Reactions from All Sides... Fear

He saw the records of the tumbleweed, the history of the Land of Fields' development, and understood why the Land of Fields had reached this point.

Only then did he grasp the full sequence of events and the true nature of the Senju Clan's retaliation!

His eyes were bloodshot, the veins on his fingers bulged, and he left deep gouges in the ground.

"The Senju Clan is no longer that magnanimous family; they are cutting out the very roots of my Land of Fields!"

He looked up, let out a shrill, regretful howl, vomited blood, and collapsed into a dead faint.

Before losing consciousness, he realized one thing: the Land of Fields, having undergone such a massive upheaval, no longer existed!

With the loss of the Land of Fields, their Sakata Clan, along with his relatives and children in Konoha, would meet a grim end.

Their Sakata Clan was now even worse off than the commoners within Konoha Village.

Given the previous lessons and the character of the Sarutobi Clan, what would they do? He already had the answer in his heart.

Once aristocrats, they were now nothing more than refugees of the Ninja World.

Though filled with regret, there was no turning back.

If he were given another chance, he would never be swayed by that schemer, Sarutobi Hiruzen.

In Kumogakure Village, the Third Raikage and A stared blankly at the intelligence in their hands.

The achievements A had made in the Land of Fields had elevated his status and prestige within Kumogakure, leaving no obstacles to him becoming the Fourth Raikage.

This sudden turn of events had rendered all that effort useless.

A's face was dark with frustration, tinged with a hint of unease.

Once again, he had been seen through by Senju Nawaki.

Recalling Ebizo's reaction, he realized there was still a gap between himself and the veterans of the older generation.

The Third Raikage offered words of comfort: "A, never underestimate anyone, especially a ninja clan that has been passed down for a thousand years.

Senju Nawaki's actions were also beyond my expectations.

The current Senju Clan has abandoned their old style and become incredibly radical; they are far more difficult to deal with than they were in the days of Senju Tobirama."

A frowned deeply, his hands continuously flipping through the intelligence reports on the table, which were a finger's width thick.

They almost entirely reconstructed everything the Senju Clan had done in the Land of Fields.

The reason for this investigation was the fear that the Senju Clan might do the same to Kumogakure Village and the Land of Lightning, destroying their national foundation.

Only after the investigation did they feel at ease.

He felt a measure of understanding for the Senju Clan's radical behavior, and in his heart, he despised the Land of Fields.

Everything the Land of Fields possessed had been given to them by the Senju Clan, yet they had shamelessly betrayed the Senju and defected to the Senju's current enemy, Konoha.

What the Senju Clan had done was simply reclaim the benefits they had once bestowed upon the Land of Fields.

"Father, Senju Nawaki is truly a terrifying enemy. The entire plan seemed immature, yet it struck directly at the heart and was truly shocking.

Once the news of the Land of Fields spreads, even the Five Great Ninja Nations will need to reconsider their attitude toward the Senju Clan.

Should we have the Anbu increase their surveillance?"

A set down the documents, a flash of doubt crossing his eyes as he recalled his interactions with Senju Nawaki.

Setting aside the boy's strength, the intelligence he possessed alone contained many secrets of the Ninja World.

Was it truly just the long heritage of the Senju Clan?

"A, your keenness is already enough to qualify you as Raikage.

The Strategy Department has already listed Senju Nawaki as a priority subject for research and has created a special file for him.

Through analysis, his actions in the coming years will influence the entire war situation of the Ninja World.

In the short term, his target will likely be Konoha—or rather, the current Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.

No matter how they fight, it benefits us.

Next, you should focus on the battlefield in the Land of Rain.

According to the latest intelligence, Hatake Sakumo has killed Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law. Konoha and Sunagakure are now in a state of genuine fury, massing troops at the border in preparation for a larger war.

Our target is the Land of Grass; the pasture there is conducive to the growth of the Thunder Ox.

Once the Thunder Oxen reach a certain number, they can accelerate the growth of our Kumogakure ninjas' strength.

In the Ninja World, strength is everything."

The Third Raikage's expression turned serious as he stood up and looked into the distance.

The Thunder Ox is an edible ninja beast that can accelerate the speed of chakra and ninjutsu/taijutsu cultivation, as well as activate their bloodlines to enhance control over lightning and water-style chakra.

Much like Kinkaku and Ginkaku, who ate the flesh of the Nine-Tails and gained some of its characteristics, most ninjas in Kumogakure possess such bloodlines.

As long as there are enough Thunder Oxen, the strength of Kumogakure Village will be sufficient.

Unfortunately, the pasture for the Thunder Ox requires high-quality grass that contains water-attribute properties, which cannot be grown in ordinary places. Kumogakure only has a very small amount of land suitable for it, and the Land of Grass happens to be perfect for cultivation.

Their target was the Land of Grass.

This war was the best opportunity for Kumogakure Village to surpass Konohagakure and become the strongest of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.

This was good news for Kumogakure Village.

Konohagakure was beset by internal and external troubles.

Internally, Sarutobi Hiruzen was incompetent and muddled, only interested in seizing resources for his own clan. He had forced the powerful Senju Clan to leave Konoha, and the unfair distribution of power had triggered a backlash from the various major factions within the village.

Externally, even Sunagakure, the weakest of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, could still deal a certain blow to Konohagakure.

These were all opportunities for Kumogakure Village.

This time, the Third Raikage was determined to make Kumogakure Village the strongest in the Ninja World and fulfill the wishes of his predecessors.

"Understood, Father."

A's eyes were also filled with ambition.

Standing side by side with the Third Raikage at the top of the Raikage Building, he looked through the glass, surveying everything in Kumogakure Village.

The villagers were united and the village was thriving.

They would surely be able to lead Kumogakure Village to surpass the nightmare that was Konohagakure.

Konohagakure.

Inside the Hokage Building, a Jonin meeting was convened once again.

Representatives from all of Konoha's ninja clans were present, and every face was etched with misery.

The incident in the Land of Fields had the deepest impact on Konoha, second only to the Land of Fields itself.

They began to fear retaliation from the Senju Clan. They knew clearly that Konohagakure was a village built by the Senju Clan, and the Senju Clan had sacrificed no less there than they had in the Land of Fields.

The regret in their hearts grew ever more intense.

Konoha was currently facing the aftereffects of losing the Senju Clan.

Basic supplies within Konoha, such as common rice and flour, had already risen to exorbitant prices.

War supplies for the front lines were also beginning to run thin.

All of this was because they had forced the Senju Clan to leave but lacked the ability to clean up the mess they left behind; the primary culprits were the Sarutobi Clan and the Nara Clan.

What made them even more furious was that the Sarutobi Clan and the Nara Clan were using this incident to profit from the disaster.

They were selling the basic supplies, food, and medicinal herbs they had stockpiled at inflated prices to Konohagakure.

Even the simple-minded Uchiha Clan had begun to voice doubts about Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Everyone was subconsciously comparing the Sarutobi Clan to the Senju Clan, and Sarutobi Hiruzen to Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama, beginning to pine for the Senju Clan.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was facing unprecedented questioning.

At this very moment, a crisis erupted on the battlefield in the Land of Rain, completely exposing the true colors of the Sarutobi Clan and the Ino-Shika-Cho clans.