Konoha.
Inside the Hokage's office, a cloud of smoke filled the air, leaving a strong smell of tobacco.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, gravely handed over the intelligence report to his three old friends. "Take a look at the battle report from the front lines involving the Mist ninja."
It was clear that this report had caught Hiruzen's attention, even alarming the high-ranking members of the Leaf Village. Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado, and Shimura Danzo, the F4 of Konoha, gathered once again.
After everyone had read the report, Danzo was the first to frown, showing a sinister gaze. "Hiruzen, the young Uchiha is not to be underestimated. If we let him go unchecked, he might become uncontrollable."
While Danzo saw the Uchiha clan as a threat, another member was more calm. "Hiruzen, are you worried about the Mist ninja?"
Hearing this, Hiruzen nodded and said gravely, "Suikazan Fuguki, as a confidant of the Fourth Mizukage, went to the front lines and even launched a decapitation plan. Although it failed, I fear that they've reinforced the front lines with at least two to three hundred more ninjas, otherwise our bases would not have suffered so much damage."
"Danzo, don't just focus on young Uchiha. What's the attitude of the Mist ninja with their increased troops?"
At this point, Hiruzen looked dissatisfied. Danzo simply snorted, "They just want to take advantage of the situation to annex the Land of Whirlpools, not just for the vast resources, but also as a stepping stone for the future."
Homura Mitokado shook his head at Danzo and said, "Hiruzen, the Mist ninja means no good. We can also send reinforcements, but the real issue now is the Mist's attitude."
Hiruzen nodded gravely, "Exactly. The key issue is the expanding war situation. What's the Mist ninja's stance? Should they continue to send more troops?"
"Even worse, the expansion of the war could lead to overt friction between us and the Mist. The Third War just ended; the other villages are recovering. We can't afford to get stuck in another war."
This was their real concern. All five great ninja villages had suffered heavy losses in the Third War, and now they all needed to recover. If they continued to fight with the Mist, other villages might take advantage.
Taking a deep puff from his pipe and exhaling a cloud of smoke, Danzo frowned and said, "Hiruzen, the key to the situation in the Land of Whirlpools depends on the Mist ninja's attitude."
In short, even if you don't want to fight, if the Mist insists on fighting, there's nothing you can do. The strategic position of the Land of Whirlpools is too important; the Leaf cannot afford to let it become a Mist outpost.
"We've already ordered 430 ninjas from the Land of Lightning to be dispatched to reinforce the Land of Whirlpools."
When the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi said this, the three people were all startled, and Koharu Utatane even frowned and said in a concentrated voice, "Sarutobi, isn't this too risky?"
"Yeah, with this, our side would have over a thousand ninja in the Land of Whirlpools, which is an extremely dangerous signal."
Even Mitokado Homura became somewhat cautious, and Shimura Danzo on the side squinted his eyes. Although he was a hawkish figure, he also had to consider the pros and cons. Just as he was about to say something, he saw Sarutobi Hiruzen's calm expression and swallowed back his words.
"Sarutobi, are you trying to test the Mist ninja?" As expected of old friends, Shimura Danzo instantly thought of something when he saw Hiruzen Sarutobi's calm face and couldn't help but blurt it out.
Upon hearing Shimura Danzo's words, Hiruzen Sarutobi's face showed a gratified smile and nodded, "Exactly, Danzo, you and I are on the same page."
At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi's face exuded a composed calmness and said in a steady voice, "The Mist ninja suffered a lot of losses during the three wars. And with the implementation of the 'Bloody Mist' policy, although the Land of Water is in a state of lockdown, everyone knows the situation in the Mist Village. So if they choose to go to war in the Land of Whirlpools at this time, they will only drag themselves into the quagmire of war."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's plan was simple: to dare the Mist to engage in a war they couldn't afford.
Hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's analysis, Koharu Utatane pondered it and seemed to agree, nodding in admiration, "You're right, Sarutobi. After implementing the 'Bloody Mist' policy, the Mist Village has always pursued an elite ninja-centric doctrine, and its numbers are only slightly better than the Sand Village."
The Sand Village had to start an elite ninja cultivation plan due to huge losses after their defeat, along with budget cuts from the Land of Wind's daimyo. On the other hand, the Mist Village's elite plan was born purely out of bloodshed.
"Though that's the case, the Mist Village is still a major village, and face should be given."
Mitokado Homura's comment made Hiruzen Sarutobi nod with a smile, "I will send this support army to the front line under the guise of resupplying for heavy losses. We'll give face to the Mist Village. If they choose peace talks or aim to control the war, then this support army will merely go to the front line for inspection and return."
Hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's plan, Shimura Danzo's face darkened, and he said in dissatisfaction, "Sarutobi, what's the point of calling us here if everything is already decided?"
Seeing the dissatisfied Danzo, it was as if everyone was transported back to the old days. Hiruzen Sarutobi rarely showed a smile, "Danzo, if you have any opinions, you can put them forward. The plan has not yet been implemented."
Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi's magnanimous attitude made Shimura Danzo even more furious. "You're really something, sitting at the highest position of Hokage and still talking big."
Eventually, the high-ranking F4 of Konoha formulated a plan to deal with the Mist Village, intending to pressure them into peace talks or at least control the conflict to small skirmishes involving no more than a thousand people.
As the Konoha higher-ups were contemplating their expected plan, they were unaware that the current Mist Village was not really controlled by the Fourth Mizukage anymore. Any leader of a village facing such a situation would at least agree to control the conflict within a certain range, but unfortunately, the Fourth Mizukage was being controlled by someone else.
…
The Hidden Leaf Village from the Land of Whirlpools and the Mist Ninja experienced a brief period of peace, yet everywhere there was an eerie atmosphere.
Despite their great victory and almost capturing the Mist Ninja commander Suikazan Fuguki, the faces of the Leaf Ninjas were filled with frustration.
Because a rumor was spreading along the entire front line, that the Mist Ninja had reinforced their troops and attacked their supply warehouse, making the Leaf Ninja highly tense. If the Mist Ninja make another move, they will run out of supplies after a few more battles.
On the Mist Ninja side, things were even more strange.
In a gloomy tent, Suikazan Fuguki, who had both arms wrapped in bandages, showed signs of frustration. Failing the mission and suffering heavy losses were not the issues; it was the loss of his big sword Samehada that made him restless. At least half of his strength relied on Samehada.
"Damn it, what the hell are the Leaf ninjas up to?"
Even though the Leaf Village won, they kept saying that their own supply warehouse was burned down and suffered heavy losses, but there was no news about his Samehada being taken away.
He knew that stealing a large sword like Samehada from the battlefield was a huge merit, but the Leaf Ninjas seemed oblivious.
"Could it be, the Leaf is planning to resolve this matter privately and does not want to escalate the situation?"
Suikazan Fuguki seemed to think of something, and suddenly his chubby face revealed a look of sudden realization. Yes, that must be it; after all, the Leaf Village also didn't want friction with the Mist to grow.
Despite their great victory, the Hidden Leaf now looked like a Pyrrhic victory, clearly giving face to the Mist Ninja, then preparing to reconcile privately.
Thinking of this, Suikazan Fuguki suddenly gritted his teeth and said, "Damn you, Uchiha brat, this time you Hidden Leaf folks are sensible."
After understanding this, he immediately decided to hide the news of the loss of Samehada. After all, he would be the one losing face if the news got out, and it could be recovered soon. For now, he would conceal it, since the Leaf Ninjas were planning to reconcile and would not deliberately publicize the matter.
In such a misunderstanding, both sides had different ideas, further laying the groundwork for future conflicts.
…
The Land of Whirlpools, the base of the Leaf Ninja.
At this moment, Uchiha Yoru is sitting in the tent. His tired eyes are much better now. The power of the Mangekyo Sharingan is indeed terrifying, but the side effects are also significant. It's necessary to exercise restraint and take good care of it; otherwise, he'll end up like Sasuke, who is known as the fastest Uchiha to go blind from using the Mangekyo.
"Yoru, here are the losses this time."
Hatake Kakashi hands over the loss report. Upon reading it, Uchiha Yoru's face shows a peculiar expression as he looks up at Kakashi.
No one expected that the honest Kakashi would be so adept at this. A big fire wiped out many accounts, making them ironclad facts.
"Kakashi, this loss report seems a bit excessive."
Listening to Uchiha Yoru's words, Kakashi calmly nods: "I secretly held back some chakra metal, fine iron, and some medical supplies this time. It makes the accounting look much better."
Goodness!
Looking at the very calm Kakashi, who speaks so nonchalantly about cooking the books, Uchiha Yoru doesn't say anything. However, Hyuga Hizashi and Uchiha Shisui, who are standing by, twitch at the corner of their eyes.
Hyuga Hizashi, as the head of a branch family, has naturally been involved in some governmental affairs. He understands the principle that 'too pure a pool has no fish,' but this level of expertise still leaves him in awe.
After Kakashi finishes reporting, it's Hyuga Hizashi's turn. He has a somewhat awkward expression, tinged with a bit of embarrassment. After all, he, coming from a prestigious family, has never done something like this.
"Lord Yoru, these are the losses from the camp I was responsible for. About 30% of the supplies were saved because of timely rescue."
Indeed, Hizashi doesn't have the guts like Kakashi. His report even shows 30% was saved, unlike Kakashi, whose report states nearly everything was lost.
The report is very clear. Mist Ninja used lots of explosive tags and Fire Jutsu, burning everything to the ground. To prevent being lured away, Kakashi had given orders before the battle, resulting in the storage being burned while the ninja stuck to their posts. No one went for rescue.
Kakashi wasn't at the camp, but his orders still held.
Finally, when it's Uchiha Shisui's turn, he says solemnly, "Big brother Yoru, all supplies, including medical, were attacked by Mist Ninja. Less than 10% was saved; the rest was completely destroyed."
Oh my, all areas under the three men were attacked by Mist Ninja, suffering heavy losses. Especially the area Kakashi was responsible for; although he wasn't there, the damage was severe.
The exact amount burnt is unknown, but after the fire, all the confusing and problematic accounts became clear.
Everything was destroyed in the fire.
Uchiha Yoru taps lightly on the table, lowers his voice, and says to Hyuga Hizashi, "Hizashi, you're under a lot of pressure as the head of a branch family, so I'll overlook your part for now. Just stabilize your family's expenses."
Feeling grateful, Hyuga Hizashi firmly nods, "Lord Yoru, I understand."
With this, the bond between Hyuga's branch family and Uchiha Yoru has strengthened.
Now, the Hyuga branch family is a hot potato in the Leaf Village that no one dares to touch. Only the Orochimaru faction, which has followed them from the start, can offer refuge. Now it seems not too bad; at least, Hizashi sees hope.
Kakashi, who would later become Hokage, is not only talented in ninja skills but is also self-taught in this aspect, opening a calm embezzlement plan.
Is the account problematic? Afraid of being exposed? A fire wipes out the numbers, making all accounts square.
~~~
The Last Paragraph? Everyone, isn't it familiar?