Land of Rivers.
A force of twelve hundred wound toward the Land of Wind like a steel dragon.
At the very front were two hundred Konoha shinobi.
Leading them was Uchiha Shunichi, a fox mask covering his face and leaving only a pair of cold eyes exposed.
He was the supreme commander of this operation.
Behind him were a thousand samurai dispatched by Chiba Daimyo.
The force marched into the heartland of the Land of Rivers.
An ANBU shinobi appeared beside Shunichi.
"Lord Shunichi, Hokage-sama has sent new orders."
Uchiha Shunichi did not slow his pace in the slightest. He merely tilted his head.
"Speak."
"Hokage-sama's order: Before proceeding to the Land of Wind, subdue Yugakure first and incorporate the entire Land of Rivers into the territory of the Land of Fire. Any who resist are to be killed without mercy."
There was no emotional fluctuation beneath Shunichi's mask.
"Understood."
He raised a hand and gave a simple signal.
"All troops, turn!"
"Target: Yugakure!"
Yugakure.
From the watchtower at the village entrance, a Yugakure sentry saw the massive cloud of dust rising on the horizon and was scared out of his wits.
"Enemy attack!!!"
The shrill alarm instantly rang throughout the village.
The village gates immediately shut, and several hundred Yugakure shinobi gathered at the entrance with kunai in hand, their expressions tense.
Yugakure's leader, Harada Masao, a slightly plump middle-aged man, stood atop the wall with cold sweat covering his forehead.
As he watched that banner-bearing army draw closer and closer, his heart went ice-cold.
Konoha's banner!
And the banner of the Land of Fire's daimyo!
"Chief! What do we do?" his deputy asked in a trembling voice. "Do we fight?"
Fight?
Harada Masao's lips trembled.
What could they fight with?
Sunagakure, one of the Five Great Shinobi