Entering the Land of Hot Water

Since its establishment, Hidden Leaf Village has stood tall in the Ninja World as the "strongest". When the village was founded, the combination of Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara directly overwhelmed the entire Ninja World. However, not many years later, the two powerful figures fell out, and the latter wanted to destroy Leaf Village.

With the passing of the God of Shinobi, the First Shinobi World War, a grand parade of shinobi, began. It wiped out the second generation of each village, causing heavy losses to all shinobi clans. As the epicenter of the storm, Leaf Village experienced firsthand what it meant to be the target of everyone's attacks. The more satisfying the boasting beforehand, the more painful this battle was.

The Second Shinobi World War saw the rise of commoner ninjas, but the intensity of the war also increased to a level that was incomparable to the Warring States period due to the surge in the number of ninjas from various countries.

During the Third Shinobi World War, Hidden Leaf Village even opened up three fronts during its most difficult period.

They thought this was the end, and everyone could just rest on their laurels and enjoy the mission quotas they'd earned. But after only a year, the Nine-Tails went berserk and almost stormed into the village to carry out a demolition. If it weren't for a freak in the Uchiha Clan, this would have been a done deal. But the Shimura Danzō case that followed made everyone realize just how corrupt their village really was.

The Legendary Sannin thus disbanded.

Peace still has not come to this village; the disappearance of the Legendary Sannin has once again stirred the ambitions of the northern neighbors.

The news of the Cloud Ninja's southward march spread throughout Hidden Leaf Village in less than a day.

It couldn't be kept secret. Hidden Leaf Village had always had a large transient population and was located in the most prosperous area of the continent. The Cloud Ninja army had already begun its operation, and the news spread in Hidden Leaf Village at the same speed as when the Fourth Hokage Namikaze Minato, received the report.

He didn't even need to hear the whole report.

"The barbarians from the plateau are coming!" Someone yelled this in the street, the sound so loud it could be heard into the Hokage's office.

As for the nickname "Shit Barbarian," no one knows who came up with it, but it spread Leaf Village like a contagious disease in about half a year. Now, many Leaf Village people refer to Cloud Ninja as "Shit Barbarian."

This is just too catchy...

"Is war already unavoidable...?" Namikaze Minato stood by the window, looking at the street.

The villagers were discussing it, their faces filled with worry.

The Land of Fire, occupying the most fertile land on the continent, possesses the strongest national power and military strength in the Hokage world. However, this also presents a major headache—it has no territorial demands on other countries, so it is always the one being attacked.

Every time the Land of Fire is attacked, the Hidden Leaf Village is also attacked.

To avoid war, Hidden Leaf Village must possess sufficient deterrent power.

One of Shimura Danzō's important tasks during his lifetime was to monitor the Ninja World, and to take various measures to deal with any incidents that undermined Leaf Village's deterrent power.

Even so, it couldn't prevent the Second and Third Shinobi World War.

Invading the Land of Fire is a common desire of all nations in the world.

There's no such thing as not doing it, only when to do it.

The Land of Lightning's desire for the Land of Fire's territory is common knowledge. If it weren't for the Land of Earth, their nemesis, the number of military conflicts Land of Fire would at least double.

Since taking office, the current Raikage has fully supported the expansion of Kumogakure's military power. After the Third Shinobi World War, Cloud Village, which suffered relatively few losses in the war, has become almost on par with Leaf Village in terms of military size.

Although they lost a Raikage, that Raikage single-handedly overwhelmed the 10,000-strong Rock Ninja army that wanted to raid their base. In that battle, Rock Ninja lay dead everywhere, and almost all the Rock Ninja who participated in the battle developed Raikage phobia.

Now, having learned of the disbandment of the Konoha Sannin, the Raikage could no longer suppress his ambition and launched an invasion of the Land of Fire.

However, Hidden Leaf Village only received the news after the Cloud Ninja army had already officially set off south. This shows that the consequence of Root having been in charge of overseas intelligence work for many years is that the ANBU has basically lost the ability to handle this function.

To be fair, since the Third took office, the size of the ANBU has been expanding, but its quality has been declining.

The ANBU have become accustomed to the relatively comfortable and easy work within the country.

This was one of the major changes that Shimura Danzō's death brought to Hidden Leaf Village, resulting in a sharp decline in its ability to gather intelligence from outside the village.

Namikaze Minato seemed to understand a little better now, which was why Shimura Danzō had said those words to him back then.

They weren't talking about who came to do the dirty work, but this.

Over the years, Hidden Leaf Village has never produced another intelligence expert comparable to Shimura Danzō.

The intelligence network is still the same intelligence network, but its effectiveness is completely different.

But Namikaze Minato wouldn't dwell on that.

The Hokage Building issued orders swiftly, and various departments of Hidden Leaf Village sprang into action. The propaganda department began to proclaim the strength of the Konoha Ninja Army to the villagers, assuring them that everything was within the Hokage Building's expectations and there was no need to panic.

Meanwhile, the envoy from the Hokage Building quickly contacted the various ninja clans and convened a war council.

The Tang Ninja Army can't hold off the Cloud Ninja Army for long. No, it should be said that once the Cloud Ninja Army enters the Land of Hot Water, they can crush the Tang Ninja Army on the same day.

The eight great ninja clans reacted swiftly, without a single delay; their journey was even faster than the messenger from the Hokage Building.

It's obvious who will run faster among a group of Jonin and a Chunin, isn't it?

Less than half an hour after the Hokage Building issued the summons, the strongest and most ruthless group of people in Leaf Village had already gathered in the large conference room on the third floor of the Hokage Building to launch a war meeting.

Even Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was semi-retired, came.

The Uchiha Clan was also present, including Uchiha Shingen.

As the host, Namikaze Minato first introduced the current situation to everyone. This decisive Hokage didn't mince words; after the introduction, he began to assign tasks.

According to the established practice of the battles between Leaf Village and Cloud Ninja, the Land of Frost Hot Springs, with its relatively large area and long border with Leaf Village, would become the main battlefield compared to the small Land of Land of Hot Water.

This doesn't mean the Land of Frost will have an easy time, because the Raikage will demand war supplies from the Land of Frost without hesitation.

Within the Land of Land of Lightning's hierarchy, the Frost Daimyo's status is merely equivalent to that of a high-ranking noble, and she lacks confidence when facing the Raikage.

Everyone knows that the Raikage and the Raikage Daimyo are so close they're practically inseparable.

Anything related to the military, as long as it's the Raikage's request, the Raikage will fulfill it.

As for the Land of Hot Water, the Cloud Ninja's method of action was ruthless plunder, scraping away every last bit of land.

However, this also gave Hidden Leaf Village time to arrange and deploy its military forces.

The so-called arrangement and deployment of military forces is simply a competition between several major ninja clans.

Having experienced three Ninja World Wars, the eight great ninja clans of Leaf Village have become very accustomed to this new war system. They have also found a balance between earning military merits and ensuring the survival of their clans. They do not reject national wars; on the contrary, they like them very much.

Nothing can surpass the contribution of the national war!

"Now, regarding the main task, please give your opinions," Namikaze Minato announced, signaling the start of the bidding process.

"The Sarutobi Clan requests to lead the attack!" The Sarutobi Clan's Jonin displayed an unwavering spirit, declaring, "Our clan excels in Fire Release; in terms of brute force, we fear no Cloud Ninja."

Sarutobi Clan, Nara Clan, Yamanaka Clan, and Akimichi Clan are a unified group, and the other three ninja clans immediately expressed their stance and stepped forward.

The envoy from the Aburame Clan remained silent. He stepped forward and adjusted his glasses.

Since everyone knew each other, they immediately understood what was meant—you guys aren't afraid of stuffing yourselves to death, I'll join in too!

Sarutobi Hiruzen took a happy drag on his cigarette. Shimura Danzō had changed. From being somewhat reluctant to take the lead, they were now brimming with fighting spirit, something the old man had witnessed firsthand.

Back in the day, he was ruthless when it came to bidding, and Danzo often argued with him about it. Now that the family has a successor, the old man is very pleased.

My only concern is whether the young people are getting a little too cocky. The Cloud Ninja are ruthless and notoriously fearless.

However, with the Nara Clan, Yamanaka Clan, and Akimichi Clan families being longtime friends, it probably won't be too bad. After all, people need setbacks to grow.

"Sarutobi Clan, you're going to make me laugh to death." The representative of the Uchiha Clan was Uchiha Yakumi. "Fire Release, it still depends on the Uchiha Clan. Fourth Hokage, let the Uchiha Clan and Hyuga Clan take the lead in this attack."

The Hyuga Clan and Uchiha Clan, as two major clans with prominent eye contact lenses, have a close rivalry both overtly and covertly. However, on the battlefield in Mist Ninja, the two clans cooperate very well.

Therefore, Uchiha Yakumi signed up for both families' programs.

His actions greatly won the favor of the Hyuga Clan representative, who gave him kind looks.

Only the Inuzuka Clan remained silent. Their representative was quite worried, as they didn't have many advantages in this mission compared to the other clans.

But he still wanted to try, so he said, "We'll follow the Fourth Hokage's arrangements; we're fine with going anywhere."

Uchiha Shingen stood behind Uchiha Yakumi, with Uchiha Shisui beside him. As an important fighting force of the Uchiha Clan, he was also allowed to speak.

Driven by personal needs, he immediately added, "Fourth Hokage, I think we should form a special operations team to assassinate lone Cloud Ninja on the front lines, weakening their organization. My Ninjutsu would be perfect for that."

"Shingen, I know you're strong," Namikaze Minato warned, "But don't be careless. The Cloud Ninja are known for their fearlessness. I've fought them before, and they truly live up to their reputation."

"Don't worry, Fourth Hokage, I'm perfectly fine." Uchiha Shingen expressed his gratitude, "I wouldn't risk my own life or the lives of my comrades."

Fearless of death? That's what others told him before they fought the Mist Ninja.

And what happened? They were quite fierce at first, but then they all ran faster than the last!

Therefore, rumors should not be taken at face value.

The more stereotypical a portrayal is, the further it is from the truth.

No sooner had Uchiha Shingen finished speaking than someone else spoke up.

The group of ninjas chattered amongst themselves, introducing their special skills to demonstrate how well they could beat up the Cloud Ninja.

In this timeline, at this moment, Leaf Village is truly not inferior to the Cloud Ninja.

Just because the Legendary Sannin are gone, you think the Leaf Village Ninja Army has become weak? They need to be taught a lesson!

Minato Namikaze and Hiruzen Sarutobi were both in high spirits as they watched the enthusiastic ninja clans sign up.

There was no bidding process at all; everything had been decided long ago. This was just a routine pre-battle mobilization.

Chapter Ten: Entering the Land of Hot Water

Hidden Leaf Village is located slightly west of the center of the Land of Land of Fire.

The leaders who founded the village may not have thought that far ahead, but this location is indeed very advantageous for Leaf Village to mobilize its forces on the mainland front. If any of the major villages of Suna, Iwa, or Kumo attack, the Leaf Village ninja army will arrive at the same time to provide support.

The only exception is the southeast, where the distance to Hidden Mist Village is almost double that of the other three major villages, while the former ally, Uzushiogakure, is right at Hidden Mist Village's doorstep.

Leaf Village's military strategy has always been to focus solely on the three major powers on the continent, while relegating the others to the sidelines.

Therefore, Leaf Village made a much faster decision-making process in the face of the Cloud Ninja's southward advance than when they were rescuing Uzushiogakure.

A meeting was held at noon on the first day to make arrangements. All ninjas were notified to be in place by the afternoon of the same day. By noon on the second day, a vanguard force of two thousand Konoha Ninja left the village from the north gate and headed for the Land of Hot Water.

Behind them were no fewer than five thousand ninjas as reinforcements, who would advance alongside the organized supply train.

The main task of these two thousand vanguards was to join forces with the remnants of the Hot Spring Ninja, establish a forward base within the territory of the Land of Hot Water, and eliminate the vanguard of the Cloud Ninja Army.

At the very least, the Cloud Ninja Army must be forced to halt its advance in the Land of Hot Water.

Given the heavy and intense combat missions of this unit, all members were at Chunin level.

The elite fighting force consists of Jonin the Sarutobi Clan, Uchiha Clan, and Hyuga Clan, commanded by Hizashi Hyuga.

This branch family member's strength is about the same as his elder brother, the clan chief, and his strength is enough to command respect.

Most importantly, the Byakugan at the Jonin level is truly effective on the battlefield, a fact that everyone can attest to.

The Uchiha Clan sent six Jonin Mitsudomoe this time, including Uchiha Shingen. He beat his chest and stamped his feet in frustration at Uchiha Fugaku, successfully replacing Uchiha Shisui.

Among the three clans, the Uchiha Clan Jonin, while the Sarutobi Clan had the most. The Jonin from all three clans was approximately thirty.

This combat power is enough to completely destroy a third-tier ninja village.

Despite being the only ninja village close to Leaf Village in size, with Chunin and higher-ranking ninjas, Cloud Village's number of Jonin is less than Leaf Village's.

In theory, Leaf Village could Jonin even more Jonin, but this number is the limit that the three clans can mobilize this time, and the Hokage Building is also unable to send any more personnel.

It's not that everyone is stingy, but the Cloud Ninja have made a move, so Leaf Village has to be wary of the Rock Ninja. Namikaze Minato, who is very familiar with the styles of both Cloud Village and Iwagakure, has already prepared for a two-front war.

Ōnoki, the Third Tsuchikage, was renowned throughout the Ninja World for his martial prowess. During the Third Shinobi World War, he launched a Namikaze Minato attack on Leaf Village and Cloud Village. Leaf Village's attack was thwarted by Minato Namikaze and his students, but the losses to Cloud Village were even greater, with Cloud Village losing a Kage as a result.

Not only is Leaf Village worried, but Cloud Village is also worried that this old man will sneak up on their base again.

Uchiha Shingen understood Ōnoki's thoughts to some extent. This fat man's attitude towards Leaf Village was that he would take a bite out of it whenever he had the chance, but he treated Cloud Village as a long-term enemy.

Just as much the Cloud Village coveted the Leaf Village Ōnoki covet the Cloud Village.

In the last major battle, he suddenly mobilized 10,000 Rock Ninja troops, intending to attack the already vulnerable Daigo the Cloud Ninja. However, he did not expect the Third Raikage to be so stubborn and stop him.

Including the casualties suffered against Leaf Village, Iwagakure, which had suffered the fewest losses during the war, suddenly jumped to second place on the casualty list.

In the original timeline, the conflict between Iwagakure and Cloud Village never ceased. Akatsuki's biggest client was Iwagakure, Ōnoki frequently hired Akatsuki ninjas to deal with Cloud Village.

The two thousand Leaf Village elites who left Leaf Village marched at a rapid pace. Since there were no Genin in the group, the Jonin did not need to deliberately slow down.

That very night, they stormed into the Land of Hot Water.

The Land of Hot Water is now even more chaotic than when Uchiha Shingen last visited.

This chaos is not due to rampant thieves.

On the contrary, the thieves are all gone.

The Cloud Ninja are ninjas from the Great Ninja Kingdom. They adhere to the "two superiors and three inferiors" hierarchical system of the Ninja Kingdom. They maintain proper etiquette towards the nobles of the Land of Hot Water and protect the lives of their lords, but not towards ordinary people. In the eyes of the Cloud Ninja, thieves are also ordinary people.

The tradition of ninja armies in battle is to first kill off a wave of thieves as a warm-up.

For these unregistered residents who are of no benefit to social production and are not even considered "marginalized people," but instead consume food, the ninja army, out of the need to requisition food locally, will annihilate them with a spirit of ownership that transcends national borders. The local nobles will only applaud this, while turning a blind eye to the casualties among their people.

Nothing in this world is more cruel than this.