Red Haired Supremacy

Chapter 183 183: Ch-183 The Difference In Graduation.

Guy stepped forward and began to speak.

He laid everything out—every piece of information they had gathered so far. He explained the movements and intentions of Kumogakure and Kirigakure, detailing their plans to launch a joint attack on Uzushiogakure. Not just a raid, but a full-scale operation meant to wipe their village off the map once and for all.

Guy went through the intelligence carefully, explaining what was confirmed and what was still uncertain, but one thing was clear.

Kumogakure and Kirigakure were preparing for war.

And Uzushiogakure was their target.

Benimaru listened to everything in silence, his expression calm yet resolute. Once Guy finished, he finally spoke.

"So it has reached this stage," Benimaru said evenly. "Our plan has worked. The pieces have moved exactly where we wanted them to." His eyes sharpened. "A decisive battle can finally be fought against Kirigakure and Kumogakure. This time, we won't be reacting—we'll be striking. We'll take our revenge properly… and we'll show the entire world the true strength of Uzushiogakure."

A heavy, approving silence filled the meeting hall.

Then, one by one, everyone present nodded.

Shanks leaned forward slightly and said, "Your role in all of this is simple." His tone was calm, but there was an unmistakable authority behind it. "You will take command of the one hundred newly graduated students from the Ninja Academy. You'll be their commanding general."

Benimaru's brows lifted slightly as he listened.

"They need to see blood," Shanks continued bluntly. "If they don't, they'll grow up like flowers inside a greenhouse—pretty, but fragile. And that," he said firmly, "will never be acceptable for Uzushiogakure."

Those words reached Benimaru clearly.

He nodded without hesitation. "Understood."

With the key decisions made, the meeting came to an end. One by one, the figures seated in the hall rose and began to leave, the atmosphere heavy with the weight of an approaching war.

Benimaru did not immediately head back to check on Kurenai.

Erza was with her.

That alone was enough for him to remain at ease. If Erza was treating her, then Kurenai would survive—of that, Benimaru had no doubt. There was no need for him to interfere or worry unnecessarily.

Right now, his priority lay elsewhere.

What he needed to do was prepare the force he would soon be leading into battle—the newly graduated ninjas of the Uzushiogakure Ninja Academy.

One hundred of them.

Though they had only recently graduated, they were far from ordinary. Among the hundred, two already possessed Jonin-level strength. Five others stood at the level of special Jonin. The rest, while technically Chunin-level, were anything but weak.

Especially when considering the Uzumaki fighting style.

Sealing techniques-fuinjutsu. With proper coordination and battlefield leadership, even Chunin-level Uzumaki ninjas could suppress and defeat opponents of equal or greater rank.

Benimaru's eyes gleamed faintly as he walked forward.

This wouldn't just be a war.

It would be a baptism by fire—for the next generation of Uzushiogakure.

And it wasn't as if these academy graduates were the same age as ordinary Genin from the other villages.

In most major villages, children were pushed onto the battlefield early—some as young as eight to twelve years old. Uzushiogakure was different. Shanks had laid down a strict rule: children must first be allowed to live as children.

Because of that, no academy student in the Uzumaki village was permitted to graduate before the age of fourteen. Fourteen was the absolute minimum.

As for the maximum age—there was none.

Anyone with sufficient talent could study at the Ninja Academy. Of course, there were limits; it wasn't as though just anyone could walk in off the street. But those who had the aptitude and the resolve were allowed to learn, even if they were older. They only had to endure the scrutiny, the sideways glances, and the occasional insults from others who mocked them for studying at such an age.

That door had been deliberately left open.

All of it stemmed from Shanks's way of thinking—thinking he had carried over from Earth, the world he had once lived in before transmigrating into this Naruto world. Some of those ideals, he had chosen to impose here as well, reshaping Uzushiogakure into something fundamentally different from the other villages.

…

While Benimaru was busy gathering the hundred Uzushiogakure ninjas he would soon command, events unfolded quietly elsewhere.

After receiving treatment from Erza, Kurenai finally felt completely fine. Every wound had been healed without a trace remaining, as if the injuries had never existed in the first place.

Kurenai looked at her father with genuine amazement and said, "Erza Uzumaki's healing ability is truly incredible. I think only Lady Tsunade could surpass her in medical ninjutsu."

Shinku nodded in agreement. "You're right about that."

A moment later, Kurenai's expression darkened as the weight of reality settled back onto her shoulders. Remembering that their current predicament had begun because of her, she lowered her head slightly and spoke in a remorseful voice.

"I'm very sorry, Father," she said. "I shouldn't have hidden the matter of Benimaru trying to meet me from you. I was afraid you might misunderstand."

Her apology lingered in the air, heavy with regret and unspoken fear.

As Kurenai was about to continue, wanting to explain herself further, Shinku raised a hand and stopped her.

"There's no need to worry anymore," he said calmly. "What has happened has already happened. Let it remain in the past." His gaze turned distant for a moment. "As for the future, I don't know what it holds for us."

He paused, choosing his words carefully. "Perhaps all of this was nothing more than coincidence—just a series of unfortunate events. Maybe it was a mistake on Benimaru's part, born simply from his desire to meet you." His tone then grew heavier. "Or perhaps… all of this was his plan from the very beginning."

Shinku looked directly at her. "We don't know the truth. We can't."

He then added firmly, "But whatever the case may be, remember this for now—we are under the roof of the Uzumaki clan. As long as we are here, we must behave accordingly."

Kurenai nodded quietly.

Yet as her father voiced the possibility that everything might have been part of Benimaru's design—to force her and her father out of Konoha, to put them in a position where returning would be impossible, all so he could claim her for himself—something stirred uneasily in her chest.

She didn't want to believe it.

Despite having met Benimaru only a handful of times, she had seen enough of him to form her own impression. She had seen his confidence, his straightforwardness, and the way he carried himself—openly, without deception or hesitation.

Somewhere deep in her heart, Kurenai was certain of one thing.

Benimaru was not the kind of man who would resort to such schemes.

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