of amnesty, promising high-ranking positions and generous salaries. The Sha bandit leader was initially "surprised and uncertain," but then, under the great temptation and Konoha's guarantee, he showed an attitude of "deep gratitude" and "sworn to be loyal to the death."

The only minor incident was that, amidst their ecstasy, these bandit leaders all made some demands, which were essentially to obtain a certain degree of legitimate rule and resource allocation rights over the areas they currently controlled.

An Lujing rubbed his hands together, looking both greedy and cautious: "My lord, it's not that I don't trust His Majesty, but my brothers have been following us through thick and thin, just to make a living. Do you think we could have the oasis and mines we currently occupy ceded to us? That way, my brothers can have a way to survive and serve His Majesty with peace of mind, right?"

Although Xin Xie was young, he spoke more directly, with a lot of sharpness and "rogue" air: "Bandit-pacifying captain? Sounds alright, but to get us to risk our lives, just having an official title isn't enough. We need territory and food! Tens of thousands of our brothers are waiting to eat! Those noble lords' manors and mines, once we take them over, they'll belong to us!"

This undisguised greed dispelled the last trace of doubt in Koharu Utatane's heart.

That's right! That's what bandits should be like. They only care about territory and wealth, crude and pragmatic. If they were all noble and virtuous, only talking about giving and not asking for anything in return, that would be truly bizarre.

"This matter, I, the elder, can grant on your behalf." Koharu Utatane put on airs, pretending to ponder before saying, "His Majesty the Great is currently in need of capable people, and will naturally not be stingy with rewards for meritorious officials. The core areas that you currently control can be temporarily managed by you, and the taxes and output can be used primarily to support the army and pacify the local areas. However, the final ownership and appointment rights still need to be registered with the Great Ming Prefecture and subject to the supervision and command of the Great Ming Prefecture. What do you say?"

This practice of "accepting the status quo, providing tangible benefits but retaining the prestige" is the norm in political transactions.

Upon hearing this, the bandit leaders indeed showed smiles of "satisfaction" and "gratitude," and hurriedly agreed, swearing allegiance to the daimyo.

Having completed the initial appeasement, Koharu Utatane ordered these newly promoted generals, captains, and colonels to immediately depart for the Daimyo Prefecture to pay homage to the Daimyo of the Land of Wind, formally accept their investiture, and discuss the next steps in suppressing the rebellion.

Upon hearing this, Sha Chongba, An Lujing, Shinsori, and the others showed just the right amount of hesitation and worry on their faces.

Sha Chongba rubbed his hands, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "Sir, it's not that we don't trust your and Mu Ye's guarantees, it's just that we're really a little apprehensive about going to Daming Prefecture so rashly. Do you think we could bring more brothers with us? It would be good for our courage."

Xiaochun had anticipated this question. It was normal for these bandit leaders to be suspicious and afraid of being "tricked into the city and wiped out." She was about to reassure them and appropriately limit the number of troops they could lead when An Lujing interrupted, shouting:

"Old Sha is right! We need to bring more men. We're not going on a tourist trip. We used to avoid Daming Prefecture like the plague. Even though it's been pacified, who knows if those nobles and bald monks there have any good intentions? What if they instigate Daming to lure us in and kill us? Who will we complain to then? We must bring enough brothers!"

Xin Xie also chimed in with a cold face: "That's right. Bringing more brothers gives us confidence. Without our brothers by our side, we're nothing in the eyes of these big shots."

Koharu Utatane frowned slightly, trying to persuade him: "Generals, you are overthinking this. With the daimyo's edict and Konoha's guarantee, your safety is absolutely guaranteed. Moreover, the daimyo's forces are currently weak. If you bring too many troops, it may cause unnecessary misunderstandings and panic."

Sha Chongba sighed, his tone becoming somewhat candid: "Sir, you don't understand. We peasants have gotten to where we are today only because of our caution and the brothers under our command. It's not that we don't trust you, it's just... sigh, please understand us! Besides—"

He changed the subject, lowering his voice: "We've heard about it on our way here. His Majesty is being bullied badly by those oasis nobles and the monks of the Wind Temple. He has no soldiers or generals, and he doesn't even have the guts to speak. If we bring more brothers over, it will be to support His Majesty and boost his prestige, won't it? Let those blind fools see that His Majesty now has our loyal new army! Let's see who dares to disobey us!"

An Lujing immediately chimed in excitedly, "That's right! Big brother is right! None of those nobles are any good, and those bald monks from the Wind Temple, bah! They're all fat and fat, with wives and concubines, they enjoy life even more than the noble lords, and they're always spouting about being compassionate, what a load of rubbish! We've had our eyes on them for a long time, if His Majesty the Daimyo wants to deal with them, we'll be the first to rush in!"

Shinsori and the other minor leaders also started clamoring, expressing their extreme dissatisfaction with the nobles and the Temple of Wind, and stating their willingness to serve as the daimyo's "sharp blade."

Hearing these words, Xiaochun, who was turning the bed, was not displeased at all; on the contrary, she nodded secretly.

Great! This is exactly the effect I wanted!
The more chaotic the situation in the Land of Wind, the deeper the internal conflicts, and the fiercer the fighting among various forces, the more Konoha needs to act as an "arbitrator" and "balancer."

The daimyo relied on the new sand bandit army to counterbalance the traditional nobles and the Temple of Wind, while the new sand bandit army was not entirely loyal to the daimyo, thus creating a situation of mutual restraint, which was the ideal scenario.

As long as a full-blown internal conflict doesn't erupt and this fragile balance, which requires Konoha's support, is maintained, Konoha can control the situation in the Land of Wind at minimal cost and maximize its gains.

Thinking of this, Koharu Utatane's expression softened, and she even showed a hint of understanding: "Since you generals have such loyalty to the emperor and love for the country, and are also concerned about your own safety, then this elder will make an exception and allow each of you to lead a portion of your elite troops to Daming Prefecture to pay homage. However, the number of people must be controlled within a certain range, and you must strictly abide by military discipline and not disturb the people!"

"Thank you for your understanding, Elder!" Sha Chongba and the others bowed gratefully.

However, when these bandit leaders began to gather what they called "a portion of their elite troops," Tsukito Koharu looked at the dark, chaotic, yet astonishingly large group and couldn't help but frown again.

There are way too many people here!
Although it was obvious at a glance that most of these people were just ordinary civilians who had just refined a meager amount of chakra, with tattered equipment, a variety of weapons, and had just put down their hoes, and whose discipline was lax and whose combat strength was probably not even as good as that of ninja academy students, their sheer number made up for it, and they actually managed to form a team of more than three thousand mediocre genin!
"How can there be so many people?" Koharu Utatane couldn't help but ask, "Where did you get so many people who can refine chakra?"

(End of this chapter)