Land of Earth's capital, Daimyo's Palace.
Even in winter, the palace of the Land of Earth's Daimyo remained as warm as spring. Expensive incense drifted slowly through the air.
However, the expression of Muto Suke, seated in the main position, was as gloomy as the sky outside.
He wore magnificent court robes embroidered with the Land of Earth's emblem. His fingers unconsciously tapped on the precious red sandalwood armrests, revealing his inner anxiety.
Below, the short yet powerfully imposing Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, stood with his arms crossed, his white long eyebrows tightly knit, listening to the Daimyo's account with an equally grave expression.
"...Overnight!" Muto Suke's voice held barely suppressed anger and a trace of imperceptible fear. He waved a scroll of urgent intelligence in his hand. "The Land of Stars! Those damned Rogue Ninjas! They actually... actually annexed the Land of Swamps, the Land of Darkness, and the Land of Snow! Combined with the previous Land of Demons and their own territory, their land area has already jumped to third place in the west! Second only to my Land of Earth and the Land of Wind!"
He grew more agitated as he spoke, suddenly standing up: "And that's not all! What methods did they use? A bloodbath! They slaughtered the Daimyos and nobles of all five countries almost to the last! They distributed the land and grain to those lowly commoners! They are digging up the very roots of our rule! Onoki! Do you understand?! This trend must not be allowed to grow!"
Muto Suke stopped pacing abruptly, his sharp gaze fixed on Onoki, his tone carrying unprecedented severity: "Onoki, I order you to immediately assemble the Iwagakure's army and march west! You must, with the force of a thunderbolt, utterly erase this so-called Land of Stars! We absolutely cannot allow a threat like this, established by Rogue Ninjas, acting with such brutality, and directly bordering the west and south of our Land of Earth, to continue existing!"
The palace fell silent for a moment, only the incense burner's smoke swirling.
Several ministers standing to the side didn't dare to breathe heavily.
Onoki was silent for a moment, then looked up at the furious Daimyo, a trace of helplessness on his face: "Daimyo-sama, I understand your concerns completely. The rise of the Land of Stars is indeed sudden and dangerous, and their methods are appalling."
He changed his tone, his voice becoming heavy: "However, Daimyo-sama, war is no child's play. Iwagakure has just experienced the fierce battles of the Third Great Ninja War. Our losses were severe, the numbers of our elite Ninjas were drastically reduced, material reserves are heavily depleted, and countless families have yet to recover from the pain of losing loved ones. Right now, the village urgently needs to recuperate and regain its strength. In the short term..."
"...we truly lack the strength to support a large-scale, full-scale war against a powerful nation of unknown strength. A hasty war would have an unpredictable outcome. Even if we won, it would inevitably be a pyrrhic victory, only allowing other great nations like Kumogakure and Konoha, who are watching like tigers eyeing their prey, to benefit."
Muto Suke's brows furrowed tightly, clear displeasure on his face: "So we just watch this threat grow stronger? Watch those Rogue Ninjas and lowly commoners strut about over there?!"
"Of course not." A glint of cunning calculation flashed in Onoki's eyes. He leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice: "Large-scale, overt warfare is something Iwagakure cannot bear for now. However, some 'informal' military actions and strikes are still feasible."
Muto Suke's gaze sharpened: "Oh? Elaborate."
Onoki stroked his beard, speaking slowly: "If Daimyo-sama is indeed determined to contain or even weaken the Land of Stars, and is willing to provide a sum of... extra 'special operations funds' not recorded in the regular military budget... then this old man can arrange something."
"We can secretly support and hire some Rogue Ninja's organizations or mercenary groups."
"We can let them take the lead in carrying out continuous harassment, sabotage, and attacks on the Land of Stars's border lines, supply lines, and even important facilities in its heartland. Iwagakure can secretly dispatch a small number of disguised elite Ninjas, to mix in with them, providing guidance and key intelligence."
"Or even personally intervene in certain critical operations to ensure the effectiveness of the strikes."
He paused, a cold light flashing in his eyes: "The purpose of this is to continuously bleed the Land of Stars, disrupt its process of digesting its new territories, create chaos and panic, and slow its development. At the same time, it will allow us to probe the Land of Stars' true combat strength and defensive weaknesses."
"Meanwhile, our Iwagakure and the Land of Earth can remain largely uninvolved, avoiding direct involvement in a large-scale conflict. The cost is far smaller than launching a direct war."
After listening, Muto Suke fell into thought, his fingers once again unconsciously tapping the armrest.
He understood Onoki's meaning. This was a common Ninja Tactic and indeed more feasible and prudent under the current circumstances.
After a moment, he slowly nodded and made a decision: "Good! I'll do as you say! Regarding the special military funds, I will have the people in the finance prepare them as soon as possible and transfer them to you through secret channels. Onoki, I leave this matter entirely in your hands! I want to see results. Those Rogue Ninjas must be made to understand that the Ninja World is not a place where they can act recklessly!"
"As you command, Daimyo-sama. I will certainly do his best." Onoki gave a slight bow.
How to use this money to both complete the Daimyo's task and maximize the replenishment of Iwagakure's strength required careful planning.
…
Almost simultaneously, Land of Wind's capital, Daimyo's residence.
The atmosphere here was equally grave, even more oppressive.
The Land of Wind's Daimyo, Sato Masaki, a lean middle-aged man dressed in robes symbolizing the Land of Wind, was looking at the report in his hands with a livid expression.
Standing opposite him was the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa.
Rasa wore his Kazekage Robe, his expression also grim, carrying the weariness of long-term running around and working hard due to the village's resource scarcity and a trace of suppressed anger.
"Rasa!" Sato Masaki slammed the report onto the table, "Look! That Land of Stars to the west! It's already become a force! Five countries! The Daimyo and noble systems of five entire countries were uprooted by them! Now their border is right up against our Land of Wind's face!"
"These lawless Rogue Ninjas cannot be allowed to grow stronger! You must immediately think of a solution! Use all the power of Sunagakure to contain the Land of Stars's expansion! If necessary, deliver a thunderous blow!"
Rasa took a deep breath, struggling to suppress the irritation in his heart.
Sunagakure had just begun to catch its breath from the ruins of the Third Great Ninja War. The village was impoverished, the Ninja's treatment was poor, their mission share was squeezed by Konoha.
As Kazekage, he worried about money and resources all day, even having to use his Magnet Release's Gold Dust Ability to pan for gold in the desert to subsidize the village.
He looked up, meeting the Daimyo's aggressive gaze, his voice hoarse: "Daimyo-sama, you should be well aware of Sunagakure's current situation. We lack funds, lack supplies, the numbers of our Ninjas are insufficient, and elites are especially scarce. Maintaining the current border defense is already stretching us thin. We simply don't have the capability to initiate a war against a newly emerged powerful nation. Check them? With what? Pile sand up to stop them?"
Hearing this, Sato Masaki's face turned even uglier, his tone sarcastic: "Oh? The mighty Sunagakure, one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, can't even deal with a force formed by a bunch of Rogue Ninjas? Rasa, how are you performing as Kazekage? Do I need to cut the Daimyo Mansion's expenses to increase your military budget?!"
These words were like a spark, instantly igniting the resentment Rasa had long suppressed!
'Cut the Daimyo Mansion's expenses?'
'The extravagant spending of the Daimyo's palace… if even a little trickled down, it would allow Sunagakure to catch its breath!'
Rasa took a fierce step forward, his voice suddenly rising, filled with long-suppressed anger and sarcasm:
"Daimyo-sama! You speak so lightly! Why does Sunagakure lack funds? Why can't we get high-paying missions? You and your people would rather commission those profitable domestic escort and construction missions to Konoha's Ninjas far away in the Land of Fire than give them to our own Sunagakure! Just because Konoha's efficiency is higher? Their reputation is better?"
"Have you ever considered that this is precisely what is slowly strangling Sunagakure's economic lifeline! Now the village struggles to even maintain operations, and you demand we actively attack a powerful enemy of unknown strength? Forgive my bluntness, but this is utterly unreasonable! It's sending Sunagakure's Ninjas to their deaths!"
He grew more agitated as he spoke, almost shouting: "Since Daimyo-sama fears the Land of Stars so much, values efficiency and safety so highly, then why rely on our 'incompetent' Sunagakure at all?"
"You might as well directly take the gold and silver from the national treasury and go to Konoha in the Land of Fire to post an S-Rank Mission! Hire the Sannin! Hire the Copy Ninja Kakashi! Even hire the entire Konoha's elites! Just let them solve the Land of Stars threat for you! Why come and make things difficult for our Sunagakure!"
These words, like a knife, directly pierced the window paper maintaining superficial harmony, bloodily exposing the long-standing scar of the Land of Wind's leadership ignoring Sunagakure's interests, even aiding their enemy, Konoha!
Sato Masaki trembled with rage at Rasa's sudden defiance and merciless sarcasm, his face turning green and white. He pointed at Rasa: "You... you... Rasa! How dare you! How dare you speak to me like this!"
The atmosphere in the palace instantly dropped to freezing point.
The surrounding guards and ministers were terrified, sweating profusely, not daring to utter a word.
After saying this, the pent-up frustration in Rasa's chest seemed to vent somewhat, but what followed was even deeper helplessness and exhaustion.
He knew his words were too harsh, almost equivalent to tearing off all pretense, but he had had enough!
Rasa coldly watched the speechless, furious Daimyo, said nothing more, gave a slight bow, and stiffly threw out one last sentence: "I am incompetent, unworthy of Your Lordship's trust. How to deal with the Land of Stars is for Your Lordship to decide. Sunagakure's military preparedness is neglected, so we urgently need rest and reorganization. I take my leave!"
With that, without looking at the Daimyo's livid face, he turned resolutely, his Kazekage Robe swirling, and strode out of the suffocating Daimyo's residence.
He left Sato Masaki behind, who is almost exploding with anger, cursing Rasa's rudeness.
The Land of Wind's policies had indeed shortchanged Sunagakure in many ways, but being defied so bluntly was a massive loss of dignity for him as Daimyo.
After this incident, the rift between the Land of Wind and Sunagakure seemed to have deepened further.
…
Winter passed and spring came. Time quietly moved into Year 58 of Konoha Calendar.
The rise of the Land of Stars had altered the Ninja World's structure and was influencing the decisions and mindsets of various forces.
The Land of Earth's secret scheming and the Land of Wind's internal discord both presaged that new turmoil might be approaching.
And the Land of Stars itself, after madly devouring vast territories, entered a tense and critical period of digestion and integration.
The future Ninja World was destined not to be peaceful.