"In conclusion, this war was premeditated by the opposing side, whose aim was to occupy the vast territory of my Land of Fire in the northeast, and now they have clearly succeeded!"
The powerful members of Leaf, having reunited, began to analyze the current situation based on available intelligence, with Shikashin Nara, the strategist, ultimately providing a summary.
Upon hearing this final result, everyone present turned somber, and the atmosphere became extremely oppressive.
A war waged by a premeditated adversary and a war hastily started out of anger are two completely different concepts, and the consequences they bring are vastly different.
"Teacher, we must make a decision quickly: should we abandon the northeastern territory, or fight the Land of Iron to the death?"
Jiraiya stood up solemnly, feeling quite uneasy.
The other high-ranking officials of Leaf also looked very grim.
If it were any other region, it would be fine, but the vast territory of Northeast China is a taboo subject.
During the Sengoku period, the Land of Land of Fire was not very large, only half its current size. It was only after the First Hokage united all the ninja clans in the Land of Fire that the ruler of the Land of Fire ordered an attack, which destroyed several neighboring countries, thus creating the Land of Fire as it is today.
That war of expansion was only a little over thirty years ago, and the people in those occupied territories have not yet fully submitted; they are not citizens of their Land of Fire.
The vast land to the northeast originally belonged to the Land of Iron. The Land of Iron, represented by the samurai, was a key target of Leaf's suppression efforts, since the antagonism between the ninja system and the samurai system was inherent and had a long history.
With the establishment of the ninja village system, the ninja community grew rapidly, naturally further suppressing the living space of samurai.
If it weren't for the emergence of Admiral Amane the Land of Iron, coupled with the united resistance of the other four great ninja villages, Leaf would have long ago wiped out the Land of Iron and its samurai community from history.
Now that the Land of Iron has reoccupied the City of the Underworld, once they have completely conquered that vast region, they will be able to take it over quickly, relying on the people who already belong to the Land of Iron.
Once it reaches that point, there will be no way for them to take it back, unless Leaf can produce another Invincible Shinobi World God of Shinobi like the First Hokage.
But that's obviously impossible. After all, the entire Senju Clan has been wiped out, leaving only Princess Tsunade. How could another God of Shinobi possibly emerge?
Therefore, while Wang Hao and his forces from the Land of Iron have not yet fully taken over that region, there is still a chance to launch a counterattack and seize it.
After all, Wang Hao and his group only numbered over seven hundred. Although they were powerful, it was still very difficult for them to take over a vast territory.
In addition, given the numerous strongholds they left in that area, there is a considerable chance they can recapture it.
However, this decision must be made by the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, who is currently the only one in the entire Hidden Leaf with this authority.
Where are the ninja armies from the other four major ninja villages?
With bloodshot eyes Hiruzen Sarutobi asked in a hoarse voice.
Although he desperately wanted to organize the ninja army to fight back and reclaim that territory, the problems of the other four ninja villages were far more serious than those of the Land of Iron.
If things go wrong and trigger the Third Great Ninja War, especially if it's an attack by the other four great ninja villages and the Land of Iron, the entire Leaf could be destroyed.
As someone in a position of authority, he naturally knew that in such situations, one must not act on emotion but must make a careful decision.
" The Village Hidden in the Stone ninja army marches the fastest and will reach the northwest border in three days. The Village Hidden in the Clouds ninja army will cross the border to the north in four days, and the Village Hidden in the Sand ninja army will take six days."
The situation in Village Hidden in the Mist is unique. It is currently only confirmed that the Third Mizukage ordered the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist to lead 10,000 elite ninja troops by boat, but their specific movements are unknown, making them the most threatening.
Furthermore, according to a secret report from Lord Danzō, the Three-Tails Jinchuriki and the Six-Tails Jinchuriki of Village Hidden in the Mist are suspected to be missing, and may very well be fighting alongside the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
An Anbu ninja quickly summarized the information he had obtained, causing everyone present to look even more grim.
Oh no, this is absolutely terrible!
The first three ninja villages are relatively easy to deal with, as they have stationed a considerable number of ninja troops at those three borders, enough to hold them off for a while.
However, the problem with Village Hidden in the Mist is quite thorny. Their Land of Fire has a long coastline, and any point along it could become the starting point for Village Hidden in the Mist's landing and attack. Such a long coastline makes it impossible for them to set up an effective defense.
What's even more fatal is that their Village Hidden in the Leaf is less than 5,000 miles from the East Sea. The reason they were established there was to develop their economy by taking advantage of sea transport.
The economy has indeed developed considerably, but it has also left behind hidden dangers.
When Leaf was still powerful, it had two God Level powerhouses, the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha, and they were fearless. But now the First Hokage has fallen, and Madara Uchiha has also died.
What used to be a minor problem has now become a fatal one, not to mention that Village Hidden in the Mist is also bringing two Tailed Beast into battle. If Leaf were to launch a Tailed Beast Ball, it would truly be a devastating blow.
" Orochimaru, Tsunade, Jiraiya my command! Immediately depart for the border regions of Iwagakure, and Sunagakure to quickly organize an effective resistance force and hold back the ninja armies of the three great villages outside the borders, at all costs!"
In closing, the Third Hokage emphasized that even if everyone were to perish, not a single enemy ninja should be allowed to invade the Land of Fire.
Being kept outside the country's borders and being invaded inside the country are two completely different concepts. According to his calculations, as long as the ninja armies of the three major ninja villages are not allowed to invade the country, everything can be resolved at the negotiating table.
However, if they were to invade our territory, it would only trigger the Third Great Ninja War prematurely, and we would be besieged by the four great ninja villages, a situation that Leaf cannot withstand at present.
"The rest of you will come with me back to Leaf to hold the line and defend against any sneak attacks from the Village Hidden in the Mist ninja army!"
The Third Hokage coldly ordered everyone to return to Village Hidden in the Leaf with him to establish a stronghold and defend against the impending attack from Village Hidden in the Mist Leaf.
The coastlines to the east and south are too long to form a defensive line, so for now, they can only passively wait for the Village Hidden in the Mist ninjas to land, using Leaf as their base.
There was nothing they could do about it; the ocean was simply too vast, and the unique environment made it impossible for them to set up spies there, making it virtually impossible to detect the movements of the Village Hidden in the Mist ninja army.
Therefore, we have no choice but to passively face the enemy!
The Third Hokage now regrets that he caused the downfall of the Land of Whirlpools and the Hidden Eddy Village during the Vice Admiral Shinobi World War. Otherwise, with the Uzumaki Clan keeping an eye on things, the Village Hidden in the Mist would have been much easier to deal with, and the village wouldn't be in such a passive position now.
Unfortunately, it's too late to say anything now; he can only swallow this bitter pill himself.
"Teacher, what should we do about the Land of Iron?"
Jiraiya concern, feeling very uneasy about the situation here.
"The vast territory of Northeast China is enough to keep that despicable brat busy. If he doesn't want to be stuffed to death, he certainly won't take any further action."
Mentioning the junior Wang Hao made the Third Hokage's expression even more unpleasant, but he still trusted his own judgment.
He could tell that Wang Hao was not just a martial arts fanatic, but also a man of considerable intelligence, an exceptionally clever person.
Such a smart person wouldn't make any rash decisions.
That's right, the Third Hokage's guess was absolutely correct.
Wang Hao will indeed not take any further action, nor will he continue the attack.
After all, the area he has conquered is tens of thousands of miles in size, which is four or five times larger than the current territory of the Land of Iron. Although this is the former homeland of the Land of Iron, it has a strong national base and can be absorbed and assimilated in the shortest possible time.
However, the Land of Iron's military strength is currently too weak; it would be difficult enough to even take over this area, so how could it possibly go through the trouble of continuing to conquer the Land of Fire's territory?
Moreover, in this area, they can organize an effective defensive line with the River of Flowers, which stretches for tens of thousands of miles, making defense much easier. It wouldn't be so simple in other places.
After conquering the City of the Underworld, Wang Hao left one hundred Swordmaster to guard the area with him, while the remaining six hundred-plus samurai Swordmaster were scattered throughout the region, leading the samurai reinforcements from the Land of Iron to clear out the forces of the Land of Fire and Leaf from this area, striving to conquer it as soon as possible.
According to his estimate, the five great ninja villages are unlikely to fight each other. At most, there will be some deterrent clashes, and the matter will eventually be resolved at the negotiating table. The situation will last for at most one or two months.
Therefore, they must thoroughly digest this area during this period and prepare for any possible counterattacks from Leaf and the Land of Fire.
All of this was planned and calculated in advance by Wang Hao, and with the support of 300 million people in this region, his future plans will surely proceed more smoothly.
Moreover, this region is a famous grain-producing area; if developed well, it could easily feed a population of one billion.
With population, you have everything!
As Wang Hao had predicted, after the reinforcements led by the Three Sannin legendary ninja arrived at the three battlefields, they stubbornly resisted the attacks from Village Hidden in the Sand, Village Hidden in the Stone, and Village Hidden in the Clouds with the help of the organized border ninja forces.
Seeing that Leaf was not engaged in a true life-or-death battle with the other three major Village Hidden in the Mist villages, and that the Land of Iron had not taken any further action, and with the Third Hokage, the new God of Shinobi, in Leaf, the Kirigakure fleet sailing at sea ultimately did not waste their efforts on the landing operation.
However, they did not retreat, but continued to patrol the coastal waters of the Land of Fire, appearing ready to launch a landing operation at any moment, putting pressure on Leaf.
All the issues will now be brought to the negotiating table, and Village Hidden in the Mist will have to fight for a share of the spoils.
After a month-long stalemate in the localized war between the four great ninja villages and Leaf, they ultimately abandoned the idea of starting Third Great Ninja War.
After all, everyone had experienced the brutal Second World War and was badly wounded. They hadn't recovered much, and continuing the fight would only result in a lose-lose situation.
The Five Kage eventually met again for talks, and the outcome remains unknown to outsiders. Although the meeting ended badly for Five Kage, they all tacitly withdrew their ninja forces from the border.
This battle can be considered a disappointing end!
"Damn it, obtaining the Supreme Sword Dao inheritance from the Land of Iron has made Hiruzen Sarutobi so much more stubborn, refusing to budge an inch!"
The Third Kazekage returned to Village Hidden in the Sand with immense rage. Although he had forced Hiruzen Sarutobi to abandon the war reparations treaty imposed on Village Hidden in the Sand during World War II and obtained a considerable amount of supplies from the Land of Fire, especially the food that was most scarce in the Land of Wind and Village Hidden in the Sand, what he truly desired was the Supreme Sword Dao inheritance from the Land of Iron.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's display of power has already proven the terrifying nature of that Sword Dao inheritance. If they could obtain it, not only him, but the entire strength of Village Hidden in the Sand would be elevated to a new level.
However, Hiruzen Sarutobi was very firm on this point and refused to budge, displaying an attitude that he would rather immediately start the Third Great Ninja War than hand over the Sword Dao inheritance copy.
This is really frustrating!
If this battle were postponed for three to five years, he would definitely fight the Third Great Ninja War against Leaf.
Unfortunately, Village Hidden in the Sand, having just survived the Second Great Ninja War and being on the losing side, suffered extremely severe damage.
The other three major ninja villages shared the same sentiment and ultimately had no choice but to accept their defeat in frustration. However, they held a grudge and were waiting to deliver a severe Hiruzen Sarutobi to Leaf and Hiruzen Sarutobi during the Third Great Ninja War.
The Third Hokage, who was resented by everyone, was also very frustrated. After all, he was too impatient and caused the scroll of inheritance to break. He did not obtain the inheritance inside, but only saw the beginning of the Sword Dao technique.
How is he supposed to use that money to expand the dungeons for the four great ninja villages?
We can't just produce a counterfeit or substandard version; that would only make things worse.
So he could only grit his teeth and persevere to the end, and he couldn't care less about what the four great ninja villages thought.