Uchiha's personal opinion

"inappropriate!"

"Not permitted!"

Both Ōnoki and the daimyo of the Land of Earth refused.

"The matter of the decisive battle still needs careful consideration; we must not underestimate the ninja army..."

The envoy of the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning also spoke in a deep, muffled voice.

Ultimately, they still lack confidence.

After all, since the Second Shinobi World War, Iwagakure and Kumogakure have never won a single victory in their war against the Shogunate.

"The shogunate's decision to abolish the daimyo was a huge mistake! Allowing those illiterate ninjas to govern the regions will inevitably lead to internal strife! So time is on our side."

The daimyo of the Land of Earth said with great certainty.

"Of course!"

The envoys all seconded the motion.

Ai, who had different opinions, naturally couldn't say anything more.

"In addition to the wisdom of the sacred land of Mount Myōboku and the power of the sacred land of Ryūchi-dō..."

The daimyo of the Land of Earth nodded very kindly to Ashura, then loudly addressed the crowd:

"Therefore... our destiny will surely be righteous! The order of the ninja world must not be disrupted!"

Justice will prevail!

Chapter 408 Military Discipline and People's Livelihood

Just after the Northern Alliance officially finalized its resolution to improve the quality and increase the number of ninja troops, the Daimyo of the Land of Earth announced the official conclusion of this successful, victorious, and great conference.

Next, the nobles under the daimyo's command, representatives of the ninja villages, and the spokespersons of the holy lands exchanged views.

"It's like this, Lord Tsuchikage..."

A high-ranking official from the Land of Earth hesitated for a long time before stepping forward and saying to Onoki, "Would it be convenient for you to move aside and talk?"

"Why can't we say these things here!"

Onoki frowned, his expression displeased: "Iwagakure is upright and honest, and the Land of Earth is righteous and resolute. Just say what you have to say. I don't know where you learned these underhanded tricks!"

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry..."

The high-ranking official from the Land of Earth, who had been thoroughly reprimanded, dared not argue. After all, this was an era in which ninjas held far greater influence, and the status of nobles was no longer what it used to be. So, he could only blush and repeatedly apologize: "Lord Tsuchikage, and all the envoys, I am truly sorry, it was my oversight..."

After apologizing to everyone, the official finally handed a document to Onoki with a bitter expression.

Judging from the title on the cover, it should be a report jointly submitted by the southwestern counties of the Land of Earth, as well as the vassal states of the Land of Birds and the Land of Stone, and then forwarded to Iwagakure for processing.

But Onoki didn't reach out to take it; he just stared at him intently.

The official was even more at a loss.

"Read!"

Onoki said without room for argument, "Read it aloud right here!"

"This……"

The high-ranking official was instantly at a loss.

He had read the contents of the document. Although it wasn't exactly a secret, if it were read aloud in public... he didn't know if the Iwagakure ninjas would be furious, but he, the scholar, would definitely not fare well!

Although the people in the secret room continued to talk and communicate, most of them were absent-minded, focusing their attention on Onoki and the nobleman's amusement.

"Read it to me!"

The official was still hesitant, but Onoki's tone became even more stern.

Sensing the abyss-like, murderous aura emanating from the official, he had no choice but to cautiously open the document and read it aloud in front of everyone.

"A joint report from nobles of various prefectures and kingdoms states: Recently, groups of Iwagakure ninja have been frequently appearing and causing great distress to the citizens and nobles of the garrison and surrounding prefectures and cities..."

Although the official read the text haltingly and haltingly, and the content was an accusation against the Iwagakure ninja, Onoki didn't care at all.

It's just a nuisance, nothing serious!

Those nobles are so pretentious; they have to make a big deal out of such a trivial matter and even submit a joint report!

The ninjas and messengers who had been eavesdropping immediately lost interest.

After all, life in Iwagakure and Kumogakure was difficult these days, and the lives of ninjas were relatively frugal. So, sometimes, some unpleasant things would inevitably happen, but as long as it didn't escalate to the point of large-scale robbery, plunder, destruction, and annihilation, they didn't care much.

After all, ninjas are selective in their attacks and generally won't target nobles who are protected by guardian ninjas or high-ranking samurai. Therefore, they naturally won't have any impact on the nobles who hold decision-making power.

Therefore, among those present, only Ashura, whose identity was mysterious and who attracted much attention, frowned slightly, looking somewhat displeased, but did not say anything more.

"...They gathered in groups, relying on Earth Release ninjutsu to move freely, roaming the streets and alleys without restraint, completely disregarding the three prohibitions of ninjas."

The official swallowed hard and secretly glanced at Onoki's expression, because the big reveal was about to begin.

"continue!"

Onoki roared in dissatisfaction.

"Yes, sir..."

The official continued reading cautiously: "Some Iwagakure ninja have strange quirks. They neither kidnap nobles for ransom nor ambush caravans to plunder their wealth. Instead, they often gather in groups of three to five, using their Earth Release ninjutsu to spy on nobles in their residences, urinating and defecating..."

Upon hearing this, everyone present was stunned!

"Moreover, these people are indiscriminate in their behavior, regardless of gender or age, and they all lurk behind people to spy on them. Moreover, they appear and disappear unpredictably, making them impossible to guard against. Scholars, commoners, and nobles are all greatly disturbed by them, and are extremely annoyed but have no way to deal with them..."

"Therefore, we, the nobles of various counties and states, plead on behalf of the people, and earnestly request His Highness to instruct Iwagakure to strictly enforce military discipline and never again engage in such despicable acts!"

"If there is a shortage of military supplies and provisions, the garrisoned ninja troops may request them from the prefectural governor, or they may set up their own checkpoints to collect taxes, however..."

"Shut up!"

The official was reading with great enthusiasm, his tone becoming increasingly louder, when Onoki, unable to bear it any longer, suddenly sprang up and roared, causing him to collapse to the ground in shock.

"Yes Yes Yes……"

The official hurriedly placed the report on the ground, then scrambled to his feet and rushed out of the secret room.

Onoki was so angry he wanted to kill someone.

He thought it was just some trivial matter, like the border nobles complaining about ninja raids, so he was thinking of giving them a hard time. But he never expected it to be such a shameful thing!

Although no one turned their attention to them and they continued to discuss the expansion or training of the ninja army as usual, Onoki could clearly see extremely twisted mockery in their expressions!

A bunch of bastards!

A bunch of bastards who deserve to be beheaded!

Ohnoki got more and more carried away by his thoughts!

He wanted to find a reason to vent his anger, but everyone was shrewd and there was no way they would dare to provoke him at this time. This made Onoki, who had no way to vent his anger, feel extremely uncomfortable!

"Humph!"

After sulking for a while and finding no opportunity to vent his anger, Onoki got up and prepared to leave this awkward place.

Just after he stepped out, a burst of laughter erupted from the secret room!

"who!"

With his senses completely overwhelmed by rage, Onoki immediately pushed open the door to the secret room.

"Excuse me... what are your orders, Lord Tsuchikage?"

Inside, the conversation proceeded as usual, and the daimyo's close attendant peeked over curiously.

Did I hear that right?

Onoki began to doubt himself, so he hesitated, shook his head, turned around, and closed the door again before leaving.

Hahahahahaha!!!

The bursts of laughter from inside the sealed room seeped through the crack in the door, which wasn't quite closed yet, drilling into Onoki's mind like a drill!

This is not an illusion!

"mix……"

Onoki pushed open the door again, but everything inside remained the same.

"Um...Does Lord Tsuchikage have something to tell you? Or did he forget something?"

The envoy from the Land of Lightning gave a meaningful look.

"N-nothing..."

The usually resolute and decisive Onoki began to doubt himself again.

However, as soon as he closed the door again, bursts of laughter erupted from the secret room once more.

"call……"

This time, Onoki didn't push the door open again. He simply took a deep breath and then staggered away.

……

"The garrison ninja forces of Iwagakure and Kumogakure are severely undisciplined and cause great harm to their respective countries..."

At the Konoha Joint Conference, the Hyuga clan leader, in charge of the intelligence department, reported: "According to incomplete statistics, the intelligence department ninjas have collected records of 143 raids and massacres by Iwagakure ninjas in the southern regions of the Land of Birds and the Land of Earth; and 79 serious incidents perpetrated by the allied ninja forces of the two countries in the northern region of the Land of Waterfall..."

"Although this matter is unrelated to us, we should still take it as a warning."

Sakumo Hatake on the platform spoke to Tokumitsu Uchiha.

"Discipline in the Ninja Army is the fundamental guarantee of combat effectiveness."

On this point, Uchiha Tokumitsu always had high standards. Even if they couldn't compare to the Iron Army in his previous life's memories, he at least demanded that they not plunder without cause. As for forced sales or the concealment of "spoils of war" during wartime, he could only turn a blind eye.

After all, we can't have too high expectations for this terrible world, and the moral standards of the ninja world are what they are, so it's unrealistic to ask for too much.

This can only be hoped for in the future when people are well-fed and clothed and know honor and shame.

Therefore, while Uchiha Tokumitsu was making a fortune through the monopoly of the United Company, he also consciously leaked some profits to benefit the lower classes.

"The ninja forces stationed abroad and the Konoha standing forces should conduct self-examination and self-correction in order to prevent unhealthy practices from becoming prevalent within the ninja forces."