[This Chapter Is Sponsored by Gorama27! Everyone, please thank him in the comment!]
This blizzard is truly rare, showing no signs of stopping after three days of continuous snowfall, and even seems to be intensifying.
In the midst of the blizzard, everything withers away. Even the once-dense forest is now full of dead branches. Inside a cave under the snowstorm,
"Damn it, are you insane? Contacting me in the middle of such a storm? Let me tell you, if my secret is revealed, you won't get off easy either."
Sneaking through the storm, Suikazan Fuguki angrily lowered his voice, as if afraid someone might hear.
Uchiha Yoru, who had been waiting for some time, simply shook his head and laughed, "Don't be such a stranger, we've collaborated many times before."
Collaborators? Go to hell. At this moment, Suikazan Fuguki was filled with anger towards the bottomless greed of Uchiha Yoru.
'Bro, you want to play like this? I live in fear every day in the camp. Can you not call me out for no reason? If discovered, I can only desert.'
Suikazan Fuguki hid his feelings well, acting like a ninja on the verge of collapse, fearful of being discovered yet unwilling to be threatened.
Both were putting on an act. Uchiha Yoru just smiled and patted him on the shoulder, reassuringly saying, "Don't worry, I trust your skills; nobody will find out. Your great sword Samehada has reached a crucial point in our research. Once it progresses, I'll return it immediately."
Hearing news about his own sword, Suikazan Fuguki's eyes flared with murderous intent. "Damn it, my precious sword is being researched by you people. Wait for me to get it back."
"Don't look at me like that, as if I'm so despicable. But you should think about your own issues too. How long has it been? You keep stalling me with one reason after another, always fobbing me off with small roles. What should I do?"
After some arguing, Suikazan Fuguki finally relented. He had no choice; the other party held leverage over him, and the great sword Samehada made him unable to act rashly.
"I've told you, make good arrangements. Kisame and Terumi Mei to defect. When the time comes, I want them, and you get your sword back. Fair deal."
Uchiha Yoru's shameless words instantly enraged Suikazan Fuguki, "Damn it, Terumi Mei is from our Mist Village's Council of Elders."
"The Elder, a high-ranking figure in the Mist Village, who possesses power and status equivalent to the Mizukage, controls everything in the Mist Village. The most important matters in the village have to consult this elder. You have to give me some time."
At this moment, Suikazan Fuguki is really overwhelmed. He said with frustration, "Although the other party is under my command now, I only have operational command. I can't let anything happen to them carelessly; it has to be foolproof. As for the Kisame, I promised I can give it to you, but right now I really need people under my command. If you are in a hurry, fine, within two months at most, I will find an opportunity."
"However, losing the support of the Kisame will probably affect my influence on the front line." Suikazan Fuguki, the ninja who betrayed his own village, had no guilt, but instead considered his own interests.
Uchiha Yoru smiled and nodded, saying, "I'm not pressuring you, take your time; it's best to be foolproof so that we can collaborate in the future."
"I came to meet with you today because there is an important matter to inform you," said Uchiha Yoru, casually shrugging his shoulders. "I have the intelligence that someone might replace me as the frontline commander come spring. So let's join forces and accomplish something big; it will be good for you too."
"What! Someone is coming to replace you?" The surprise in Suikazan Fuguki's eyes was genuine. Samehada was still in the other's hands; if the other party were to be reassigned, it would be a failure on his part.
"Don't worry, they won't easily reassign me."
Uchiha Yoru looked relaxed, but Suikazan Fuguki quickly changed his expression, pretending to be anxious, and asked, "Who is coming to take your place?"
Anyone who didn't know would think Suikazan Fuguki really cared about him, but in fact, he wanted to dig for information about the Leaf Village, perhaps to plot something.
"Sarutobi Shinzo."
Upon hearing this name, Suikazan Fuguki immediately showed a look of realization, "So it's him, skilled in both Fire and Earth styles. If it weren't for my Samehada, I might not have been able to hold on; he's good."
"Damn it, if this bastard comes, once the frontline starts fighting, I can't always be a turtle, can I? But once I engage, if it's exposed that the Samehada in my hand is fake, what do you want me to do?"
Before, the two of them had some under-the-table deals and multiple engagements that were essentially feigned. However, the other party would not feign with him.
Suikazan Fuguki, looking anxious, gritted his teeth in annoyance and said, "Either give me the Samehada now, or this thing can't be done."
It's clear that Suikazan Fuguki seized the opportunity to reclaim his Samehada. However, Uchiha Yoru squinted and chuckled coldly.
"Fat pig, stop acting. You've been acting since you got here. I've already given you face by not exposing you. Now you're pushing your luck? Cut the crap, either do it or don't. I have the Samehada, worst case I'll just report to the village that I defeated you and seized the Samehada, earning great merit."
Seeing Suikazan Fuguki's vicious gaze, Uchiha Yoru chuckled even colder: "Stop glaring at me, I have all your weak points, and I've left none of mine."
At Uchiha Yoru's harsh scolding, the angry façade on Suikazan Fuguki's face slowly faded, revealing a sinister gaze fixed on the other person.
"Kid, even a cornered rabbit will bite, don't push me too far!"
"Me, push too far? Fine, go back now, do you dare to fight openly? We're both old foxes, stop pretending."
Suikazan Fuguki is the kind of person who is too scheming. The only way to deal with such people is to crush them ruthlessly.
"Since you're not leaving, let's get down to business." Seeing the silenced Suikazan Fuguki, Uchiha Yoru, having given him a beatdown, now spoke in a more relaxed tone.
"Sarutobi Shinzo will come to replace me, and will definitely keep it a secret at first. After all, he needs to stabilize the situation when he arrives. You won't miss this opportunity, will you?"
With a mocking demeanor, Uchiha Yoru shook his head: "Don't worry, with my track record, Sarutobi Shinzo won't easily step onto the battlefield to confront you, unless he has a major breakthrough."
Nobody is a fool; Sarutobi Shinzo understands the principle of putting one's best foot forward.
"Some in the village want to end this pointless war. After sending Sarutobi Shinzo to the front lines, they may choose a defensive stance to wear down Mist Village's fighting spirit. Once they find there are no gains to be had, they'll end this pointless conflict, unless Mist Village is confident of taking down the Land of Whirlpools."
Seeing Uchiha Yoru brimming with confidence, Suikazan Fuguki unusually revealed his own thoughts, sighing in frustration: "Maybe you're overthinking it."
"I'll also give you the lowdown on the Land of Whirlpool's battlefield. Not many in our Mist Village agree with opening up this battlefield. Especially now that we're at a stalemate, many oppose it. Our Fourth Mizukage is hell-bent on exhausting you Leaf Ninjas for some reason."
"Many in the village secretly speculate on the Mizukage's intentions. Personally, I think the Fourth Mizukage wants to use this opportunity to weaken the major clans and thus secure his supreme authority."
Suikazan Fuguki seems to assume an appearance of wisdom, much like that of a sage. However, when Uchiha Yoru sees this, all he feels is a sense of irony.
You all are probably overthinking it. Your Fourth Mizukage is simply caught in a deadlock with Obito, purely out of a love for revenge. There aren't that many twists and turns.
Konoha failed to protect Rin, and the Mist ninja participated in killing her. It can be said that Mist and Konoha are at odds, and your Fourth Mizukage would applaud that.
"Alright, what I'm going to tell you now is that we're planning something big. Once Sarutobi Shinzo arrives, feel free to do whatever you want."
Uchiha Yoru's meeting with Suikazan Fuguki today is to discuss the big plan before the person who will replace him arrives.
To put it bluntly, Suikazan Fuguki will disclose information about their mineral resources to him, and Uchiha Yoru will lead a covert attack to seize them. After a complete victory, he can pocket 50-60% of the spoils.
Similarly, Suikazan Fuguki will attack Konoha's transport routes, intercepting Konoha's chakra metal and fine iron, and also getting a huge kickback.
What's different is that under Suikazan Fuguki's greedy gaze, there's always a hint of frustration. This greedy little ghost demands more than half of the spoils each time, damn it, he's trying to have his cake and eat it too.
...
The snowstorm this time lasted for half a month before the sun finally came out. The accumulated snow in the forest reached a terrifying thickness of two to three meters, showing how extreme the weather is in this world.
Not only are the trees extremely tall, towering into the sky, but the extreme weather is also very harsh.
Inside the camp at the Hidden Leaf Village, Uchiha Yoru is holding a brush and writing on a scroll. He says to the people who have come to report, "This is the latest merit list; I will report it truthfully to the village."
"All of you are here, good. I've written recommendation letters for you, as well as noted your merits. In my personal opinion, Kurenai Yuhi, Uzuki Yugao, Mitarashi Anko, and Might Guy have performed admirably and have the capability to be promoted to special Jonin. As for Iwashi, who is part of the Genma Squad, their strength has also increased rapidly recently and they have made many contributions. I am prepared to vouch for them to be promoted to special Jonin."
"As for the future of our village, Umino Iruka, Mizuki... have been diligent since coming to the front lines and are barely qualified to be Chunin. I think it's appropriate to give some encouragement to the younger generation."
Uchiha Yoru clearly intends to promote his own people, and the ninjas in the camp show gratitude upon hearing this. On the other hand, Hatake Kakashi seems a bit concerned.
"Yoru, doing this might cause dissatisfaction among some people," Kakashi's meaning is clear: promoting your own people in such a way is clearly forming factions; isn't this a bit too direct?
Uchiha Yoru, however, just smiles and shakes his head, continuing to write the report. The ninjas who have been called show gratitude.
Promotion to special Jonin or Jonin requires selection and approval, especially recommendations from existing Jonin, which are almost like a letter of guarantee.
During wartime, some steps may be skipped, but regardless, Jonin-level promotions require the signature of the Hokage of the village.
For Chuunin, there are generally two paths. One is recruitment after selection, which is based on a combination of skill and task volume. The Chuunin selected this way are usually of average strength. The other is through the Chuunin exams, and those are almost always chosen based on universally recognized talent. They can be considered the elites selected from the top classes.
In special cases, there are considerations for outstanding performance, adequate strength, and accelerated promotion.
There is also the situation during wartime. Although it's not considered a major ninja war where he is now, it's still a battlefield. He has the qualifications to submit an application to the village, but this type of application needs to be reviewed for a year to see if it's qualified.
After writing the letter, Uchiha Yoru smiled at Kakashi on the side, "I'll leave this Chuunin selection scroll to you, Kakashi. Have these Genin sign it themselves, and then we'll see how they perform in the coming year."
"Okay." Since Uchiha Yoru has decided, Kakashi will not refuse. He puts the scroll that needs the Genin's personal signatures into his tool bag, and then it's the turn of the Chuunin who are prepared for promotion.
The promotion from Chuunin to special Jounin is a significant gap.
The Art of War details that Genin are the village's main combat force and are the most numerous. Chuunin are the level of team leaders. Jounin are the elite ninjas with strength beyond ordinary people. Special Jounin falls between Chuunin and Jounin.
You could say that Genin are soldiers, Chuunin are squad leaders, special Jounin are akin to centurions, and Jounin are at the level of minor generals.
Kurenai Yuhi, Uzuki Yugao, Mitarashi Anko, Might Guy, and others all showed excited smiles. The gap between Chuunin and special Jounin is huge, and although they're not yet real Jounin, they're at least one step closer.
"Yoru, this is really great. I will definitely be the first to become a Jounin," said Mitarashi Anko excitedly as she picked up the scroll to sign her name.
Just as Mitarashi Anko was about to sign her name in excitement, the commendation on the scroll suddenly made her smile freeze. The smiles on the faces of the people around also turned into puzzled looks.