Inside the council chamber of the Land of Lightning, the atmosphere was so tense it seemed almost palpable. The lightning crystal ore within shimmered with a chilling light under the dim lamplight, as if trembling in anticipation of this meeting that would determine the fate of the Land of Lightning. The Daimyo of the Land of Lightning, clad in a magnificent purple-gold cloak, his Lightning Blade sword gleaming at his waist, slammed his hand on the armrest and roared, "Enough!" This outburst caused the lightning crystal ore in the council chamber to vibrate, and all eyes instantly focused on the daimyo.
The daimyo stood up and paced back and forth in the council chamber, each step carrying an undeniable air of authority. His eyes revealed unwavering resolve, as if he had made up his mind to forge a new path for the Land of Lightning. He said in a deep voice, " The Land of Fire deserves to die! Their actions have threatened the fundamental interests of the Land of Lightning! If this continues, the next country to be annexed will be the Land of Lightning, and our families will be the ones to die!" By the end, his voice trembled slightly, a testament to his fear of the Mirai.
The daimyo stopped, his gaze sharp as a knife as he fixed it on the Third Raikage. His tone was grave. "I have decided to gather the full strength of all the nobles of the Land of Lightning! One hundred thousand ninja soldiers, two million samurai, plus the Onmyoji and sorcerers of each noble family—all will be placed under the command of the Third Raikage! Supplies, money, and provisions will be provided by the entire nation! Third Raikage, are you confident you can destroy the Land of Fire?"
The Third Raikage lowered his head, a helpless smile on his face, and said, "Daimyo, we can't beat them. Not to mention that Konoha's high-level combat power is far superior to ours, their five major legions are an insurmountable force. You've even attended their military parade. Just look at their air force—what can we possibly fight them with? Their ninja army is equipped with rune-enhanced armor. Their legion's recruitment standard is Elite Chunin, while I'm Genin. Can you believe it? Even if our Land of Lightning were to face the Azure Dragon Corps alone, we wouldn't have a guaranteed victory!"
However, the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning nodded, a hint of admiration on his face, and said, "I didn't expect that you, the Third Raikage, who seems like a brute, would actually be so clear-headed. You are shrewd beneath your rough exterior, a wise man in disguise!" His eyes held a hint of satisfaction.
The Third Raikage raised his head, a grateful smile on his face, and said, "Thank you for the compliment, Daimyo. These were all decided upon in a meeting held in our Land of Lightning."
At this moment, an elderly nobleman from the Land of Lightning stood up, a hint of anxiety on his face, and said, "Then how should we deal with the threat from the Land of Fire? The Land of Fire is clearly trying to exterminate the nobles; we nobles can't just wait to die!"
"Of course, we're not just waiting to die." A man stood up beside Raikage. He was Kin Yotsuki, the patriarch of the Yotsuki Clan. He said coldly, "My Yotsuki Clan is also a noble clan, and we absolutely cannot allow such a thing as exterminating nobles. However, the time is not yet ripe to destroy the Land of Fire. But we do have a way to deal with it." His eyes were cold, as if he had already seen through the Land of Fire's weakness.
Daming hurriedly asked, "Tell me quickly." His eyes were filled with urgency.
Kin Yotsuki said solemnly, "Since Tsubasa came to power, Land of Harmony's strength has greatly increased. Now, even if the entire Shinobi World were to join forces, it would be difficult to contend with them. However, it now has many weaknesses."
A noble chieftain said urgently, "Don't keep me in suspense about what the flaw is."
Kin Yotsuki laughed, "The first flaw is that Tsubasa is missing. That man is too powerful; he could destroy a country single-handedly. His terror surpasses even that of Hashirama Senju. Some time ago, his father, along with Tenpuku and his younger brother Tenmei, came to Kumogakure to investigate whether it was Kumogakure that assassinated Tsubasa. Add to that his wives, who are now searching the world for their missing husband. This confirms that the news of Tsubasa's disappearance or death is true. Konoha in the Land of Fire is currently leaderless. Tian Flying Swallow, a woman, cannot command everyone's respect; for now, she's only relying on Tsubasa's remaining influence to intimidate all the clans."
Daimyo asked, "What if he's just missing and not dead, and then reappears after a few days?"
Kin Yotsuki said solemnly, "Then we have absolutely no chance. That man is too terrifying. In just 10 years in power, Konoha's strength has increased dozens of times. He has become a spiritual totem for the entire Land of Fire. If he were still here, we would have no choice but to surrender like we did 10 years ago. He has one thing in common with his master, Hashirama Senju: mercy."
The lord nodded and said, "Those two, master and disciple, are indeed formidable yet respectable people. So let's ignore the first flaw and go straight to the later ones."
Kin Yotsuki said, "The second flaw is that they have offended the noble class of the entire world. It must be said that the women of Konoha are indeed ruthless. Tian Yukihime seized control of the Land of Water, Tian Uguisu- hime seized control of the Land of Earth, Tian Zhiyun wiped out half of the Sunagakure! But none of them had the intention of exterminating the nobles. However, this time, Mito Uzumaki wiped out the nobles of the Land of Tea and the Land of Artisans! This offended the nobles of the entire world and broke the rules of the nobility. This is something we nobles cannot tolerate. Although our country alone cannot fight them, if we unite all the nobles in the Shinobi World, it will be enough to shake the entire Land of Fire."
The daimyo nodded and said, "Chief Yotsuki is right. Each noble family has its own trained warriors and soldiers, as well as Onmyoji and sorcerers for protection. This force is indeed capable of destroying the entire Land of Fire. So, what is the third weakness?" A hint of anticipation appeared on his face.
Kin Yotsuki said, "The third flaw is that the people of the Land of Fire are disunited. Everyone knows that Tian Xueji occupied the Land of Water but did not submit to the Land of Fire, and the same is true for Ten'ō occupying the Land of Earth. Why is that? It shows that these women do not completely trust each other. They have their own ideas, and without Tsubasa as their husband in the middle, they will only act independently. No one will submit to anyone else, and that is the biggest flaw."
The nobles nodded in agreement, and the daimyo then asked, "And what about the fourth flaw?"
Kin Yotsuki said, "Those are the nobles of the Land of Fire. There are nearly 300 nobles of varying ranks in Land of Harmony. However, when Tian Flying Swallow became queen, a group of them were killed. But now there are at least 200 nobles left. None of these nobles want the nobility to disappear. Judging from the policies of the Land of Fire, they support commoners and suppress nobles. They have irreconcilable contradictions, so these nobles are our natural allies. As long as we contact them, they will be the sharpest knife we use to stab the Land of Fire and Konoha when it matters most."
All the nobles nodded and said, "Clan Chief Yotsuki is right. These nobles will definitely stand with us. After all, no one wants those ants to climb on our heads and act arrogantly. Nor do they want our thousand-year-old family to come to an end."
The Daimyo of the Land of Lightning asked excitedly, "What about the fifth weakness?"
Kin Yotsuki said, "The fifth one is the struggle for the Hokage Position in Konoha. None of the major ninja clans in Konoha are willing to submit to the others. As long as we instigate infighting among these clans in Konoha, then no matter how powerful Konoha is, it will be weakened and disintegrated from within."
The lord nodded and said, "That's right, no matter how powerful you are, it's all for naught if you're not united. Anything else?"