Ever since Konoha had effortlessly captured the capital, seized control of the Daimyō, and become the de facto ruler of the Land of Fire, the entire shinobi world had undergone earth-shattering changes.
Tempted by the enormous rewards, Kumogakure had been the first to act, followed closely by Iwagakure. After seeing both villages achieve results despite some setbacks, Sunagakure could no longer resist the temptation either and decided to march on the capital. Yet not only had they failed, they had suffered a crushing defeat and even been forced to seek Konoha's help.
This was not because the Land of Wind's capital had formidable defenses or because its defenders had fought desperately to the end. Quite the opposite: Sunagakure's advance had gone exceptionally smoothly. They had captured the capital with almost no effort, and, fooled into believing victory was imminent, many of them had gone wild looting the outskirts.
But when they finally reached the Tenshukaku and captured the supposed "Daimyō," they discovered to their shock that he was merely a double. With the Guardian Ninja's assistance, the real Daimyo of the Land of Wind had long since slipped away with the country's essential supplies, leaving them only an empty shell stripped bare.
"Useless!"
Madara Uchiha's brow tightened as he listened, and his face instantly darkened like a sky thick with storm clouds. The fury in his chest nearly set him ablaze. If Hashirama had not held him back with all his strength, he would truly have minced these Sand shinobi who had disgraced their profession into fine scraps!
The Sand shinobi, unable even to raise their heads under the Asura of the Ninja World's scolding, were flushed with shame. They knew their mistakes were indefensible, so they neither dared argue nor could find a single excuse for themselves.
It had