The Daimyo was extremely pleased with the proposal to establish the Guardian Ninja. He felt that the ninja before him truly had his interests at heart. Bringing the Shinobi Village's leaders and members of its important Ninja Clans to his side as hostages—why had he never thought of this before?
During the Warring States Period, sending family members to an ally as hostages had been a perfectly routine way of maintaining alliances. Recalling that now, the Daimyo could not help resenting his own past stupidity. Had he adopted this approach sooner, he would not have spent so many years stewing in frustration.
Now, the Daimyo eagerly awaited Tobi's next suggestion. The idea of strengthening his own forces came as no surprise; what Tobi needed to explain was how to do it.
"Your Highness's military forces consist primarily of armies of samurai. These armies are vast and highly disciplined. Once they launch an offensive on an open battlefield, they are like a raging flood, unstoppable to ordinary men—and even to ninja," Tobi said.
"But that is on an open battlefield. What you ninja excel at most is operating alone." The Daimyo waved his fan, his expression cold. "Taking a commanding general's head in a night raid to shake the army's morale, or luring troops into treacherous terrain where they cannot exploit their strength in direct combat—those are your specialties."
"Yes. And the ninja known as Kage in the Shinobi Villages can move freely through armies tens of thousands strong. Even if they cannot wipe out an entire army alone, they can retreat unscathed before exhausting their strength, then seek another opportunity. That formidable ability to fight alone is a ninja's greatest advantage." Tobi nodded.
"So what do you intend to do?" the Daimyo asked.
"The main reason samurai need to form