Naruto: I'm in Konoha, my name is Uzumaki Menma

Chapter 219 The Landscape of the Ninja World
The capital of the Land of Earth, the Daimyo Palace.

Even in winter, the palace of Muto Suke, the daimyo of the Land of Earth, remains warm as spring, with expensive incense slowly wafting through the air.

However, Muto, who sat upright in the main seat, had a face as gloomy as the sky outside.

He wore a magnificent court robe embroidered with the emblem of the Land of Earth, and his fingers unconsciously tapped on the precious rosewood armrest, revealing his inner anxiety.

Below, the short but imposing Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, stood with his arms crossed, his long white eyebrows furrowed, listening intently to the daimyo's narration with a similarly solemn expression.

“…Overnight!” Muto’s voice was filled with barely suppressed anger and a hint of barely perceptible fear as he waved an urgent intelligence scroll in his hand.

"The Land of Stars! Those damned rogue ninjas! They actually... they actually annexed the Land of Swamp, the Land of Darkness, and the Land of Snow! Adding the previous Land of Demons and their own territory, their land area has jumped to third in the west! Second only to our Land of Earth and the Land of Wind!"

He became increasingly agitated as he spoke, and suddenly stood up: "That's not all! What methods did they use? Bloodshed! They almost wiped out all the daimyo and nobles of five countries! They distributed the land and food to those lowly peasants! This is uprooting our rule! Onoki! Do you understand?! This trend must not be allowed to continue!"

Muto abruptly stopped, his gaze sharp as he fixed on Onoki, his tone more stern than ever before: "Onoki, I order you to immediately assemble the Iwagakure army and march west! You must wipe out this so-called Land of Stars with overwhelming force! We cannot allow such a threat—established by rogue ninjas, acting so cruelly, and directly bordering the western and southern parts of our Land of Earth—to continue to exist!"

The palace fell silent for a moment, with only the faint scent of incense wafting through the air.

The ministers standing by didn't even dare to breathe loudly.

Onoki was silent for a moment, then looked up at the angry daimyo, revealing a hint of helplessness: "Your Highness, I completely understand your concerns. The rise of the Star Kingdom is indeed sudden and dangerous, and its style of doing things is even more appalling."

He abruptly changed the subject, his tone becoming heavy: "However, Your Highness, war is not child's play. Iwagakure has just experienced the devastating fighting of the Third Shinobi World War, suffering heavy losses. Elite ninja have been severely depleted, and supplies have been greatly depleted. Countless families are still grieving the loss of loved ones. The village urgently needs to recuperate and recover. In a short time…"

"We simply cannot sustain a large-scale, all-out war against a powerful nation whose strength is unclear. A hasty war would be unpredictable, and even if we win, it will be a Pyrrhic victory, which would only allow other powerful nations like Kumogakure and Konoha, who are eyeing us with covetous eyes, to benefit from it."

Muto's brows furrowed tightly, his face showing obvious displeasure: "Are we just going to stand by and watch this threat grow stronger? Are we just going to watch those rogue ninjas and lowly commoners swagger around like that?!"

“Of course not.” A shrewd glint flashed in Onoki’s eyes. He leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice: “Iwagakure is currently unable to afford a large-scale open war. However… some ‘unofficial’ military operations and strikes can still be carried out.”

Muto's gaze sharpened: "Oh? Tell me more."

Onoki stroked his beard and said slowly, "If His Highness the Daimyo is indeed determined to contain or even weaken the Star Country, and is willing to provide... additional 'special operations funds' that are not recorded in the regular military budget... then I can make some arrangements."

"We can secretly support and hire some wandering ninja organizations or mercenary organizations."

"They will be the ones to carry out continuous harassment, sabotage, and attacks on the borders, supply lines, and even important facilities in the heart of the Star Country. Iwagakure can secretly dispatch a small number of elite ninjas, disguised as humans, to infiltrate these areas, provide guidance and key intelligence, and even personally intervene in certain key operations to ensure the effectiveness of the strikes."

He paused, a cold glint flashing in his eyes: "The purpose of doing this is to continuously bleed the Star Kingdom dry, disrupt its process of assimilating new territories, create chaos and panic, and slow down its development. At the same time, it can also test the Star Kingdom's true combat strength and defensive weaknesses."

"As for our Hidden Stone Village and the Land of Earth, we can stay out of it to the greatest extent possible and avoid being directly involved in large-scale conflicts. The cost... is much smaller than directly launching a war."

After listening, Muto Suke pondered for a moment, his fingers unconsciously tapping the armrest again.

He understood what Onoki meant; this was a common tactic used by ninjas, and it was indeed more feasible and reliable in the current situation.

After a moment, he slowly nodded and made his decision: "Alright! As you say! I will have the Internal Affairs Department raise the special military funds as soon as possible and allocate them to you through secret channels. Onoki, this matter is entirely in your hands! I want to see results; I must let those rogue ninja know that the ninja world is not a place where they can act recklessly!"

"Yes, Your Highness. I will do my utmost." Onoki bowed slightly.

How to use this money to both complete the daimyo's mission and maximize the replenishment of Iwagakure's strength requires careful planning.

At almost the same time, in the capital of the Land of Wind, Daimyo Prefecture.

The atmosphere here is equally heavy, even more so than before.

The daimyo of the Land of Wind, Masaki Sato, a gaunt middle-aged man dressed in the magnificent robes symbolizing the Land of Wind, was looking at the report in his hand with a livid expression.

Standing opposite him was the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa.

Rasa, dressed in his Wind Shadow Robe, also looked grim, his face showing weariness from years of toiling for the village's resource scarcity and a hint of suppressed anger. "Rasa!" Sato Masaki slammed the report on the table.

"Look at that Star Kingdom to the west! It's become a force to be reckoned with! Five countries! They've uprooted the daimyo and noble systems of all five countries! Now their border is practically right in front of our Wind Kingdom!"

"We cannot stand idly by and watch these lawless rogue ninja continue to grow stronger! You must find a way for me immediately! Use all the resources of Sunagakure to stop the expansion of the Land of Stars! If necessary, deliver a thunderous blow!"

Luo Sha took a deep breath, trying to suppress the agitation in his heart.

Sunagakure had just recovered a little from the ruins of the Third Shinobi World War. The village was destitute, the ninjas were poorly paid, and their mission quotas were squeezed by Konoha. Kazekage was constantly worried about money and resources, and even had to use his Magnet Release: Gold Sand ability to pan for gold in the desert to subsidize the village.

He raised his head, meeting the daimyo's aggressive gaze, his voice hoarse: "Your Highness, you should be well aware of the current situation of Sunagakure. We lack funds, we lack supplies, we lack ninjas, and our elite forces are even scarcer. Maintaining our existing border defenses is already a struggle, and we simply don't have the capacity to launch a war against a rising power. Deterrence? What can we use to deter them? To pile up sand?"

Upon hearing this, Sato Masaki's expression darkened further, his tone dripping with sarcasm: "Oh? The Sand Village, one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, can't even handle a group of rogue ninja? Rasa, what kind of Kazekage are you? Do you expect me to cut the Daimyo's allowance to increase your military spending?!"

These words were like a spark, instantly igniting the long-suppressed resentment in Luo Sha's heart!

Reduce the expenses for the Daimyo?

The extravagant spending of the Daimyo's mansion, even a tiny bit of it, would be enough to give Sunagakure a huge break!

Luo Sha suddenly took a step forward, his voice rising abruptly, filled with long-suppressed anger and sarcasm:
"Your Highness! You make it sound so easy! Why is Sunagakure lacking funds? Why can't you get high-paying missions? You and your ministers would rather entrust those lucrative guard and construction missions within the country to the Konoha ninjas in the Land of Fire than to Sunagakure! Is it because Konoha is more efficient? Has a better reputation?"

"Have you ever considered that this is precisely cutting off the economic lifeline of Sunagakure step by step! The village is already struggling to maintain its operations, yet you are asking us to actively attack a powerful enemy of unknown strength? Forgive my bluntness, but this is simply asking the impossible, sending the ninjas of Sunagakure to their deaths!"

He became more and more agitated as he spoke, almost shouting, "Since His Highness the Daimyo is so wary of the Land of Stars and values ​​efficiency and security so much, why should he continue to rely on our 'incompetent' Sand Village?"

"You can simply take the gold and silver from the national treasury and issue S-rank missions to Konohagakure in the Land of Fire, hiring the Sannin, the Copy Ninja Kakashi, or even the entire elite force of Konoha! Let them deal with the threat from the Land of Stars for you! Why bother making things difficult for us in Sunagakure!"

These words were like a knife, directly piercing through the thin veil of paper that maintained the superficial harmony, and brutally exposing the wounds of the Land of Wind's high-ranking officials who had long neglected the interests of Sunagakure and even indirectly aided the enemy, Konoha!

Enraged by Rasa's sudden defiance and merciless sarcasm, Sato Masaki trembled, his face turning pale and then red. Pointing at Rasa, he cried out, "You...you...Rasa! How dare you speak to me like that!"

The atmosphere inside the palace instantly plummeted to freezing point.

The surrounding guards and ministers were terrified, sweating profusely and remaining silent.

After Luo Sha finished speaking, he seemed to release some of the pent-up frustration in his chest, but what followed was a deeper sense of helplessness and exhaustion.

He knew his words were too harsh, almost tantamount to tearing off a mask, but he had simply had enough!
Rasa coldly stared at the daimyo, who was too angry to speak, and said nothing more. He simply bowed slightly and bluntly stated, "I am incompetent and have failed Your Highness's trust. How to deal with the Land of Stars is Your Highness's decision. The Sunagakure military is in dire need of rest and recuperation. I take my leave!"

Having said that, he no longer looked at Daming's ashen face, resolutely turned around, his robes billowing, and strode away from the suffocating Daming mansion.

Sato Masaki was left standing there, furious and about to explode, cursing Rasa for being rude.

The policies of the Land of Wind have indeed wronged Sunagakure, but being so blatantly contradicted still caused him, as the daimyo, to lose face.

This incident seems to have deepened the rift between the Land of Wind and the Hidden Sand Village.

Winter passed and spring came; time quietly marched into Konoha 58.

The rise of the Land of Stars has changed the landscape of the ninja world and is also influencing the decisions and mindsets of various forces.

The Earth Kingdom's clandestine schemes and the Wind Kingdom's internal strife foreshadow a new upheaval that may be imminent.

The Star Kingdom itself, after frantically devouring vast territories, entered a tense and crucial period of digestion and integration.

The future of the ninja world is destined to be anything but peaceful.

(End of this chapter)