Uchiha's personal opinion

Envoys who went to the Ninja World to try to contact outside help reported one after another that the three great ninja villages had no interest in interfering in Kirigakure's mess, and Kumogakure, which had just ended a war, even expressed pleasure that Kirigakure would be breached.

Meanwhile, Iwagakure, the most powerful of the three great ninja villages, was preoccupied with competing with Sunagakure and had no intention of interfering in Kirigakure's affairs.

The cessation of external aid is understandable; every ninja village on the ninja continent has suffered at the hands of the Uchiha clan, so it's normal for them to be unwilling to send troops to "maintain peace" at such a critical juncture. However, they are unwilling to even issue a statement that will have no effect whatsoever, and they are even unwilling to stand up and condemn the Shogunate, as requested by the Hidden Mist Village envoy...

"Such a short-sighted person..."

An elder from the Hidden Mist closed his eyes in despair: "Forget it, there's nothing left to argue about..."

"What Kirigakure is experiencing today will be their future predicament..."

"If they refuse to support Kirigakure today, they'll have to defend the village against the shogunate from now on!"

The elders of the Hidden Mist and their retinue cursed incessantly.

But so what if the insults are the harshest?

The shogunate's ninja army cannot be deterred by mere insults, and the situation in Kirigakure will not improve in the slightest because of the elders' indignation.

In fact, if it weren't for Hozuki Masahiko taking the initiative to stop the probing attack of the headquarters and ordering his subordinate shogunate ninja army to refuse to surrender on the battlefield, Kirigakure would probably have already welcomed the three clans' ninjas back to the village in glory.

"Three thousand ninja soldiers..."

Another Hidden Mist ninja let out a defeated howl.

Everyone present was moved to tears upon hearing this.

If Kirigakure were to lead its troops back to reinforce the area, Kirigakure might still have some bargaining power. Whether they were to fight first and then surrender or use this as leverage to negotiate with the shogunate, they would have some leverage.

However, after Juzo Biwa chose to sail east across the sea, Kirigakure, having lost its last remaining force, could only lie low and pray that the shogunate would spare them some dignity.

Even whether they can have a decent ending depends on whether the shogunate is willing to show mercy.

How did one of the Five Great Ninja Villages fall to such a state...?

The elders and Jonin were all baffled.

"My lords!"

A young Kirigakure genin rushed in, panting, without knocking or bowing, shouting in a panic, "Red flag! The Uchiha ninja army has raised the red flag!"

"what!"

The high-ranking members of Kirigakure were taken aback and quickly left the conference room, leaping to the highest point in the village to look around.

A crimson banner embroidered with the whirlpool family crest was hung atop a large tree at the headquarters of the Shogunate ninja army. A large group of Shogunate ninjas gathered beneath the banner, forming ranks and preparing for battle.

"...Reinforcements have been sent!"

"They're from the Uzumaki clan..."

"The fog has been concealed..."

All the elders of the Mist-Hidden Sect were stunned.

Just then, three red signal flares shot into the sky, and the Shogunate's ninja army officially launched its attack.

"The only option is to fight to the death..."

An elder from Kirigakure gave a wry smile, pulled a kunai from his robes, and charged headlong into the direction of the Shogunate's ninja army's attack.

"...If we don't die, the village's ninjas won't survive either."

Another elder from the Mist-Hidden Sect sighed, shook his head, and then launched his own charge.

The other two elders of the Hidden Mist Sect stood frozen in place, their faces ashen.

"It's too cold outside, let's go back..."

One of the elders who remained in place tightened his clothes and found an excuse for himself.

"That's true, that's true, maybe the water was too cold when I took a bath yesterday..."

Another elder from the Hidden Mist Village, who was also hesitant to fight, quickly nodded.

But before he could finish speaking, a ninja sword emerged from his back.

"Uh uh uh……"

The Hidden Mist Elder, pierced through the chest by a ninja sword, only had time to let out a few desperate cries before being beheaded by another ninja sword.

"You! Are you trying to rebel?!"

Elder Wuyin, who witnessed all of this, cried out in alarm, "This is insubordination! Do you have a death wish?"

The person who stabbed him in the back was none other than a trusted Jonin, a close confidant of this elder.

"Elder... please show some decorum!"

The trusted Jonin expressionlessly pulled the ninja sword from the chest of the dead elder, and then drew a short sword from his waist and threw it to the still-living elder.

"Please, Elder, show some respect!"

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the terrified Elder Wuyin picked up the short sword from the ground with trembling hands, gently stroking the blade with his fingers, his eyes filled with tears.

"Decent..."

Elder Wuyin gave a self-deprecating laugh, then plunged the dagger into his own heart without hesitation.

"...Let's all come at once and show the Shogunate the courage of Kirigakure!"

After casually pouring out a bottle of potion that turned the two elders' corpses into a puddle of pus, the leading Kirigakure ninja was the first to use the Body Flicker Technique to charge towards the unstoppable Shogunate ninja army.

"Suffer to death!"

The Hidden Mist ninjas, launching a desperate charge, roared as they charged towards the Shogunate ninja army, who were cutting them down like vegetables.

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"

The shogunate's ninja army, which had been enjoying smooth sailing, was somewhat surprised to find that the Hidden Mist ninja not only refused to surrender but also dared to fight back.

But this is just a meaningless counterattack that doesn't change anything at all.

"Fire Escape·Tou Ke Ku!"

"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"

Without even needing orders from Ashina Uzumaki at the command post, a squad of Uchiha ninjas immediately rushed forward and used fire-style ninjutsu to completely neutralize the water-style ninjutsu of the Hidden Mist ninjas.

Then another group of ninjas from the three clans led a group of surrendered Kirigakure ninjas to attack.

After a fierce battle, the Hidden Mist ninja who attempted to counterattack were all slaughtered.

"Master Ashina..."

Hozuki Masahiko, who was also watching the battle, turned his gaze to Uzumaki Ashina, who was resting with his eyes closed.

Ashina Uzumaki merely glanced at the battlefield briefly before closing his eyes again to rest.

"..."

Having no other choice, Hozuki Masahiko returned to his seat.

Minazuki tugged at his sleeve and shook her head, signaling him not to interfere.

Hozuki Masahiko understood what he meant and nodded to Minazuki Chino.

He had originally intended to allow more Kirigakure ninja to survive by surrendering, but now it seems that Uzumaki Ashina, who is in command, clearly does not want to leave so many Kirigakure ninja behind.

"...That's enough,"

After a long silence, Ashina Uzumaki finally gave the order: "Anyone who surrenders within five minutes will be spared!" "Yes, sir!"

Hozuki Masahiko didn't dare to say anything more and immediately left his seat to rush to the battlefield.

"Prepare a Shogunate flag and a United Nations medal."

Ashina Uzumaki said to Chino Minazuki, who was standing to the side, "In addition, you also need to lead your troops to conquer the last few hidden strongholds of Kirigakure and plant the Shogunate's flag on the top of the Mizukage Building!"

"I obey your command!"

Overjoyed, Minazuki Chino immediately stepped forward and knelt down.

Ashina Uzumaki's expression remained calm as he watched Minazuki Chino leave to organize her subordinates, while giving instructions to his clansmen.

"Send a report of victory back to Lord Tokugawa! Tell him..."

After searching for a moment, Ashina Uzumaki said leisurely, "Please, Your Excellency the Supreme Governor, spare some time to grace his most loyal Kirigakure with your presence!"

Chapter 280 Welcoming the Royal Army

As it turns out, regardless of the dimensional plane, the bottom line of intelligent life can be very flexible, and moral standards and integrity can change according to the changing circumstances.

For example, Fog Concealment is a prime example.

After Ashina Uzumaki led his troops to officially capture the headquarters of Kirigakure, he sent a message back, and Tokumitsu Uchiha finally began his journey to his "loyal Kirigakure".

"...Lord Tokuko, the envoys from the village and other ninja villages have been stuck in the Land of Whirlpools for quite some time."

The attendant ninja gave a reminder.

"Let them wait a little longer..."

Uchiha Tokumitsu hesitated for a moment. Then he instructed, "Let's talk about it after we've dealt with the Kirigakure matter."

Having invested tremendous effort into Kirigakure, which was now about to be within his grasp, Uchiha Tokumitsu was unwilling to let external interference disrupt his plans.

"As ordered!"

The attendant ninja understood immediately.

For the Uchiha clan, this would undoubtedly be a kind of ascension-like overall improvement.

From then on, the Uchiha clan was no longer ninjas of a ninja village, but ninjas who owned a ninja village.

Although Kirigakure's overall strength has fallen to the bottom of the five great ninja villages due to continuous war and personnel losses, how much will the Uchiha clan, which possesses all the resources of a great ninja village, expand in the future?

Even Uchiha Tokumitsu himself couldn't have imagined it.

Meanwhile, Konoha's envoy Mimura Yoru, who was intercepted by the Shogunate's ninjas in the Land of Whirlpools, along with Iwagakure's Kyoto and Kumogakure's Killer Bee, were also at a loss.

Although crossing water and sea was not a difficult task for powerful individuals of their caliber, the sight of the Shogunate's ironclad warships on patrol made them abandon the idea.

After all, in the vast ocean, it's quite normal for a team of ninjas to go missing.

Moreover, they believed that the shogunate had the ability and the will to do such a normal thing, which was the most terrifying thing.