The Strategy for War
There were two types of rulers in the shinobi world.
The first were legacy rulers—those born into power, inheriting it from the generations before them. The Hokage, Kazekage, Mizukage, Raikage, Tsuchikage—they all followed the same pattern.
Bloodlines. Tradition. Stability through stagnation.
The second type?
The ones who took power.
Madara Uchiha. Hashirama Senju. Nagato of the Akatsuki. Even Orochimaru, in his own way.
And now, Rock Lee and Sasuke Uchiha.
They would not be elected.
They would not wait for the world to accept them.
They would take everything.
And they would remake it in their own image.
The Five Phases of War
Sasuke stood at the center of the war room, hands on the stone table. Across from him, Lee leaned back against the wall, arms crossed, his dōjutsu faintly glowing in the dim light.
Around them, the highest-ranking officials of Otogakure waited in silence.
They had heard the plan.
Now, it was time to refine it.
Sasuke exhaled slowly. "We approach this as a five-phase operation."
His Sharingan flickered, scanning the massive map spread before them.
"Each phase is designed to weaken the major villages without exposing our true power. By the time they realize what's happening, it will already be too late."
Lee smirked slightly. "I love when a plan starts with deception."
Sasuke didn't look up. "It's the best way to win."
A pause.
Then, he tapped the first point on the map.
Phase One: Control the Underground
"The first thing we do," Sasuke said, "is take the black markets."
Several of the officials stiffened.
The shinobi world had two economies.
One was the official economy—merchants, taxes, village funding.
The other?
The black markets.
Weapons. Drugs. Assassinations. Mercenary forces. Information.
Otogakure had already been deeply embedded in this world thanks to Orochimaru.
Now, they would take full control.
Lee tilted his head. "How?"
Sasuke's eyes gleamed. "We replace the middlemen."
Silence.
Then, one of the older strategists frowned. "That will take years."
Sasuke's smirk was sharp. "Not if we eliminate the competition."
Otogakure wouldn't negotiate for control.
They would wipe out the current power brokers—swiftly, quietly, surgically.
By the time anyone noticed, they would already own everything.
Phase Two: Destabilize Konoha
Lee tapped the map. "We don't attack Konoha outright."
Sasuke nodded. "We make them crumble from within."
Danzo was dead. The elders were divided. Tsunade was strong, but her village was weak.
And Naruto?
Naruto still believed in peace.
They would turn Konoha against itself.
Lee exhaled. "How do we start?"
Sasuke's voice was calm. "We cut off their economy first. Smuggling routes, trade deals, missions—all of it gets disrupted. They will start hemorrhaging resources before they even know we're involved."
One of the officials hesitated. "And when they figure it out?"
Lee smirked.
"By then, it won't matter."
Phase Three: Manipulate the Other Kage
"Each major village has its weaknesses," Sasuke continued. "We exploit them."
Konoha's weakness?
• It was still healing from the last war.
• Internal divisions. Too many factions, too many ideologies.
Suna's weakness?
• Gaara was a powerful leader, but his position was fragile.
• The Daimyō of the Land of Wind had never fully accepted him.
Kiri's weakness?
• The Bloody Mist was still rebuilding.
• They had too many enemies and too few allies.
Iwa's weakness?
• Onoki was old.
• His village was stagnating.
Kumo's weakness?
• Too aggressive.
• They would always choose war over patience—which meant they were predictable.
Sasuke smirked. "We feed these weaknesses. We play them against each other."
Lee's voice was thoughtful. "So, we don't just take the world."
Sasuke's eyes gleamed.
"We make them give it to us."
Phase Four: Assassinations and Replacements
Lee rolled his shoulders. "Some leaders will fold. Some won't."
Sasuke nodded. "The ones who don't?"
"We replace them."
Assassinations wouldn't be random.
Each would be calculated.
Remove the right Kage, the right council member, the right Daimyō—and the entire system would collapse.
Lee exhaled slowly. "And who do we put in their place?"
Sasuke smirked.
"People loyal to us."
Phase Five: The Final War
When the world was weakened, divided, and leaderless, Otogakure would finally reveal itself.
Not as a rogue village.
Not as an underground empire.
As the world's new capital.
Sasuke leaned forward, his voice calm. "We don't conquer the world through brute force."
Lee's smirk widened. "We make the world conquer itself."
Objections and Execution
One of the older officials spoke up.
"This is madness."
Sasuke's eyes flickered toward him. "You think it won't work?"
The man hesitated. "It's not that. It's just—" He exhaled, shaking his head. "No one has ever attempted something like this."
Lee smiled.
"Exactly."
Silence stretched through the room.
Then, one by one, the officials nodded.
Final Scene: The Beginning of the End
When the meeting ended, Lee and Sasuke stood alone on the highest balcony of Otogakure, overlooking the vast land beneath them.
The wind howled.
The night stretched forward, endless and dark.
Lee exhaled slowly. "So, we're really doing this."
Sasuke smirked. "You sound surprised."
Lee shook his head. "No." His dōjutsu gleamed.
"I was just thinking how poetic it is."
Sasuke raised an eyebrow.
Lee grinned.
"They rejected us." He gestured toward the world beyond.
"So now?"
His smile sharpened.
"We'll make them beg for us to take them back."