Naruto: All My Targets Are Ninjutsu.

Chapter 328 The Hidden Currents in Konoha Village, Mikami Yu's Theory of "Alliance and Strategies"

When they learned about the treaty, the spies from the Hidden Mist faction were undoubtedly the most bewildered.

Not a buddy...

Are you serious?

Are you two going to team up against me?

Haven't you Sunagakure seen how badly Kirigakure has been beaten up by Konoha lately? Instead of helping us out of consideration for the greater good of the ninja world, you're kicking us while we're down? What grudge do you hold against us? It's like we killed your new Kazekage, Hakukura!

In contrast,

The pressure in Kumogakure and Iwagakure is slightly less, but not by much.

after all……

Everyone knows that Kirigakure is now at its last gasp. They've even lost the Tailed Beasts, which were a strategic threat, and the Jonin class, led by the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, has suffered heavy losses. Even if Sunagakure doesn't intervene, their defeat is only a matter of time.

Now that Mokusago and Sasuke have joined forces, they might just push back to the Land of Water's mainland, forcing Kirigakure to relocate and establish a "New Kirigakure," or even a "New New Kirigakure"...

By then,

They, from Kumogakure and Iwagakure, can't exactly go and tell the people of Konoha, "You can't fight me after you've defeated Kirigakure."

Once Konoha and Sunagakure recover their strength, they can turn their attention to them...

That would be an extremely terrible thing!

"No, we have to get this intelligence out right away!"

"The alliance between Konoha and Sunagakure is a foregone conclusion. The best course of action now is probably for the Tsuchikage to step in and unite the forces of the five nations—Kumo, Kirigakure, Ame, and Kusanagi—to jointly confront the Konoha-Sunagakure alliance!"

"The intelligence is urgent, please inform Lord Raikage..."

In a short time.

One by one, the spies began to take action, using every means at their disposal to send out the intelligence they had gathered.

Konoha had anticipated this situation, so Sarutobi Shinnosuke led the Anbu to set up an ambush early on. After a series of intensive operations, they took the opportunity to lock down several well-hidden spies from other villages and arrest them.

In a short time.

Chaos reigns within Konoha Village, a place rife with undercurrents of tension.

The Uchiha police force, which was originally responsible for maintaining order in the village, was unable to play a significant role at this time, only able to handle trivial matters. This caused considerable dissatisfaction among several young Uchiha members, who felt that their extraordinary talents were being wasted.

However, because Fugaku, Shisui, and the Eighth Hokage of the Uchiha clan were still on the battlefield and had recently distinguished themselves with merits, receiving public recognition from Konoha, the overall morale of the Uchiha clan remained relatively high. The dissent was confined to a small group and did not cause any further disturbance.

The transmission of intelligence takes time.

Cooperation involving multiple countries cannot be accomplished overnight. For example, it took Konoha and Sunagakure a full week of negotiations to finalize these cooperative projects.

therefore,

At the ninja world level, there hasn't been any major chaos yet.

but……

Anyone with eyes could see that a visible undercurrent was quietly surging in this world, threatening to form a massive vortex that would sweep everyone into it...

Incidentally, the fighting in the northeastern battlefield is currently raging. The Hidden Cloud Village has finally confirmed that the "Yellow Flash" has left, and taking advantage of this opportunity, they've launched a fierce attack on Jiraiya's camp, hoping to regain some ground. This has left Jiraiya somewhat overwhelmed…

……

It was evening.

At Kushina's family dinner party.

Kushina Uzumaki asked the blond-haired man beside her with great interest, "Minato, Minato, is the information those Anbu said true? Is Konoha really going to form an alliance with Sunagakure to fight side by side? This is big news!"

opposite.

Minato Namikaze nodded: "That's right."

"Speaking of which, this matter is also related to Yu. It was because Yu captured the two tailed beasts of Kirigakure and demonstrated his overwhelming strength on the Kirigakure battlefield that the Hokage had the confidence to make such a major decision."

"Right, right?"

Kushina smiled brightly: "When I first saw Yu, I felt that he was extraordinary, and now it seems that I was right! And Rin... Although I have always liked this child, I never expected that she would become a Jinchūriki like me. It's really surprising!"

"By the way, isn't there someone else in your team? How's Obito doing? Has his strength improved?"

"So there is."

Yu Mikami said.

Even before rescuing Rin Nohara, Obito had already awakened the Three-Tomoe technique and had learned a great deal about Fire Release from Fugaku and Shisui. Although his battle intelligence was a bit low, his strength had indeed increased significantly compared to his timeline counterpart.

However, it's hard to say what the ultimate upper limit will be.

After all, Obito in the original story was once the Ten-Tails' Jinchuriki.

of course……

If we consider Kakashi's situation in the final battle as an example to predict Obito's fate, then it's a different story. After all, Obito is probably the only Uchiha who could lend his account to someone else and use Susanoo to fight Kaguya head-on. If Madara Uchiha had witnessed that scene, he would have stood up and offered Obito a toast...

the other side.

Minato Namikaze looked at Yu Mikami with a smile and added, "There's another reason why I said the matter was related to Yu."

"The young Kazekage of Sunagakure seems quite interested in Yu, and has specifically requested that Yu participate in the joint martial arts competition in a few months. The Hokage has already verbally agreed. What do you think, Yu?"

“This is a chance for you to make a name for yourself in the ninja world. Of course, if you don’t want to go, I won’t force you. I can talk to the Hokage and ask him to take your place.”

"..."

Mikami Yu hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

Ok.

This is most likely Ye Cang secretly plotting against him again; who knows what kind of clever scheme he's hiding.

but……

Yu Mikami didn't care about the event itself.

It's just a friendly exchange anyway.

There are only a handful of skilled fighters in Sunagakure, and it's impossible for him to drag Chiyo out to fight him, or for Pakura to personally intervene as the Kazekage. As for the others, he could easily handle them with a single shadow clone. He might even have to go easy on them to save face and avoid making things too ugly.

next to.

Nohara Rin pursed her lips, then took a big bite of the okonomiyaki in her hand, looking a little sullen.

Next,

Minato Namikaze then spoke a few more words about the treaty.

Although in the long run, the signing of the treaty is a good thing, and if it is operated properly, it can bring a lot of benefits to both sides, such as saving about half of the military costs and using manpower and funds in other more useful places.

but……

Enforcing those provisions effectively is no easy task.

It will certainly encounter a lot of obstruction from those with ulterior motives, and even sabotage from within.

Furthermore, Madara Uchiha, who is currently hiding somewhere, will most likely not stand idly by.

"The pressure on the Kirigakure battlefield is not so great now. Once the Sunagakure troops arrive, we can advance together and launch a major counterattack to drive them back to the sea... For the next period of time, the village's main focus of defense may have to shift to the north, namely Kumogakure and Iwagakure."

"According to the think tank's analysis, these two ninja villages are likely to follow the example of Konoha and Sunagakure and form an offensive and defensive alliance to deal with the pressure brought by Konoha and Sunagakure."

"And there's Ban, who hasn't shown his face again since..."

Minato Namikaze then turned his gaze to Yu Mikami: "Yu, what's your opinion on this?"

"I... I'll sit and watch."

Yu Mikami was eating when he casually made a witty remark. Then, under the watchful eyes of Minato Namikaze and Kushina, he coughed lightly and said, "I think we should start with Takigakure, Amane, and Tagami to hinder the alliance between Kumogakure and Iwagakure. Also, we could try to work on Kirigakure as well."

"...How so?"

Minato Namikaze pressed on with great interest.

Mikami Yu organized his thoughts and began to speak:

"Both the Earth and the Lightning Kingdoms are neighboring countries of Konoha, with a long history of grudges and similar strength. It is virtually impossible for them to abandon their grievances with Konoha and reach a reconciliation like the Sand Village did, unless they suffer a devastating blow or face an extremely serious external crisis."

"However, the lands of these two countries are not directly adjacent, but are separated by small countries such as Taki, Oto, and Tetsu, as well as by the sea, which creates room for maneuver."

"As far as I know, Takigakure and Konoha have a pretty good relationship. They were even given a tailed beast by the First Hokage, so they should naturally side with Konoha. We could try to win them over and bring them into this military alliance."

"The Land of Iron has always maintained neutrality; normal relations are sufficient."

"As for the Land of Rice Fields, it seems there isn't a ninja village there yet. Why don't we send a group of people from Konoha to create a 'Sound Village' there, operating as a mercenary organization for Konoha? This way, we can effectively disrupt the communication between Kumo and Iwa villages, preventing them from coordinating their efforts."

"……what?"

Minato Namikaze was stunned.

He understands the first suggestion.

In fact, the Konoha leadership has already discussed this topic and is preparing to send an envoy in the near future to probe Takigakure's attitude.

but……

What's with the "Sound Ninja Mercenary Group"?

Why is it called "Sound Village"? Shouldn't a ninja village located in the Land of Rice Fields be called "Rice Village"?

Hmm...theoretically, this plan actually seems to have some merit. It's just that this task isn't really suitable for regular ninjas; it's best to send in ANBU, or even a group of "rogue ninjas," so that if anything goes wrong, it's easy to distance oneself...

Of course, that would also bring another hidden danger: the issue of belonging. Can a mercenary group that has been operating outside the Konoha system for years truly be considered a subordinate organization of Konoha? How can we ensure they won't develop disloyal intentions?

Minato Namikaze thought about it briefly, but couldn't come up with a solution.

But now is not the time to delve into it:

"What's the deal with Rain Hidden and Mist Hidden?"

"Well..."

Mikami Yu continued, "The Land of Rain is located in a land of four battlegrounds, bordering the lands of Wind, Fire, and Earth. Its strength and ambition are considerable. Now, Konoha and Sunagakure have formed an alliance, and Iwagakure and Kumogakure are also showing signs of doing so. With one side horizontal and the other vertical, they have almost cut the entire continent in two, and the Land of Rain is right in the middle."

"In this situation, Yu Yin is in the most difficult position."

"Therefore, what Konoha needs to do is to find a way to show goodwill and bring Amegakure into the Konoha-Sunagakure alliance. Even if that doesn't work, they should at least sign some contracts to ensure that they don't all flock to Iwagakure."

"As for Mist Village..."

"Their current predicament is largely due to Madara Uchiha, the mastermind behind it all. Therefore, we can find a way to let Kirigakure know this news, at least to let them know that 'the Mizukage may be being manipulated.' In this way, Kirigakure will be thrown into internal strife and unable to attend to anything else."

Of course……

Once the internal strife ends, the one that will appear in the Land of Water will likely be a more cohesive Kirigakure.

But that's at least several years from now.

Moreover, after decades of turmoil and the loss of two tailed beasts, Kirigakure, no matter how strong it is, is still limited; at best, it is just a larger version of Amegakure.

"..."

Minato Namikaze remained silent for a long time.

Before he could speak again,

Kushina clapped her hands, making a "clap clap clap" sound: "Wow, I didn't expect that Yuu would not only be so strong, but also have such profound insights into the situation of the ninja world. She truly deserves to be Minato and Tsunade's disciple!"

"In my opinion, most of the 'brains' around the Hokage are idiots, especially that Danzo Shimura. There are also two advisors. Why don't they give up their positions and let Yuu take them?"

"Forehead……"

Mikami Yu's tone faltered.

Minato Namikaze coughed and interjected, "Kushina, you can't say things like that carelessly. It wouldn't be good if someone overheard. Both advisors are disciples of the Second Hokage; they're knowledgeable and experienced, not useless. They're just sometimes blinded by their own perspective..."

—Of course, Danzo was indeed a complete idiot. Even Minato Namikaze, who was always kind and gentle, had to view him with prejudice, after all, Danzo's series of actions were just too abstract.

He paused for a moment.

Minato Namikaze turned around and said, "Yu, could I compile your suggestions and tell the Hokage?"

"...That's fine, but you don't need to mention my name."

"Isn't this a bad idea? If you could gain the Hokage's favor, it would be very beneficial for your future growth. You might even be able to enter the Hokage candidate list!"

"Forget it, I'm still young and want to enjoy myself for a few more years. I don't want to be pulled into work so early."