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"Hahahaha! Lord Tsuchikage, you're so generous! You've helped , Jinghang, so much. I can't thank you enough! From now on, consider us friends!"
Jinghang enthusiastically shook hands with the middle-aged man in front of him, who was wearing a gray conical hat. His grin stretched so wide it nearly reached his ears.
"Hic! ...No, no... hic! We're neighboring villages... sharing honor and disgrace... it's only right, only right," Lord Tsuchikage replied, his face flushed red as he hiccupped from drinking.
The Land of Stone, a small country sandwiched between the Land of Earth and the Land of Wind, was where Jinghang had co personally for negotiations. His goals were twofold: to secure passage for his army and to establish a temporary logistics base here.
This marked Jinghang's first large-scale external campaign since taking over as Kazekage—a battle to establish dominance that could only end in victory, not defeat. Thus, he approached everything with extre caution.
An army of 10,000 ninja needed food, water, and weapons. When Konoha had fought against him, they had cut off his supplies, a tactic he was all too familiar with. Now, as he prepared for an expedition into foreign lands, he had to be wary of the sa strategy being used against him. Any mishap in logistics could not only ruin the results of his years of careful planning but might even spell doom for the entire foundation of Sunagakure.
Initially, Agakure seed like the best choice. After all, the Sandglass Group had been operating there for years, making logistics relatively convenient. However, recent anti-Sunagakure sentint among Agakure's populace had been on the rise, and the situation was becoming increasingly unstable. Jinghang couldn't feel at ease about it. If sothing were to go wrong once the battle began, he'd be left with no recourse but regret. After much deliberation, he chose the Land of Stone instead.
Fortunately, the leader of Iwagakure was accommodating and agreed to Sunagakure's requests. Of course, this wasn't free. Jinghang had to delegate part of his grain and military procurent to the Land of Stone and promised to establish a sizable industrial park in Iwagakure after the war. But none of this mattered as long as his rear lines were secured.
For this campaign, Jinghang opted for a cautious strategy. Despite Iwagakure being surrounded and seemingly destined for defeat, it was still an old and established ninja village with deeper roots than Sunagakure. As the saying goes, "Even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit." Moreover, there was still the number-one powerhouse—Konoha—watching silently from the sidelines.
As early as the second day after Sunagakure's formal declaration of war, Jinghang sent a diplomatic note to Konoha. His expectations were modest: he didn't need Konoha to send troops to assist; he'd settle for so verbal condemnation of Iwagakure or even just neutrality. However, Konoha's response was like an abandoned dry well—completely silent. Fine, he thought, I'll just take that as tacit approval.
Sunagakure currently had 12,000 registered ninjas, excluding academy students. The main force for this campaign was the newly reorganized standing army of 8,000. An additional 2,000 were assigned to protect the supply lines, while another 2,000 remained to guard the holand. To support this effort, nearly 50,000 laborers had been mobilized to transport supplies and provisions.
To stabilize the ho front, Jinghang once again called upon retired veterans Chiyo and her brother Ebizō, the Minister of Education. With one managing intelligence and the other overseeing dostic affairs, he trusted that the village wouldn't face any major issues.
"Kazekage-sama, Konoha has made a move,"
At the guesthouse, Pakura handed him a piece of paper. Half of Jinghang's drunkenness instantly vanished. He quickly took the paper and scanned it, his eyes darting across the lines.
"What kind of stunt is this? Konoha's been holding back all this ti, and this is what they co up with? What about Danzo? Any news from him?"
"Yes, here's a letter from Shimura Danzo, delivered through an interdiary," Pakura replied.
Jinghang snatched it imdiately.
"What the hell is this? Cats and dogs—typical Konoha nonsense!"
Furious, Jinghang crumpled the two pieces of paper into a ball and threw them to the ground.
What had happened?
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had issued a peace declaration. The words were earnest, urging all parties to remain calm and restrained, to avoid unnecessary bloodshed and suffering. So far, so normal—a standard diplomatic statent. But the last sentence was the most intriguing:
"To seek peace among the Five Great Ninja Villages, Konoha will dispatch a force of 10,000 ninja, personally led by the Third Hokage, to station at Eagle Sorrow Gorge!"
Now, that was sothing worth pondering. Eagle Sorrow Gorge? That wasn't in the Land of Fire or the Land of Earth—it was in the Land of Lightning, less than a hundred kiloters from Kumogakure!
What kind of divine maneuver was this? I'm about to fight Iwagakure, and you go sharpen your knives at Kumogakure's doorstep? Even the slyest strategist wouldn't pull off sothing like this!
However, Danzo's letter explained everything clearly. According to him, while Hiruzen Sarutobi's actions seed unconventional, his logic was anything but muddled.
First, from a moral standpoint, Konoha sidestepped its alliance with Sunagakure and instead championed "international" peace. While not entirely transparent, it was at least sowhat defensible. You, Sunagakure, want to attack Iwagakure? Fine, I'll distract Kumogakure in the na of peace and preventing further conflict. And, as Konoha's declaration clearly stated, it was rely "stationing troops," not actively engaging in battle—at most, a show of ard deterrence.
But this move utterly devastated both Kumogakure and Sunagakure.
Kumogakure, having wrestled with Iwagakure in a bloody struggle for so long, finally saw victory within reach. But now, with a 10,000-strong Konoha force camped near their village, they had no choice but to retreat and defend their holand. Forget pursuing the enemy; they'd be lucky to protect their own base.
As for Sunagakure, the absence of Kumogakure's pressure on Iwagakure allowed the latter to redirect most of its forces for defense. Fighting on ho turf with easier access to supplies, Iwagakure's defenses beca significantly harder to breach.
One couldn't deny the brilliance of Hiruzen Sarutobi's maneuver. After this, Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Sunagakure would all be severely weakened. Kirigakure, mired in its internal strife, was already out of the picture. Post-war, Konoha would be the only village left unscathed, erging as the undisputed leader of the ninja world. Even Jinghang had to begrudgingly admire the cunning of this "worldly hero."
"Kazekage-sama, what should we do then?"
Pakura asked cautiously.
"Fight! Stick to the original plan and accelerate troop mobilization. We march next week! Damn it, if we let every cricket's chirp stop us from farming, we'd never plant anything!"
Jinghang showed no hesitation regarding the campaign. The arrow was already nocked; there was no turning back now. On second thought, he wasn't about to let Konoha get away with this so easily either.
Danzo's letter ntioned that Hiruzen Sarutobi would personally lead the expedition, leaving Danzo behind due to their differing opinions.
What a golden opportunity! It was ti for Danzo to "develop his influence" in Konoha. Let him fully unleash the darkness in his heart and, at the very least, establish the foundation of "Root."
"Write a letter to Shimura Danzo in my na. Say this: 'Greetings. As I read your letter, I deeply empathize with your struggles within Konoha's leadership, where your ambitions are stifled. Yet, as a man born into this world, how can one remain subservient for long...'"
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