Uchiha's personal opinion

"This……"

Mitokado Yan and Utatane Koharu looked at each other in bewilderment.

"That's true..." Koharu still felt it was inappropriate.

The third generation waved his hand to interrupt her.

"Furthermore, the direct enemy facing the Land of Grass is the Hidden Stone Village in the Land of Earth, and the southern part is the Land of Rain, the source of the war. The concentration of Uchiha clan ninjas on this border is also to deplete the Uchiha's strength."

The third generation leader made no attempt to hide his opinion.

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu felt a little embarrassed. Although that was the gist of it, it was hard for them, as advisors, to be so direct in breaking the ice.

“Now, the main force of the Northwest Border Defense Force has been largely withdrawn during the last troop rotation. Of the current thousand-plus personnel, half are Uchiha and their affiliated clan ninjas. Under such circumstances, what is the point of changing the command? Who can lead the Uchiha clan ninjas?”

The third generation leader picked up the battle report, flipped through it again, and then irritably threw it back onto the table.

"Let's take another look and see what the Uchiha wrote!"

"The saying 'A good punch now will save you from a hundred' has spread throughout the village!"

"So, in this situation, should you take over the garrison command, or should I?"

The two advisors, Mitokado Emi and Utatane Koharu, were speechless.

The purpose of withdrawing the original main force of the Northwest Border Defense Force under the pretext of rotation is very simple: to weaken the strength of the troops controlled by the Uchiha clan, and to prevent the madmen of the Uchiha clan from using this as an excuse to send ninja clan members to their deaths. Those who are still in the Northwest Border Defense Force are either abandoned ninja clan members or ordinary civilian ninjas who are of average strength and not well-liked. Under such circumstances, it is difficult to find good pawns.

"Then... let's maintain the status quo?" Koharu Utatane hesitated for a long time before whispering.

"Maintain the status quo," the Third Hokage emphasized, "and distribute rewards according to the usual practice based on battle reports."

The two advisors remained silent.

With Danzo gone, there's one less person to challenge him, and even the two advisors can't suppress the Hokage's authority.

"The bounty, ninja tools, and medicine will all be issued in full as requested." The Third Hokage flipped through the request for reinforcements in the battle report again.

"This..." Mitokado Yanagi was in a bit of a dilemma. "The border defense forces have requested too many supplies. If we allocate the full amount, the village's reserves will be in trouble. In case of any emergency, I'm afraid..."

"Disburse in full." The Third Hokage stared at Mitokado Homura, "Then allocate the stock in batches."

Mitokado Yanagi understood.

The original purpose was to control the movements of the northwestern border defense forces, and the reason for this "phased deployment" was quite sufficient and ingenious.

"Furthermore, according to Danzo's intelligence, while Iwagakure is increasing its troops on the border of the Land of Grass, it is also stockpiling heavy troops in the northern part of the Land of Rain. Its vanguard reconnaissance ninjas have also entered the inland areas of the Land of Rain, but their specific intentions are unclear."

The third generation leader took out an intelligence file from the drawer and handed it to the two advisors.

"Currently, Iwagakure has deployed 3,000 troops to the border of the Land of Grass; in the direction of the Land of Rain, Iwagakure has also mobilized about 4,000 troops to be stationed on the border of the Land of Rain..."

“Seven thousand ninja troops…” Mitomon Homura pondered.

Currently, Konoha has deployed nearly 4,000 ninja troops in the Land of Rain, and more than 1,000 ninja troops each in the Land of Rivers and the Land of Grass. Although they are outnumbered, Konoha still has a slight advantage in terms of ninja quality and combat ability.

"In addition, Sunagakure has also begun to transfer a ninja army to the Land of Rain. The specific strength and personnel allocation are not yet clear. The Anbu is currently estimated to have about three thousand people, including Sunagakure's ace puppet unit."

"They're planning a four-nation war in the Land of Rain," Koharu Utatane remarked.

"Hanzo has gone too far; the daimyo will not tolerate him..." the Third Hokage said, puffing on his pipe.

In their expansion, the Rain Ninja not only seized resources from other small countries, but also extorted and kidnapped the daimyo and nobles of various small countries. This behavior was a direct challenge to the secular rule of the daimyo and nobles.

"Alright, let's not talk about that anymore." The Third Hokage tapped his pipe, knocking out the burnt tobacco.

"Are there any issues with the rewards for the northwestern border defense forces?"

Mitokado En and Utatane Koharu exchanged a glance, neither of them having any objections.

"Then issue it accordingly!"

……

The garrison camp of the Grass Country.

Uchiha Tokumitsu achieved a resounding victory and returned in triumph. He then vigorously reorganized and trained the ninja army, improving the coordination and teamwork among its various units in order to enhance their combat capabilities in the shortest possible time.

As for the mountain castle in the northern border of the Grass Country, only a small number of reconnaissance troops were secretly hidden outside the castle to maintain the flow of intelligence in the north.

After news of the vanguard's annihilation reached the main force of Iwagakure heading south, perhaps because they were temporarily unsure of Konoha's intentions, they set up camp and laid fortifications and traps on the border of the Land of Earth, making it appear as if Iwagakure was holding the border.

Results are the most powerful indicator of one's standing.

Uchiha Tokumitsu's command of the ninja army resulted in a great victory, which further enhanced his prestige within the army.

Today, the proud Uchiha have become a powerful and reliable partner in the eyes of the civilian ninjas of the border defense forces. Although this partner has a rather awkward personality, he is surprisingly reliable on the battlefield.

After returning to the camp, Uchiha Tokumitsu handed over general affairs to Uchiha Himon and Nara Yukihira respectively. He was only responsible for the organization and training of the ninja army. As for the captured Iwagakure prisoners, after being hypnotized by the Sharingan, the information in their minds was easily extracted, their chakra was sealed, and they were thrown into a temporary prison.

Besides training, Uchiha Tokumitsu also did not forget to win over the Grass Ninja, occasionally issuing special missions for them to carry out. The purpose of this was to spend money to make the Grass Ninja create blood feuds with the Iwagakure, in order to block the Grass Ninja's two-faced behavior and tie the Grass Ninja to the Uchiha's war machine.

After the Battle of the Northern Mountain Castle, Iwagakure remained quiet for about half a month before sending out combat teams to infiltrate the Land of Grass for intelligence gathering and sabotage.

Uchiha Tokumitsu's response was to issue a mission to Kusagakure to wipe out the infiltration team from Iwagakure.

"These grass ninjas are really too weak..."

Nara Yukihira reviewed documents in the central command tent, and information about the Kusashinobi was compiled and reported.

According to statistics, when carrying out missions issued by the Konoha garrison, the Grass Country ninjas of the same rank are significantly weaker than the Iwagakure ninjas. In battle reports, it often takes six to nine Grass Country ninjas of the same rank to surround and defeat a single Iwagakure ninja. Even though the Iwagakure ninjas sent into the Grass Country for secret reconnaissance are all elites, their combat strength is still really lacking.

“There is indeed a big difference between ninjas from large countries and ninjas from small countries.” Uchiha Tokumitsu walked into the central command tent after returning from training.

"Commander Deguang~"

The staff inside the central command tent greeted Uchiha Tokumitsu one after another.

“Hmm~” Uchiha Tokumitsu nodded in response.

"If the Grass Ninja had the strength of the Rain Ninja, then the war between the three great nations of Fire, Earth, and Wind should have taken place in the Grass Ninja."

Despite numerous conflicts among the five great nations and five great ninja villages, they share a tacit understanding on suppressing smaller nations.

“Commander Tokumitsu, the village’s envoy is expected to arrive this afternoon. I hope you can spare some time then…” Nara Yukihira said in a low voice.

“I know, I’ve already read the message from the Ninja Hawk.” Uchiha Tokumitsu paused. “I was also at the main camp this afternoon.”

Chapter 34 Making a Grand Entrance

The messenger from Konoha Village will bring rewards for the Battle of Yamashiro in the Land of Grass and some supplies needed by the northwestern border defense forces. This news was relayed by the Uchiha clan's ninja cat.

Perhaps out of precaution, to prevent the Uchiha from figuring out Konoha's intelligence network, Uchiha Tokumitsu was never able to obtain any useful information from the village's intelligence system. Even the intelligence about the Iwagakure army's southward march was obtained by the ninja cat and reported to him voluntarily. This was corroborated by the intelligence from the Kusanagi ninja. The Anbu's activities in the Land of Grass and the Land of Earth were never communicated with the two commanders, Uchiha Himon and Uchiha Tokumitsu. Based on this, it is clear to anyone with eyes to see how deep the rift between the Uchiha clan and the village truly was.

Therefore, Uchiha Tokumitsu did not care about the upcoming envoy. In his heart, he only regarded him as a tool to deliver messages. If the reward was to his liking, he would accept it; if not, he would confiscate the supplies and then reject the imperial edict.

Of course, Uchiha Tokumitsu had also communicated and discussed this plan with Uchiha Himon and the other Jonin and reached a consensus. After all, they were all Jonin, and the Uchiha clan had a tradition of holding clan meetings whenever there was a reason. Now that Uchiha Tokumitsu was leading his troops outside, it was reasonable for him to create a "Jonin council system".

They viewed the village envoy as a mere tool, so they weren't particularly enthusiastic. They wouldn't bother with formalities like "welcoming" the envoy from dozens of miles away. Although the village messenger said the envoy would arrive in the afternoon, the camp continued with its usual routines without making any extra preparations.

Although Nara Yukihira, as an advisor, offered a tactful suggestion, Uchiha Himon didn't take it to heart, so he could only give up with trepidation.

Therefore, when Akimichi Torifu, as the envoy for pacification, led his team to the garrison camp in the Land of Grass, the first person to greet him was a patrolling ninja shuriken.

"Who goes there, daring to trespass into the forbidden area of ​​Konoha!"

On the treetop, the Uchiha Jonin in charge of leading the patrol coldly watched the group of Konoha Anbu and Akimichi Torifu, who was surrounded by them. His three-tomoe Sharingan slowly rotated, and a fierce killing intent ruthlessly enveloped the group.

The Uchiha ninjas in the patrol squad were also on guard, each using their left thumbs to open the scabbards of their katanas, while the other civilian ninjas also looked indifferent.

"How dare you!" A member of the secret service stepped forward, about to rebuke him.

Akimichi Torifu waved his hand, stopping the Dark Division's actions.

"We are messengers appointed by the Hokage. The above is the decree and proof of our identity."

Akimichi took out the identification documents and handed them to the patrol team. After inspection, he was allowed to pass.

"Lord Tokifumi, these Uchiha have gone too far..." an ANBU member said indignantly.

"Don't worry about this..." Akimichi Torifu stopped the Anbu from speaking.

Ninjas are known for their sharp hearing and keen eyesight, and the Uchiha clan's attitude is so hostile that if they were to overhear this, they might cause some unnecessary trouble.

It was about a ten-minute walk from the patrol area to the main camp. Along the way, the patrol team simply led the way with their heads down and did not communicate with the envoy's group. The secret service team was quite annoyed, but there was nothing they could do.

There was no welcoming ceremony at the entrance of the garrison camp; only staff officer Nara Yukihira and a few clerks were waiting.

"Lord Fengfeng!"

"Kohei, you've been doing a great job lately," Akimichi Torifu greeted Nara Kohei with a smile.

Akimichi Torifu was a highly respected senior among the Ino-Shika-Cho clans, and also a disciple of the Second Hokage. His status among the three clans was exceptionally high, and as a junior, Nara Yukihira dared not show the slightest disrespect.

"The border troops are commanded by the Uchiha clan's Kazuma and Tokumitsu, right? They've done a great job." As a contemporary of Uchiha Kagami, Akimichi Torifu didn't care about the Uchiha clan's relationship. "The battle of the mountain castle in the northern border of the Land of Grass is the biggest victory we've achieved since the start of the conflict."

"I dare not say so. This is all thanks to Commander Uchiha Himon and Commander Tokumitsu," Nara Yukihira said respectfully.

"Is it true that the deputy commander, Uchiha Tokumitsu, is not even ten years old yet?" Akimichi Torifu asked meaningfully.

"Yes, Vice Commander Tokumitsu is an unparalleled genius of the Uchiha clan, with outstanding strength and strategy..." Nara Yukihira answered cautiously. After all, Akimichi Torifu's status was above the rest and he was not concerned about gossip, but as a figurehead advisor, he still had to consider the opinions of the Uchiha ninjas in the camp under Uchiha control.

“Hmm…” Akimichi Torifu understood Nara Yukihira’s implication, so he stopped talking about the Uchiha clan and simply expressed his approval of the camp layout.

Inside the central command tent, Uchiha Himon, Uchiha Tokumitsu, and a number of squad leaders were already waiting. When Akimichi Torifu and his group entered, they stepped forward to pay their respects, led by Uchiha Himon.

……

Aside from the usual official jargon, the Hokage's edict was a reward decree for the battle at Yamashiro in the Land of Grass. As the camp commander, Uchiha Hamon received a third-class merit record, which allowed him to exchange his merits with the village for ninjutsu materials or rare resources; the participating ninjas also received ninjutsu or monetary rewards based on their kill counts.

As the actual commander of the battle, Uchiha Tokumitsu was promoted from Special Jonin to Jonin, thus officially becoming the youngest member of the Konoha Jonin team, and also the youngest Jonin among the five great ninja villages.

As one of the representatives of the ninja clans among the disciples of the Second Hokage, Akimichi Torifu has always been easygoing and has a relatively harmonious relationship with the various ninja clans. After reading the imperial edict, he chatted with everyone, and the atmosphere in the tent was very harmonious.

At the same time, Akimichi Torifu also fully affirmed Uchiha Tokumitsu's method of setting up a support detachment for centralized battlefield supply and rescue, considering it a reliable and effective measure, and then praised Uchiha Tokumitsu to the skies.

"Truly, heroes emerge from among the young!" Akimichi Torifu exclaimed. "The Uchiha clan truly deserves to be called the number one clan in the ninja world. Tokumitsu-kun has such talent at such a young age, it truly puts us to shame."

"Lord Tokiwa, you flatter me. You are a highly respected and accomplished elder of the village, and we, as your juniors, should learn from you." Since things had come to this point, Uchiha Tokumitsu naturally wouldn't stand on ceremony and lowered his posture accordingly.

"Konoha, as the strongest ninja in the world, needs young people like you to shoulder heavy responsibilities. In the future, new branches and leaves need to grow to support the great tree of Konoha," Akimichi Torifu praised cheerfully.

"Lord Tokiwa is too modest. You are the true pillar of the ninja village..."

As he spoke, Akimichi Torifu secretly observed the expressions of the Jonin in the tent. Seeing that Uchiha Tokumitsu was being praised so highly, and that all the Jonin looked at it as a matter of course without showing any sign of dissatisfaction, he knew that Uchiha Tokumitsu had actually gained control of and won over the Jonin of this division.

The younger generation is truly formidable.