A thousand people.
This was a number that made everyone breathe a sigh of relief.
Not only Nara Shikaku, but the clan heads and elders of the smaller families in attendance also relaxed. Gathering a thousand people would be relatively easy. Recruiting five to six hundred civilian ninjas wouldn't be a problem, and a few larger clans could contribute three to four hundred. In the end, they might not even need to send anyone from their own families, and even if they did, it wouldn't be more than a handful from each.
"Are you really sure about this, Sougen-kun?"
Faced with Sougen's bold claim of matching the First Hokage, even though he modestly said he had only one-tenth of the First Hokage's ability, the issue wasn't whether he was being modest. The average person wouldn't compare themselves to the First Hokage, the God of Shinobi. His reputation wasn't for show. When people thought of the First Hokage, they felt nothing but admiration; no one dared to compare themselves to him.
To compare oneself to the First Hokage was so arrogant that people didn't even know how to respond.
If someone else had made this claim, Akimichi Chōza might have suggested they go to the Konoha Hospital to check for some serious illness. But this was Uchiha Sougen speaking—the man who had captured the Fourth Mizukage alive. While no one believed he was truly comparable to the First Hokage, who could say for sure? Perhaps Uchiha Sougen really did have the confidence to defeat the Cloud ninjas with fewer than half their forces.
"This is enough! As long as we have around that many troops, more wouldn't help much anyway," Sougen said calmly, his composed attitude exuding such confidence that no one in the room could find words to doubt him.
Even Akimichi Chōza could only scratch his head in frustration.
Had he known this would happen, he wouldn't have racked his brain trying to figure out how to recruit more people from the village's various clans. A thousand people—Shikaku had mentioned earlier that they already had about eight hundred, so they only needed to gather two hundred more. Just two hundred! The Ino-Shika-Chō trio could easily gather that.
Thus, the meeting quickly came to a close.
What had initially seemed like a long discussion to persuade the clan heads and elders turned out to require no persuasion at all. Instead, it was Akimichi Chōza who was persuaded by Sougen, and he actually agreed to let Sougen lead a thousand troops northward.
Before long, the once-crowded meeting room was empty again.
"Hokage-sama, are you sure this is safe?"
Nara Shikaku spoke up as he looked at Akimichi Chōza, who remained seated in the head seat.
"The First Hokage's power is well-documented by the Uchiha clan. If Sougen is making such a bold claim, he must have confidence. But just to be sure, we can continue to secretly negotiate with the clans to recruit more troops. Hopefully, this extra force won't be needed, but if the front lines do require it, I want a backup unit ready to go at a moment's notice."
"I understand. I'll prioritize this task."
"And remember to keep things quiet. Control the flow of information in the village. Don't let the stability we've achieved be disturbed. On second thought, Shikaku, you focus on recruitment, and have Haiichi handle the information control. He can coordinate with both the ANBU and the police force."
With a sigh, Akimichi Chōza rubbed his temples.
His gaze fell on the Hokage's hat resting on the table. The large "Fire" character on it reminded him of the weight of the position. The Hokage's role was indeed no easy task. As the village's leader, his decisions could affect the lives of tens of thousands of people.
"Oh, right, Hokage-sama, there's one more thing I need to report."
"What is it?"
"It's about your face on the Hokage Rock."
"Hokage Rock?" Akimichi Chōza paused and instinctively looked out the window. From the meeting room, the four previous Hokage faces could be clearly seen, lined up from the First to the Fourth. As the Fifth Hokage, his face would be added there too, for future generations to admire.
"Shikaku, is there something specific about this?"
"The administrative department sent someone to ask if they should begin the construction work for your face on the Hokage Rock."
"Tell them there's no need to rush. We're still in a time of war. Let's wait until the war is over. Right now, they should focus their efforts on logistical support. If anyone dares to hold us back at this critical moment, I'll deal with them myself."
Akimichi Chōza spoke with determination.
He had no intention of going down in history as the Hokage who failed in an external war. He needed a decisive victory, and he had high hopes that Uchiha Sougen could achieve another miracle.
Soon after the meeting ended, a mixed force of one thousand Konoha ninjas and two thousand Mist ninjas set out under the command of Jiraiya. Though the commander had changed from Uchiha Sougen to Jiraiya, with the cooperation of Hōzuki Mangetsu and the fearsome reputation of the Three Legendary Sannin, there were no disturbances or conflicts within the ranks.
Shortly after Jiraiya's departure, Sougen also set off, leading just over a thousand troops toward the Land of Hot Water at top speed.
---
The Land of Earth was known for its many mountains, much like the Land of Lightning. However, unlike the picturesque, green mountains of the Land of Lightning, the Land of Earth was filled with barren, rocky peaks. Over thousands of years, wind and rain had washed away the soil, leaving only exposed rock.
The rendezvous point mentioned in the secret message from Yamanaka Nonō was one of these uniquely shaped mountains.
"This bowl-shaped mountain must be the place, right, Juri?"
Kakashi held a map as he studied the mountain in front of him. The base was narrow, and the top was wide, making it look like a dull gray bowl resting on the ground.
"It should be!"
The woman called Juri responded. She wore a fox mask with dark red patterns, and her slim, curvaceous figure was highlighted by the standard ANBU uniform. In her hands was an open white scroll, into which black birds flew from all directions, one after another.
"This is the only bowl-shaped mountain in the area, and there's no sign of any nearby villages. This is a genuine wilderness." She relayed the gathered information to Kakashi, the team leader.
"As long as we're in the right place."
Kakashi folded his map and asked, "What's the situation with Chisato and Ameyuri? Have they taken care of the tail following us?"
Kakashi's team—comprised of Hatake Kakashi, Juri, Uchiha Chisato, and Ringo Ameyuri—had been carefully selected by the village's leadership for this special mission to retrieve the "Wandering Priestess." The four of them had traveled a great distance from Konoha, breaking through the defensive line of the Iwa ninjas and entering the Land of Earth.
"It's all taken care of. No one got away," replied Uchiha Chisato.
The spirited young woman approached with the **Kusanagi Sword: Vacuum Blade** in hand. This sword, with its ability to enhance wind-style attacks, had inspired the creation of the Wind Release: Vacuum Blade jutsu, named after the sword for its cutting power.
Following behind her was Ringo Ameyuri, gripping her **Thunder Swords: Kiba**. Both young women exuded an intense aura of killing intent, their weapons clean but still radiating the scent of blood.
"Eight Iwa ninjas. Ameyuri took five, and I only managed to claim three. They didn't have a chance to send out any signals," Uchiha Chisato said, a little dissatisfied. Ringo Ameyuri, on the other hand, was smiling, pleased to have finally gotten the upper hand after many sparring sessions where Chisato's wind style had always bested her lightning style.
Their group's infiltration into the Land of Earth hadn't gone unnoticed.
Though Iwa's main forces had yet to move south, their border defense units had received orders to increase their vigilance. This made Kakashi's team's infiltration much more difficult.
Of course, they could have taken a longer route and found a weak spot in the extensive border defenses, but they didn't have the time. Yamanaka Nonō hadn't just provided the meeting location—she had also set a specific time.
The rendezvous was scheduled for today, from this afternoon until noon tomorrow.
To avoid missing the rendezvous, they had to force their way through the Iwa defenses, and it wasn't surprising that the Iwa ninjas had caught on. Luckily, Iwa wouldn't send their entire army after a small group like theirs. They had only sent two teams to pursue, and Uchiha Chisato and Ringo Ameyuri had quickly dealt with them.
"Are they all taken care of? That should buy us about half a day."
Kakashi frowned slightly, looking up at the sky. "Let's hope that priestess shows up soon."
Getting rid of the people tailing them was only a temporary solution. When the Iwa ninja border defense force realized that the tracking team hadn't returned, they'd definitely send more to investigate. The four of them could handle two or three waves of attacks from the Iwa ninjas, but they wouldn't be able to withstand an endless stream of assaults.
"Captain Kakashi, what if they don't show up in time?" asked Juri, who wore a mask.
"Then we'll go find them!" Kakashi's face was covered by his mask, making it hard to see his expression. "The Hokage's order is to bring them back, dead or alive. We can't let that priestess fall into the hands of the Iwa ninjas."
"That priestess... she's a pretty powerful person, you know! She holds a lot of secrets, even Danzo... even Danzo was wary of her. If he hadn't found her weak spot, it wouldn't have been so easy to force her to keep spying."
Juri spoke softly. Kakashi glanced at her but said nothing.
He didn't know much about this woman named Juri, except that she used to be part of Root. From her words, it seemed she'd held a significant position there as well.
"Captain Kakashi, for someone like her, the safest thing to do is eliminate her directly. That way, there'd be no future problems. Danzo had already drawn up a plan for that, but unfortunately..." Unfortunately, Danzo died before it could be carried out.
Juri spoke sincerely. To her, someone like Yakushi Nono, a seasoned spy with too many secrets, was better dealt with immediately. Bringing her back alive would just cause the higher-ups unnecessary stress over how to handle her. It was easier to just take care of her on the spot—problem solved, no loose ends.
As a former member of Root, even though she now belonged to the Anbu, her past methods weren't so easily changed. If necessary, she could even turn her blade on a comrade without hesitation.
"Juri, don't say things like that again," Kakashi said firmly. "The Hokage did say we need her alive or dead, but before we left, he also told us to try to protect the priestess if possible. She's a hero to the village. I don't want to hear you suggest otherwise again."
Kakashi outright rejected Juri's suggestion, even issuing a warning.
"Cold-blooded Kakashi... looks like the rumors aren't accurate after all."
Juri wasn't fazed by the warning. Instead, she curiously observed Kakashi. She'd heard the nickname "Cold-blooded Kakashi of the Anbu" during her time in Root. Danzo had even tried to recruit Kakashi into Root at one point, but the Third Hokage had stopped it.
The rumors said that Hatake Kakashi had a reputation for being cold and ruthless during his time in the Anbu. Few people wanted to go on missions with him.
But now, it seemed that rumors were just that—rumors. Or perhaps Kakashi had changed since leaving the Anbu?
"I don't know what kind of ridiculous rumors you've heard in the past, but remember this: on this mission, I'm the captain, and everything is to be done according to my orders. If anyone tries to act on their own, I promise I won't be lenient," Kakashi warned Juri again, looking directly at her.
"Your job is to use your sensory techniques to monitor the surroundings and find the priestess. Other than that, don't let me catch you doing anything out of line."
"I'll do my job," Juri responded without any resistance. She had no intention of going against the captain.
Following orders was a habit ingrained in her from her time in Root. If the captain didn't want to listen to her suggestions, she wouldn't act on her own. In Root, they were trained to completely obey orders without deviation.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Chisao and Ringo Ameyuri weren't interested in the conversation between the other two. Both of the battle-obsessed girls were carefully maintaining their weapons, even though their weapons were legendary blades that wouldn't rust even after being submerged in water for years.
But the girls still cherished and meticulously cared for their beloved weapons.