In this war, it wasn't only Nadeshiko Shizuka who adopted this battle strategy—every shinobi from Iwagakure and Nadeshiko Village was using the sa approach.
As for why Iwagakure, one of the Five Great Nations of Earth, would resort to such tactics, the story has to begin several nights before the war officially broke out.
That night was dark and windy.
Uchiha Hikaru had just finished walking through the forest with Nadeshiko Shizuka, the two of them casually talking about their ideals and future plans, when Ōnoki quietly slipped into Hikaru's tent—scaring him half to death.
"Fuck—!"
"Why the hell are you in my tent, old man?!"
Uchiha Hikaru subconsciously took half a step back, his entire body on guard.
Ōnoki chuckled awkwardly, his face plastered with an ingratiating smile.
"Hikaru, I ca tonight to ask for your advice."
"Street combat has always been the most troubleso kind of battlefield for shinobi. Those local rogue ninja are extrely familiar with the terrain. I was wondering if you might have a solution for us."
"Otherwise, if Iwagakure loses too many shinobi, it wouldn't be good for your future business plans involving Konoha and Iwagakure, would it~?"
Hearing this, Uchiha Hikaru imdiately understood what the old man was scheming.
Indeed—throughout ninja history, large-scale street warfare was almost unheard of. Most shinobi only encountered such conditions during isolated missions.
Even soone as experienced as Ōnoki found himself at a loss when faced with this kind of battlefield.
Victory was assured—but the old man clearly wanted to minimize losses as much as possible.
Adhering to the principles of shared growth, unity, and mutual benefit under the Ninja Association, Uchiha Hikaru smiled at Ōnoki.
Ōnoki's heart skipped a beat.
That smile—why did it suddenly make his palms sweat and his wallet ache?
"Ōnoki~"
"You know, I, Uchiha Hikaru, am the president of the Ninja Association and the strongest man in the ninja world. In this mission, I'm only here as a supervisor."
"If you want to offer advice, then…"
As he spoke, Hikaru rubbed his fingers together aningfully.
Ōnoki's heart sank.
I knew it. This bastard…
No wonder he'd felt a phantom pain in his wallet earlier—he'd been targeted.
"H-Hikaru~ look at you, what are you saying?"
"How can you elevate things to that level so suddenly?"
"I'm just asking for advice as a friend. Just help think of a solution."
"Talking about money all the ti really hurts our relationship, doesn't it?"
Uchiha Hikaru smiled and nodded.
"Old man, if that's the case, then I misunderstood you."
"As a good friend, it's only natural for to help you co up with a solution."
"My fault, my fault—I was being too distant. Hahaha~"
Seeing Hikaru act slightly embarrassed, Ōnoki felt a surge of hope and silently took note of it.
So this is how to deal with him… I didn't expect Hikaru to be this righteous.
"Ah, it's fine, it's fine. You're still young—so things only old n like understand clearly."
As he spoke, Ōnoki felt like he'd finally regained the upper hand—at least in his own heart.
For him, this was a historic breakthrough.
"Alright, old man, listen carefully."
"First, you do this…"
"Then have them do this…"
Not long after, Ōnoki burst into hearty laughter and left the tent in high spirits.
Uchiha Hikaru remained behind, took a sip of water, watched Ōnoki's retreating back, and smiled gently.
"Old man, I gave you a chance, but you were useless~"
"If you don't even want to pay the friendship fee, then don't bla for collecting it myself."
With that, he imdiately pulled out a scroll and began writing rapidly, filling it with dense lines of text.
"Psychic Summoning."
A puff of white smoke appeared, and a quiet little black cat sat on the ground, raising one paw at Hikaru as if greeting him.
"No, no—I didn't forget your favorite."
The kitten accepted the pill prepared by Hikaru, licked it happily, and its eyes glowed gold as it owed excitedly.
Good stuff! Good stuff! (=^･ω･^=)
After licking it a few more tis, the black cat stuffed the pill into the small pouch hanging from its chest, carefully tightening the string so it wouldn't fall out. Then it picked up the scroll in its mouth, waved its tail at Hikaru, and vanished in another puff of smoke.
"Even cats know to collect friendship fees."
"I, Uchiha Hikaru, am never stingy about them."
"Ōnoki… you're really walking a narrow road~"
...
"Did Iwagakure offend Hikaru?"
Kurenai Yuhi stared at the intelligence scroll delivered by the Ninja Cat. It contained a detailed list of recent cooperation adjustnts involving Iwagakure.
[Recycling of discarded ninja tools — price reduced by 10%]
[Ninja tools and raw materials — prices increased by 5%]
From military supplies to civilian necessities, prices had risen across the board—but always within reasonable limits.
In the early days, in order to rapidly expand the market, Kurenai had deliberately pressed profit margins thin, quickly dominating industries across the Five Great Nations. Even years later, prices had only been adjusted slightly.
Small profits, fast turnover—that was the foundation of sustainable growth.
At the sa ti, it rewarded long-term partners who had supported the Konoha Chamber of Comrce from the very beginning.
That was how stability was maintained.
But now, Hikaru had specifically implented "fine-tuning" asures only for trade with Iwagakure—for the next six months.
Not the entire Land of Earth.
Just Iwagakure.
Clearly, Ōnoki had done sothing to piss him off.
Kurenai silently burned the scroll and began adjusting related operations, a trace of helplessness flashing across her lips.
"You only know how to boss people around…"
"When you co back this ti, you're paying the public tax yourself~"
...
One month later, at the forr site of Otogakure, Dosu, Tayuya, and their remaining forces gathered together.
"Tayuya, how are things on your side?"
"Those damn Iwagakure bastards—using tactics that cruel. I've only got a little over thirty people left!"
"It's better here. We still have more than fifty."
"My side's the worst. Only five people left."
As the strategist of the Sound Ninja remnants, Dosu finally realized the truth.
With fewer than two hundred shinobi remaining, they only had two choices left.
Surrender.
Or run.
Because if they kept fighting like this, they wouldn't even need the enemy—
They'd wipe themselves out first.
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