Uchiha's personal opinion

"Hmm...that makes sense. After all, the Uchiha clan has always been skilled in Fire Release ninjutsu, and it's normal that they couldn't control the power of Fire Release for the time being in order to protect the Daimyo." Uchiha Tokumitsu was a little unsure about Hatake Sakumo's attitude, and spoke with some caution. "In that case, it's reasonable, isn't it..."

"However, we still need the Daimyo of the Land of Grass to issue a decree condemning this, so that it won't be considered that the border defense forces have provoked the border conflict without authorization," Sakumo Hatake added.

“This is definitely… uh!” Uchiha Tokumitsu was saying when he suddenly realized something and looked at Hatake Sakumo, who was still eating non-stop, with some surprise.

At this moment, Sakumo was wolfing down his food like a starving ghost, showing none of the cold demeanor of "Konoha's White Fang".

"Tokumitsu-kun, besides this, do you have any other plans?" Hatake Sakumo swallowed the food in his mouth, breathed a sigh of relief, and took a sip of water. "This is still not enough to completely defeat Iwagakure."

"Kusagakure." Uchiha Tokumitsu hesitated for a moment before speaking, "I plan to use the Daimyo's decree as a pretext to mobilize the Kusagakure ninja army to launch an attack on the Iwagakure camp."

"The fighting strength of the Grass Ninja is... rather disappointing." Hatake Sakumo was well-informed and naturally knew the fighting strength of the ninjas from smaller villages. "Moreover, the Grass Ninja are as their name suggests; they are notorious for being fickle."

"It's alright, I've already had the garrison camp select and train a supervisory team." Uchiha Tokumitsu grinned, his smile seemingly filled with endless bloodlust. "In the event of battle, anyone who retreats without orders will be executed, and those who win will be rewarded! I think... these two wartime regulations are enough."

"Kusagakure... probably more than three thousand ninjas." Hatake Sakumo rested his chin on his hand, seemingly deep in thought.

“Two thousand five hundred Grass Ninja should be enough.” Uchiha Tokumitsu blinked rapidly.

He felt he was about to lose control of the urge to activate his Sharingan.

“We also need to leave some roots for the Grass Ninja Village,” Sakumo Hatake agreed earnestly.

"It will also make it easier to draw ninja troops again in the future." Uchiha Tokumitsu nodded in agreement.

"So tell me, has Iwagakure received the intelligence yet?" Sakumo Hatake's thoughts jumped abruptly from the Land of Grass to Iwagakure. "How will they evaluate the Uchiha's solo journey?"

“Let me think…” Uchiha Tokumitsu rubbed his smooth chin. “The bloodthirsty Uchiha clan is approaching the border, what do you think?”

“That makes perfect sense.” Sakumo Hatake clicked his tongue.

"Gentlemen!" Uchiha Tokumitsu shouted to the mobile unit ninjas who had finished resting, "Cross the border and continue!"

"promise!"

Chapter 77 Conscription! A despicable and shameless warmonger is about to occupy the northern mountain city.

The Land of Earth.

On the southern border, at the Iwagakure garrison camp.

Bakuten-kaku, the Iwagakure ninja commander transferred from the Land of Rain to the southern border, stood atop a tree on a hill within the country's borders, accompanied by the former commander of the garrison, Hiru, and observed the distant northern mountain city of the Land of Grass through binoculars.

This mountain town was once a place of sorrow for Yan Yin.

Two years ago, in the 30th year of Konoha, Uchiha Tokumitsu led his troops to once again defeat the invading ninja army of Iwagakure. This battle became a scar in the hearts of the Iwagakure ninja.

After Onoki reached an agreement with Hanzo, the leader of Amegakure, to withdraw his troops in the Land of Rain, he transferred the Iwagakure ninja forces originally deployed in the Land of Rain to the border of the Land of Grass. He also harbored a desire to avenge the defeat in the first Battle of Yamashiro.

However... the reaction of the Uchiha clan in Konoha was far beyond Iwagakure's expectations.

The intelligence that more than 300 Uchiha ninjas had set out from Konoha to fight was immediately relayed back to Iwagakure by the spies stationed in Konoha, who paid heavy price for their efforts. The Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, then promptly forwarded it to the Iwagakure ninja commander at the front lines.

Kari, who was transferred from the Land of Rain, had also led the elite Iwagakure demolition unit and the mobile force mainly composed of the Uchiha clan during the siege of the Land of Whirlpools.

Having witnessed the Uchiha clan's ferocity on the battlefield, comparable to the Kaguya clan's bone-twisting prowess, Explosion Release: Hunting was still wary of the Uchiha ninja army's arrival.

Even though the Northern Mountain City had only temporarily dispatched over a hundred Grass Ninjas and a dozen Konoha Ninjas, the mere presence of three Uchiha Ninjas among the Konoha Ninjas was enough to deter Explosion Release: Hunt from crossing the line.

Even now, after the two Iwagakure ninja armies have joined forces, they have gathered nearly five thousand Iwagakure ninja.

"Master Kari..."

Although Hiruzen is a rising star among the new generation of Jonin in Iwagakure and has always been arrogant, he is very restrained in front of the Jonin senior, Explosion Release: Hunter, who commands the Explosion Squad.

"Despicable and shameless..." Explosion Hunter muttered through gritted teeth.

"This……"

Upon hearing this, the demon leech was somewhat shocked. He didn't know what he had done to offend the Explosion Release Hunter.

"I wasn't talking about you." Explosion Release: Hunter glanced at him and said irritably, "I was talking about those shameless Uchiha!"

"oh oh……"

The leech echoed the sentiment, letting out a few dry laughs.

"They... are trying to completely bind the Grass Ninja to their war machine." Explosion Release Hunter was in a bad mood.

"The fighting strength of the Grass Ninja is just like their name—as insignificant as lowly weeds." Hiruzen was somewhat dismissive of this, assuming that Explosion Release Hunter hadn't dealt with the Grass Ninja Village and was unaware of their nature. "Besides, the Grass Ninja are like weeds without roots on a wall, completely swayed by the wind. As long as we maintain a high-pressure stance, it won't be long before the Grass Ninja Village itself rebels and sends people to contact us about surrendering..."

Explosion Hunter neither agreed nor disagreed with Hiru's words.

Despite being the commander of the ninja army, Explosion Release: Hunting was still cautious about provoking a war with Konoha.

Before he was transferred here, the Tsuchikage Onoki summoned him to his presence and gave him detailed instructions, requiring him to act according to the situation when facing the Konoha ninja army in the Land of Grass and not to be reckless; at the same time, he should also be prepared to be transferred back to the Land of Rain and reignite the war with the Rain Ninja at any time.

Therefore, facing Konoha's border defense forces and the Uchiha ninja army's large-scale reinforcements, Explosion Release: Hunting also faced considerable pressure. Although they harbored thoughts of seeking an opportunity for revenge in a decisive battle, Iwagakure had not yet made up their minds, and their battle orders remained vague, advising them to act at the opportune moment.

As for Explosion Release Hunter, who is the frontline commander, he has not yet decided whether to maintain the status quo or take the initiative to attack.

It's likely that even the Tsuchikage, Onoki, hadn't fully decided on his course of action yet.

……

The garrison of the Konoha Northwest Border Defense Force, located in the central part of the Land of Grass.

After Uchiha Tokumitsu and Hatake Sakumo led their troops to the garrison camp, they did not rush to send the ninja army north to confront Iwagakure. Instead, they sent envoys to the Daimyo's mansion in the Land of Grass and the Grass Village respectively, inviting the Daimyo's representative and the leader of the Grass Village to the garrison camp the next day to discuss military affairs. Afterward, they arranged for the personnel to stay and rest.

The next morning, when the weary daimyo representative arrived at the garrison camp, the leader of Kusagakure, Mang, who had arrived overnight, was already waiting for him.

"Lord Kobayakawa." The leader of Kusagakure, Mang, was the first to greet the daimyo representative, Nomi Kobayakawa-daifu.

"Chief Mang has arrived quite early." Kobayakawa was also quite exhausted from the bumpy journey. "But, why did the adults of Konoha summon us here..."

"Young Master Deguang is back..." Mang glanced around, and seeing that no one was paying attention, whispered in Kobayakawa's ear, "It must be to deal with the Iwagakure army in the north..."

As a historically significant hub for intelligence trading and spies from various nations, Kusagakure has always been renowned for its excellent information network. They are particularly wary of Uchiha Tokumitsu, the god of slaughter who once wiped out the underground organizations within the Land of Grass; especially since Uchiha Tokumitsu and Hatake Sakumo led a mobile force that, with only a few dozen men, bravely confronted the combined ninja army of three major nations, filling the entire village with dread.

“If… I mean if…” Kobayakawa glanced around warily and whispered, “If Konoha insists on conscripting Kusagakure to fight, what will happen… If we offend the Land of Earth, our mineral smuggling business will be in trouble…”

“Iwagakure is one of the five great ninja villages, and the strength of our ninjas in Kusagakure is indeed much weaker, so…” Mang’s words were somewhat hesitant.

Kobayakawa's eyes were encouraging, signaling him to continue.

"So...we have to pay more!" Mang gritted his teeth and said fiercely, "Not only do we want money, but we also need to make copies of the Iwagakure ninjutsu scrolls captured after the war, and we also want a share of the captured supplies. If all else fails, we'll buy them at the lowest price!"

Kobayakawa's expression changed from anticipation and tension to surprise and disappointment, and he looked at Mang as if he were looking at a shameless bug.

With that vicious tone, anyone who didn't know better would think that Chief Mang was about to rebel against the Uchiha!

Kobayakawa flung his sleeves and returned to the carriage, seething with anger, convinced that the insects of Kusagakure were no match for him.

Mang didn't think so either.

As a ninja village leader known for his flexibility, he spent most of his time making compromises. This time, however, he simply chose to place his bets on Uchiha Tokumitsu.

As for the potential losses of Grass Village ninjas due to obeying Konoha's order to fight?

What does that have to do with him! Besides, when the time comes, we can send all the opposing faction ninjas to help the Uchiha fill the trenches. This will not only eliminate dissidents, but also allow us to receive their compensation, and win the favor of Uchiha Tokumitsu!

It's a win-win-win situation, so why not do it!

Just as Mang Manxin was feeling blissfully detached from worldly affairs, an Uchiha ninja silently appeared beside him.

"Chief Mang, Doctor Kobayakawa..." The Uchiha ninja nodded slightly to the two.

Ignoring the horrified expressions of the two men who had just witnessed his sudden appearance, he said to himself, "Young Master Deguang is receiving you all in the central command tent. Please follow me."

"Okay, okay..." the two replied hastily.

At this moment, inside the central command tent, the main Jonin responsible for the border defense forces, mobile forces, and the Uchiha Ninja Army's "De Guang Chi Bei Ti" (Red Guard Unit) had all gathered together, carefully examining the meaning hidden between the lines.

Since the battle in the Land of Whirlpools, Uchiha Tokumitsu, who rose to fame overnight, has become a big figure in the eyes of Konoha ninjas. His every move is being watched and analyzed by those who care, not to mention that this is a document personally drafted by Uchiha Tokumitsu.

When Mang and Kobayakawa entered the central command tent, a large group of Konoha Jonin stared at them, startling the two so much that they almost knelt on the ground.

"Chief Mang, Doctor Kobayakawa, you must be tired from your journey..." Uchiha Tokumitsu gestured for the two to sit down, then handed them military strategy documents. "These are the points in the operational plan compiled to counter the invasion of Iwagakure that require your support. Please read them..."

The two were flattered and took the documents to read.

The two individuals' information is naturally different.

Aside from the initial cryptic official jargon, the information Kobayakawa possessed was nothing more than a demand for money and power.

The money refers to the military expenses requested from the Daimyo of the Land of Grass, used for the ninja army's combat costs; the authority refers to the power to allocate ninjas from the Grass Village.

Although Kobayakawa had initially guessed Uchiha Tokumitsu's purpose in summoning the two, now, looking at the documents, he realized that while Tokumitsu's requested military expenditure was large, it didn't exceed the expected range authorized by the Daimyo of the Land of Grass, and was therefore acceptable. As for the Grass Ninja, he was very displeased by Oozumi's words and naturally didn't want to concern himself with their fate.

As for the leader of the Grass Village, Mang, he was also feeling a bit uneasy.

Uchiha Tokumitsu's appetite was much bigger than he had imagined. He wanted to recruit 2,500 Grass Ninja for battle in one go. Although they were to be assembled in three batches, the entire period was only given 15 days. This was quite difficult for Grass Ninja, whose mobilization capabilities were questionable.

Moreover, and most importantly, the price offered by Uchiha Tokumitsu did not fully meet his expectations.

After hesitating for a long time, Mang finally mustered up his courage to fight for the interests of himself and the Grass Ninja Village.

"Lord Deguang..." Mang raised his hand tremblingly and stammered, "Regarding... the issue of military expenses for the expedition... I have some..."

With a "whoosh," all the Jonin present turned their gazes toward this ignorant leader of the small ninja village.

Mang felt even more pressured, and the trembling of his raised hand became even more pronounced.

"I'll talk to you about the military expenses for the Grass Ninja later!" Uchiha Tokumitsu interrupted when he saw that Mang was trembling and unable to speak.

"Does anyone have any objections to the operational plans for each unit?"

Uchiha Tokumitsu stood up, looking around with a somewhat aggressive expression.

Wherever their gaze fell, the Jonin in charge all shook their heads, indicating that they had no objection to the mission.

"Lord Deguang, we have a suggestion!" Two Jonin stood up.

"You are……"

Since Uchiha Tokumitsu withdrew from the village, the border defense forces have undergone numerous personnel changes, and Uchiha Tokumitsu did not recognize these two men.

"When I was Nara Riku, I served as a staff officer in the border troops."

"Ok?"

Uchiha Tokumitsu's gaze fell on Nara Yukihira, who was bowing his head and remaining silent like a quail.

Nara Yukihira was also quite helpless. As a member of a collateral branch of the Nara family and not particularly strong, he had never had much say within the family. Although he was a senior member of the border defense force, he had no power to restrain Nara Rikutoki, who held a higher position in the family.

"What about you?"