manynovel Chapter 276 The Hidden Mist Declares War
Chapter 276 The Hidden Mist Declares War
Chapter 276 The Hidden Mist Declares War
On the northern front, with Taiichi's assistance, the attack from Kumogakure was temporarily repelled, but Kumogakure was not to be underestimated.
They quickly learned the details of the western front of Konoha and realized that Taiichi was using the Flying Thunder God Technique to travel between the two battlefields.
But a person's energy is ultimately limited. He can take care of one battlefield well, but there will always be some shortcomings when he takes care of two battlefields.
Having learned its lesson, Kumogakure no longer launched large-scale attacks. Instead, it slowly wore down Konoha, drawing away Konoha's forces and Taiichi's attention.
Leaving aside the actions of the Hidden Cloud Village, in the Land of Water, in the Hidden Mist Village, in a spacious meeting room.
The Third Mizukage and a group of high-ranking officials from the village were gathered together to discuss Kirigakure's next move.
Kirigakure also received the news that Konoha had suffered heavy losses on the western front, and the village had just replenished its forces there. At this time, the village was vulnerable, and Kirigakure could seize this opportunity to launch a full-scale attack on Konoha.
"Lord Mizukage, make up your mind. We've already started fighting Konoha, so what's there to worry about?"
The speaker was Kaguya Kuma, the head of the Kaguya clan, a true war maniac. If the people of Kumogakure were barbarians, then the Kaguya clan were insane. Even the other ninja clans in the village disliked the members of this clan.
"Yes, Lord Mizukage. Konoha is currently engaged in battles on three fronts, facing enemies on all sides. In addition, it just suffered a defeat, and everyone is kicking it while it's down. Wouldn't it be perfect for us to join in now and pick up the pieces?"
This is a man with long, straight black hair and a rather effeminate appearance. If he doesn't speak, everyone will just think he is a beautiful woman. This is the head of the Minazuki clan, Minazuki Asuka.
"Kigiri needs a foothold closer to the mainland. If we win this battle, we can take the opportunity to occupy the Kingdom of War Songbo and establish it as our Kigiri's bridgehead."
This is Hozuki Seigetsu, the patriarch of the Hozuki clan. His voice is the softest, but his words carry immense weight.
At this time, Kirigakure was at the height of its ninja clan influence, and now that the three major clans had jointly declared war on Konoha, even the Third Mizukage had to consider the matter carefully.
"Elder Yuanshi, what do you think?" Shuiying looked at the old man beside her who had his eyes closed as if he were asleep, her eyes showing respect. This was the oldest and most senior elder in the village, and everyone present could be said to have been raised by him.
"Hmm—I'm too old for this. You can decide this yourself. I'm just here to bear witness. Don't ask this old man!"
Master Yuan squinted, and it was unclear whether he was looking at everyone, but his answer was clear: you have the final say.
The Third Mizukage was also in high spirits. During World War II, he kept the entire Hidden Mist Village in hiding, precisely to conserve his strength and hope to have enough power to seize more benefits in the next great war.
Now that the opportunity has come, how could he let it slip by?
Looking around at all the attendees, everyone had an eager expression on their face, and they were all waiting for his command.
The Third Mizukage nodded in satisfaction. "Since no one has any objections, I have decided to formally declare war on Konoha."
"Yes!" Everyone stood up to obey, and the entire conference room was enveloped in a frenzied yet chilling atmosphere.
The war horn had officially sounded, and Kirigakure's actions were swift and decisive. On that very day, Kirigakure dispatched their elite Seven Ninja Swordsmen, planning to land directly on the east coast of the Land of Fire, launch a surprise attack through the Konoha Forest into the heart of Konoha, disrupt Konoha's internal logistics, and lay the groundwork for a subsequent large-scale offensive.
Kirigakure's declaration of war quickly spread throughout the ninja world through special channels, and Konoha, as the responding party, was the first to receive the news.
Along with this news came a letter requesting reinforcements from the East Coast outposts. It can only be said that Kirigakure acted too quickly, and the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were the elite of the elite.
Ordinary Konoha ninjas were no match for them, unable to stop their advance.
The main conference room in Konoha, the place where Jonin meetings are usually held, was being used to convene this emergency operational meeting.
It wasn't that Hiruzen Sarutobi and the two advisors suddenly changed their minds and actually joined others to discuss war matters.
Rather, Hiruzen Sarutobi simply doesn't have any spare troops at the moment. The western front has just withdrawn a small number of their forces, and they're already struggling to maintain daily operations in the village.
If these personnel are redeployed, the backlog of tasks will inevitably cause dissatisfaction among employers. Once the task assignments are lost, it will not be easy to win them back.
Therefore, with no soldiers available, Hiruzen Sarutobi can only ask the various clans of Konoha for help, hoping that they can borrow their clan ninjas to jointly deal with this attack from Kirigakure.
"Clan leaders, you are all aware of the current situation. Kirigakure is coming on strong, and the outposts on the east coast have sent many letters requesting reinforcements, but there are no more ninjas in the village who can go to provide support."
Everyone, Konoha belongs to all of us. At this critical moment, I hope you will actively respond to the village's call and send your clan's ninjas to the front lines to assist in the battle.
Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke with great passion, but the various clans below still had reservations.
The reason is simple: the clan's ninjas are not just randomly acquired; they are cultivated slowly by each clan at great expense. It is easy for them to be loaned out, but if they die outside, the loss will have to be borne by each clan itself.
Everyone looked at each other, wanting to see how the other companies would react before making a decision.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was annoyed by everyone's silence, cursing them inwardly for being short-sighted and thinking only of their own interests at a time like this.
Little did they know that once the village suffered significant losses, that would be when they truly suffered the consequences.
Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi was wondering whether he should say something more or set an example, Fugaku Uchiha, sitting in the first seat on the left, spoke first.
"Konoha is our home. We can only live like this because of Konoha. As one of the founding clans of Konoha, the Uchiha clan naturally has to do its part in this time of crisis."
Fugaku Uchiha's righteous and stern words drew everyone's attention. Such an opportunity to shine was rare. Fortunately, the elder had already explained everything before he came, otherwise he wouldn't have dared to make such a decisive decision.
"Our Uchiha clan is willing to send 200 ninjas to participate in this battle against Kirigakure."
These words immediately caused an uproar in the conference room. It wasn't that there were too few people; on the contrary, there were too many.
Although they didn't know exactly how many ninjas the Uchiha clan had, they knew from comparing it to their own clan that the Uchiha had brought out most of their clan's resources.
This is truly a desperate act! Could it really be because they are from the founding clan, a deep love for Konoha? The other clan leaders were momentarily confused. However, this wasn't the end of it. Uchiha Fugaku stood up, ignoring the astonished looks of the others present, as if a 20-year-old...
Like a headstrong young man, he waved his arms and said without hesitation, "As the head of the clan, I will personally lead the team to participate in this war and contribute my strength to protect Konoha."
Now, not only the clan leaders present, but even Hiruzen Sarutobi at the head of the table and the two advisors couldn't help but glare at Fugaku Uchiha.
This is...isn't the Uchiha acting too strangely? Could they be plotting something again?
These high-ranking members who disliked the Uchiha clan all had the same thought in mind at that moment: Fugaku Uchiha's performance was just too good, so good that they couldn't believe it.
However, Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly adjusted his mood. Since Fugaku Uchiha had broken the deadlock and made such a good start, he naturally wanted to take this opportunity to work even harder.
"The Uchiha clan head is a man of noble character and integrity. His dedication to the village is something we should all learn from. As the Hokage, I cannot back down either. The Sarutobi clan will also send 200 ninjas to participate in this battle against Kirigakure."
When Hiruzen Sarutobi made this statement, it was unclear how the other clans reacted, but it was Hiashi Hyuga who was the first to become uneasy.
As the Hyuga clan, which has always competed with the Uchiha clan for the title of the strongest clan in Konoha, it's one thing to be a step behind the Uchiha clan, but now they're even behind the Sarutobi clan. Where does that leave the Hyuga clan's reputation?
"Our Hyuga clan is willing to send 150 ninjas to participate in this battle."
Unfortunately, the Hyuga clan couldn't match the Uchiha clan, let alone the Sarutobi clan of the Hokage. Their clan was divided into the main family and the branch family. The main family members were restricted from going to the battlefield, and enough branch family members had to be left behind to protect the main family, which further limited the number of people they could send out.
However, even so, this number already exceeded the total number of most ninja clans, and many ninja clan leaders below looked at them with envy.
With the Uchiha, Sarutobi, and Hyuga clans setting an example, other clans also announced the number of people they would send.
First, as allies of the Sarutobi clan, the Ino-Shika-Cho clan each sent 100 people to participate in the battle.
Then the Aburame clan sent 80 people, the Inu clan sent 90 people, and other clans of all sizes also sent some ninjas one after another.
In the end, a total of 1200 ninjas were gathered.
These people, along with the original ninjas at the East Coast outpost and those squeezed out of the village, pieced together a force of two thousand.
This team is certainly sufficient to handle this battle for the time being.
"Where the leaves dance, the fire will never cease; its light will continue to illuminate the village and allow new leaves to sprout."
Hiruzen Sarutobi beamed with a bright smile. The meeting had undoubtedly been a great success, and the problem of troop strength that had been troubling them had been resolved.
"You all truly deserve to be the clan leaders of Konoha. The Will of Fire is fully embodied in you."
Having achieved his goal, Hiruzen Sarutobi naturally didn't hesitate to shower the clan leaders with praise, showering them with compliments as if they were free.
Once everyone had calmed down, a new problem arose.
Who should be the commander of such a team?
The three legendary Sannin would have been a perfect fit, as they possessed sufficient strength and prestige to fill the positions. However, Jiraiya was on the southern front, Orochimaru on the northern front, and Tsunade was not in the village, leaving none of them suitable for the role.
Aside from these three, no one else from Konoha is really suitable to lead this team. After all, there are too many clan ninja here, especially the Uchiha and Hyuga clans, who don't get along with each other. If the commander isn't chosen well, the team might even start fighting amongst themselves.
After a fruitless debate, all eyes turned to Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was at the head of the table. As the Hokage, it was his duty to make the choice at this point.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was also in a dilemma. Danzo's defeat made him doubt the advisor elder's command ability. Otherwise, either Koharu Utatane or Homura Mitokado could have solved the problem.
But just as expected, even Danzo failed. How much better could the two of them be, having been away from battle for so long and only handling logistical work in the village?
Konoha cannot afford another defeat.
At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi missed Tsunade terribly. If she were still in the village, he wouldn't have to worry about this at all.
Thinking of Tsunade, something suddenly popped into Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind. He knew that Taichi and Tsunade had been in contact, and that Taichi had been trying to persuade Tsunade to return to Konoha, but he didn't know how far things were going.
But no matter what, I have to try asking Taiichi. If that doesn't work, I'll have to swallow my pride and ask my former comrade-in-arms, Akimichi Tokifu, to come out of seclusion.
I heard that although he has retired, he still occasionally takes on some missions as a pastime and to pass the time. I suppose his abilities are not much worse than Xiaochun's and Yan's.
"Gentlemen, I have a good idea of who the commander will be, but I need to confirm it again. You should go back and prepare the troops for the expedition. I will give you a satisfactory answer later."
The group looked at each other, but still chose to believe the Hokage's words, and one by one they got up and returned to their respective clans.
The ninjas to be sent into battle still need to be selected. They can't be too bad, and they also need to leave behind a legacy for the clan to continue. This battle will cost countless clan members, so everyone must consider all aspects.
After all the clan leaders left the meeting room, Koharu Utatane couldn't help but ask the Hokage, "Hiruzen, what are you thinking? Does the village still have any suitable candidates? If not, let me go. At least I can mediate the conflicts between the clans."
"No, we can only win this battle, we can't afford to lose again. Danzo's defeat has given other ninja villages hope of defeating us. If we lose to Kirigakure again, it will be a catastrophe for Konoha. All the ninja villages will pounce on us like hunting dogs and tear off the fattest piece of meat."
Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke with unusual calmness, but the confidence in his words sent chills down one's spine.
No one expected that in Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind, the situation in Konoha had deteriorated to such an extent that it seemed that if he made another mistake, he would fall into an abyss of no return.
However, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado thought about it according to Hiruzen Sarutobi's line of thought, and were immediately shocked into a cold sweat.
Indeed, Konoha may seem strong now, but it is also at its most vulnerable. If its enemies see its weakness again, they will surely swarm in and devour it.
"What do you plan to do about Hiruzen?"
"I want to bring Tsunade back and transfer Taichi back from the western front to deal with Kirigakure. His water style is not much worse than his fire style, and he will have a greater advantage in dealing with Kirigakure by the sea."
"What about the western front? The western front is in great danger without Taiichi, and Orochimaru's side also needs Taiichi's help."
No one noticed that, unknowingly, Taiichi had grown to this level, and his influence had spread to all battlefields in Konoha.
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