Uchiha's personal opinion

Suddenly, four fire dragons struck, slamming into the reserve formation of the Hidden Mist Ninja Army.

"BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!"

Caught off guard, the Hidden Mist Ninja Army suffered heavy casualties.

"Who goes there!"

The commander of the Mist Village was greatly alarmed.

Then, he saw a figure leap into the crowd in an instant, wielding a large knife and stirring up a storm of blood.

Having learned from the experience of being detected when rescuing Hozuki, Uchiha Tokumitsu ordered his Uzumaki ninja to activate the shielding barrier in advance, and then led his troops to lie in wait until they were close to the Hidden Mist Ninja Army before launching a surprise attack.

"That's... Samehada?"

The Kirigakure commander looked closely and identified the highly recognizable weapon—the Samehada, one of the Seven Ninja Swords of Kirigakure.

Then, a name considered taboo in the Hidden Mist Village surfaced in his mind—

"Uchiha Tokumitsu!"

Then, he was stabbed through the heart by a figure leaping out of a puddle.

He turned around with difficulty, still muttering viciously, "It's you! You brat from the Hozuki family!"

With a blank expression, Hozuki Masahiko pulled out the blade that had pierced his heart, and then casually beheaded the Kirigakure commander with a single stroke.

"Susanoo!"

After a fierce battle, Uchiha Tokumitsu, his killing intent boiling and blood surging, activated Susanoo without hesitation amidst the crowd.

The crimson chakra fist swung wildly, smashing the panicked Hidden Mist ninjas into a bloody pulp.

The fierce Uchiha ninjas, along with Hozuki and Mizuki ninjas, charged into the chaotic Kirigakure army.

Chaos erupted behind them, and the Hidden Mist ninjas who were besieging Kaguya's remaining forces were equally panicked.

"We've lost! We've lost!"

Amidst the rising and falling shouts of those who didn't know who was friend or foe, and after the commander was killed, the Mist Village army collapsed like a house of cards.

……

On June 25th of the 37th year of Konoha, Uchiha Tokumitsu led the Uchiha ninja army into the southern islands of the Land of Water, rescuing the fleeing remnants of the Mizuki, Hozuki, and Kaguya clans.

Because the Kirigakure Incident happened so suddenly, other Kirigakure ninja clans were also in a state of panic. A large number of Kirigakure ninja were still in the village plundering the inheritance of the three major ninja clans. Although the Kirigakure ninja army, which was ordered to pursue them, was numerous and powerful, it was not the elite ninja army of Kirigakure and was therefore easily defeated by the Uchiha ninja army.

Before the Hidden Mist army could assemble, Uchiha Tokumitsu had already led the search and rescue team of ninja from the three clans across the sea.

Subsequently, the Third Mizukage delivered a speech in the village, announcing the implementation of the "Blood Mist Policy," claiming that it would purify the already corrupt Kirigakure village.

In July of the 37th year of Konoha, Uchiha Tokumitsu accepted the homage and allegiance of the remnants of the Hozuki, Minazuki, and Kaguya clans, who had fled from the former Hidden Mist Village, at Fubuki Castle, the former headquarters of the Shogunate, in the old land of the Land of Whirlpools. He also accepted the title of "Shogun of the Expedition" jointly elected by the three great ninja clans. At the same time, he announced that three Expeditionary Forces would be formed under the Tokumitsu Shogunate, with the remnants of the three clans as the main force, thus beginning the prelude to the conquest of Hidden Mist Village.

Chapter 183 The Ninja Clan's Secret Meeting

The three great ninja clans of Kirigakure were quickly defeated and killed by the Third Mizukage, causing another shock in Konoha and even the ninja world.

Konoha, in particular, which is home to many ninja clans, is paying close attention to this matter.

The Hokage's authority and the ninja clans' autonomy have always been a problem that has plagued Konoha.

But at least in the internal struggles of Konoha, everyone maintains a basic facade on the surface. No matter how fiercely they fight each other in private, they will not engage in large-scale infighting in the village. This is a bottom line issue.

Even when Danzo crossed the line to ambush them, Uchiha Tokumitsu and Hatake Sakumo would only lead their troops to force him into the village after annihilating him, and would not openly lead their troops into the village.

This is also a terrifying balance maintained on the premise that the strength of both sides is relatively balanced.

However, the atmosphere in Konoha became particularly strange as the Kirigakure Incident spread. Especially at this critical juncture when the conflict between the Uchiha clan and the Hokage's faction became even more tense due to the search of the Forest of Death, no one wanted to become the next victim of a ninja village incident.

As a result, the balance of limited mutual trust and terror began to break down.

The tension inside the village was growing stronger.

No one knows whether a random event in the village could lead to an accidental clash, which could then escalate into an uncontrollable civil war.

What pushed the tension to a new level was the Hyuga clan's recall of all its members from the Ninja Academy.

Subsequently, other ninja clans such as Aburame and Inuzuka followed suit and also had their members withdraw from school.

The once vibrant ninja academy became deserted within just a few days.

However, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, still did not comment on the search of the Forest of Death or the standoff that was taking place in the village, and the two advisors did not attempt to communicate with the Uchiha clan to ease the tension.

Therefore, the police department announced the temporary closure of the North District Police Station, which is close to the Hokage Building and other powerful institutions, and deployed personnel to the East District Police Station, which is located on the outskirts of the Uzumaki Clan's territory.

The Hokage faction then dispatched a ninja unit wearing blue vests to take over the defense of the northern district, further escalating the conflict.

The only person capable of mediating the conflict, Sakumo Hatake, happened to be out on patrol of various border regions, leaving the Jonin team leaderless and helpless.

The root cause behind this series of conflicts is that, stimulated by the Hidden Mist Incident, the already limited trust between the Uchiha clan and the Hokage lineage has been rapidly eroded.

……

Late at night, inside a secret room in the Hyuga clan's territory.

The leaders of the ninja clan, who had secretly gathered here, were discussing important matters.

"Hozuki, Minazuki, and now Kaguya, the Mizukage really has a grand scheme..."

The Hyuga clan leader carefully reviewed the latest information on Kirigakure's movements, feeling both impressed and terrified.

The Hozuki and Minazuki clans were both Mizukage clans of Kirigakure, yet they have been wiped out in a single day... As the saying goes, "the rabbit mourns the fox's death," and "things of the same kind grieve for each other." As fellow ninja clans, they naturally share unspeakable sorrow.

"This is equivalent to the Senju, Uchiha, and Hyuga clans being wiped out overnight..."

In front of the Hyuga clan chief, the Inuzuka clan chief uttered words that chilled everyone present to the bone.

"Although the three clans of Kirigakure were not completely wiped out, they were practically extinct. Now, even the remaining clan members have become retainers of Uchiha Tokumitsu..."

The patriarch of the Moonlight family was also somewhat anxious.

"Isn't the Moonlight Clan on the Hokage's side? What are you doing here!"

Another ninja clan leader said with dissatisfaction.

"Positions are one thing, status is another! How can these be conflated!"

Chief Moonlight replied with a cold snort.

"Although those brats in the family have had their minds corrupted by the Will of Fire, it doesn't mean the Moonlight Clan all collude with them!"

"You should have said so earlier! So you've already lost control of your people!"

The loud-mouthed Inuzuka clan chief continued to spout offensive remarks.

Chief Moonlight's face turned ashen, and he remained silent.

"Hey! Elder Kurama! What exactly does the Uchiha clan want? You and the Uchiha are so close, you should know something about it, right?"

The Inuzuka clan chief then launched into a tirade against the Kurama clan chief, who had been sitting silently to the side: "The Uchiha clan wouldn't really be planning to start a civil war, would they?"

"You ill-mannered scoundrel!"

The clan chief of Kurama retorted without any politeness, "If you're so brave, why don't you go ask the Uchiha!"

"If I could get into the Uchiha clan's territory, would I need to ask you?!"

The Inuzuka clan chief didn't pay much attention to the Kurama clan chief's attitude, and grumbled, "Besides, the Uchiha clan's contracted summoning beast is a ninja cat, which is inherently incompatible with us!"

"Alright, the purpose of our secret gathering today is not to argue."

After the Inuzuka clan head had successfully built up the atmosphere, the Hyuga clan head slowly began to offer advice: "What we need to do is come up with a solution to this tense situation..."

He then handed the intelligence in his hand to the oil-dwelling clan chief, who was sitting in a dark corner behind him.

The other ninja clan leaders then realized that the Aburame clan had also come!

It's important to know that the Aburame clan is usually quiet and reserved, with little presence. Moreover, due to their ninjutsu characteristics, they prefer to work alone when carrying out missions, so other ninja clans in the village don't know much about them.

What everyone is most familiar with is that Danzo's most capable deputy was a ninja from the Aburame clan.

Therefore, when everyone discovered the presence of the Aburame clan chief, they immediately felt that the situation was a bit strange.

The Gekko clan is aligned with the Hokage faction, the Kurama clan is a staunch ally of the Uchiha clan, and the Aburame clan was once Danzo's right-hand men...

Now they are attending a secret meeting that should, in principle, be kept extremely confidential...

What exactly is going on here?

The leaders of the ninja clans, who had no connection with other forces, began to communicate with each other using eye contact, but they were all still confused.

"We are all members of Konoha, and our fates are intertwined with the village's..."

After observing the expressions of the various ninja leaders for a while, the Hyuga clan leader slowly continued, "The current situation in the village is indeed as you all say, very bad."

Everyone remained silent.

The Aburame clan chief then passed the information to another ninja clan leader.

"This intelligence was sent back by a member of our clan who is serving in the eastern border defense forces. He is a Jonin in the Uzuno Country camp under the Tokugawa Shogunate, so the credibility of the intelligence is very high."

The Hyuga clan leader then revealed the source of the information to enhance the credibility of his statement: "Currently, the remnants of the three Kirigakure clans have been reorganized into three columns, and they will soon launch an expedition against Kirigakure."

"Even with the combined power of the three clans, they were suppressed by the Mizukage. How can the remaining forces possibly contend with Kirigakure now?"

Chief Inuzuka promptly expressed his bewilderment.

The Hyuga clan leader inwardly gave him a thumbs up, and then replied:

"Unrestricted privateering warrant!"

"General Deguang's planned campaign against Kirigakure, or rather the Land of Water, will be an unrestricted harassment and plunder!"

"In this way, wouldn't the three Kirigakure clans, who are already familiar with the hydrological conditions of the various islands in the Land of Water, be able to enter as if they were in an empty field..."

The ninja leaders exchanged glances, secretly marveling.

The Land of Water is an archipelago nation, lacking the many treacherous terrains of land-based countries, making it inherently difficult to defend. Add to that the guidance of former Kirigakure ninja familiar with the terrain and waterways…

"Moreover, there might be other spies from the three clans that haven't been eliminated by the Mizukage..."

The Hyuga clan chief added another sentence.

"In addition, General Deguang is also preparing to issue a recruitment order to the ninja world, providing logistical support for all ninjas who volunteer to participate in the Kirigakure campaign, in exchange for priority purchase of spoils of war."

"This matter has great potential..."