The Iwagakure southern expeditionary force into the Herb Country had been utterly destroyed.
With Kitsuchi's capture as a symbolic event, and after forcing Kumo's surrender, this marked yet another defeat for Iwagakure under Hyuga Soushu's leadership—though unlike Kumo, the current Iwagakure had not yet sent envoys begging for peace on their knees. However, every Konoha ninja present understood one thing clearly: Iwagakure was certainly no longer capable of continuing the war.
Of course, launching an invasion into the Land of Earth would still be an extremely troublesome matter.
Though Konoha's Coalition Force of Ninja Clans and the Northwestern Border Army had enough supplies, no one was willing to bet whether the village would raise the stakes and keep fighting. With Grass Ninja Village and indeed the entire Herb Country already under their control, all participating ninja clans—including the Uchiha Clan—not only felt the joy of victory but also eagerly anticipated the upcoming distribution of benefits.
According to the agreement reached during the Ninja Clan Summit between the various participating clans and Konoha's top leadership, any subsequent gains obtained in the Herb Country needed to contribute four-tenths as protection fees and branding charges to the village. In exchange, the village would tacitly approve each clan's practical interests there and provide official endorsement. Yet in reality, everyone—including Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi—treated this revenue-sharing agreement rather casually.
As always went, the higher-ups made the rules—the lower ones figured out how to work around them. Once territories and industries were determined, each ninja clan would simply retreat into its own little world to rake in as much profit as possible. After all, wasn't the amount they made entirely up to themselves?
By underreporting profits, they paid less tax. So clan leaders had already come up with plenty of ways to hide the real numbers or fake higher costs—basically spending more to make it look like they earned less.
After successfully ending combat operations and clearing the battlefield, Hyuga Soushu immediately ordered the Northwest Border Defense Forces to advance further toward the border between the Herb Country and the Land of Earth, constructing [Forward Positions] along the national boundary.
Although in theory the rank of the Northwestern Border Army commander was equal to that of Hyuga Soushu, and technically neither was subordinate to the other, upon receiving Hyuga Soushu's mobilization order document, he still accepted the assignment, leading his disgruntled subordinates northward in camp relocation.
Hyuga Soushu's reason for dispatching this Overseas Ninja Forces unit first was that the critical phase—the distribution of spoils among the participating clans—was about to begin. Since such benefit allocations excluded these troops completely, the wisest course of action was to conduct these discussions away from their presence, to avoid unnecessary complications. In short, keeping them in the dark was actually for their own good—a way to shield Konoha ninjas from messy internal conflicts.
On the day following the battle's conclusion, within the command center located in Iwagakure's [Earth Maze], Hyuga Soushu convened an emergency meeting of clan leaders to discuss how best and more swiftly to divide up the spoils of the Herb Country.
Although the Herb Country might not be huge, it's still sizable—its territory alone could fill five prefectures of a major nation (an impressive size). With few people but abundant resources, its potential value goes without saying. I believe all of you here are well aware of this.
Hyuga Soushu skipped the formalities. As soon as the clan reps were all present, he dove right in, his voice dripping with profit talk: "But the real question is — how do we make the most of Herb Country's resources and squeeze every bit of profit out of it? That's what we should be focusing on today!"
"Don't forget we have to hand over forty percent of our profits to the village. Any failure in management that harms the village's interests would be a grave betrayal indeed!"
As soon as those words were spoken, every representative in the hall couldn't help but crack faint smiles, slightly easing the tension in the room.
Though Soushu's speech sounded noble, to these clan representatives who each had their own private concerns, it reeked of sarcasm, packed with hidden meanings open to endless interpretations depending on one's angle.
"Ever since Lord Hashirama, Elder Madara, and other heroic figures from various clans established Konoha's foundation, thirty-nine years have passed."
Changing his tone, Hyuga Soushu began pontificating sentimentally: "During these past thirty-nine years, although we did experience rare periods of peace unseen during the Warring States era, two Great Ninja World Wars also caused countless clans to fade into oblivion—truly tragic."
No one really understood what exactly he meant.
But following their simple belief that unexpected flattery usually hides ill intentions, while they outwardly nodded in agreement, inwardly they all raised their guard.
"The tide of the ninja world rolls powerfully, sweeping every clan along with it."
"Some clans, through either effort or luck, have climbed to the top of Hidden Leaf Village, basking in boundless glory!"
While saying this, Soushu's eyes seemingly by chance swept across the representatives belonging to the Hokage faction.
That single glance made some clan reps visibly uneasy.
"Yet with such glory comes infinite temptation—and also infinite risk!"
Hyuga Soushu waxed poetic again, overflowing with emotion.
It seemed suggestive, yet before Soushu revealed his true intent, the representatives remained confused.
"Once glorious and towering over the entire ninja world, the Senju of the Forest are now nothing more than scattered echoes of history. If we don't unite and push forward together, perhaps the Senju's fate will become our own future!"
These words carried serious weight, making the clan representatives grow visibly more solemn.
"Therefore, regarding territorial and industrial divisions in Herb Country, I hope to discuss with all of you how we can expand this relatively small pie and create even greater glory."
Hyuga Soushu started coaxing gently: "If you look at how much money the northern army's control zones and tax regions are bringing in, there's only one message: solo acts don't stand a chance against total unity."
At hearing this...
The clan representatives exchanged uneasy glances, their anxiety rising.
Wait—if Soushu wasn't planning to hand out any territory at all?
"Of course, although ninja clans vary in strength, we're all equal. Therefore, there's no need to worry about the Hyuga Clan taking advantage of others! This absolutely won't happen!"
Hyuga Soushu emphasized.
And this only made everyone even more suspicious — something definitely spelled trouble!
"Of course, we'll surely trust in Soushu's integrity as always!"
Seeing the atmosphere turn cold, a representative leaning toward the Hyuga Clan quickly stood up to smooth things over.
Murmurs of half-hearted approval soon followed.
"I have two plans I'd like to share for your consideration."
Hyuga Soushu raised both hands slightly, prompting immediate solemnity among the crowd: "Herb Country will definitely have participation quotas for various Ninja Clans — this is an unshakable foundation beyond doubt or change! Not a single detail can be altered!"
"That's certainly true!"
The clan representatives wholeheartedly agreed.
Those chosen to represent their clans and lead family ninja into battle were almost always individuals who put their clan's interests first and kept a clear separation between personal gain and official duty. Therefore, although Soushu's words lacked that 'Will of Fire' spirit, they perfectly suited the tastes of the ninja clans.
Moreover, freeing themselves from village control and indoctrination had become every clan's urgent desire; under such fundamental circumstances, having an uninterrupted financial source independent from village restrictions became particularly crucial.
Especially after the Hyuga Clan rapidly doubled its wealth through a series of industries it established in the Land of Lightning occupied territories under Soushu's leadership, every Konoha clan secretly felt envious.
"The first plan divides territory based on each clan's number of participating warriors and wartime merits for individual management."
Soushu raised his index finger.
Hearing this, the clan representatives immediately felt relieved inwardly.
At least this indicated Soushu had no intention of completely monopolizing Herb Country.
"The second plan determines each clan's quota and then combines operations, where we work together to expand the business scale, later sharing profits according to proportional stakes."
He then held up a second finger casually and continued: "Of course, whichever method you choose remains completely free. I'm merely presenting these two options for reference without any intention of coercion!"
Especially emphasizing "coercion," he stressed it deliberately to highlight his genuine lack of forced imposition.
Although the Ninja World didn't have proverbs like "[making false claims about not having power] – much like the old saying, 'trying to hide your strength by loudly proclaiming you have none'," everyone understood the principle — people tend to talk the most about what they really want but don't have. Just like how those die-hard clan reps loved telling stories painting the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, as the greatest Hokage ever, despite clearly lacking impressive feats.
The more Soushu insisted he harbored no coercive intentions, the more they suspected he actually intended intimidation.
"How to decide between these two plans isn't our current topic for discussion."
Soushu didn't insist these clan representatives make immediate decisions either, since this involved major clan positions and interests. As representatives, they naturally lacked authority to decide alone, needing clan consultations before final decisions could be made.
With that, Hyuga Soushu quickly steered the conversation to a different topic. "Also, how should we handle our relationship with Iwagakure? This is actually what we should be most concerned about."
"After this conflict, Iwagakure won't be in any condition to wage war for quite a while."
Fugaku Uchiha, who had remained silent for a long time, spoke up first: "Moreover, what's the village's stance?"
"The village?"
Hyuga Soushu stood up, walked around with his hands on his hips, and finally turned around to address all the representatives of ninja clans: "From now on, no matter how the spoils in Herb Country are divided, it'll be people like us from the ninja clans who bear the burden of guarding the frontlines!"
"If we don't handle our relationship with Iwagakure carefully, how can we truly squeeze every last drop out of them?"
"Now that makes sense!"
Understanding dawned on the clan representatives one by one as they nodded in agreement.
"Only with a stable external environment can we make more money!"
Hyuga Soushu was very satisfied with these clan representatives' understanding of the situation and immediately got straight to the point: "So since the Border Forces have already moved north, once we've determined the division of territory and the sharing of profits, shouldn't our main Ninja Force also take a little stroll into the Land of Earth? What do you think?"
This time, the clan representatives didn't respond.
I'm itching for a fight!
Let the strong take charge—no arguments!
After all, everyone's already sharpening their blades and getting ready to wring every bit of profit out of Herb Country—who would willingly head into the rugged mountains of the Land of Earth just to engage in guerilla warfare with those Iwa shinobi?
Therefore, all the clan representatives lowered their heads one by one, staying silent while secretly communicating through expressions and glances.
The Ten Central Districts of the Land of Lightning are currently facing a major problem—the market for goods is shrinking fast, forcing us to slash prices just to move surplus stock.
Hyuga Soushu then introduced yet another angle to consider.
The sudden shift left the clan representatives utterly baffled.
"Of course, peace is the trend of the times; tranquility in the ninja world is a shared aspiration of everyone,"
Hyuga Soushu first gave himself a bit of an advantage rhetorically before continuing: "But not everyone plays nice, which is exactly why our Ninja Force needs to step in and enforce order!"
"Uh..."
The clan representatives still couldn't grasp exactly what Hyuga Soushu meant between the lines.
This was meant to be a straightforward loot-sharing meeting—why was it turning into such a headache?
"Put plainly, we can't afford to focus solely on squeezing profits out of Herb Country!"
Seeing that these locals still looked puzzled, Hyuga Soushu could only spell it out clearly: "Given Herb Country's strategic location as a transportation hub, we must also find ways to enter the Land of Rain, Takugure, and even the Land of Earth to claim our share from their territories!"
"The Land of Rain might be doable, but Takugure..."
"Takugure has always insisted on isolationism; reaching an agreement with them will probably be extremely difficult."
"The Land of Earth is still one of the Five Great Countries—we'd probably bite off more than we can chew."
The clan representatives expressed their views one after another.
However, when they saw Hyuga Soushu's face darken more and more, the previously noisy discussion gradually quieted down.
"Iwagakure is like the bones of a fallen warrior buried long ago—utterly incapable of resistance! If we lose this chance now, getting anything out of the Land of Earth later will be ten times harder!"
Hyuga Soushu emphasized, "As for the Land of Rain and the Land of Waterfall, once we send our envoys or units over, they'll surely open their borders willingly and become our friends."
"After all, we Konoha ninja are not monsters—they have no reason to treat us like threats!"
"My words are done. Who agrees? Who objects?"
After finishing his speech, Hyuga Soushu scanned the room with his gaze. Wherever his eyes landed, people bowed their heads respectfully, too afraid to speak loudly.
"Of course, everything we do is done in the name of peace!"
Hyuga Soushu thought for a moment and felt he should still publicly reaffirm their noble intentions. "So long as the Land of Earth opens its border cities voluntarily, peace will surely take root. After all, every one of us in Konoha shares the same hatred for war."
"Well said!"
The representatives of the Ninja Clans had no objections—and weren't about to raise any. No one was foolish enough to speak up.
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