In just one hour, tens of thousands of people had gathered at the Konoha. Uchiha Kō looked at this scene with a mixture of amusement and exasperation, "Wait, each clan only has fifty people, how did it reach tens of thousands of ninjas?"
Nara Rokumei couldn't help but laugh, "Lord Hokage, due to the rapid economic development of Konoha, the treatment of ninjas has been continuously improving, and many former commoner ninjas have also formed clans."
"After our assessment, we found that they all met the standards, so there are now more than two hundred Konoha ninja clans."
Uchiha Kō clicked his tongue. He seemed to vaguely remember such an event, but so many newly established clans, with barely over a hundred ninjas, were willing to send half of them to participate in this great war?
"How about we let the newly formed ninja clans withdraw? They don't have many ninjas, and gathering fifty of them might empty their coffers!" Uchiha Kō and Nara Rokumei discussed.
Little did they know that although their voices were soft, they were overheard by the head of a small clan. He frowned and said, "Lord Hokage, I know you care about us, but with the nation in peril, how can we stand idly by!"
"That's right, Lord Hokage, we all volunteered!!"
Uchiha Kō sighed and said, "I understand." Then he turned to look at Uchiha.
Uchiha sensed Uchiha Kō's gaze and smiled. "Don't worry, grandson, Grandpa will protect these people."
Uchiha Kō nodded, watching as Uchiha and Uchiha Izuna led a ninja army of tens of thousands of people toward Sunagakure.
Border of the Land of Wind
"Reporting, Rasa, Konoha has already dispatched troops, estimated to be at least tens of thousands!" the scout said, kneeling on the ground.
The current high-ranking officials of Sunagakure began to discuss the matter, their expressions revealing a hint of pessimism.
Rasa frowned, toying with a piece of gold in his left hand while his other hand was wrapped in bandages. He thought to himself, "Black Zetsu, is it true that you were able to severely injure Uchiha Kō this time?"
"It's true, Rasa. You've witnessed my abilities. As long as you don't die, I can make you regenerate limbs infinitely, and I can even lend you powerful strength," Black Zetsu said sinisterly.
He was stunned. The existence of Uchiha Kō had disrupted his long-standing plans. When he searched for pawns he could manipulate, he discovered that apart from Rasa, the others did not harbor strong hatred for Uchiha Kō. In other words, they were not easy to fool.
Only Rasa, the one-armed money-grubber, wanted to avenge his humiliation and get revenge. So the two of them reached an agreement: Rasa would lure out Uchiha Kō, while he would repair Rasa's arm and lend him his chakra to help him seize the position of the Fourth Kazekage.
Rasa lived up to expectations, defeating Pakura with his control over Gold Dust Magnet Release and a portion of Black Zetsu's Otsutsuki chakra through his use of Scorch Release. However, in order to become Kazekage, he did not choose to break ties with the Elders and kill Pakura.
He united everyone he could and eventually rose to the position of the Fourth Kazekage.
Rasa took office quietly. Looking at his country's revenue and Konoha's annual financial statements, he was filled with rage. So he swallowed up the nearby small countries and looted the warehouses of the Daimyo of the Land of Wind.
However, accidents are bound to happen during the looting. When he learned that Konoha's spies had found out everything about him and had escaped, he immediately decided to declare war on Konoha!
Black Zetsu also told him that all he needed to do was lure out Uchiha Kō, and he didn't need to do anything else but hand his body over to it. After witnessing Black Zetsu's amazing abilities, Rasa chose to believe him.
"They're just ten thousand ninjas, nothing but ants. By the way, did you find out who's leading them?" Rasa closed his eyes, praying it was Uchiha Kō, he prayed it was Uchiha Kō!
The scout replied, "The commander-in-chief is Uchiha, and the deputy commander-in-chief is Uchiha Izuna. The two of them are leading ten thousand ninjas towards our direction!"
Rasa's pupils contracted. It wasn't Uchiha Kō. He asked in his mind, "Black Zetsu, this time the commander isn't Uchiha Kō, but Uchiha, you...?"
He didn't finish speaking, but waited for Black Zetsu's reply. Black Zetsu pondered for a moment and said, "It's possible, but it might not be as effective as it was against Uchiha Kō, but it's not bad either."
Black Zetsu's lips curled into a sneer. He thought to himself, "Madara, I originally intended to make you my puppet, but I didn't expect your hatred for this world to be so shallow. You were dragged back by just one brother. However, it doesn't matter. I will use the power given to me by my mother to make you my puppet."
Upon hearing Black Zetsu's words, Rasa's tense mood eased, and he smiled, saying, "Then, I'll ask you to help me hold off Uchiha."
Rasa gripped his bandaged right hand tightly; he hadn't forgotten that his hand had been severed because of Shimura Danzō and Uchiha Kō!
"By the way, is Shimura Danzō the troops this time?" Rasa suddenly asked. His voice was unreadable, but Gold Dust was already gushing up from the ground around him.
The scout knelt on the ground and said, "It's said there isn't any."
Rasa snorted coldly, and the Gold Dust fell again, while the other ninjas were responsible for collecting it. Although Sunagakure had been living a better life recently, it couldn't afford such extravagance!
Rasa did not stop them, after all, he was the kind of person who would save money wherever possible. "He got off easy, otherwise I would have definitely crippled his arm." His eyes were gloomy, and he seemed to feel the tearing pain in his right arm again.
"Order the troops to climb the mountain. Before the Konoha troops arrive, reach the summit, set up traps, and arrange patrols of one hundred men per team. If any unusual situation occurs, immediately fire a signal flare. No mistakes are allowed." Rasa had learned from his cheap master's mistake, and his march was steady and swift.
Upon receiving the order, the Jonin in the tent withdrew and began arranging the mountain climb. Konoha couldn't catch up in time, and Uchiha Kō hadn't yet mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique. Who could have imagined that Sunagakure would be so courageous, daring to be the first to declare war?
Therefore, Sunagakure's actions were swift and effective, and they quickly occupied Mt. Kikyo and Daiyu Mt. Ōyu, forming a pincer movement and keeping a close watch on any unusual activity at the foot of the mountains.
Uchiha led the way at the head of the group, followed closely by Uchiha Izuna. Izuna looked at the sun in the sky, took out a water bottle, and handed it to Uchiha.
"Brother, have a drink first. We still have two days before we reach the border. I reckon Sunagakure has already set up defenses. There's no need for us to rush like this." Uchiha Izuna explained the situation logically.
Uchiha frowned and glanced at the ninjas behind him. Most of them were young, with only a small number of veterans. Although the new ninjas were usually quite strong, the difference in their physical fitness compared to the veterans became apparent during the long march.
Uchiha followed Uchiha Izuna's advice, took the water bottle, and was about to drink when he stopped and said, "Order the entire army to rest, and have the veterans teach the younger men some basic battlefield knowledge. This is war, not bandit suppression, nor is it child's play."
Uchiha Izuna nodded, understanding his elder brother's concerns. "Brother, you drink first, I'll go make the arrangements." With that, he walked towards the troops and gave orders.
Seeing this, Uchiha raised the water bottle and gulped down the water. Although he hadn't felt anything before, he realized he was also very thirsty after drinking the water.
Konoha
When Uchiha Kō returned home, he frowned. He felt that Sunagakure couldn't possibly be so foolish as to declare war knowing the disparity in strength between the two sides. He simply couldn't believe they had no trump cards up their sleeves.
Tsunade seemed to sense Uchiha Kō's worry. She sat down next to Uchiha Kō, took his arm, and gently rested her head on Uchiha Kō shoulder.
"Are you really worried about Madara and the Konoha ninja army?" Tsunade murmured.
Uchiha Kō nodded. "My right eyelid has been twitching the whole time. I have a feeling something bad is going to happen. What do you think...?"
Tsunade and covered his mouth. "Don't talk nonsense. Don't you know how strong Madara is? He could sweep through the four countries by himself. Besides, this time, it's the weakest Sunagakure. He'll definitely return safely."
"I hope so." Uchiha Kō pondered for a moment, then sighed.
"System, could you please calculate the outcome of this battle for me?" Uchiha Kō thought to himself.
"Ding, this will process the query for the host," the system responded.
Then came a gasp of astonishment. "How is this possible? Something's not right! How can it be unpredictable? This world is completely separated from the original world, how could this happen!"
This time, the system's voice wasn't robotic; it was more human-like. When Uchiha Kō heard the system speak like this, he couldn't help but frown. What was going on? The system couldn't even calculate it.
His unease grew stronger. "What's wrong with the system?"
"I don't know either. I tried calculating Konoha, Iwagakure, Kumogakure, Kirigakure, and they all work, but the only ones shrouded in Sunagakure are Sunagakure and Rasa!" The system gritted its teeth. Damn it!
Fear often stems from the unknown. This situation not only caused anxiety for Uchiha Kō, but even the system felt uneasy. Damn it, what's going on?!
Uchiha Kō's heart was churning with emotions, but his face wore a smile. "Wife, go back to your room and get some sleep. You're newly pregnant, you need to rest more."
Tsunade smiled sweetly, "Okay, I'll do whatever my husband says!"
Uchiha Kō kissed her cheek. "So sweet!"
Tsunade walked back to her bedroom with a grin and closed the door. Seeing this, Uchiha Kō wondered to himself, "Can you find out what the cause is?"
After a period of silence, the system said, "I might have to go to the battlefield to find out. But if I get within a kilometer of the battlefield, I can deduce it!"
Uchiha Kō glanced at the closed bedroom door, closed his eyes, and recalled everyone's support in the meeting room and his own efforts over the years. He made up his mind.
"System, I'll go, but..." Uchiha Kō hesitated.
"Ding, host is about to undertake an SSS-level mission. Reward: 100,000 points Substitute Death Puppet."
"Note: Substitute Death Puppet is created by infusing a wisp of one's own soul into it. When the original body dies, the Substitute Death Puppet shatters, and the original body and the Substitute Death Puppet exchange places!"
Uchiha Kō smiled, a relaxed smile. "Thanks, Commander. Also, exchange for the Rinnegan."
"Ding, exchange successful. Do you wish to merge now?" the system voice announced.
"Fusion," Uchiha Kō said calmly.
Suddenly, his eyes throbbed with pain, but to reassure Tsunade, Uchiha Kō didn't utter a sound and gritted his teeth to endure it.
Although two chapters were updated today, they totaled 6,000 words. Brothers, your support and encouragement have been appreciated. What follows is a high-intensity battle chapter.