I Am Uzumaki Menma

Chapter 320 320 The Reactions of Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Kirigakure

At the same time, Land of Earth, Iwagakure.

In the office of the Third Tsuchikage, numerous Iwagakure's higher-ups had gathered. The atmosphere was similarly tense.

Onoki's short figure floated in mid-air, his brows tightly furrowed as he watched the image displayed on a special communication screen before him.

It was the Land of Earth's Daimyo, Suke Goto.

This Daimyo, with his meticulously groomed goatee, was currently wide-eyed, his face showing an agitated expression.

"Now the Land of Wind has formally declared war on the Land of Stars! This is the perfect opportunity for us to strike!" The Daimyo, Suke Goto waved his folding fan, his tone excited.

Onoki remained calm and asked, "Daimyo-sama, have we reached a formal military alliance with the Land of Wind?"

"Alliance? Not exactly." Goto shook his head. "The Land of Wind's envoy was indeed very keen on an alliance, but considering the attitude of Konoha in the Land of Fire and the potential complex diplomatic repercussions, I temporarily refused them."

He changed his tone, a greedy look appearing on his face. "However, that doesn't prevent Iwagakure from sending troops independently! After all, it's an indisputable fact that the Star Ninja have repeatedly crossed the border to provoke and attack our military outposts recently! By both reason and principle, we have ample justification to launch a counterattack against the Land of Stars! If we can take the Land of Stars, especially the Yuga Plains they control, that's a vast area of fertile land and prosperous trade routes!"

Onoki sighed inwardly. How could he not know the wealth and allure of the Land of Stars?

But as the Tsuchikage, he needed to consider more.

He tried to persuade this Daimyo, who seemed blinded by profit: "Daimyo-sama, please analyze this calmly. Currently, the Land of Wind and the Land of Stars have just begun hostilities, and the situation is still unclear. We have not fully ascertained the depth of the Land of Stars' strength, and that Shura and Uchiha Hikari are significant variables. Rashly entering the war at this time carries enormous risks. I believe the optimal time for deploying troops... has not yet arrived."

"The time isn't ripe?!" Goto's voice suddenly rose, carrying clear dissatisfaction.

"Last time, when the Star Ninja slaughtered the nobles and Daimyos of those small countries, I wanted you to send Iwagakure's elites, but you said the enemy's strength was unknown and we needed caution! Later, I agreed to you sending those mercenaries and Rogue Ninjas to probe, and what was the result? Significant losses, and while we gathered some intelligence, now the Land of Wind is actually fighting the Land of Stars, and you still tell me the time isn't ripe?!"

He slammed the table angrily. "Onoki! Have you grown old and timid?! Don't forget, recently several of our Land of Earth's border outposts have been attacked, Ninjas killed and wounded. Shouldn't we hold the Land of Stars accountable for this?!"

Onoki's face darkened.

Those border attack incidents did indeed have many suspicious aspects. The intelligence department head, Monga, had repeatedly reported that the methods of the attackers and the traces left behind were somewhat peculiar, and the possibility of another force disguising themselves to frame the Land of Stars couldn't be ruled out.

But in the Daimyo's view, this was just Iwagakure making excuses to avoid fighting.

Faced with the Daimyo's anger and increasing pressure, Onoki knew that completely refusing to send troops was no longer possible.

"Daimyo-sama, please calm your anger." He took a deep breath and compromised. "How about this: I will immediately dispatch additional elite spies to fully investigate the Land of Stars' military deployments and movements along their border with the Land of Wind. If... if the main force of the Star Ninja is indeed tied down by the Land of Wind, leaving their rear vulnerable, then, depending on the specific situation, I will decide whether to send troops and on what scale. What do you think?"

"That's more like it!" Hearing Onoki finally relent, Goto's expression softened slightly. He snorted. "Remember, opportunities are fleeting! I hope to hear good news from you soon!"

With that, the communication screen went dark.

The office fell into brief silence.

The tall and large Jonin, Kitsuchi, stepped forward, looking worriedly at his father. "Father, the Land of Stars has explicitly denied attacking our border outposts and instead accused us of attacking their sentry posts. Monga's analysis also suggests that the previous attacks do have suspicious elements…"

Monga, standing nearby, added: "Tsuchikage-sama, based on analysis of the scene traces and casualties, the behavioral patterns of the attackers differ from the usual style of Star Ninja. We truly cannot rule out the possibility of a third party, such as Konoha or Kumogakure, disguising themselves to frame the Land of Stars."

Onoki slowly descended from the air and sat in his chair, rubbing his throbbing temples. His face was filled with exhaustion and helplessness.

"I know... I know about these doubts." He sighed, his voice hoarse. "But, Kitsuchi, Monga... after the Land of Wind declared war on the Land of Stars, whether those attacks were actually carried out by Star Ninja or not... it no longer matters."

He raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the other several Iwagakure's elder councils in the office, all with grave expressions.

"What the Daimyo needs is merely an 'excuse' that can convince himself and the other nobles within the country." Onoki's voice held a hint of mockery, and a deeper sense of powerlessness.

"And now, this 'excuse' is sufficient."

Everyone fell silent.

…

Land of Lightning, Kumogakure.

Kumogakure, surrounded by mountains, was perpetually shrouded in humid clouds and mist. The towering Raikage Building stood like a peak piercing the clouds, symbolizing the resilience and strength of this Ninja Village.

However, at this moment, the atmosphere in the Raikage's office on the top floor was filled with an oppressive, furious aura.

The Fourth Raikage, this giant known for his violent Lightning Release, was currently bare-chested, revealing muscles knotted like rock.

The end of his right arm, missing its hand and wrist, was wrapped in thick bandages. His remaining left hand, however, single-handedly gripped a massive barbell heavy enough to crush an ordinary strongman. The muscles on his arm bulged like steel cables as he lifted the heavy weight over his head again and again, then slowly lowered it.

Each exertion was accompanied by low, heavy breaths and slight cracking sounds from his bones, like a ferocious beast caged and desperate to vent.

The dark-skinned, tall secretary, Mabui, stood nearby, holding a scroll of urgent intelligence. Her reporting tone was steady but couldn't conceal its gravity: "...According to cross-verification from multiple intelligence sources, it can be basically confirmed: an elite unit from Sunagakure of the Land of Wind engaged in intense conflict with the Land of Stars. Sunagakure suffered heavy losses. The specific casualty numbers are unknown, but it is suspected that several Jonin, including Elder Ebizo, were killed. Within hours of the conflict, the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, formally announced that the Land of Wind was declaring war on the Land of Stars."

Crack!

The moment Mabui finished speaking, A's left hand suddenly exerted force, and he slammed the heavy barbell down onto the solid wood desk in front of him!

The sturdy hardwood desktop instantly let out a groan of protest, splitting and collapsing from the middle!

Documents, inkstones, and writing tools scattered everywhere!

"Shura!" A ground out the name through clenched teeth, his eyes burning with rage and hatred!

That guy had inflicted grievous losses on Kumogakure, no less than a full-scale war!

Both Yugito, the Two-Tails's Jinchuriki, and B, the Eight-Tails' Jinchuriki, were severely wounded in the Battle of Hell Valley one after the other. He himself had his right wrist crippled by those strange Chakra Black Rods, forcing him to amputate his right hand to continue fighting.

Even so, over half of the elite troops he had taken to intercept Shura back then had been killed!

And they hadn't even managed to capture a single one of the enemy!

What a disgrace!

After the war, A had issued the highest order, commanding Mabui's intelligence department to utilize all of Kumogakure's resources and channels, sparing no expense to track Shura's whereabouts.

Combined with some pointed information that had recently 'leaked' unintentionally from Konoha in the Land of Fire and Iwagakure in the Land of Earth, Kumogakure's vast intelligence network, through cross-comparison and analysis, had basically confirmed that this Shura who had repeatedly dealt heavy blows to Kumogakure was the actual ruler of the rapidly rising Land of Stars, which had annexed several countries!

"Shura... Land of Stars..." A wished he could immediately gather all of Kumogakure's elites, flatten the Land of Stars, tear Shura limb from limb, and wash away the shame.

Mabui keenly sensed the almost overflowing killing intent from the Raikage. She quickly stepped forward, advising cautiously: "Raikage-sama, please calm down!"

"The Land of Stars is located in the western part of the Ninja Continent, far from our Land of Lightning. It is separated from us by multiple countries including the Land of Fire, the Land of Rivers, and the Land of Rain. A long-distance expedition would face difficult logistics and supply lines, and could encounter obstructions or even ambushes from other forces along the way. Even if we want to use military force against the Land of Stars, it would be extremely difficult, almost impossible to achieve."

Her words carried deep worry, fearing that this hot-tempered Raikage might truly act recklessly and launch a major expedition regardless of the consequences.

She couldn't help but recall how, years ago, the Third Raikage had stayed behind alone to cover the retreat of the main force, was surrounded by tens of thousands of Iwagakure's Ninja, fought to exhaustion, and died a heroic death.

That painful lesson remained an indelible pain in Kumogakure's heart.

She absolutely did not want to see the Fourth Raikage repeat that mistake.

A took several deep breaths, forcibly suppressing the impulse to go to war immediately. He wasn't a complete strategic fool.

He grunted, his voice low. "Yeah... I know the distance is too great, so we can't just march over there directly. I still have that much reason."

A walked to the window, looking out at the sturdy village built amidst the surrounding mountains of Kumogakure, and said solemnly: "However, we can't just do nothing! Send out the Ninja from the village best at infiltration and intelligence gathering, find a way to infiltrate the Land of Stars! I want to know everything about that country, about the Star Ninja, about Shura!"

"Yes! Raikage-sama!" Mabui immediately bowed and accepted the order, recording this instruction.

She relaxed slightly. As long as it wasn't direct war, it was fine.

Mabui continued her analysis: "From the current situation, the scale of this war between the Land of Wind and the Land of Stars is estimated to remain limited for the time being, unlikely to spiral out of control."

"Konoha just experienced internal turmoil with the Uchiha Clan and the Hyuga Clan's branch family, their strength and internal stability have been affected to some extent. Although Sunagakure is their ally, the likelihood of Konoha directly sending troops in support is small, and they are more likely to provide material, financial, or intelligence support."

She paused, her tone becoming somewhat uncertain. "However, the Land of Earth's Iwagakure is harder to predict. The Third Tsuchikage Onoki is a cunning old fox. Iwagakure hasn't shown clear movement yet, but if Sunagakure and the Land of Stars fight to a stalemate, or if the Land of Stars' rear shows weakness, that old fox will likely seize the opportunity to send troops, attack the Land of Stars' rear, and grab benefits."

"Stabbing them in the back... just like when they ambushed our forces back then!" A interjected, his voice filled with hatred for Iwagakure.

In that battle, Iwagakure had thrown its full force, tens of thousands of Iwagakure's Ninja attempting to surround and annihilate one of Kumogakure's elite units, causing Kumogakure heavy losses!

And with the chaotic state of the Ninja World at the time, if Kumogakure suffered too many losses, Konoha and Kirigakure would certainly have come knocking.

If not for his father, the Third Raikage, holding the rear alone, fighting the Iwagakure's army for three days and three nights, killing so many that Iwagakure's younger generation was nearly decimated, Kumogakure would likely have been severely crippled.

His father's bravery and sacrifice were A's eternal pride, but also a bone-deep warning.

No matter how strong an individual was, faced with the torrent of war and absolute numerical superiority, there were limits.

At least, that's what he believed for now.

Mabui finished recording the order to dispatch spies and inquired again: "Raikage-sama, regarding this incident, is there anything else that needs to be addressed?"

A pondered for a moment, a cold light flashing in his eyes.

He turned to Mabui and said: "Spread the intelligence we previously analyzed, that 'Shura is very likely the defected Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki from Konoha', through discreet channels."

"If Shura truly is Konoha's defected Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki, then this time, no matter what, Konoha will absolutely not sit idly by! They will inevitably send troops! That way, perhaps even that old fox Onoki will join the fray!"

"Yes! I understand!" A look of understanding flashed in Mabui's eyes… she immediately grasped the Raikage's intent.

Driving the tiger to swallow the wolf, killing three birds with one stone!

…

Land of Water, Kirigakure.

Unlike the anger in the Raikage's office, the atmosphere in Kirigakure's highest seat of power was exceptionally heavy, oppressive, and even carried a trace of sorrow.

The short-statured Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, sat in the main seat, but seemed to bear a tremendous burden.

Facing the few Kirigakure's higher-ups below him, Yagura deeply bowed his head.

"Everyone... I, Yagura, as the Fourth Mizukage, was controlled by an enemy using Genjutsu for several years... bringing incalculable losses and disaster to the village. I... am unworthy of the name Mizukage, unworthy of every villager and Ninja who trusted me."

His voice was somewhat hoarse, filled with pain and self-reproach.

After Kisame's attempted assassination of Yagura and subsequent defection, he had left some information for Mei and Ao. This was perhaps his final act for Kirigakure, deepening the two's suspicions about Yagura. Some time ago, using the Byakugan he had seized, Ao conducted an examination of Yagura and ultimately discovered the secret of Yagura being controlled by a mysterious enemy.

Then, under Elder Genji's direction, and utilizing Ao's Byakugan, Yagura was freed from that long, nightmarish control.

Recalling the high-pressure [Bloody Mist] policies implemented under the Genjutsu's influence over the past few years, and the resulting Kekkei Genkai Clans' rebellions, purges, mass Ninja defections, and deaths...

Yagura felt as if his heart was being gouged.

"Please allow me to formally resign from the position of Mizukage." Yagura raised his head, his gaze sweeping over those present, finally settling on the hunched, snake-staff-wielding elder, Genji, sitting to the side.

"And I earnestly request Elder Genji to take charge of all matters pertaining to the election of the new Mizukage."