The Doppelgangers of the Chicken Thieves

The time from the Iwagakure declaration of war to its conclusion was faster than anyone had budgeted for, leaving the reinforcements arriving at the Konoha defensive line so stunned their jaws nearly hit the ground.

Harboring a deep loathing for war, they had traveled in silence all the way to the Land of Grass, only to hear this news the moment they reached the defensive perimeter.

If they hadn't slapped themselves and performed the standard jutsu to dispel illusions, they would have collectively assumed they were either dreaming or caught in a massive genjutsu.

Yet, even if they doubted their own senses, none of them doubted the word of Hatake Sakumo; when it came to battlefield matters, Hatake Sakumo never dealt in falsehoods.

He was not a man who would lie.

The blitzkrieg had indeed been as fast as lightning, and ending a war so quickly completely overturned the history of warfare in the Shinobi World.

Looking at Hatake Sakumo, who sat calmly in the commander's seat within the camp, a sense of irrepressible admiration surged in their hearts.

The border with the Land of Earth no longer had much in the way of defenses, and the Iwagakure ninja had lost the will to fight, so the Konoha forces had no intention of invading the Land of Earth.

The Land of Fire possessed the most fertile soil and the most complete resources in the world; they had no interest in the barren lands of the Land of Earth.

As mere ninja, they didn't have much of a grand strategic perspective.

Not having to fight was the best possible outcome.

In their minds, war represented only loss, and no one was foolish enough to suggest that Hatake Sakumo lead them on another charge against the Iwagakure ninja.

The simpleton who had prepared to say as much had already been tackled to the ground by his comrades.

"Commander Hatake, what about the members of the Uchiha clan?" asked a ninja who had a decent personal relationship with the Uchiha.

This "decent relationship" referred to a debt of a million ryo.

"That's right, didn't they return with you?"

"They? Under my arrangement, they have gone to launch a sneak attack on the Cloud Ninja—or perhaps 'assault' is the more accurate term."

"The goal is the same as this raid on the Iwagakure ninja: to bring about peace."

When he uttered the words "under my arrangement," Hatake Sakumo's tone was slightly strange, but everyone in the camp was so immersed in joy that they failed to notice anything amiss.

Recalling the absurd scene at the moment of their parting, the corners of Hatake Sakumo's mouth couldn't help but curl into a smile.

Given the impoverished state of the Cloud Ninja, stealing a single shipment of supplies would be enough to end the war and send them back to their miserable lives.

Although the Cloud Ninja were struggling, they hadn't been pushed to the point of insanity; at the very least, they were better off than the Sunagakure ninja of the Land of Wind.

The Daimyo of the Land of Lightning was a brute who supported the Cloud Ninja with all his might, whereas the Daimyo of the Land of Wind only cared about his own prosperity and ignored the Sunagakure ninja entirely, cutting their funding again and again.

Ninja were not a profession that engaged in production; after the reduction in financial subsidies, the Sunagakure ninja, living in a harsh environment, were truly left with nothing but sand in their mouths.

Uchiha Yuji's original plan was to pass through the Land of Waterfalls after dealing with the Iwagakure ninja, bypass the Land of Hot Water—the frontline between the Cloud Ninja and Konoha—and break into the Land of Moon to steal a "chicken" from the Cloud Ninja.

However, the current situation had changed slightly.

"Clan Head, is this really okay?"

"If we let them keep following us like this, we aren't going on a sneak attack anymore," Uchiha Toshihiko muttered, glancing behind them. "We're heading toward the total annihilation of the Cloud Ninja."

The rest of the Uchiha clan members also wore strange expressions.

To make haste, the Uchiha party had formed a triangular assault formation at the very front, while behind them followed a legion wearing Iwagakure headbands, trailing closely in the Uchiha's wake.

If one ignored the clan crests and the headbands, looking only at the formation and positioning, it appeared as if the Uchiha were leading the Iwagakure ninja in an offensive.

The strangeness of the situation defied everyone's logic.

It wasn't just the Uchiha who were silent; the Iwagakure ninja were equally quiet.

In this situation, no matter who came or who looked, they would be left speechless or unable to stop a laugh from escaping.

Uchiha Yuji scanned the taciturn Iwagakure ninja, watching them trudge along in silence, and the corners of his mouth curved into a smile.

That repressed emotion was like a liqueur chocolate with a black-coffee shell; the silky, suppressed bitterness that finally gave way to a hint of spice—such a flavor was quite excellent.

"It doesn't matter. If they want to follow, let them follow."

"I said it before: a plan is always just a plan."

"Your original plan was to head to the Cloud Ninja battlefield after defeating the Iwagakure ninja to wipe out the Cloud Ninja. A truly confident plan, indeed."

Ōnoki floated ahead of the Iwagakure formation, having heard every word of the Uchiha's conversation.

On the battlefield, death could not be prevented; when standing in opposition, whatever method one used to kill the other side was considered normal.

Ōnoki was furious that Uchiha Yuji had killed his Iwagakure ninja, but that did not prevent him from being grateful for the mercy shown at the end.

Even if that outcome had been caused by his own arrogance.

Though his anger was greater, he couldn't win, so he had no choice but to endure it.

"If we didn't have even that much confidence, we wouldn't have broken into the Land of Earth as a lone force," Uchiha Yuji said calmly.

"We have the confidence to defeat your Iwagakure ninja, so naturally, we have the confidence to take down the Cloud Ninja."

This single sentence left Ōnoki completely speechless.

Actually, you could have just talked about the Cloud Ninja; you didn't need to bring up the Iwagakure side.

This situation could probably be understood as: I can say whatever I want about how bad my own country is, but if a foreign bird like you says my country is bad, are you looking for a beating?

"As expected of the Uchiha; no matter the era, the Uchiha are always so detestable." Ōnoki snorted coldly, then slowed his flight speed significantly, soon dropping back into the ranks of the Iwagakure ninja.

Uchiha Yuji did not care about this arrogant, stubborn old man.

Just as his compatibility with the Third Raikage was poor, his compatibility with the Third Tsuchikage was equally abysmal.

The Land of Waterfalls was not small in size, and the Iwagakure Ninja took several breaks to rest before reaching the Land of Moon.

Uchiha Yuji did not believe that Orochimaru had the ability to quickly resolve the Cloud Ninja, so he also took the opportunity to replenish his supplies using the Iwagakure provisions.

After all, this was the advance of a large army, not a small squad; they naturally did not eat Military Ration Pills, but rather meals prepared by specialized logistics personnel.

I've already defeated them, so what's wrong with eating a few bites of their food?

Holding this thought, Uchiha Yuji naturally integrated himself at Ōnoki's dining table, and even though the old man was extremely dissatisfied, he could not argue with the one who held the bigger fist.

Yet, amidst this peaceful advance and harmonious foraging, the tranquility was shattered one evening.

A leader of the Cloud Ninja barbarians, who had also been planning to sneak a meal, appeared not far from the camp and locked eyes precisely with Ōnoki and Uchiha Yuji.

"Are you Iwagakure Ninja allied with Konoha now?"

The Third Raikage looked at Ōnoki and Uchiha Yuji eating at the same table and issued a soul-searching question.

His expression was a genuine, textbook example of a bewildered face.