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

Chapter 423 Lure the enemy deeper
"How can we allow others to snore on the side of the bed?"

Kakuzu looked westward toward Konoha. "The Land of Waves and the Land of Fire have a good relationship now because we pose no threat to them and can bring huge commercial benefits. But what will they think if we show the potential to annex the Land of Water? Commercial suppression is inevitable. Losing the Land of Fire as our largest trading partner will be a fatal blow to us."

Fengmotetsu deeply agreed: "This result is perhaps the best we can achieve under the current circumstances. It's really a bargain for the Land of Water."

Then, Fengmotetsu suddenly changed the subject, and a smile reappeared on his face: "However, with such a large piece of land as the Land of the Sea, and so many islands, the territory of our Wave Kingdom has almost doubled! We finally have the foundation and confidence to become a great power!"

He looked at Kakuzu and suggested, "Lord Kakuzu, we suddenly have so much more land. Our Land of Waves is no longer a small country. Shouldn't we consider dividing it into provinces?"

Kakuzu pondered for a moment and nodded: "It is indeed necessary. However, such an important administrative division should be decided by Boss Umino himself. Let's prepare a contingency plan first."

"That's right!" Feng Motie said excitedly, "We must quickly tell Lord Yinying this good news! He'll be happy to hear it! It will also help him to quickly delineate the provinces so we can start construction and governance work as soon as possible!"

Kakuzu didn't delay any longer. He immediately took out a blank scroll and wrote down in detail the main terms of the treaty, the negotiation process, and the suggestions on dividing the provinces.

Then, he formed a hand seal: "Reverse Spirit Communication Technique!"

With a soft thud, the scroll disappeared in a puff of white smoke.

At the same time, thousands of miles away, Umino Sasuke sensed something, stretched out his hand, and a wisp of white smoke flashed by, revealing the scroll from Kakuzu in his hand.

Using reverse summoning techniques for information transmission is convenient. With guidance from Umino Sasuke, this excellent method of information transmission has naturally become widespread in the Land of Waves and the Iron Wall Anbu.

However, the Reverse Summoning Technique is an advanced ninjutsu. Apart from ninjas with high spatial abilities, only Jonin can use it. It is not used as a regular way to transmit information. Normally, information is transmitted mainly by ninja hawks.

Unrolling the scroll and carefully reading its contents, Umino Sasuke couldn't help but show a hint of surprise.

"The Land of Water actually agreed to these conditions. It seems that their situation is worse than we expected. They actually ceded the Land of the Sea and all its affiliated islands."

The Land of the Sea, though a small country that has been conquered by the Land of Waves, has a considerable territory, almost comparable to the former Land of Whirlpools. Although its arable land is also limited and requires further development, its marine resources and strategic location are extremely important.

Gaining the Land of the Sea and its surrounding islands means that the Land of Waves' actual controlled area has nearly doubled in an instant.

This is undoubtedly a huge leap!

Sasuke Umino wholeheartedly agreed with Kakuzu's suggestion to divide the country into provinces, believing that the existing administrative structure of the Land of Waves was no longer able to effectively manage such a vast territory and that reform was necessary.

After a moment's thought, he had a plan in mind.

So he took out a scroll, and with a flourish of his brush, clearly wrote down the new administrative plan of the Kingdom of Waves, dividing it into five provinces: Wave Heart Province, Whirlpool Province, Angkor Province, New Sea Province, and Zhen Dong Province.

Wave Heart Province, consisting of the original main island of Wave Country and surrounding core islands, is the political, economic, and cultural center, with Wave City as its capital.

The Whirlpool Province, based on the original territory of Whirlpool Country, incorporates some neighboring islands and focuses on developing the fishing and shipbuilding industries.

The Angkor Region, centered on the island chain where the Angkor fortress is located, is positioned as a major military and scientific research center.

The New Sea Province, consisting of the entire territory of the Sea Kingdom ceded under this treaty and all its affiliated islands, focuses on the development of marine resources and the establishment of new ports and trading posts.

Zhen Dong Province, consisting of a portion of the forward island chain near the Land of Water acquired in this treaty, is positioned as a military defense outpost and a bridgehead for monitoring trade with the Land of Water.

The division into five provinces basically covers all of the current territory of the Land of Waves, each with its own focus, forming a relatively complete and efficient administrative system. This will lay a solid foundation for the future governance and development of the Land of Waves.

After finishing writing, Umino Sasuke once again used the Reverse Summoning Technique to send this plan, which would determine the future of the Land of Waves, back to the Land of Waves.

Just after the scroll was teleported, a ninja hawk came flying from afar.

Senju Nawaki took a small scroll from the leg of the ninja hawk, quickly glanced at it, and then a look of delight appeared on his face. He immediately reported to Umino Sasuke.

"Captain! Good news! Battle report from the front lines in the Land of Waterfall! Elder Danzo has led our army to a successful defeat of the main force of the Hidden Stone Village and has now advanced more than 400 miles towards the Hidden Stone Village's defenses! The report says that Elder Danzo is confident that he can completely drive the Hidden Stone Village out of the Land of Waterfall, and is even confident that he can press his advantage and invade the Land of Earth's mainland!"

Upon hearing this, Sasuke Unno raised an eyebrow slightly, quite surprised.

'Danzo? He actually managed to defeat the Iwagakure army led by Onoki head-on? And even advanced more than 400 miles? That's very illogical,' Umino Sasuke muttered to himself.

Danzo has always been introverted when it comes to internal strife, but inept when it comes to external struggles. So how did he manage to win such a great victory against an old fox like Onoki this time?
Seeing that Umino Sasuke looked thoughtful, Senju Nawaki assumed he was pleasantly surprised and added, "Elder Danzo's strength should not be underestimated, especially with the sharpest blade, White Fang, assisting him. Defeating Iwagakure is not impossible."

Sasuke Unno took the battle report and read it carefully. The description was indeed very positive, with the Konoha army advancing rapidly. However, he still felt uneasy.

'Perhaps it's the butterfly effect? ​​Could it be that my appearance and the Iron Wall Legion's achievements put pressure on Danzo and changed the situation? Did it allow him to perform exceptionally well?' This was the only speculation that Umino Sasuke could make.

Defeating Iwagakure was always a good thing, so he temporarily suppressed his doubts and ordered, "Spread this good news to the entire army to boost morale! Let's speed up and get back to the village as soon as possible!"

"Yes!"

However, Sasuke Umino was unaware of the rapidly changing situation on the front lines.

The border of the Land of Earth.

Danzo Shimura was smugly commanding the Konoha forces as they pursued the "rout" Iwa ninja. Although the Iwa ninja appeared to be in disarray, their retreat was well-organized, with their combined defensive Earth Release techniques layered upon each other, effectively hindering Konoha's pursuit and resulting in far fewer casualties than expected.

"Wind Escape·Vacuum Jade!"

Danzo spat out several high-pressure wind balls, blasting a large hole in a thick wall of earth in front of him. Several Iwa ninja who couldn't dodge in time were instantly torn apart by the wind balls.

Seeing the results of the battle, Danzo revealed a cold and smug smile.

Beside him, Hatake Sakunosuke, covered in dust and a few bloodstains, appeared instantly next to Danzo. He had just been in charge of the attack and his chakra was quite depleted, making his white, spiky hair look somewhat dull.

His brow furrowed, he advised again, "Elder, it would be better to stop while we're ahead and temporarily halt the pursuit. These Iwa ninja are not in disarray despite their defeat; their retreat is orderly, and the coordination between their units is extremely seamless. This doesn't seem like a rout at all. It could be a conspiracy by Onoki to lure us in and ambush us!"

"Luring the enemy deep into our territory?" Danzo scoffed, glancing disdainfully at Hatake Sagumo. "Sagumo, you overestimate Onoki and underestimate me! The Iwa ninja were clearly overwhelmed by our thunderous force; they only avoided total defeat because of their tenacious Earth Release defenses!"

He paused, his tone tinged with barely concealed jealousy and urgency: "Perhaps the Iwagakure has already received news of that brat Umino Sasuke's annihilation of the Kirigakure fleet, and knows that continuing to fight against Konoha will inevitably lead to defeat. That's why they want to preserve their strength and hastily retreat! Now is the perfect opportunity for us to expand our gains and establish unparalleled merit!"

Danzo had long coveted the Hokage position, and Sasuke Umino's extraordinary achievements in annihilating the Hidden Mist Navy put him under unprecedented pressure. He had to seize this opportunity and prove himself as the best candidate to lead Konoha to prosperity with a glorious victory in conquering the Land of Earth.

Hatake Sagumo had just learned of this victory and didn't believe that Iwagakure's intelligence system was faster than Konoha's. He wanted to advise further, "Lord Danzo, Iwagakure might not be..."

"Enough!" Danzo interrupted him impatiently. "How could I act without preparation? I have already dispatched a large force of elite intelligence to scout along the way, and found no signs of a large-scale ambush! Your worries are unnecessary!"

It was only then that Hatake Sagumo noticed that Danzo's inseparable Jonin, Aburame, was indeed not by his side; she must have gone on a reconnaissance mission.

He felt a little relieved, but the unease still lingered.

Danzo ignored Hatake Sagumo and turned to shout at the Konoha ninja behind him. His voice, amplified by his Wind Release technique, echoed throughout the area: "Kokohaku warriors! Iwa ninja are terrified! Follow me into the Land of Earth, achieve great deeds, and let Konoha's fame resound throughout the Land of Earth!"

"oh--!"

Encouraged by victory and the prospect of success, the Konoha ninja erupted in a frenzied shout, and their pursuit quickened once more.

Just as Danzo was leading the Konoha army on a triumphant advance, even stepping into the borders of the Land of Earth and plundering towns along the way, feeling smug and self-satisfied.

Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi personally led the urgently mobilized follow-up troops and a 500-strong Fire Release battalion into the Land of Waterfall.

He had just arrived at a frontline supply point when Mitarashi Shishou rushed over with a team of reconnaissance ninjas, bringing the latest frontline battle report.

Hiruzen Sarutobi unfolded the battle report, and when he first saw "the main force of Iwagakure was defeated and the advance was 400 miles", a look of surprise appeared on his face.

But when he saw the following text, "They have already invaded the homeland of the Land of Earth, intending to expand their gains," his expression changed drastically.

"Oh no!" Hiruzen Sarutobi exclaimed in alarm, his hand gripping the scroll trembling slightly. "That idiot Danzo! He's definitely fallen for the trap! This is absolutely Onoki's scheme! He's luring us in deep and setting an ambush! He wants to wipe out our main force on the western front!"

Seeing this, Mitarashi Shishou quickly comforted him, "Hokage-sama, you don't need to worry too much. Even if there is an ambush, with Hatake's caution, how could he possibly discover it in time and warn Elder Danzo? Elder Danzo must know what he's doing."

“Judgment? You don’t understand him!” Hiruzen Sarutobi’s tone was urgent, filled with unprecedented anxiety. “I know him too well! He must have heard the news of the victory on the Eastern Front and is eager to prove himself! He may not listen to Sagumo’s advice, and besides, his opponent is the cunning Onoki. No amount of caution is too much!”

Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed to already see Danzo's old friend and thousands of Konoha's elite troops trapped in a tight encirclement.

He made a decisive decision: "We can't wait any longer! Zixiao, you are responsible for leading the follow-up mobilization troops and logistics supplies to advance steadily! I will personally lead the 500 Fire Escape Battalion and all the elite Dark Guards on a forced march to provide support! Hopefully... it's not too late!"

After saying that, Hiruzen Sarutobi turned around and waved to the elite troops behind him: "Fire Release Battalion! Anbu! Advance at full speed with me! Ditch all unnecessary burdens!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Hiruzen Sarutobi took the lead, transforming into a black shadow and shooting out. More than 500 Konoha ninjas proficient in fire release techniques, along with dozens of elite Anbu members wearing animal masks, followed without hesitation, like a crimson fire dragon, rushing madly along the official road towards the border of the Land of Earth.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was extremely anxious, constantly praying that he could arrive in time before the tragedy occurred.

However, after marching for half a day without receiving news of the main force being ambushed, Hiruzen Sarutobi's elite reinforcements encountered an unexpected ambush while passing through a treacherous pass flanked by two mountains.

"Hokage-sama! There's an ambush ahead!" a Jonin from the Hyuga branch family shouted a warning, his voice tinged with panic. "They're hiding inside the mountain, evading our long-range reconnaissance! Oh no! They've come out!"

On the mountain walls on both sides, the rocks seemed to come alive and writhe, and a large number of rock ninjas leaped out from them, instantly occupying advantageous positions and blocking the front and rear paths of Hiruzen Sarutobi's team.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was utterly shocked: 'An ambush? Not an ambush on Danzo, but an ambush on me?! Could it be that Onoki's target... is me?!'

He forced himself to remain calm and immediately asked, "How many enemies are there? Is Onoki leading the team?"

Hyuga Shinobu quickly replied, "About a thousand people! The leader is the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki himself!"

"Only a thousand people? Onoki is leading the team personally?" Hiruzen Sarutobi breathed a slight sigh of relief.

He had 500 elite Fire Release battalions and dozens of Anbu under his command, with a total strength of nearly 600. Although the enemy had the advantage in numbers, his side's ninjas were of higher quality, especially the combined ninjutsu of the 500 Fire Release battalions, which was incredibly powerful. As long as he could restrain Onoki, his chances of winning were still very high.

It seems that Onoki did not come to ambush him, but rather came personally to intercept the reinforcements. He not only ambushed the main force of Konoha led by Danzo, but also wanted to fight a battle of annihilation.

(End of this chapter)