Konoha's Deep Pockets

"How are the Rain Ninja lately?"

Sakumo sat in the military tent, taking a hot towel to wipe his face. He had just returned from outside.

That fellow Hanzō was truly cunning. This time, he played hide-and-seek with that guy for half a month before finally locating him. They had a fierce battle in a valley within the Land of Rain, slicing Hanzō's three guards on the spot and forcing Hanzō to retreat back to Amegakure.

"The Rain Ninja's offensive has significantly reduced lately. They've abandoned many strongholds and retreated. We've already secured the entire southeastern region of the Land of Rain and are now meticulously searching for any Rain Ninja infiltrators within the territory," a ninja with a pineapple-shaped hairstyle stood up and replied. The Nara Clan were the most qualified aides; if not for them, Sakumo wouldn't have dared to leave the main camp to track Hanzō.

"However, Lord Sakumo, what do we intend to do with the land we've occupied in the Land of Rain? It's perpetually rainy here, unsuitable for farming, and its mineral resources are scarce. It's truly unprofitable," Shikaku Nara couldn't help but voice the doubt that had been weighing on his mind for a long time.

Although the Nara Clan members were intelligent, without sufficient intelligence, they couldn't deduce anything out of thin air.

"You're asking about this? Firstly, it's to show Hanzō who's boss. Secondly, it's not just us and the Rain Ninja in the Land of Rain anymore; who knows how many infiltrators are lurking around, a real mix of people. This is a good opportunity to show our strength. Frankly, the Daimyo has no interest in this land at all. For now, we're just showing favor to the people of the Land of Rain. In the future, perhaps we'll have a chance to divide the Land of Rain, cause internal strife, and eliminate a threat like the Rain Ninja. Of course, this is just a preliminary plan and not set in stone."

As Sakumo spoke, he had already drunk more than half a bowl of hot soup, dispelling the cold and dampness from his body.

"Whether it ultimately succeeds or not doesn't matter. It's just a waste of a little food, nothing significant."

His words were truly boastful.

However, Sakumo had the confidence to back them up. The Land of Fire was undeniably the leading grain-producing nation among the Five Great Nations. Besides self-sufficiency, they had a large surplus of grain stored in their warehouses, used to trade for minerals from the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning, and rare herbs from the Land of Wind.

However, to curb the strength of other nations, grain exports had always been limited. After all, even without minerals from the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning, there was still the Land of Rivers, which also possessed abundant mineral resources. Conversely, without grain from the Land of Fire, the populations of the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning would inevitably decline. They simply couldn't support so many people!

This was also one of the reasons for waging a ninja war: to reduce population and lower consumption.

In fact, one could judge the strength of the Five Great Ninja Villages just by looking at them. Whether it was the Cloud Ninja, Stone Ninja, Mist Ninja, or Sand Ninja, their ninja villages were built uniformly, far more orderly than Konoha's chaotic architecture.

However, this was precisely the predicament of the four great ninja villages. These were the original planned structures from the village's inception, and after decades, they remained the same. It could only be said they were poor and couldn't afford to rebuild. Unlike Konoha, which was constantly expanding and renovating, the entire village was under construction year-round. After half a year, Konoha could look completely different. Money truly made them willful.

Shikaku Nara nodded, his mind racing. If managed well, perhaps they could truly split the Land of Rain. He secretly tucked this thought away and then said, "There's another matter. The village's new batch of supplies is already on its way. By the time, it should be entering the Land of Rain soon."

"Send someone to escort them. We don't want any ill-intentioned individuals causing trouble," Sakumo raised an eyebrow, his killing intent palpable.

Every time supplies were transported, there were always all sorts of troublemakers who would emerge to cause chaos: bandits, Rain Ninja spies, and even individuals flying the flag of the Rain Ninja would take the opportunity to stir up trouble. They had killed wave after wave, yet people kept coming forward to their deaths.

"Actually, there's no need to worry. This time, the supplies are being escorted by three of the Hokage's disciples." Shikaku shook his head, but then immediately corrected himself, "However, there's a group of Ninja Academy students among them. They're really treating the Land of Rain as a training ground."

Shikaku even chuckled as he said this.

This sentiment was very common. Konoha had an overwhelming advantage in the war against the Rain Ninja; the power levels of both sides were simply not on the same scale. They were easily crushing these 'minnows.' If not for Hanzō's formidable strength, even Sakumo could only repel him and not annihilate him. Why would this war drag on for half a year?

If they had initially intended to defeat the Rain Ninja and end the war quickly, as time passed, they discovered the poor combat performance of a large number of mid and low-level ninja. This led to the idea of using the Rain Ninja as a means to train troops. After all, surrounding nations were restless. Within the Land of Rain, there were numerous spies from the Lands of Lightning, Earth, and Wind, constantly probing Konoha's strength, which made one ponder their intentions.

They needed to make early preparations to prevent any unforeseen accidents.

"Ninja Academy students?" Sakumo couldn't help but laugh as well, but his smile quickly froze on his lips. A sudden thought surfaced in his mind.

"Do you have a list? Let me see it," Sakumo reached out, asking for the list.

Shikaku hurriedly pulled out a stack of rosters from the documents on the table. He didn't notice Sakumo's change, assuming he was just whimsically wanting to see what these students were like. He himself had reviewed them several times a few days ago, and his own nephew was on the list.

He carefully perused the not-so-thick stack of names. Although not thick, there were a total of one hundred and twenty-six people registered, forming forty-two temporary student squads.

His scrolling finger suddenly paused. The name Uzumaki Katsuki was right beneath his fingertip. Sakumo gently tapped the roster and chuckled, his premonition had come true.

He hadn't seen this disciple in nearly half a year. This time, they were being sent right under his command, so he could properly assess his skill level. After half a year, he wondered how much he had improved.

"I'll personally lead the team to pick up these youngsters," Sakumo tossed the roster back onto the table.

"Huh?"

Shikaku's eyes widened in surprise as he looked at Sakumo, unsure what nerve he had struck with the commander. Personally leading a team to pick up these youngsters seemed like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

"These youngsters are the future seeds of the village. I'll keep an eye on them to prevent anyone from taking advantage. Although Orochimaru and the other two are strong, they're still a bit too green," Sakumo declared domineeringly, but he had the right to say so. Currently, in Konoha, besides Hiruzen the Hokage, no one was Sakumo's match.

Even the Hokage, known as the "Ninja Hero," frankly, many lower-ranking ninjas believed he was only on par with Sakumo, and among the higher ranks, such opinions were not uncommon.

It was just that Konoha's White Fang had always been extremely fierce externally, yet incredibly gentle towards his own village. Anyone who had interacted with his mild-mannered nature couldn't help but marvel at his duality.

Hearing Sakumo's reason, Shikaku immediately nodded and no longer objected. Since Hanzō had already been forced to retreat to Amegakure, there wouldn't be any major battles in the short term. Sakumo would have nothing to do sitting in the main camp. Although he was the nominal supreme commander, Shikaku handled all the major and minor affairs, making Sakumo a mere symbol.

Of course, this didn't mean that without Sakumo, there would be no impact. It was precisely because of Sakumo's symbolic presence that nearly ten thousand ninjas could be integrated. Only Sakumo could command the respect of those unruly leaders.