Uchiha's personal opinion

Sakumo Hatake answered without hesitation.

"So, what kind of impact will public opinion have?"

Uchiha Tokumitsu asked again.

"...The tavern's prices seem to have increased quite a bit again, does this count?"

Sakumo Hatake racked his brains for a long time before finally answering a completely nonsensical question.

This time he finally understood.

"The villagers needed an outlet for their emotions, and their former defeated adversaries were the perfect pressure relief valve..."

Uchiha Tokumitsu said leisurely, "As long as the village continues to have enemies and opponents from the outside world, the village's internal conflicts can be diverted through this kind of public opinion..."

"What if the internal conflicts become so great that they cannot be redirected?"

Sakumo Hatake continued to humbly seek advice.

"Either reform internally or go to war with foreign powers."

Uchiha Tokumitsu said, "It's that simple!"

Chapter 292 Iron Curtain and Choosing Sides

The latest installment of reparations and bond redemption funds from Kumogakure has once again been delivered to the Nakagawa Stock Exchange located in Konoha Village.

When Kumogakure chose to reconcile with its mortal enemy Iwagakure and stood together with Iwagakure and Takigakure to start anew during the Chunin Exams, there were voices within Kumogakure's Jonin members calling for a halt to the continued payment of war reparations and bond redemption funds to the Tokukō Shogunate.

It was the Third Raikage who overruled objections and upheld the treaty between the two sides regarding war reparations.

"Unless a full-scale war breaks out with the Shogunate or Konoha, the treaty between the two sides will not be changed!"

In the Raikage's office, the Third Raikage said this in front of a group of high-ranking officials.

"However, if we continue to pay reparations, the village will continue to lack funds for military development, and if we ask His Highness to increase investment, the reconstruction of the northern region will be further delayed..."

"A high-ranking Jonin said."

After being ravaged by the Shogunate coalition and the Kirigakure expeditionary force, the Land of Lightning was already a scene of devastation and ruin. If no funds were allocated for reconstruction, the Land of Lightning would probably not be able to recover for the next twenty or thirty years.

Moreover, the southern region is still under the control of Konoha and Iwagakure.

Although Iwagakure has agreed to gradually return the occupied territories after choosing to reconcile with them, this will require a transition period to avoid causing an excessive reaction from Konoha. Moreover, a considerable number of Konoha occupying forces still control the southeastern part of the Land of Lightning.

As a Land of Lightning deeply scarred by war, how could the Hidden Cloud Village dare to compete with the Shogunate, which controls Kirigakure and several smaller countries, and even Konoha? No matter how arrogant the Hidden Cloud Village is, it doesn't have the courage to boast like that.

After all, the Hidden Cloud Village was crippled by the Shogunate and the Hidden Mist Village during its heyday.

"...In addition, the shogunate's gold yen is also circulating in the southern region. If the government cannot be restored, the gold yen, with its relatively stronger purchasing power, will sooner or later infiltrate the central and northern regions, causing extremely adverse effects on the country's financial environment..."

The head of the Cloud Village Intelligence Department also said.

While the Shogunate's series of financial and military offensives in the Land of Water were crude, they did open the eyes of the uneducated ninjas in the ninja world. After intelligence analysis, they discovered that unless the influx of Shogunate gold yuan was stopped from the beginning, sooner or later the gold yuan, with its strong purchasing power, would squeeze out the space for domestic currency, thus causing Shogunate to lose control of the national economy.

"Takigakure will increase its reconstruction aid to the village, so there shouldn't be any funding problems in the short term."

The Third Raikage said to the Fourth Raikage, "In exchange, the village will train Anbu for the Takigakure ninja... A, you'll be in charge of this!"

"As ordered!"

The fourth generation of Ai, who was seriously injured by Sakumo Hatake's "Thousand Years of Death" in the southern battlefield, has now recovered and looks much more composed.

"Kirabi!"

The Third Raikage said to Killer Bee, who was sitting to the side scratching his head, "You will be in charge of the border troops at the southeastern ceasefire line. Your most important responsibility is to blockade and strangle all smuggling routes from the south!"

The shogunate and the United Company started out by smuggling from the Land of Water. After they became successful, they used the gold coins they issued as a vanguard to infiltrate the Land of Water and various small countries in the ninja world, thereby achieving their goal of controlling their economy and military. Now that the Land of Lightning needs to rebuild and revive, the first priority is to block the newly emerging "private trade" in the Land of Lightning. Only in this way can they earn enough seigniorage through the price scissors to rebuild and train the ninja army.

"Yes, sir..."

Killer Bee dared not overstep his bounds in front of the Third Raikage and obediently agreed.

After the group of high-ranking members of the Cloud Village left, the Third Raikage, who had maintained a strong and autocratic demeanor, finally breathed a sigh of relief and slumped into his chair.

His pressure was far greater than the Cloud Village's higher-ups had imagined.

His choice to reconcile with his arch-enemy Iwagakure and his falling out with the unstoppable shogunate made him even more controversial in the village.

But thankfully, the gamble paid off.

The reaction from the shogunate and even Konoha was not as strong as expected, and no second expeditionary ninja army was organized to try to interfere in the internal affairs of Kumogakure. The doubts and public opinion in the village gradually dissipated, and everything was developing in the best direction as expected.

"By now, the team should have arrived in Konoha..."

The Third Raikage gazed at the clouds outside the window, lost in thought.

……

The Cloud Village escort team that arrived in Konoha had a very bad feeling!

From the moment they entered the Land of Fire, multiple Konoha ninja forces took turns "escorting" them, leaving them no opportunity to gather intelligence on the spot.

Upon arriving in Konoha, the Cloud Village ninjas escorting the compensation and payment received felt the naked malice from the Konoha ninjas and even ordinary villagers.

...Moreover, it was a malice that came from a superior position, looking down with contempt!

The Cloud Village ninjas, whose sensitive hearts had already broken down, walked expressionlessly through the Konoha commercial street under the "escort" of the police patrol. Like baboons being watched, they headed to the Nakagawa Stock Exchange to hand over the current period's payments to the shogunate amidst mocking gazes.

Subsequently, the leader of the ninjas proposed to purchase some supplies in Konoha, but this was flatly refused by the accompanying police ninjas.

Then he requested to meet with Uchiha Tokumitsu, but the police department ninjas also disagreed.

Helpless, the Yunyin escort team, having paid the compensation, didn't even get a hot meal before slinking away in disgrace.

Within Konoha, there was no shortage of praise for Uchiha Tokumitsu. It was believed that it was the valiant and skilled Shogunate ninja army that defeated the once arrogant and domineering Kumogakure, forcing Kumogakure to pay war reparations and cede territory. He truly deserved to be a scion of the "Number One Clan in the Ninja World" and the "representative of Konoha's hawks."

Of course, during the recent purge, the pent-up resentment of the Konoha villagers was also transferred to the Cloud Village, who were inexplicably shot.

After all, it's all about insults, and it's much safer to insult the defeated Cloud Village than to insult the omnipresent Uchiha clan.

……

"Order to the northwestern border defense forces to immediately begin sealing off the border between the Land of Grass and the Land of Earth, cutting off all channels of movement of people."

Although Uchiha Tokumitsu had no intention of starting another war, he did take appropriate countermeasures against Iwagakure.

Then there was the Land of Frost, which was jointly ruled by the Shogunate and Iwagakure. Uchiha Tokumitsu also ordered the blockade of its borders and deployed garrisoned ninja forces to the border.

Of course, sealing off part of the border was only one step in the countermeasures, and Uchiha Tokumitsu continued to launch a heavy attack on Iwagakure.

"A low-interest military loan of 2 billion taels will be allocated to Amegakure to support its expansion toward the Land of Birds."

The so-called Bird Country is a small buffer country sandwiched between the Land of Wind, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Rain. It is also the traditional sphere of influence of Iwagakure. The Iwagakure expeditionary force, which is currently fighting fiercely with Sunagakure in the Land of Wind, maintains its frontline supplies through the Bird Country.

Even if Hanzo of the Salamander still fails to make a breakthrough in a short period of time after receiving aid, as long as Amegakure maintains its westward expansion stance, it can still threaten the Iwagakure expeditionary force that is currently on a long and arduous campaign in the Land of Wind.

This was also a gesture of goodwill from Uchiha Tokumitsu towards the Third Kazekage, who controlled the Land of Wind.

Since he has chosen to stand with the Shogunate and even Konoha, Uchiha Tokumitsu, as the current commander of Konoha's highest ninja army, will definitely not treat his "old friend" unfairly and will provide him with all the help he can, except for participating in the war.

Thus, with Uchiha Tokumitsu's deployment, a crude iron curtain, riddled with flaws, was erected across the ninja world from north to south.

At this point, factions and allegiances are the only things small and neutral countries need to consider.

If he still wants to play both sides and profit from both, even if Uchiha Tokumitsu is magnanimous, the Shogunate's ninja army will not tolerate him!

Subsequently, at the behest of Uchiha Tokumitsu, Minazuki Chino led 500 Kirigakure ninja under the escort of the Shogunate fleet to the Tajima Peninsula in the southern part of the Land of Iron, where she expelled the samurai stationed there and openly established an advance camp.

During the Second Shinobi World War, the Second Kirigakure Army established a secret base on the Tajima Peninsula to attack the eastern part of the Land of Fire. As Uchiha Tokumitsu's ninja army swept away Kirigakure's First Kirigakure Army like autumn leaves, this secret base was raided and burned by Uchiha Tokumitsu's troops who returned to provide support. Kirigakure, suffering heavy losses, could only withdraw with the help of the Third Mizukage.

Returning to this familiar place of sorrow, the Hidden Mist ninjas were somewhat melancholic, but the leader, Mizuki Chino, appeared spirited and full of passion.

While maintaining pressure on Kumogakure and Iwagakure, Uchiha Tokumitsu did not forget Kirigakure, which was under his command.

The Hidden Mist Village, an island nation in the Land of Water, has always aspired to establish a foothold on the ninja continent that it can hold for a long time, serving as a window for the nation and ninja villages to communicate with the outside world.

Uchiha Tokumitsu fulfilled their wish.

Although Kirigakure is now in a state of utter decline and is regarded as a vassal of Uchiha Tokumitsu and a disgrace to the Five Great Shinobi Villages, this has not diminished Kirigakure's pride as a former great nation's ninja.

Especially after their re-landing on the Tajima Peninsula, the grudges that the Hidden Mist ninjas had harbored against Uchiha Tokumitsu for so long dissipated somewhat.

Although it failed to change everyone's opinion, at least the people of Kirigakure stopped being passive and uncooperative.

And this is exactly what Uchiha Tokumitsu wanted.

As I always say, "What I don't give you, you can't take!"

However, the arrival of the Kirigakure and Shogunate fleets also caused unease among the high-ranking officials of the Land of Iron.

As is well known, the rulers of the Land of Iron are samurai from the old era, just like the priestesses of the Land of Demons, who are the settlements of the defeated during the Warring States period.

The Land of Iron, adhering to the principle of neutrality, also possesses a large army of samurai, and a constant stream of new-era samurai with considerable skill in chakra swordsmanship. From the perspective of the radical faction within the Land of Iron, given the disparity in strength, a surprise attack would be sufficient to expel the Kirigakure ninja currently stationed on the Tajima Peninsula by gathering a sufficient number of skilled samurai from the Land of Iron.

However, after careful consideration, Mifune, the Supreme Commander of the Land of Iron, rejected the proposal from the group of high-ranking warriors who were engaged in martial arts.

—We cannot wage war against Kirigakure and the Shogunate behind it over a desolate Tajima Peninsula! Otherwise, the samurai of the Land of Iron will not be able to withstand the massive onslaught of the Shogunate's ninja army.

It's important to know that before the Second Shinobi World War, even Hanzo's Rain Ninja Army could rout a well-organized army of the Land of Iron's samurai forces. If it weren't for Mifune's repeated defeats and his troops' resistance against the Rain Ninja, the Land of Iron would probably have been completely wiped out by the second-rate ninja forces of the Shinobi World War.

“…Send an envoy to Konoha.”

Inside the castle tower of the Supreme Commander, Supreme Commander Mifune slowly announced his decision.

Although the expressions of the high-ranking samurai of the Land of Iron changed slightly, they were mostly relieved.

It's a good thing that we don't have to fight, since when the Shogunate's ninja army destroyed Kirigakure's advance camp in Tajima, the Land of Iron's spies witnessed the devastating power of Susanoo.

"But this violates our principle of neutrality..."

This is what Daito, one of the master swordsmen of the Land of Iron, said.

"The shogunate is too powerful, so making some compromises is a last resort..."

Another samurai captain stood up and defended himself.

"...And what do you think?"

Mifune's gaze fell upon his most capable assistant, samurai Nagatoku.

"If we are inferior in both power and skill, then we have no choice but to compromise and reach an agreement with the shogunate."

Rikka stood up and said, "If the shogunate is unwilling to make concessions on this point, then we will have no choice but to abandon the Tajima Peninsula and join the camps of Kumogakure and Iwagakure."

"We are a neutral country... Why should we get involved in the infighting among those lowly ninjas..."