Konoha Calendar 24th Year
This year is known to later generations as the beginning of a new era, the arrival of a true age for ninjas!
Amegakure
The sky resembled a heavy ink painting, with dark clouds hanging low, seemingly within reach.
The fine rain, like silk threads, silently weaves the dampness and coldness between heaven and earth. Occasionally, a few small hailstones, cold and hard, are mixed in with this dense rain curtain, striking the earth with a crisp sound.
On the high platform, Hanzo the Salamander stood solemnly. His figure appeared exceptionally tall in the rain. He wore dark black armor with a special treatment that prevented it from reflecting light in the rain. The armor was composed of countless tiny metal plates.
"Gentlemen, we stand here today not only for ourselves, but also for the future of the Land of Rain!"
Hanzo the Salamander's voice echoed in the rain, the raindrops striking his armor with a crisp sound.
"The nobles have stolen the power that belongs to us ninjas, treating us as mere tools for a thousand years. Those days are gone forever!"
"We are no longer pawns in their hands, no longer puppets they manipulate in secret. Today, we will reclaim our rights, and we will make our voices heard in every corner of the Land of Rain!"
" Amegakure!!"
Hanzo the Salamander, his eyes piercing, swept over every ninja below the stage.
"Long live!!!"
A thunderous roar of support erupted from the audience.
"Kill them all, leave no one alive!!"
With a single command from Hanzo the Salamander, the fate of the nobles of the Land of Rain was sealed.
The rain curtain under the New Year is accompanied by killing and bloodshed.
In just one month, the Amegakure wiped out all the stubborn elements of the Land of Rain who refused to submit.
The Daimyo of the Land of Rain died, and the nobles fled with their families.
The nobles who couldn't escape became as meek as lambs under the ninja's blade, trembling and crawling at the ninja's feet.
Their farmland, wealth, and various businesses were all taken over by Amegakure.
Ninjas are not good at production and management, so farmland is temporarily useless to them. The vast majority of the farmland that the nobles cherish is distributed to the people of the Land of Rain to win their hearts.
The Rain Ninja ate the flesh and drank the blood of the nobles, and a nationwide serum purge did not cause much turmoil in the Land of Rain.
Hanzo the Salamander was overjoyed upon seeing the good news. The vibrant, flourishing scene of all things was still vivid in his mind. He couldn't wait to announce it to the entire Ninja world:
" The Land of Rain has officially been renamed the Land of Ninjas!"
The Ninja world was in an uproar!
Konoha
" Hanzo the Salamander is really brave! He actually did it!"
Uchiha Nan watched the live broadcast on television with great interest.
Hanzo the Salamander listened to his advice and did not kill the nobleman directly, but instead held a public trial in front of the crowd.
A simple Genjutsu can make the nobles confess to their sordid deeds, and the former victims angrily rush towards them, punching and kicking them.
The nobles humbly begged for mercy, their former arrogant arrogance vanished.
Are kings and nobles born with a special destiny?!
This kind of concept, which is commonplace in the Rabbit Country, is extremely rare in the Ninja world. The distorted concept of a simple life is projected onto the Ninja world —nobles will always be nobles, and commoners will always be commoners.
Amegakure was in the open, while Konoha was in the shadows, using television to broadcast Amegakure's public trial live throughout the entire Ninja world.
This made a truth clear to everyone in the Ninja world!
It turns out that nobles also feel fear, bleed, and when faced with the threat of death, they can be so frightened that they lose control of their bladder and bowels, kneel down and beg for mercy, and die from a single blow to the neck!
Nara Luyuan rushed in, his voice tinged with anxiety:
" Lord Hokage, the Daimyo just sent an urgent telegram, demanding that the live television broadcast be immediately cut off and troops be dispatched to annihilate Amegakure."
"Pretend you didn't see it."
Uchiha Nan waved his hand, too lazy to pay attention to the Daimyo's intrusion. Now that this thin veil has been lifted, Konoha will face much less resistance if they want to replicate it in the future.
" Lu Yuan, prepare for war. The Ninja world will not be peaceful for the next few years."
" Lord Hokage, do we really have to do this?"
Nara Luyuan's expression was complicated. He had long been aware of the Lord Hokage's goal; once something like this started, it was destined not to stop.
The Warring States period was a chaotic era, a time when the traditional social order collapsed.
The Five Great Nations nations, one of which is the leader, are vying for land and resources, while the ninjas are fighting for wealth and profit.
It's unclear when exactly, but the first culprit appeared. They hired ninjas to kill nobles from an enemy country, breaking the tacit understanding between the nobles, causing the war to spiral out of control, and utter chaos ensued!
Everyone struggled and thrashed about during the constant warfare, experiencing betrayal, insubordination, and all sorts of unspeakable and unbearable hardships. The ugliness of human nature was laid bare during those painful years.
No one wants to experience the Warring States Period again!
Heroes emerge from chaotic times; they are the product of their era.
The God of Ninja world, Hashirama Senju nowhere, single-handedly suppressing the chaos of war, and the order that everyone longed for finally arrived.
Hashirama Senju established a system of one village per country, where ninja villages gathered together the most powerful ninja forces in the country to protect the Daimyo and the nobles.
The nobles were able to peacefully tend the land, Ninja world enjoyed a temporary period of peace.
Objectively speaking, the ninja village system under Hashirama Senju caused endless harm.
In the past, ninja wars were limited to clans, but when ninja clans united their power and became ninja villages, the scale of the wars instantly expanded many times over!
This was a war of a scale unimaginable to the ninjas of the Warring States Period!
The First Shinobi World War showed ninjas the brutality of war between ninja villages.
Before the ninjas could even reflect on all of this, the order established by Hashirama Senju was shattered once again!
The ninjas of the ninja village collectively rebelled, overthrowing the nobles and seizing control of the country's power, wealth, and population.
In the future, ninjas will wage war on a national scale. Just how vast will this war be?
Nara Luyuan worried about this and rarely confided his feelings to Uchiha Nan.
He didn't know whether what the Lord Hokage had been pushing for was right or wrong.
" Lu Yuan, right and wrong are not for our generation to judge. We just need to move forward. The nobles have slowed down the ninjas' progress. In the not-too-distant future, the Ninja world will face an unprecedented catastrophe."
"Later generations will understand, later generations will realize that it was all worthwhile, all meaningful, even though people died along the way, many, many people died."
Uchiha Nan looked at Nara Luyuan and spoke slowly.
"Yes, Lord Hokage!!"
Nara Luyuan stopped worrying; he didn't understand the catastrophe the Lord Hokage spoke of.
Now that the Lord Hokage has made preparations, all I need to do as his subordinate is obey Lord Hokage orders!
Even if the sky falls, the Lord Hokage will hold it up!
Land of Fire
The Daimyo demanded that Konoha cut off the live television broadcast and also requested that Konoha send troops to annihilate Amegakure.
Konoha ignored the pressure from the Land of Fire, Daimyo remained silent and submissive, and the nobles were so frightened that they couldn't sleep all night.
This time, there were no calls for sanctions or weakening of Konoha within the Land of Fire. Those nobles who were dissatisfied with Konoha disappeared in round after round of killings and purges.
Amidst unease and fear, the Daimyo and nobles of the Land of Fire chose to increase funding, doubling Konoha's budget for the new year.
In addition to adding money
The resistance Konoha faced to its capital expansion in the Land of Fire decreased dramatically. In particular, the obstacles regarding the railway project were reduced countless times over.
The nobles who were originally unwilling to sell their land suddenly became willing to do so!
The Land of Fire remained peaceful as usual. But this peace only extended to the Land of Fire; Konoha was a special exception, possessing both the strongest military force and the greatest wealth.
With money and power, you can stand tall and proud!
However, villages like Iwagakure, Sunagakure, Kirigakure, Kumogakure are different.
Such a large ninja village consumes a huge amount of manpower and resources every day. It would be a pipe dream for the village to support itself solely through the meager earnings from ninja missions. This would require substantial financial support from a nation-wide organization, which is also the primary source of the large number of ninja's mercenary missions.
Even a hero can be brought down by a lack of funds. The ninja village's funding chain broke down, leaving even the Kage helpless.
The Daimyo and nobles have mastered the art of using money and favors to their advantage. You want to turn the blade inward, but the pressures of society, the pressure of money, the pressure from the ninja clan—these are the insurmountable mountains of rules and regulations.
Let everyone be content with the status quo.
Even if in the future, the ninja village and the Daimyo dislike each other, they have to endure it. Just let it be, and get by.
But now, that thin veil has been lifted!
In the Ninja world, an unforgivable thing has happened: a ninja village betrays a daimyo and wipes out a Daimyo family!
Amegakure, disregarding all decorum, broadcast the nobles' disgraceful behavior live throughout the entire Ninja world. The pride etched into the nobles' souls, along with the unspeakable fears accumulated over a thousand years, erupted completely!
send troops!!
Annihilate them immediately!!
Sunagakure
I'm currently reading the error-free version! This is the first time I've published this novel.
Mosa sat in his office, clutching the Daimyo's letter tightly in his hand, his brow furrowed, his eyes revealing complex emotions.
The village has only just begun to recover; launching a war rashly would be tantamount to wasting the efforts Sunagakure has made over the past few years.
Most importantly, Amegakure is by no means weak. After lying low and enduring the First Shinobi World War, it has been expanding rapidly over the years, recruiting soldiers and training new talents. Recently, it has even taken control of the power of a country.
What if Sunagakure rashly launches a war and fails?
Even if they win, Sunagakure will only suffer a pyrrhic victory!
Mosa instinctively resisted the Daimyo's orders. However, according to the rules, Sunagakure was required to obey, but since this concerned the future of Sunagakure, Mosa convened an emergency meeting.
Meeting room
The high-ranking officials of Sunagakure were chattering incessantly, with the faction advocating for military action and the faction advocating for inaction each holding their own opinions, giving Mosa a real headache.
"What has Konoha been up to lately? What has Konoha been doing?"
Mosa had had enough of this argument and decided to observe Konoha's reaction before making a decision.
Mosa would never allow Sunagakure to rise so quickly in such a thankless and arduous task.
We must first observe the reactions of the other ninja villages, especially Konoha, an ally of Sunagakure.
" Lord Kazekage, Konoha is holding back, showing no signs of deploying troops. Moreover, according to intelligence, Konoha is behind the Amegakure incident; those live-streaming devices were provided by Konoha."
" The Land of Fire is broadcasting a live stream from Amegakure every day."
"I see."
After listening, Mosa nodded expressionlessly, his thoughts drifting back to that day in the Land of Grass, when the Hokage said he would establish an era for ninjas and kick the nobles into the dustbin of history.
The Hokage actually did it!
Although he didn't personally take action, he did bring down Amegakure. What will become of Sunagakure?
" Lord Kazekage, shall we send troops?"
Chiyo brushed a strand of hair aside with one hand as she asked Mosa a question.
"Hold your positions and do nothing!"
Mosa decisively followed Konoha's lead. Unless Konoha took the lead in attacking Amegakure, he wouldn't be so foolish as to send troops to attack Amegakure.
"Where is that Daimyo?"
"Find an excuse to get out of this. Sunagakure is desperately short of funds, really short of money!"
"Make the Daimyo send the money first; he hasn't sent this year's budget yet, it absolutely needs to be increased!!"
"But, Lord Kazekage, the Daimyo already sent the funds a few days ago, and you personally signed to confirm it."
"Really? I don't remember."
Mosa asked in return.
The Daimyo of the Land of Wind has always been stingy; he even cut funding after the First Shinobi World War. This time, we must rip him off!
"Yes, Lord Kazekage!"
Mosa made the decision immediately and settled the matter.
The Sunagakure leadership tacitly approved of this. If the money arrived, they would share the spoils with Mosa; if trouble arose, Mosa would take the blame. Either way, they would be the ones who benefited!
That same day, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind received a reply from Mosa.
"They've rebelled! They've all rebelled!!!"
Daimyo, the daimyo slashed the table with his sword and unleashed a furious rage in the room. The servants knelt on the ground, trembling with fear, not daring to utter a sound, lest they anger the Daimyo in his rage.
"How dare Sunagakure demand more funding when this year's budget has already been allocated? What does Mosa mean by this? Is he trying to use this opportunity to force their hand?"
"Your Highness, please calm down. At this critical juncture, we absolutely cannot afford a conflict with Sunagakure. If we truly anger Sunagakure, those ninja might follow the example of Amegakure..."
The Daimyo's trusted advisor, a wise and virtuous elder in the Land of Wind, advised the Daimyo that money was a trivial matter, and that the most important thing now was to wipe out the Amegakure, which must be completely eliminated from the Ninja world.
Are you scared?
"Should I let Mosa take over this Daimyo?"
"Your Highness, that's not what I meant."
"Your Highness must not act rashly at this time!"
The Grand Secretary kowtowed repeatedly, hoping that the Daimyo could calm down.
The Daimyo's anger gradually subsided under the elder's persuasion. He knew that now was not the time to turn against Sunagakure; the Land of Wind needed Sunagakure's strength.
"All right."
Daimyo finally spoke, his voice filled with resentment.
"As Mosa requested, increase the funding. However, I order them to immediately send troops to Amegakure —that's an order!"
The Grand Secretary nodded; he knew this was the best course of action at present.
"I will take care of it immediately, Your Highness."