Uchiha's personal opinion

Since deciding to withdraw his troops, the Third Mizukage has consciously strengthened intelligence gathering within the Land of Water and the southern islands of the Shogunate in order to conduct strategic assessments.

The retreat of the ninja army was not a simple matter.

Although the Cloud Village, severely weakened after a series of swift attacks, could only retreat to the Cloud Thunder Gorge for defense, it did not mean that the Cloud Village was without the strength to launch a counterattack when the Mist Village withdrew.

Moreover, if problems arise during the withdrawal process, the eager-to-return-home Wuyin family might even suffer a complete breakdown due to some inexplicable trivial matter, and then it would be too late to regret it.

"Besides that, did Konoha not conduct any war mobilization?"

The Third Mizukage asked, frowning.

He felt he couldn't figure out the shogunate's purpose in doing this.

If the goal was simply to force the daimyo to pay the full amount of the gold, then such a large-scale operation was unnecessary. If another war were to be started, the shogunate's military might not be able to contend with Kirigakure.

Especially now that the Hidden Mist Expeditionary Force is full of fighting spirit and resentment due to the forced withdrawal, if they were to face the Shogunate's ninja army again, they would not have the psychological burden caused by their previous defeats.

Furthermore, the Third Mizukage had already arranged for secret envoys to spread various hateful remarks among the ninja army in order to incite the Kirigakure ninjas' hatred towards the shogunate.

"The spies lurking in Konoha did not detect anything unusual."

The ANBU ninja said with absolute certainty.

"It seems this was really just to intimidate the daimyo so he'd pay the full amount in court..."

The Third Mizukage chuckled, finding it somewhat comical: "As a ninja of the Uchiha clan, you act like a greedy, mercenary businessman... How amusing!"

"Understood. Have the village's secret agents continue to spy on the shogunate's movements!"

The Third Mizukage, finding the matter somewhat uninteresting, simply dropped it.

"As ordered!"

The ANBU ninja immediately bowed and left.

"……call!"

After retreating from the central command tent, the Kirigakure ANBU ninja, who had been exuding a cold and murderous aura, finally breathed a sigh of relief, and his taut, straight back slumped.

"The Mizukage has changed quite a bit... that solemn aura of authority is really hard to bear..."

The Hidden Mist ninja sighed inwardly before disappearing in an instant.

As for the recent actions of the shogunate, after the "professional analysis" of the Kirigakure ANBU, all intelligence experts unanimously believed that the shogunate was trying to extort the daimyo of the Land of Water by taking advantage of the Kirigakure ninja army's overseas campaigns and the country's vulnerability. They believed that as long as the Kirigakure expeditionary force, which had regained its prestige, withdrew back home, the shogunate's arrogant and domineering behavior would surely be curbed.

The Third Mizukage's viewpoint coincides with the assessment of the Hidden Mist Dark Division.

Furthermore, the fact that Konoha Village had not launched a large-scale war mobilization further solidified Kirigakure's self-assessment.

……

"The fleet that was conducting naval exercises abroad can now withdraw."

After Hanzo the Salamander and his Rain Ninja Army secretly arrived and lay in wait in the eastern sea of ​​the Land of Fire, Uchiha Tokumitsu immediately gave the order.

"As ordered!"

A ninja attendant immediately obeyed and left.

"Notify the garrison in the Southern Islands to take radios and set up reconnaissance outposts at sea!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu issued all the battle orders in an orderly manner.

The ninja servants under his command stepped forward one by one to receive their orders and depart.

"Has the 70 billion taels of gold been exchanged?"

Uchiha Tokumitsu asked Hyuga Shuhiro.

"According to reports from the accompanying personnel, 33 billion has already been exchanged..."

Hyuga Shuhiro immediately responded.

"Very good~"

Uchiha Tokumitsu was very satisfied: "Continue the exchange! Keep the three ironclad warships in the outer sea of ​​Kinki patrolling the port. Don't let the Kirigakure intelligence agents spot any flaws!"

"So far, the Hidden Mist Village hasn't sent any envoys to communicate. Could it be that they've already noticed something's wrong...?"

Ashina Uzumaki, the leader of the Konoha Sealing Squad, the current head of the Uzumaki clan, and the guardian of the whirlpools under the shogunate, asked the question.

"It shouldn't be that bad..."

Uchiha Tokumitsu couldn't guess accurately either, but since he had already made so many feints, there was nothing he could do if he was still seen through.

"The fire jutsu is already gathering in my throat, so now is the time to unleash it, otherwise I will be injured by the backlash of the ninjutsu..."

"Chief Ashina, this time we really need to fight to the death..."

Uchiha Tokumitsu said to Uzumaki Ashina.

"The lives of the Uzumaki clan were saved by our lord, so it is our duty to participate in the war!"

Whirlpool Reed said righteously.

Uchiha Tokumitsu nodded, and then continued to issue various military orders.

According to the latest intelligence, the ninja army that Kirigakure is sending to the Land of Lightning has grown to tens of thousands after several rounds of reinforcements. Such a large number of ninjas would indeed be difficult for the Shogunate to defeat in a traditional land battle.

However, through the shipyard built with the aid of the shogunate, Uchiha Tokumitsu also keenly discovered a weakness of the Kirigakure expeditionary force: its relatively insufficient maritime transport capacity.

The Kirigakure ninja army that launched the expedition to the Land of Lightning possessed more than 500 warships of various sizes, but most of them were traditional sailing ships and oar-rowed boats with extremely limited carrying capacity. Their main warships were the six ironclad warships that the shogunate had sold to them. It was these six warships that laid the foundation for their absolute advantage in the naval battles against the Cloud Village during the conquest of the Land of Lightning.

However, compared to the Shogunate's seventy-two ironclad warships, Kirigakure's naval power seemed insignificant.

Other traditional warships in the Kirigakure fleet, such as the Atakebune, were not only slow, but their defenses were also so weak that they could not withstand even a single torpedo. If the shogunate controlled the pace of the war during naval battles, it could send all the Kirigakure ninjas to the bottom of the sea to feed the fish.

While Kirigakure excels in underwater combat, it doesn't mean that every Kirigakure ninja can traverse long distances across the sea. After all, the backbone of the ninja army is mainly composed of Chunin, whose chakra is relatively limited. Even if they manage to cross the sea and return to the Land of Water with all their might, they will be left vulnerable to attack due to depleted chakra.

"...Notify the sea outposts of the three clans to immediately report any sightings of the Kirigakure's amphibious fleet and confirm the fleet batch of the Third Mizukage, the target of this battle!"

As the naval battle drew closer, Uchiha Tokumitsu began to feel increasingly anxious.

This time, they are not only facing the main force of the Hidden Mist Ninja Army, but also Uchiha Madara disguised as the Third Mizukage!

When dealing with this old man, you can never be too cautious.

"De Guangjun seems to be overly anxious..."

A deep, muffled voice came from the doorway.

"Mr. Hanzo..."

Uchiha Tokumitsu turned his head and looked at him, a bright smile on his face.

Hanzo the Salamander, carrying a kusarigama, walked over with his head held high, accompanied by Yagura Karatachi, who appeared to be quite petite.

"Mr. Yagura is here too~"

Uchiha Tokumitsu greeted him.

"Humph!"

Although Yagura had regained his senses after Madara Uchiha's seal was broken, he still snorted coldly in annoyance.

Uchiha Tokumitsu ignored Yagura's rudeness and said to Hanzo of the Salamander, "This matter is of utmost importance. I urge you, Mr. Hanzo, to give it your all and not hold back..."

"Of course, the hiring fee is negotiable. As long as we win, I will never treat the Rain Ninja who have traveled a long way to participate in the battle unfairly!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu said with absolute certainty.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries with Uchiha Tokumitsu, Hanzo of the Salamander also took his leave, citing the need to look after his own ninja army, leaving Uchiha Tokumitsu and Yagura Karatachi alone.

During the Second Kirigakure Expedition, he had a brief encounter with Yagura Karatachi and knew that this short ninja who had been defeated and captured was one of the high-ranking ninjas of Kirigakure and also a Jinchuriki. However, he didn't know why Yagura was now brazenly showing up at the Tokugawa Shogunate headquarters.

"That's terrifying..."

As Hanzo the Salamander walked, he thought to himself, "If Amegakure were to collude with the Shogunate a few more times, would the village's ninjas also become more inclined to side with the Shogunate...?"

Hanzo the Salamander leaped onto a tall tower and gazed towards the harbor of Fubo City.

The Rain Ninja, now dressed in brand-new gear, had just disembarked. Their foreheads were adorned with the bright fan emblem of the Shogunate. They were walking arm in arm with the United Company ninja who had arrived with them across the sea, looking like close buddies.

"These bastards!"

Hanzo the Salamander was almost driven crazy by his own overly familiar and incompetent ninjas.

……

"Just say what you have to say."

Uchiha Tokumitsu said to Yagura, who looked constipated.

"...What exactly do you intend to do to Kirigakure?"

Yagura asked seriously.

Although his mind was sealed by the Third Mizukage and he was rescued by Uchiha Tokumitsu, Yagura Karatachi's love for Kirigakure still prompted him to ask this question.

"To set things right."

Uchiha Tokumitsu's answer was concise and to the point.

"But many people will die because of this!"

Yagura was not satisfied with Uchiha Tokumitsu's answer.

"Perhaps... but it's all fate's arrangement!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu remained noncommittal.

"As expected, it's the Uchiha clan, known as the evil clan! Don't the lives of Kirigakure ninjas matter?!"

Yagura, gritting his teeth, questioned.

Although he was filled with rage, he was powerless at this moment.

"The lives of Hidden Mist ninjas are lives too, but..."

Uchiha Tokumitsu looked down at the short Yagura Karatachi, "We can't just pull that 'precious life of the mist' thing, can we?"

"Besides... you're free to come and go from the shogunate, you can leave if you're not satisfied!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu's tone was very indifferent.

"Then what about the seal on my body? What's going on here?!"

Yagura Karatachi finally lost his temper and stuck out his tongue, saying, "What the hell is this now!"