Uchiha's personal opinion

"Well... okay."

Hatake Sakumo hesitated for a moment, then thought that Uchiha Tokumitsu's actions were generally acceptable, so he put the matter aside and turned the topic back to the war arrangements that everyone was most concerned about: "After all, Kirigakure is one of the five great ninja villages. Can the ninja forces of the East and the Shogunate contend with them?"

"It's not a big problem, since it's not like we're engaging in a large-scale ninja battle with Kirigakure."

Uchiha Tokumitsu replied easily, "The three clans of Kirigakure are all familiar with the geography and hydrology of the Land of Water. If we launch a small-scale elite ninja raid, Kirigakure's current strength is insufficient to completely blockade the border."

"What if Kirigakure launches a full-scale war and the ninja army launches a massive attack?"

Sarutobi Shinnosuke suddenly asked, "The village has finally regained peace, allowing everyone to recuperate. To so easily provoke a war, isn't that...?"

Uchiha Tokumitsu and Hatake Sakumo both frowned.

"This is the will of the Uchiha clan."

Uchiha Tokumitsu said coldly, "It's not just the Uchiha clan, nor just the three Kirigakure clans, but also the Uzumaki, Kurama, Shiranui, Nohara, and other clans will participate in the war!"

"Anyone who swings their sword against a fellow villager will be punished! No matter their status, even if they are the village's ninja leader, they will be severely punished!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu's gaze was unusually cold.

"If no one in the ninja world stands up to uphold justice, then I will do it myself!"

Upon hearing this, Sarutobi Shinnosuke also bowed and apologized.

"In addition, a group of Rain Ninja mercenaries will be crossing the border to the east in the coming days, passing through the territory of the Northern Border Defense Force. Commander Sarutobi, please grant them passage."

Uchiha Himon added a sentence.

"Rain Ninja?"

Sarutobi Shinnosuke frowned as well.

For the Naruto lineage, the battlefield in the Land of Rain is definitely a place of sorrow.

In the various battlefields of the Second Shinobi World War, the Konoha ninja suffered the most severe losses in the battles against the Amegakure ninja; in addition, the Amegakure expeditionary force was mostly composed of ninja from the Hokage's clan, so Sarutobi Shinnosuke naturally did not have much goodwill towards the Amegakure ninja.

"It's just hiring Rain Ninjas to fight, there's no need to make such a fuss."

Uchiha Tokumitsu said it casually.

"Although Amegakure is one of the top ninja villages in a small country, they would probably be out of their depth to attack Kirigakure..."

Sakumo Hatake didn't seem to care much, but he questioned the fighting strength of the Rain Ninja.

"Their naval warfare is still much stronger than that of the Konoha ninja, making them perfect for the Land of Water."

Uchiha Tokumitsu explained, "Besides, hiring Rain Ninja is really cheap! Even if they die in battle, the compensation wouldn't cost much!"

Upon hearing this, Hatake Sakumo was speechless.

If the Grass Ninja Village hadn't suffered heavy losses in the Battle of Iwagakure, Uchiha Tokumitsu would have planned to summon the Grass Ninja Village to fight again.

As for combat strength, with the elite ninjas of the Uchiha clan as the main force, plus the experienced members of the three Kirigakure clans leading the way, they have no problem defeating the Kirigakure ninja army of similar numbers.

However, the ninja forces of the three Hidden Mist clans were ultimately limited. Apart from the three self-organized Expeditionary Forces, only a small number of ninja from the three clans were assigned to other ninja forces as guides.

The role of the hired Rain Ninja was mainly to supplement the shortcomings of the Shogunate's direct forces in underwater combat. After all, having Uchiha ninjas skilled in fire release fight underwater... it would be better to just kill them outright.

Moreover, although Uchiha Tokumitsu was preparing to target the black market, he was open to any black market ninja willing to participate in the war, and hiring Rain Ninja was a way to gain some experience in managing mercenaries.

"The Eastern Frontier Army, the Shogunate's direct troops, plus mercenaries..."

Hatake Sakumo calculated the bargaining chips in Uchiha Tokumitsu's hands and found that his strength was indeed enough to launch the Kirigakure Conquest.

"In addition, the Namakawa Stock Exchange also has a special Eastern Development Bond that it plans to list, with an annual return of 8%. If you are interested, you may want to buy some."

Uchiha Tokumitsu smiled amiably, and Hatake Sakumo and the others were all impressed.

Chapter 188 Wolf Pack Offensive

After returning from Konoha to the Shogunate's Fubo Castle in the Land of Whirlpools, the first thing Uchiha Tokumitsu planned was to order the three Shogunate Sei-i Corps, which had been eagerly awaiting orders, to prepare for the first wave of attacks on the Land of Water when the time was right.

The three columns were each led by a ninja from the Hozuki, Minazuki, and Kaguya clans. The main ninja forces under their command were also a mix of ninja from the three clans, with the addition of several Uchiha and Hyuga clan members.

The three clans of ninjas had no objection to the inclusion of Uchiha and Hyuga ninjas in the ninja army.

The Uchiha clan's combat prowess was on full display during the war, while the Hyuga clan's Byakugan reconnaissance capabilities ensured that the ninja army wouldn't have to worry about being surrounded.

However, they were not very willing to accept mixed formations, especially the Hozuki and Minazuki ninjas who were assigned to the column led by Kaguya ninjas.

As former Kirigakure ninjas, they knew very well just how "superior" the Kaguya clan's command skills were.

Uchiha Tokumitsu readily agreed and, after obtaining the consent of Captain Kaguya, assigned several combat advisors to assist her. He then appropriately divided the command authority of Kaguya's corps in battle, thus appeasing the Hozuki and Mizuki clan ninjas.

Hozuki and Minazuki were satisfied, but the Kaguya clan members were dissatisfied.

Their dissatisfaction was directed at Hozuki and the Minazuki clan, feeling that these fellow villagers who had fled did not trust Kaguya's combat command skills and had deceived their lord with rhetoric, resulting in Kaguya's ninjas not being given important positions.

Thus, some misunderstandings began to arise among the three clans of Kirigakure, who had originally been united by the blood feud over the annihilation of their clan.

This is also what Uchiha Tokumitsu wanted to see.

He needs to maintain a balance within his ranks, and he cannot allow any one person to become too powerful.

The purpose of mixing ninjas from the three clans was also for this reason.

In the power structure built by Uchiha Tokumitsu, the top of the pyramid is definitely occupied by the Uchiha clan and a small number of powerful outsiders. The second tier is naturally occupied by the Uzumaki, Kurama, and other powerful blood alliances. The third tier consists of affiliated ninja clans that have interests with the Uchiha clan. Only the three Kirigakure clans, which have recently submitted to the Uchiha clan, are on the fourth tier.

But the secret to rule lies in not letting the lower classes know that they are the lower classes, and telling them that as long as they fight hard, there will naturally be generous rewards waiting for them, such as high bounties and tailor-made ninjutsu.

Uchiha Tokumitsu also promised that if the war went well, he would lead the ninjas of the three clans back to Kirigakure to settle accounts with the Third Mizukage's crimes and restore the orthodoxy of the three clans.

A barrage of large pancakes rained down on them, and the ninjas of the three clans were all stuffed, each clamoring to go into battle immediately.

Considering that this was the first battle in the campaign against Kirigakure, Uchiha Tokumitsu did not intend to participate in the battle himself, but decided to go to the forward base to oversee the command, in order to prevent the Shogunate ninja army from being surrounded by Kirigakure ninja army due to their lack of experience in raiding.

……

The forward base was set up on an unnamed island in the sea between the Land of Whirlpools and the Land of Water. Considering that it was located in the middle of the two sides, Uchiha Tokumitsu specially named it "Midway Island".

Mercenaries from the Rain Ninja were also gathering and preparing at Midway.

"Jonin Amada, how's your unit's rest and recuperation going?"

Upon arriving at Midway Island, Uchiha Tokumitsu immediately summoned the Jonin in charge of the Rain Village mercenaries to assess their combat readiness.

A total of 120 Rain Ninja mercenaries arrived. In order to continue to obtain war missions from the Uchiha clan, Hanzo of the Salamander specifically selected the Rain Ninja's middle force to fight.

However, Uchiha Tokumitsu had already witnessed the extent of Amegakure's poverty during the Rain Country War.

Therefore, adhering to the principle that "an emperor will not starve his soldiers," Uchiha Tokumitsu prepared a complete set of Shogunate ninja armor for them.

Each Rain Ninja was equipped with thirty kunai, one hundred and twenty shurikens, as well as several explosive tags and ration pills. Each squad leader also carried additional medical bandages and emergency treatment drugs.

Furthermore, seeing the Rain Ninja's disheveled appearance, Uchiha Tokumitsu waved his hand and dressed them all in combat vests similar to those worn by Konoha Chunin, except without insignia, along with Uchiha fan headbands identical to those worn by the Shogunate's ninja army.

Suddenly, the image of the Rain Ninja, who had been upgraded from ragtag soldiers to elite troops, transformed from a disorganized rabble into a force to be reckoned with.

"Thank you for your concern, Lord Deguang. After thorough training, our headquarters is fully prepared for naval operations..."

Amada Jonin answered respectfully.

Even the most renowned Jonin of Amegakure had never fought such a lucrative battle.

A steel kunai gleaming with a blue glow, a powerful Uchiha-style explosive tag, a combat vest with excellent defensive capabilities...

Back in Amegakure, these were things that money couldn't buy!

But now it's being casually distributed by Uchiha Tokumitsu as if it were a consumable item!

The only thing I wasn't quite used to was the headband with the fan logo printed on it.

But compared to the equipment that Uchiha Tokuko threw down, this little discomfort is nothing at all!

Lord Deguang has given us far too much!

Thinking of this, Uta no Shinobu reached out and wiped the headband on his forehead until it shone even brighter.

"You need to fix your headband, otherwise it might give away your position because of its glow when you're lying in ambush..."

Uchiha Tokumitsu was momentarily blinded by Amata's headband, so he said something else.

"Thank you for your concern, Lord Deguang! I will take care of it immediately!"

Amada Jonin's tone became even more gentle and respectful.

As a ninja, this was the first time he had received such care from a patron! A warm feeling welled up in his heart.

"If Lord Deguang were rain..."

"No, no! What am I thinking?!"

Amada Jonin shook his head, shaking off the disrespectful thought of a demigod that had inexplicably arisen in his mind.

Uchiha Tokumitsu then convened a meeting with the three captains of the Sei-i Column who were to go into battle, and explained the operational objectives and tactical goals to them one by one.

In terms of tactical planning, Uchiha Tokumitsu imitated the famous "wolf pack tactics" of his previous life in order to completely annihilate the Land of Water.

In short, the plan was to dispatch various ninja armies to specific sea areas to blockade and kill all ships from the Land of Water that were sailing out to sea, thereby severing the connections between the islands of the Land of Water.

Although this would disperse the ninja forces considerably, it is suitable for the current situation.

The combined forces of the Shogunate's ninja army and the Rain Ninja mercenaries were insufficient to wage a direct battle against the Kirigakure ninja army.

Even if he personally led the clan's elite troops into battle and won one or two large-scale battles, the terrifying casualties would be too much for the Uchiha clan to bear.

Therefore, wolf pack guerrilla tactics are the perfect solution.

In addition, with the three clans' ninjas familiar with the terrain and waterways, as well as Byakugan ninjas assigned to various columns for reconnaissance, there was no need to worry about being surrounded and annihilated by Kirigakure.

"The objective of this battle is to weaken the naval power of the Land of Water to the greatest extent possible and to completely separate the islands. The main targets of the attack will be special facilities such as ports, docks, and shipyards!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu stood before the high-precision map of the Land of Water provided by the three clans' ninja, holding a command baton and assigning combat tasks.

"This battle is not about inflicting heavy casualties, but about completely disrupting all areas of the Land of Water to prepare for the next phase of the amphibious landing operation, understand?"

"As ordered!"

All the Jonin stood up and responded.

"Very good! Very energetic!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu nodded in satisfaction, then instructed his attendant ninjas to distribute the mission documents.

The mission documents are divided into two parts: an encrypted mission description and a dedicated codebook.