Uchiha's personal opinion

"We could also organize a newly formed standing ninja army, and even join the anti-terrorism war in the three central countries led by Uchiha Tokumitsu..."

"What nonsense are you spouting! Could it be that you..."

Onoki immediately burst into a tirade of curses, then seemed to realize something.

"The Land of Frost..."

Huang Tu added, "At the very least, we can use this as a legitimate way to enter the southern region of the Frost Kingdom..."

After the "peacekeeping operation" ended, the Land of Frost was divided and occupied by Konoha and Iwagakure. Iwagakure occupied the northern part of the Land of Frost and controlled Frost Village.

But the northern part of the Land of Frost is not enough. Iwagakure, which has finally gained control of territory outside the Land of Earth, wants more.

However, after Takigakure, one of their original allies, was easily conquered by the Uchiha clan, even the land route between Iwagakure and Kumogakure was cut off by Konoha. If it weren't for the Takigakure's militant faction leaving the village and creating a so-called "Northern Takigakure Village" to barely maintain the situation, Onoki would probably have gone crazy with panic.

"Counter-terrorism..."

Onoki paced back and forth, unable to make a decision.

Although it seems like a promising idea, Ohnoki still needs to think it over carefully.

Currently, Iwagakure's main force is tied up on the battlefield in the Land of Wind, and the war with Sunagakure is unlikely to be decided anytime soon. In addition, Hanzo's Rain Ninja Army is still eyeing the Land of Birds. Iwagakure can no longer spare much strength.

If we were to draw more registered ninjas from the village to form a standing ninja army, Iwagakure's economy would be in serious trouble.

After all, Iwagakure doesn't have a joint venture company to supplement its income. The main source of income for ninjas is still mission commissions, while the income of ninja villages mainly comes from the daimyo's allocation and mission commissions. If a large number of ninjas are transferred out of their jobs, Iwagakure's economic bankruptcy will be inevitable sooner or later.

"Lord Tsuchikage... let's withdraw our troops from the Land of Wind! There's no point in continuing to fight with Sunagakure."

Encouraged by the glances and silent encouragement of the other high-ranking officials, Huang Tu braced himself and spoke again.

"You have such audacity..."

Onoki, who was already extremely irritable, suddenly flew into a rage, but when he looked around, he saw that all the higher-ups were nodding in agreement with what Huang Tu said, and he immediately couldn't utter a curse.

"The war with Sunagakure is yielding no benefits whatsoever; on the contrary, the village's young men are suffering heavy casualties. This cannot continue..."

A Jonin from Iwagakure spoke up.

"Leaving the ninja army stranded in the desert while neglecting their rear not only puts them in danger but also leaves them powerless to stop the Uchiha clan's rampant expansion. In doing so, the village's interests will suffer even greater losses..."

"How dare the mere Amegakure village spy on the flank of Iwagakure? We must withdraw our troops from the Land of Wind and launch a heavy attack on Hanzo of the Salamander!"

"Choosing to abandon support for Takigakure because the village is empty is a complete mistake!"

An elder from Iwagakure tapped his cane and directly pointed out Onoki's flawed decision.

Immediately, Onoki's old face turned bright red with anger.

But he also felt that something seemed off.

The Hidden Stone Village, which has always emphasized and revered the "Will of Stone," would never allow its ninjas, whether at the grassroots level or at the higher levels, to so collectively criticize the village's Kage!

Is it...

His gaze fell upon his eldest son, Huang Tu.

Although Huang Tu's expression was somewhat timid, he still maintained eye contact with his father, who was also the Earth Shadow.

If my guess is true, then the attitude of the Iwagakure leadership is not surprising...

Onoki sighed inwardly, but also felt somewhat comforted.

The child has grown up and learned to ask for what they want...

Are you in a hurry?

Onoki asked calmly.

“I’m not in a hurry, but the village is.”

Huang Tu immediately said, "The ninja world is facing an unprecedented upheaval since the Warring States period. If we don't respond in time..."

"From now on, you will be the village's assistant jonin and the jonin squad leader!"

Onoki interrupted his eldest son and stated his decision directly.

Are you satisfied with this?

With a cold expression, Onoki surveyed all the executives present, and everyone who looked at him lowered their heads.

Only Huang Tu's face had lost its last trace of fear, and now his face was full of determination as he met his father's gaze without flinching.

"I did it for the village..."

"What Uchiha Tokumitsu can do, I can do too..."

Having suddenly gained power, Huang Tu, who had previously held only the title of the eldest son of the Tsuchikage, was filled with excitement and anticipation for the future.

He couldn't wait to spar with Uchiha Tokumitsu, who had "bullied" Iwagakure and devoured Takigakure!

Chapter 321 The New Generation Must Prove Themselves

As the eldest son of the Third Tsuchikage, Huang Tu possesses considerable personal strength and is supported by numerous surrounding forces.

This is only natural; no matter how "simple and honest" Iwagakure may be, there will always be some cunning or ambitious ninjas who will take the initiative to come to them.

However, unlike Sarutobi Shinnosuke, the son of the Third Hokage who became the captain of the Anbu at a young age, his father, Onoki, the Tsuchikage supported by all the ninja of Iwagakure, has never been very satisfied with him.

When will you finally get your act together, you stubborn mush!

These are the most common things Onoki said to his son.

Although they are obedient and fearful, people always have a rebellious streak, even someone like Huang Tu, who has been scolded by his father since childhood, is no exception.

Furthermore, Iwagakure suffered heavy losses and gained nothing in the war against Sunagakure in the Land of Wind. Its strategic shift to unite with its mortal enemy, Kumogakure, to counter Konoha was too rapid, leaving the village's die-hards unable to adapt. When faced with strategic pressure from Konoha and the Shogunate, Iwagakure reacted too slowly, even doing the extremely foolish thing of abandoning its ally, Takigakure. This caused the elders of Iwagakure and some Jonin to begin to feel dissatisfied with the current Tsuchikage, Onoki, and thus gradually began to consider supporting the next generation.

Of course, Onoki's position as Tsuchikage remains unshakable, for a simple reason—he is still the strongest ninja of Iwagakure in the present day, and the Dust Release, the secret technique passed down through the Tsuchikage lineage, has yet to find a suitable successor.

Unlike Konoha, where the ninja clans are powerful, Iwagakure doesn't have many large-scale bloodline limit ninja clans. The Tsuchikage's Dust Release is the foundation of the village's highest fighting strength, so it cannot be easily shaken. Moreover, in terms of seniority, Onoki is above many elders.

The elders and Jonin's demands were actually quite simple: they wanted a young, energetic person to take the lead and challenge Konoha. Ideally, this young person should have a close relationship with the Tsuchikage, Onoki, so that even if they failed, they wouldn't be punished. Therefore, Kyoto was the most suitable candidate.

So, after a group of elders secretly worked together and some Jonin encouraged him, Huang Tu finally mustered up the courage to say "no" to his father and unexpectedly gained power.

"It's good to let young people give it a try..."

Ōnoki stood at the window, watching his son, Kōtsuchi, being escorted away by a group of elders and Jonin, and sighed silently in his heart.

He wasn't some selfless saint, and naturally he was happy to see his family rule Iwagakure for generations to come. However, because he had high expectations of himself, he was somewhat disappointed in his son, Koto. In addition, Iwagakure, which advocated the "Will of Stone," emphasized that personal struggle was more important than the legacy of one's ancestors, so he had been suppressing the idea of ​​his descendants taking over the position.

But now that the other villagers are pushing their sons to take the position, letting the spoils rot in their own pots, Onoki doesn't mind going along with it.

"Anyway, I'll cover for him!"

With this in mind, Onoki handed over all decision-making power over foreign affairs and the ninja forces stationed abroad to the new Tsuchikage's assistant and Jonin squad leader, Huang Tu, while he focused on the village's internal affairs—such as finding opportunities to deal with the elders who were encouraging his son to seize power.

……

With the assistance of elders and Jonin, Huang Tu quickly seized power, and Iwagakure's strategic shift was rapidly deployed.

First, the Iwagakure Expeditionary Force, which had been fighting endlessly in the Land of Wind, began to retreat steadily, giving up the occupied territory in the northern part of the Land of Wind.

The Sand Village, bewildered, dared not act rashly. After extensive reconnaissance, they finally confirmed that the Iwagakure had indeed withdrawn its troops. However, under the restraint of the Third Kazekage, the Sand Village ninja army maintained its formation and steadily followed the Iwagakure to take back the lost territory.

In addition to withdrawing from the quagmire of the war in the Land of Wind, Huang Tu deployed most of the retreating ninja army in the Land of Birds, forcing the Rain Ninja Army led by Hanzo of the Salamander to build several ninja army camps on the southern border of the Land of Earth, adopting a posture of attacking the Land of Rain from two sides.

Under immense pressure, Hanzo of the Salamander had no choice but to lead his troops out of the Land of Birds and seek help from Uchiha Tokumitsu.

Meanwhile, an Iwagakure ninja army entered northern Takigakure under the guise of "exchange," openly supporting Kita-Takigakure Village, which was organized by the Takigakure martial arts faction.

In addition, under the pretext of eliminating terrorist organizations, Huang Tu brazenly organized a 2,000-strong ninja army to occupy the border between the Land of Earth and the Land of Grass, conducting military exercises day and night, which put considerable pressure on the Fire Gate Shogunate.

……

In less than a month, Huang Tu’s strategic shift had yielded fruitful results.

Having shed the financial burden of the expedition to the Land of Wind, the Iwagakure, now lightly armed, displayed a strategic offensive posture that greatly encouraged the village and successfully established Huang Tu's personal prestige.

Once again, Ōnoki, in accordance with the will of the ninja village, handed over the entire village's intelligence network to Yotsuchi.

With foreign affairs authority, military control over overseas ninja forces, and intelligence capabilities, Huang Tu could, if he so desired, easily force the village to wage war against other countries by fabricating intelligence.

"What Uchiha Tokumitsu can do, I can do too!"

Faced with a phased strategic victory and the flattery of his subordinates, Huang Tu, having tasted the sweetness of power, gradually became complacent.

……

Meanwhile, the Hidden Cloud Village has begun paving the way for the Fourth Generation Ai.

Although the Fourth Hokage A's ninja army couldn't even last a day against the Shogunate's ninja army led by Uchiha Tokumitsu during the Southern War of the Land of Lightning, they still had many commendable achievements in the subsequent protracted battle against Kirigakure.

Furthermore, with the loss of two tailed beasts, there are indeed few skilled individuals to be found in the Hidden Cloud Village, so the Fourth Hokage A's position is not threatened.

Despite some internal controversy, after news of Huang Tu taking over as assistant to the Tsuchikage of Iwagakure and leader of the Jonin class reached Kumogakure, the Third Raikage began paving the way for his son.

However, since the Raikage lineage has been unbroken since the village was founded, the Fourth Raikage's rise to power is more a matter of succession than ascension.

First, the Fourth Hokage, Aijin, was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the border ninja army, responsible for leading the Kumogakure ninja army on the southern border. Then, Killer Bee, the Fourth Hokage's designated partner, was appointed as the chief strategist of the border ninja army. Although Killer Bee, as the chief strategist, did not know what a strategist was, that was not important. The most important thing was to let him get acquainted with the Jonin in charge of the standing ninja army, which was currently composed of the most elite ninjas of Kumogakure.

With the initiative of the Fourth A, Huang Tu, in his capacity as the Tsuchikage's assistant, held a historic meeting with him in the southwestern part of the Land of Lightning, and reached an agreement on the Land of Lightning to redeem and repurchase the Iwagakure-occupied territories.

Spurred by this diplomatic achievement, which was hailed as a "historic breakthrough" by the entire Hidden Cloud Village, the prestige of the Fourth A also rose steadily, and his path to succession became unobstructed.

……

However, unlike the rising stars of Iwagakure and Kumogakure, Uchiha Tokumitsu seemed somewhat quiet.

Aside from his own daily training, Uchiha Tokumitsu was most concerned about Gamachi's research progress.

Thanks to the joint efforts of the Konoha Research Institute and the Uzumaki Research Institute, the mystery surrounding the Sage Chakra of Mount Myōboku has begun to be unveiled.

However, after the research on paper yielded results, the Uzumaki researchers began to face a historic problem: they could not access natural abilities, nor could they figure out how natural energy could be integrated with the chakra of a ninja's body—in other words, after researching the composition of Sage Chakra, practical application research could not continue.

……

"We spent so much money, and this is the result... Do you think this is acceptable?"

Inside the Nanagawa Stock Exchange office, Uchiha Tokumitsu put down his research report with a headache, pressed his temples with both hands, and spoke to a group of Uzumaki researchers who were hanging their heads and acting like they had nothing to lose.

"Lord Deguang... the main problem is that we are too weak. We can't even sense natural energy, so we have no way of figuring out how to fuse and refine Sage Chakra..."

"The director of the vortex research team said, forcing himself to speak."

"Can't we find any useful information from that toad either?"