Zetsu's Ruthless Scheme, Eradicate Them All (2)

Izuna found Mingye's words reasonable; having no defenses was the ultimate expression of self-confidence. If an enemy truly managed to strike at their heart, there would be no need for defense anyway.

"Not bad! If that day ever truly comes, the three of us brothers might as well just end it all. Big Brother, Third Brother, the next step is to establish the village! How do you two intend to proceed?"

Madara nodded silently, agreeing with the sentiment. He immediately issued the order to Izuna to begin construction and specified that the ninja clans who had already pledged their loyalty should be gathered here.

"Izuna, you are meticulous, so I leave this matter to you. The entire valley can be developed into the village. Clear out a main street first, and then we shall formally welcome the Hatake Clan. Didn't you say there were four or five small, obscure clans that participated in the Senju Clan's surprise attack? It's perfect to bring them in as well. The Kurohabaki... yes, bring them in too. They have effectively submitted to us, after all. What do you think?"

Mingye took the opportunity to chime in, addressing Izuna.

"General Sato has ordered us to kill Akiyama Nobunori within a month. That is our primary objective for now. Second Brother, you don't need to worry about that; focus on building the village. Big Brother and I will go handle Akiyama Nobunori and secure the funds for you to continue the development."

After a moment of careful thought, Izuna nodded and said, "Be careful in everything you do. I will organize this place properly. Big Brother, if I may, you need to be more mindful. You always treat combat with such disdain; even if they are just small fry, they are still enemies. If you can help your subordinates wipe them out, just do it. We don't have enough clansmen to spare right now!"

Mingye laughed heartily, suddenly remembering another matter. It seemed that while establishing the village, he should put everything on the agenda—including those beneficial developments that were originally supposed to be Tobirama's work.

"Haha! Second Brother, although we only have fifty or sixty clansmen, they are all elites. The Senju Clan suffered such heavy casualties primarily because they never truly took things seriously. Alright, I know you don't want to dwell on that, so I'll say no more. Let's talk about my ideas for building the village."

"While building the village, I hope you will set aside land to simultaneously develop and establish a school—a Ninja Academy. Any child from a ninja clan can enroll at six, and after five years of study, they may apply to become a ninja. In this world, ninja rankings are determined by chakra volume; Genin, Chunin, and Jonin are labeled based on reaching certain thresholds. That is not a good habit. We must not only be precise in our grading but also practical. In my view, a ninja's rank should be judged by the number of missions completed or the intensity of those missions. This may seem a bit distant, but we must start laying the groundwork now. Only then can we minimize the death rate during combat and missions!"

After hearing Mingye's words, Madara turned to look at him, deeply impressed. "Third Brother, I never expected you to be capable of more than just schemes and tricks!"

Mingye ignored Madara's surprised mockery and continued, "Next is the operational aspect. We must accept all available missions in the Land of Fire and distribute them accordingly. Perhaps we aren't at that level yet, but we must be prepared. Furthermore, we should form a Ninja Army composed entirely of Jonin. The purpose of this army will be to guard the national borders and wage external wars. Internally, we will set up mission recording stations throughout the Land of Fire to collect requests and report them to the village, allowing the Chunin and Genin to complete them. This will generate funds while providing the ninjas with experience, and it will significantly lower the mortality rate!"

As Mingye paused, Madara interjected, "Children under twelve shall not be sent to the battlefield. If we are going to do this, we will do it right. War must be fought by Jonin; those who are not Jonin shall not be sent to the front lines to face the enemy!"

Mingye nodded, agreeing with Madara. "Big Brother is right. The cruelty of war should be borne by the adults; the children should be allowed to live their lives with smiles."

"Very well, I have noted everything Third Brother said. If there is nothing else, let's head down. Standing here in the wind is not exactly pleasant!"

Izuna's nod signaled that everything was now being planned. Then, Mingye thought of one more thing and spoke up again.

"We must organize an Anbu to observe internal information within the Land of Fire, as well as the political strategies and intelligence of foreign nations. We must collect information on the ninjas of every clan. We need not only strength but also keen sources of information. To defeat the enemy from a thousand miles away means that the moment they are about to act, we have already launched our offensive or are prepared to meet them with ease!"

Izuna nodded again. The three of them stood on the barren rock, having completed the preliminary planning for the entire village. After an unknown amount of time, Mingye suddenly laughed and asked Izuna, "Haha! Second Brother, don't you feel that the air has suddenly become fresher where we stand? By casting aside the murky world, what we are building is precisely that thing called hope!"

"Hehe! With you two by my side, there is hope everywhere!" Izuna replied with a smile. Even Madara laughed for once and said, "You two, remember that in the future, it won't just be the three of us brothers. We are protecting everyone who joins our village. In this vast, unobstructed place, everyone will live happily without the slightest danger!"

"Hahahaha!"

As the sun set, the three brothers stood on the yellow rock, seemingly enjoying the peaceful atmosphere. It felt as if the massive rocky mountain brought them a tranquility they had never known before.

Everything was proceeding according to Mingye's vision, and all matters were being handled in an orderly fashion. After about three days of finalizing the preliminary framework for the village, Mingye took his leave, heading alone toward the Sarutobi Clan's territory. Unlike the Uchiha and Senju clans, who were constantly at war and forced to hide their territories from the world, the Sarutobi Clan's base was located in a peach forest in the southern part of the Land of Fire. It was open and lacked even the surveillance of external village outposts. When Mingye walked into the peach forest, he realized that what seemed simple was actually an unfathomable trap once one stepped inside. The tall mountain apes shrieked like humans upon seeing Mingye, their deafening cries serving as an alarm that alerted the entire forest to his arrival without any human intervention.

Within a few breaths, three or four ninjas appeared in Mingye's path, watching him with stern expressions. One of them spoke up: "Halt!"

"I am Uchiha Mingye, here to pay a visit to the Sarutobi Clan!"

Mingye was truly curious. In the original manga, it seemed the Sarutobi Clan only joined Konoha after it was formally established, pressured by the political situation in the Land of Fire. By then, Madara and Hashirama already possessed the strength to sweep across the ninja world. Although not absolutely invincible, there was no one in the entire world who could defeat them. The Land of Fire began its rise to supremacy from that point on. Now, however, the Senju Clan had suffered a crushing defeat and was nearly wiped out. Mingye was certain that even if they wanted to recover, it would take at least ten years. Would the Sarutobi Clan still be willing to submit to his Uchiha Clan?

Just as Mingye was contemplating the possibility of recruiting the Sarutobi, the three ninjas had already summoned a leader. The ninja wore golden armor and appeared highly wary of Mingye, cautiously walking to within ten meters before speaking.

"Sarutobi Yuso. I wonder why a member of the Uchiha Clan has come here?"

Mingye chuckled. The other party's wariness was likely because his schemes had already spread; everyone probably knew that the Uchiha Clan had produced such a strange, calculating individual, and they were all worried about becoming the Uchiha's next target. Hearing the question, he countered, "Can you make the decision?"

"Please!"

Sarutobi Yuso didn't waste words. If he couldn't make the decision, he should call the clan leader to judge. He also showed no fear of Mingye playing any tricks. With a wave of his hand and a gesture to the side, he led Mingye toward the clan's territory to meet the Sarutobi Clan leader, Sarutobi Hiruzen.

After walking for about twenty minutes, Mingye finally understood why the Sarutobi Clan had no outposts on their perimeter. The peach forest was vast, and within it lived a considerable number of apes. Each of these apes stood nearly two meters tall and was incredibly robust. By Mingye's rough estimate, this troop of apes alone could crush a large portion of the current world's Genin, and some of the stronger ones could even overwhelm Chunin or Jonin. It was unimaginable. It was no wonder the Sarutobi Clan didn't fear surprise attacks; with such a troop of apes, even stealthy infiltrators would likely be discovered. Once discovered, one wouldn't just have to fight the apes but also contend with the Sarutobi Clan's counterattack. It was a thankless task, far less simple than fighting the Sarutobi Clan head-on.

Pondering these things, Mingye followed Sarutobi Yuso into a village surrounded by trees. They stopped in front of a slightly grander house, and Yuso looked at Mingye, saying, "The Lord is waiting for you inside! Please, go in!"

Mingye paused. As he stepped toward the house, his mind raced. Sarutobi Yuso hadn't spoken to anyone on the way, so his choice of words was interesting. "The Lord" must refer to Sarutobi Hiruzen. But what did he mean by "waiting for you"? It was impossible for them to have known he was coming. How were they communicating? Unable to fathom it, Mingye entered the house. A faint scent of wine greeted him, making him momentarily forget his intended topic. He walked to the table, nodded to the figure in the main seat, and sat down, drinking the wine from the cup as if he were back in his own home.