The Land of Fire Reacts

Although this crude and simple approach might cause some problems down the line, it was the most suitable solution for now.

After all, Dongfang Mao couldn't stay in Kasumi Town forever, taking his time to straighten out all the problems in the city one by one.

His goal was Tsurumi Pass, two hundred li away.

A day later, after arranging all the necessary affairs and taking a short rest, Dongfang Mao listened to Yasuke's military report.

"Commander, the New Martial Army now has 7,964 men, with 81 added this time. The New Auxiliary Army has 36,741 men, with 1,863 added this time."

Dongfang Mao nodded slightly. During this period, both the New Martial Army and the New Auxiliary Army had suffered losses.

But through rewards and promotions based on merit, soldiers of the New Auxiliary Army who had distinguished themselves in battle were promoted to the New Martial Army.

Meanwhile, prisoners who surrendered and able-bodied men from conquered cities were added to the New Auxiliary Army to replenish its ranks.

As a result, the army had not only maintained its original size, but had actually grown since setting out.

"Have the soldiers rest up quickly. We'll be moving out soon. Also, detach two hundred men from the New Martial Army to garrison Kasumi Town. Have them wait for the officials who will arrive later and hand over the city to them. Until then, anyone who causes trouble is to be killed without mercy!"

"Yes, sir!"

Yasuke replied respectfully.

At the same time, news that Dongfang Mao had crushed the Land of Rice Fields' army sent to suppress the rebellion and marched eastward spread like a boulder dropped into a pond, sending ripples through the outside world.

Those who had originally mocked the affair were now struck silent.

They repeatedly checked the reports that had reached them, unable to believe what they were reading.

The Land of Rice Fields' regular army had been utterly useless, collapsing across the board as soon as the fighting began.

Even more astonishingly, Dongfang Mao, who had already brazenly seized a city in defiance of the world, had not stopped while he was ahead. Instead, he had gone further and continued his eastern campaign.

"Does he really think nothing of the Daimyo of the Land of Rice Fields?"

The same question surfaced in the minds of powerful figures across the various nations.

Before long, reports on Dongfang Mao were laid on the desks of nobles throughout the lands. For the first time, these rulers took a serious look at the background of the audacious upstart.

But when they learned that Dongfang Mao was merely the leader of a band of mountain bandits driven out of the Land of Fire, and that the New Martial Army that had routed the Land of Rice Fields' regular forces was made up of starving refugees, the nobles of every nation were left dumbfounded.

Once their shock passed, scorn and disgust welled up in its place. It was a disgrace for a mighty nation to suffer humiliation at the hands of bandits.

Yet beneath their contempt lurked a hard-to-name unease.

They began to worry that people under their own rule might imitate Dongfang Mao.

In the blink of an eye, this madman who dared challenge the innate legitimacy of a Daimyo's rule had become a thorn in the side of the nobles across the nations, one they were all eager to remove.

The Land of Fire was one such example.

Dongfang Mao's actions had finally drawn the attention of the Land of Fire's Daimyo, who had originally dismissed the affair as beneath his notice.

The ruler of the Land of Fire was furious.

Whether it was conquering cities and openly challenging the Daimyo's authority, or seizing the trade routes the Land of Fire had painstakingly established in the Land of Rice Fields, each act crossed the Land of Fire's bottom line.

That fury spread at an astonishing speed, reaching the desk of Konoha's Hokage in less than half a day.

"Tap... tap..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep draw on his pipe. As wisps of smoke curled around him, his brow furrowed tighter and tighter at the anger between the lines of the report.

"Dongfang Mao... a former bandit..."

He murmured as he read the report, then couldn't help sighing.

To be honest, aside from being shocked by the man's audacity, he found that he didn't feel much resentment toward him.

There had been a time when ninjas were nothing more than tools in the eyes of the Daimyo and nobles.

Only after ninjas displayed power capable of leveling the world had those lofty nobles been forced to lower themselves and gradually form the cooperative relationship they now shared, with each side intertwined with the other.

From that perspective, Dongfang Mao's challenge to the Daimyo's authority actually gave Sarutobi Hiruzen a twinge of satisfaction.

Perhaps it might make their own Daimyo, who nitpicked over funding every day and constantly came up with new ways to make trouble for them, rein himself in a little.

Besides, Konoha could hardly spare the attention right now.

The smoke of the Second Ninja World War had only just cleared. Nearly every household in the village had a white mourning banner hanging outside, and cries of grief rang out from dawn until late at night.

Interfering in someone else's affairs at a time like this would be the height of having nothing better to do.

Still, he couldn't exactly refuse the Daimyo's orders outright.

Sarutobi Hiruzen took another deep draw on his pipe. Through the curling smoke, a sudden gleam flashed in his eyes, and he gave the Anbu at his side a slight nod.

The Anbu vanished with the Body Flicker Technique. Before long, he returned with a blond young man.

The young man wore a dark green jonin vest. Beneath his bright blond hair was a handsome, gentle face, and a warm smile rested on his lips.

"Lord Hokage, you sent for me?"

His voice was as clear as a spring.

The Third gazed at Namikaze Minato, a look of pride rising in his eyes.

He was the prized student of his beloved disciple Jiraiya, and his own grand-disciple as well.

The young man was exceptionally talented, and the turmoil in the Land of Rice Fields would make a good opportunity for him to gain experience.

"Minato, I have an important mission for you."

Sarutobi Hiruzen tapped his pipe against the edge of the desk, knocking a few flecks of ash loose.

"Please, give me your orders!"

Minato immediately straightened his back, his gentle smile giving way to a serious expression.

"A rebellion has broken out in the Land of Rice Fields, and the Daimyo is furious."

Sarutobi Hiruzen pushed the document toward the edge of the desk.

"So I want you to go and eliminate the rebel leader."

"Yes!"

Minato agreed without hesitation. Only then did he reach for the document and look over the details.

When he saw the information about Dongfang Mao's abilities, Minato's eyebrows lifted.

"He can use ninjutsu, but never showed it while he was in the Land of Fire. He has been training for less than half a year, and his estimated strength is somewhere between Genin and Chunin."

He repeated the information silently to himself. After a moment's thought, Minato looked up and scratched the back of his head, seeming a little embarrassed.

"Lord Hokage, could I bring my students along on this mission? Those kids keep pestering me because they want to see more of the world..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen was taken aback, then considered it. Although the Daimyo took the matter very seriously, the target was ultimately only a Genin or Chunin.

With Minato's abilities, assassinating him wouldn't be too difficult. Taking a few children out for a bit of a look around wouldn't hurt either.

So he nodded.

"All right. But those children are Konoha's new shoots, the hope of carrying on the Will of Fire, so you must keep them safe."

Minato nodded solemnly.

"Please rest assured, Lord Hokage!"

Minato immediately dropped to one knee.

"I'll take good care of them."

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded in satisfaction.

"Good. Go on!"

After Minato bowed respectfully and left, the Third watched him go, the glow in his pipe flickering.

He had long recognized the young man's character and talent.

Perhaps... after he returned from this mission, he could try giving him the Flying Thunder God Technique. No one except its inventor, the Second Hokage, had ever managed to master it.