Mifune's final defeat was plainly visible to everyone on both sides.
The samurai of the Land of Iron felt as if they had fallen into an Ice Cellar, chilled to the bone with genuine panic; while the Coalition Force of Ninja Clans erupted in cheers, their morale soaring like a wildfire.
Hyuga Soushu had never been someone willing to give his enemies any opportunities, so he decisively issued military orders:
"Left-wing Ninja Forces, maneuver around. Right-wing Ninja Forces, launch a direct assault!"
As the command rang out, both wings of the Coalition Force immediately launched their attack toward the disoriented samurai army of the Land of Iron.
"Hear my command, central forces!"
Still not finished, Hyuga Soushu gave another order: "Advance five hundred meters at a steady pace. Prepare for three waves of Ninjutsu barrage!"
"Yes, sir!"
The central forces of the ninja army responded in unison and marched forth with a thunderous advance.
To the samurai of the Land of Iron, already demoralized by their general's defeat and now facing enemy assaults, this moment felt like the final straw crushing a camel's back, completely shattering what little fighting spirit remained among most of them.
As a result, the samurai ranks descended further into chaos.
Some hot-blooded warriors charged recklessly, desperate to mount a counterattack. Others had different plans—eyes darting, clearly ready to run at the first sign of danger. Even those who managed to remain calm enough to await orders grew increasingly anxious due to the lack of clear directives from above.
Everyone in the samurai force unanimously sensed that calamity was upon them.
Yet at this critical moment, the senior samurai commanders still hadn't reached consensus regarding their response strategy.
Okisuke, appointed as the interim commander-in-chief, began ordering his subordinates to engage in battle, whereas other senior commanders disagreed with exposing their troops directly under the bombardment of ninja techniques. They argued that such a move would not demonstrate the steel will of samurai but instead enable ninja to label samurai as foolish and outdated.
While these leading commanders of the front lines continued debating this matter heatedly, Rikaku, currently overseeing troop movements at the rear ranks, began issuing retreat orders for the rear echelon units.
This sudden unexpected development threw all the samurai into confusion and panic, especially those in the frontline preparing for one last desperate stand, who couldn't help turning their heads backward one after another, staring at the dusty chaos brewing in the rear formations.
Although samurai vision wasn't nearly as sharp as that of ninja, they could still see clearly—the once-unshakable shield behind them was hastily withdrawing from its original position in utter disorder. At a glance, it was evident this wasn't a regular tactical realignment. Who ever heard of retreating while simultaneously discarding armor and weapons in the entire ninja world?
Therefore, the immediate conclusion forming in every samurai's mind was unanimous—"the rear guards have fled out of fear towards battle!"
This realization instantly sent their collective anxiety skyrocketing.
[It is human nature not to fear scarcity but to resent inequality.] This held especially true in life-or-death matters.
Right before them loomed the fierce, roaring coalition of ninja clans, their chakra surging like a tidal wave of collapsing mountains; yet directly behind them emerged scenes of total chaos, soldiers fleeing while abandoning equipment in disgraceful retreat. Honestly, even the well-trained Konoha Ninja might not have reacted any better in that kind of mess.
However, fortunately, bound by their so-called principles of samurai loyalty and national duty, these samurai still maintained a certain level of discipline. As a result, they didn't rush to mirror the behavior. Yet all the samurai turned their gazes toward their respective Hatamoto officers.
Their eyes blazed with intensity, placing immense pressure on the senior samurai who each harbored their own thoughts and agendas.
Soon, the pressure shifted to those clan leaders who still hadn't reached an agreement.
"Is the rear guarded by Rikaku?"
Okisuke, who had barely gotten used to holding command, looked toward the dust rising from the back lines, his expression dazed.
He never imagined it would come to this.
Going to war with the powerful Coalition Force of Ninja Clans was already a suicide mission. Now faced with this unexpected development, who could possibly remain calm?
But the situation no longer allowed them time to hesitate or bicker among themselves.
"Halt!"
Within the Coalition Force of Ninja Clans, after completing the order to advance slowly for five hundred meters, Hyuga Soushu raised his right hand high, his back facing the sun.
Immediately, all ninja focused their attention on him.
Once Hyuga Soushu swung his hand down and gave the signal, the ninjas would unleash combined ninjutsu, launching three waves of devastating attacks on the samurai's formation.
"They not only refused to surrender but were also trying to resist."
Through his Byakugan, Hyuga Soushu observed not only signs of retreat in the rear ranks of the samurai, but also those still holding their ground, unwilling to lay down their weapons and beg for mercy.
Five seconds later, Soushu suddenly slashed his arm downward.
[Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!]
[Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!]
[Wind Release: Wind Blade!]
As the iconic fire-wind combination technique of Konoha, the Coalition Force executed it just as skillfully.
The power of the Fire Release was significantly amplified by the Wind Release, while invisible wind blades hidden within the flames and gusts became deadly fast blades that were extremely difficult to detect. If the enemy's sensory abilities were lacking, their attention would be drawn entirely to the overwhelming flames, completely unaware of the silent damage caused by the wind blades.
"Magic-Disrupting Warriors forward!"
Even as Hyuga Soushu raised his arm preparing to attack, Okisuke had already stopped arguing with the other clan leaders and shouted directly, "Close-combat warriors, take cover on the spot! All squad leaders, prepare for impact!"
"Tora! Tora! Tora!"
The samurai roared their battle cry thrice, boosting their morale.
Among them, the elite warriors—capable of precisely channeling chakra into blade energy to disrupt jutsu—immediately moved to the front lines to intercept the Coalition Force's first wave of assault.
As the samurai were about to complete their defensive formation, the ninjas' combined ninjutsu arrived right on schedule.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!!"
Following that came thunderous explosions as the fire-based jutsu detonated upon impact.
Yet among the sounds, Okisuke heard something unusual—
"A dull thud of blades slicing through flesh?"
That realization made Okisuke's hair stand on end!
Where did the blades come from?
He focused his gaze—and nearly fainted on the spot!
Though the elite samurai successfully intercepted the massive Fire Release Ninjutsu, nearly one-tenth of them were injured or killed by Wind Blades!
And how many top-tier samurai capable of dispersing ninjutsu with chakra-infused sword energy did the Land of Iron actually have in total?
But this wasn't over yet.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!!"
The second and third waves of [Three Waves of Ninjutsu Barrage] from the Coalition Force of Ninja Clans arrived one after another, causing even wider damage!
Just as Okisuke and the battered senior samurai shook off their dizziness and prepared to stand up and regroup, the vanguard ninja forces from the coalition had already approached the samurai frontline!
Moreover, if anyone turned back to look at their comrades who'd fled the battlefield in panic, they would see those cowardly deserters had been intercepted and engaged by the coalition's left wing ninja forces.
"Life is like floating weeds adrift — a fleeting journey in this transient world. Time flies; life fades like morning dew."
Overwhelmed by despair, Okisuke no longer felt the will to carry out his command duties.
After all, as they endured the bombardment of three waves of ninjutsu, the main force of ninja warriors from the clans had already reached the frontlines of the samurai defenses.
So after murmuring a final death poem, Okisuke chose to draw his blade and charge forward, determined to fight to the death to defend his honor as a samurai.
However, this small indulgence of a commander abandoning command resulted in dire consequences for the samurai forces, plunging them completely into an abyss.
First, the right wing ninja forces gained immediate local superiority during initial engagement, quickly suppressing the desperately resisting samurai. Then, led personally by Hyuga Soushu who commanded the central army, they smoothly joined the battle and instantly crushed the elite samurai facing them.
Meanwhile, the samurai who had hidden to avoid the dense ninjutsu bombardment had just climbed out of their shelters when they found themselves face-to-face with grim-faced, bloodthirsty ninja warriors from the ninja clans.
Whether it was the Byakugan users from the Hyuga clan with their Gentle Fist capable of breaking through any defense, the Uchiha ninja with unpredictable and versatile combat styles, or even the minor clans from Konoha—their techniques were far beyond what regular samurai could handle.
After all, as remnants of an outdated era, the reason samurai were cast into the dustbin of history was because there existed an unbridgeable gap between their combat effectiveness and that of the ninja. Even though nowadays samurai had developed their own chakra extraction techniques and ingeniously applied them to swordsmanship, such simplistic and limited fighting methods were as fragile as thin parchment when facing large-scale organized ninja forces, easily torn apart entirely.
Therefore, in reality, even if Okisuke continued carrying out his command duties, there wouldn't be any better outcome—it would merely delay the inevitable annihilation by a little time.
Yet this wasn't what Okisuke was thinking at this moment.
The twin blades in his hands had already become jagged from clashing against enemy ninja weapons, their cutting and killing efficiency greatly reduced. While charging along his path of destruction, he had already slain or wounded no fewer than ten ninja.
But that was all it amounted to.
Although fiercely fighting his way through enemies, wave after wave of ninja kept coming endlessly like ocean tides.
Scattering ninjutsu projectiles, craftily angled ninja tools, and even ninja bursting forth from every direction—including directly beneath his feet—all drained Okisuke's strength and spirit completely.
As the Jonin within the Ninja Force took notice of this formidable samurai, Okisuke's surroundings quickly emptied out. Two Jonin figures emerged, their eyes locked onto Okisuke's vital points.
Okisuke pushed himself to the limit, yet barely moved forward more than three hundred meters.
As for his long-cherished wish—to die in battle before Hyuga Soushu and let him witness a samurai's courage—it was destined to vanish like morning dew in the haiku he had chanted.
"Die!"
The two Ninja Clan Jonin launched their attack.
"Winter snow veils the pine; all else fades into dust!"
Okisuke roared and swung his blade in response.
Then, he was decapitated with a single stroke!
That severed head soaring high from the swift blade caught one final glimpse at the very end—a sight of Hyuga Soushu standing amidst a crowd of Jonin five hundred meters away, and Mifune being forced down onto one knee before him under overwhelming pressure.
"It's over..."
Okisuke's will instantly plunged into an endless abyss.
"That damned traitor from the Gekko Household is stealing another kill!"
The two attackers cursed bitterly before resuming their assault.
Twenty minutes later, everything settled.
The samurai of the Land of Iron were either dead or surrendered. Although a few might manage to flee the battlefield, they would no longer pose any real threat.
Accordingly, within a single day, ninja forces grouped in hundreds swept through all resistance across the Land of Iron like a hurricane, leaving every place they passed either surrendering at the mere sight of them or littered with severed heads.
This frozen land thus fell completely into the hands of the Ninja Clan Capital Corporation!
Yet even at this point, the so-called interventions from various great nations remained nothing more than verbal posturing.
Hyuga Soushu didn't stop after seizing the Land of Iron, but instead directly dispatched five hundred ninja troops advancing eastward along the country's borders.
The small countries along the way were weak and powerless to resist ninja invasions. Under the intimidation of ninja blades and kunai, these tiny states could only contract their national defense to the Ninja Clan Capital Corporation in the names of their respective daimyos.
Only to mask their intentions, however, Hyuga Soushu rejected the idea proposed by many Jonin to directly annex these lands, instead adopting a subtler approach of infiltration to control these smaller states. He gave each small nation an industrial task suited to its climate, while all farmlands previously existing were converted to cultivate crops yielding higher economic profits.
In other words, although these small nations might gain greater economic benefits under this new industrial plan, what they sacrificed in return was complete self-sufficiency in food production.
"This system, I call the Economic Mutual Assistance Framework!"
Hyuga Soushu proudly introduced his plan to the gathering of Jonin. "Once these industries are established in each nation according to plan, those countries reliant upon singular sources of income would find it extremely difficult to shake off our influence, even if they attempted to do so—or if war creates a power vacuum, escaping control of our company would still be no easy feat!"
"Brilliant thinking, Honorable Hyuga Soushu!"
The Jonin assembly privately dismissed the idea as unnecessary, even seeing Hyūga Sōshu's move as making a mountain out of a molehill. But outwardly, they kept a respectful appearance and nodded along with him politely.
"Additionally, the Standing Ninja Army headquarters will begin evacuation procedures, while another battalion of one thousand ninja remains stationed in the Land of Iron to monitor industrial progress in the small nations to the east."
Hyūga Sōshu continued, "No matter what difficulties you encounter—even going so far as to use Fire Release Ninjutsu to burn entire fields—you must ensure each small nation completes its industrial transformation by the appointed deadline. No excuses for delays!"
"Yes sir!" The senior ninja from the various clans responded in unison.
"Fugaku, I'll leave this mission in your hands." Hyūga Sōshu's gaze shifted toward Fugaku Uchiha.
"Erm..." Fugaku hesitated slightly.
As heir to the Uchiha Clan, he had significant personal stakes in the Land of Rivers, which his family controlled. However, although the Land of Rivers was prosperous, the Ninja Clan Capital Corporation offered far greater opportunities.
Since Hyūga Sōshu had personally selected him, after a brief moment of contemplation, Fugaku reached his decision. "I won't disappoint your trust," he said.
"Then I wish you great success, Fugaku!" Hyūga Sōshu replied, visibly pleased. "Our very presence must bring prosperity to those small nations!"
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>