All-Out War

"Father was an incredible manager. He worked so diligently, exhausting his every thought and effort. Even with my modern ideas, I couldn't compare to him."

Shusen often thought this way.

Sometimes, he even felt that Ryū was the best possible candidate to become the Fire Country's daimyo. At the very least, if Ryū were the daimyo, the Fire Country would surely be in far better shape than it was now.

He decided that once Whirlpool Village's situation had stabilized, he would urge his father to establish the Land of Whirlpools ahead of schedule.

Are kings and nobles born to their stations? The Fire Country's daimyo was unfit for his position. There was no reason for the Uzumaki Clan to remain his subjects forever.

Perhaps having accepted the fact that his second son was mediocre, Ryū no longer held overly high expectations for Shusen after returning from the imperial capital. He simply threw him into the guard unit to fend for himself, handing any important matters to Mito or Ashina.

Shusen was more than happy with that arrangement. He thought being an idler was great; it gave him plenty of time to tinker with his unknown secrets and quietly make a fortune.

However, Shusen only appeared idle. The guards saw him loafing around and sleeping in every day, but they had no idea how much he did behind the scenes. Besides spending half his time each day fusing eyes, he also had to use the Shadow Clones he had planted as informants to monitor the Fire Country's situation.

Thanks to the ceasefire agreement arranged by the daimyo, the Fire Country had indeed been peaceful recently. The major ninja clans had all lowered their banners and withdrawn into their territories, no longer waging war everywhere as they had in the past.

Yet instead of letting down his guard, Shusen became even more vigilant. He knew very well that war could not possibly end so easily.

The daimyo had used moral pressure to force the ninja clans into a ceasefire, but some clans simply had no morals. The current peace was false, merely suppressed.

Once that period of suppression ended, there would be a fierce backlash. The war that erupted then would only be more terrifying!

Time flowed by like water.

In the blink of an eye, a month had passed.

After a month of suppression, some smaller ninja clans were the first to grow restless, turning into bandits and plundering certain villages and towns.

Wealth gained through robbery was the easiest to obtain, and there was no reason for wealth to remain in the hands of the weak. The strong devouring the weak was a law of nature.

The daimyo realized this was a terrible sign and immediately issued a statement of condemnation. Unfortunately, those small ninja clans had disguised themselves during their crimes. With no concrete evidence, they adamantly refused to admit anything.

Half a month passed.

More and more small ninja clans became restless, while the daimyo's condemnations grew increasingly severe.

Another half month later.

Conflicts of interest arose between the small ninja clans. Minor disputes escalated into bloody clashes, and the Fire Country's situation instantly became tense.

The daimyo ordered both sides of the conflict to stop immediately.

Another half month passed.

The Fire Country's situation completely spiraled out of control. Everything collapsed.

Major ninja clans intervened in the smaller clans' battles, and one thing led to another. Clans that had long held grudges and hatred against one another finally threw off all restraint, practically wishing they could beat each other's brains out.

The daimyo's stern orders were drowned out by the flames of war.

"Lasting two months was already quite impressive."

Shusen sighed with emotion. Honestly, the fact that the ninja clans had held themselves back for two months before going to war had exceeded his expectations.

"Even the Uchiha Clan couldn't wait for Whirlpool Village to collapse and formally declared war on the Senju clan. It looks like the Kaguya Clan won't be able to hold back much longer either."

Inside the Kaguya Clan Territory.

"Three months have passed. Not only has Whirlpool Village failed to be dragged down by those civilians, it has actually flourished! Something must have gone wrong somewhere!"

Kaguya Izui furiously convened a meeting with the elders.

He was furious. When the daimyo had demanded the signing of a ceasefire agreement two months ago, he had raised no objections, because he had been waiting for the day Whirlpool Village collapsed. Who could have known Ryū would actually manage to keep that mess afloat?

According to reports from the spies he had placed in Whirlpool Village, its infrastructure had already been completed. They had even harvested two batches of fast-maturing crops. Many merchant caravans had gone to Whirlpool Village to trade, and it would not be long before they achieved self-sufficiency.

"Father, we absolutely cannot wait any longer!" Kaguya Wuzhan said in a deep voice.

"The Uzumaki Clan had long planned to build a village. They must have started stockpiling money, food, and resources years ago. If we keep waiting, they will only grow stronger."

"Yes, Whirlpool Village now has a population of forty thousand. That is a massive force that cannot be ignored!"

The elders all echoed him.

"If those forty thousand were all civilians, that would be one thing. But according to the spies, Ryū is selecting the best among them and teaching them to cultivate chakra and ninjutsu."

"If the Uzumaki Clan is not eliminated, they will become a grave threat!"

"We still have a chance. Now is the best time to launch a full-scale attack. If we delay another three months before going to war, we will undoubtedly lose."

"..."

"Good! Since all the elders think so, we will declare war on the Uzumaki Clan today!" Kaguya Izui made the final decision with a slap of his hand.

"For the first battle, we'll take back the iron mine first!"

At those words, Kaguya Wuzhan's eyes gleamed brightly!

He had waited a long time for this day.

Uzumaki Shusen, let's see where you can run once you're on the battlefield. This time, no one will be able to save you!

He thought to himself, killing intent boiling within him.

His killing intent toward Uzumaki Shusen was not without cause. The Kaguya Clan had once been allied with the Hyuga Clan. Years ago, he had fallen for Hyuga Rika, and Kaguya Izui had personally approached Hyuga Tenfu many times to propose marriage for him. Yet Hyuga Tenfu had always refused on the grounds that his daughter was too young.

When he learned two months ago that Hyuga Tenfu had nearly betrothed Rika to Uzumaki Shusen, jealousy consumed him. When he proposed to Hyuga Tenfu again, Hyuga Tenfu did not use Rika's age as an excuse this time. Instead, Hyuga Rika stepped forward herself and directly refused him on the grounds that she "didn't like him."

Kaguya Wuzhan hated Zhouxuan so much that he nearly ground his teeth to pieces.

October 5th.

To many people, it was merely another ordinary morning.

With a foxtail grass stem hanging from his mouth, Shusen walked along a mountain path with the guards, carrying out their daily patrol.

The autumn weather had already grown chilly, cold enough to make one shiver.

"Young Master Shusen!"

A shout rang out from behind them.

Everyone turned around and saw another group of guards. The man calling out looked quite ordinary. Shusen knew him, but could not remember his name.

"What is it?" Shusen asked.

"The clan leader has summoned you to the clan leader's building for an elders' meeting."

"Alright, I understand. What a bother..."

Shusen muttered, then returned to the village with the man under the envious gazes of the others.

After they had walked some distance away, Shusen casually asked, "Do you know what this elders' meeting is about?"

The man shook his head. "How could a subordinate like me know something like that?"

"I suppose that's true."

Shusen did not think much more about it. By his estimation, it was most likely about going to war with the Kaguya Clan.

"Clan Leader Ryū, why are you here?!"

The man suddenly cried out, staring ahead in shock.

Shusen instinctively followed his gaze.

Taking advantage of his distraction, the man flicked a kunai from his sleeve and, in an instant, plunged it into Shusen's chest with a wet pfft!

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