chsdbacks Chapter 119 Anyone who dares to touch Konoha... dies!
Chapter 119 Anyone who dares to touch Konoha... dies!
Inside the magnificent palace, the daimyo of the Land of Fire sat on a high throne, his fingers tapping impatiently on the armrest.
Below, the nobles and high-ranking officials wore varying expressions, and an atmosphere of unease permeated the air.
Suddenly, the commander of the secret guards rushed into the main hall, knelt on one knee, and said in a deep voice, "Urgent military report! The remaining 4600-plus ninjas of Konoha Village are preparing to relocate."
The hall erupted in chaos.
"What?"
"Are all the ninjas of Konoha going to... defect to the Land of Water?!"
"How dare they!"
Daimyo suddenly stood up, his face terribly grim, his eyes flashing with a dangerous light.
He slowly descended the steps, his voice icy cold: "The Uchiha Three Peaks... Tsunade... how dare you!"
An elderly minister stepped forward, trembling: "Lord Daimyo, this is no small matter! If Konoha Village relocates, the Land of Fire will lose its military pillar; but if they harbor ill intentions..."
The military minister added, "It wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing if they really left. Konoha Village is only a hundred miles from the Daimyo's capital. If they suddenly defected, they could storm the Daimyo's capital overnight! The consequences would be..."
He didn't finish speaking, but everyone understood... the threat from Konoha was far more terrifying than they had imagined!
The chief instructor of the National Guardian Ninja Army, Hiruzen Sarutobi, said in a deep voice, "Lord Daimyo, regardless of whether Konoha stays or leaves, we must act immediately!"
Daimyo slowly closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he opened them again, his eyes were filled with killing intent.
"Order: Immediately mobilize 7000 National Guard Ninja to surround Konoha Village... Block all roads in and out, not even a fly... is allowed to escape!"
......
Soon, a massive, dark mass of the Protectorate Ninja Army surrounded the entire village of Konoha.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, the chief instructor of the National Guardian Ninja Army, broadcasted his message throughout Konoha using amplified ninjutsu: "Konoha ninjas, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire has decreed... Anyone who pledges allegiance to the National Guardian Ninja Army... will have their salary doubled... their families will enjoy noble treatment... and those who perform meritorious service will be granted fiefdoms!..."
The guards on the walls of Konoha looked at each other, and some of the genin's eyes began to waver.
Seeing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi pressed on: "You grew up in the Land of Fire, you should know that the Land of Fire is the richest country in the entire ninja world! Why go to that poor place, the Land of Water?"
......
Within Konoha Village, civilians and some ninjas began to stir.
The common people, young and old, gathered at the street corner, whispering about the shouts outside; some ninjas stood at their doorsteps, looking hesitant, clearly moved by Hiruzen Sarutobi's offer.
A man in a Chunin uniform leaned against the wall, his heart filled with inner turmoil: "I don't have to leave my homeland... my salary will be doubled... I have an elderly mother to support, and my younger sister still needs to go to school... If I surrender, they can live a better life..."
A male Chunin standing nearby frowned and hesitated, saying, "I've heard that the benefits for the National Guardian Ninja Army are indeed quite good, and... are we really going to abandon this land where our ancestors lived? Our roots are here."
Inside the Hyuga clan's main residence, the Hyuga's high-ranking members wore solemn expressions. The teacups on the table had long since gone cold, yet no one had touched them.
An elder from a branch family said in a deep voice, "Clan leader, quite a few people have already wavered in their decision to split up the family. Just now, someone secretly came to ask me if they could consider joining us."
The treatment of those who split up the family was already inferior to that of the main family, so Hiruzen Sarutobi's offer was too tempting for them.
Hiashi Hyuga closed his eyes for a moment, the images of the three Uchiha clan members flashing through his mind. The next second, he abruptly opened his eyes, his gaze sharp: "Order the entire clan to remain at their posts. Anyone who deserts without authorization will be executed according to clan rules, without exception!"
Meanwhile, the leaders of the Ino-Shika-Cho triads are gathered at Shikaku's house in Nara, urgently discussing countermeasures.
The scroll on the table was open, showing a topographical map of Konoha Village and the encirclement formation of the Protectorate Ninja Army.
Nara Shikaku sighed, stroking his beard with his fingers: "Hiruzen Sarutobi's strategy is an open one, using benefits to divide us. Once someone wavers, the morale of the entire village will collapse."
Choza Akimichi took a big bite of beef jerky, but his chewing was somewhat slow. He frowned and said, "But some people might really be tempted. Especially those ninjas from poor families or those who are not successful in the village. Doubled salary and noble treatment would be enough to make them abandon the village."
"But they didn't consider their fate after surrendering. After we moved to the Land of Water, the military strength of the Land of Fire weakened significantly, and there will inevitably be more wars in the surrounding areas in the future. These surrendered ninjas will only become cannon fodder for the daimyo, dying on the battlefield. What peaceful life will they have?"
Inside the Hokage's office, Tsunade slammed her fist on the desk.
With a loud "bang," a huge crack instantly appeared in the solid wooden desktop, scattering documents all over the floor.
Her chest heaved with rage as she gritted her teeth and cursed, "That bastard Hiruzen Sarutobi! How dare he try to steal our Konoha's talent!"
Shizune stood to the side, her face pale, her voice urgent: "Lady Tsunade, something terrible has happened! More than a dozen rank-twos have succumbed to temptation and secretly slipped out of the village to join the Guardian Ninja Army! Many civilians are also rushing towards the village entrance, and the guards can't stop them!"
Nara Shikaku had just entered from outside when he heard this. Leaning against the window, he glanced at the restless crowd in the village and said in a deep voice, "We can't wait any longer. We must stabilize morale immediately, or the whole village will fall apart soon."
Tsunade took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the anger in her heart. She suddenly pushed open the window, leaped, and landed steadily on the roof of the Hokage Building.
She channeled her chakra, amplifying her voice throughout Konoha: "All Konoha ninja, listen up! I am Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage!"
The restless crowd instantly quieted down, and everyone looked up in the direction of the Hokage Building.
"If any of you are tempted by the outside world and want to leave, I, Tsunade, will not stop you! But I must remind you, today you have chosen to betray the village and submit to the National Guardian Ninja Army, and one day you will surely be used as pawns by the Daimyo! Once war breaks out, you will be the first cannon fodder pushed onto the battlefield!"
She paused, her eyes filled with mockery: "Besides, don't you all know what kind of person Hiruzen Sarutobi is?"
These words struck like a thunderbolt, instantly awakening everyone's memories.
During his time as the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi secretly embezzled village funds for personal gain; to replenish troops on the battlefield, he tricked students from the Ninja Academy into graduating early, sending a group of teenagers to the Hidden Mist battlefield, where many died; he also protected Danzo Shimura's Root organization, tacitly allowing them to conduct human experiments, resulting in the deaths of countless innocent children...
These memories flooded back like a tide; Hiruzen Sarutobi's reputation in Konoha was already infamous.
Those who were initially tempted have now come to their senses, and the hesitation in their eyes has gradually disappeared, replaced by disgust and wariness.
Even so, hundreds of ninjas and a large number of civilians could not resist the temptation of profit and took advantage of the guards' inattention to sneak out of the village and run towards the direction of the Protectorate Ninja Army.
Tsunade stood on the Hokage Rock, watching the departing figures, her face extremely gloomy.
She clenched her fists, her heart filled with a sigh: "Those who run away now are truly foolish! Whether it's out of fear of the enemy or for that easily obtainable money!"
Hiashi Hyuga had arrived unnoticed. Looking at Tsunade, he softly reminded her, "Lady Tsunade, now is not the time to investigate. With our current strength, it will be difficult to break through the encirclement. We must immediately request assistance from the Three Peaks Advisors!"
Tsunade snapped back to reality, her eyes darting around, and commanded, "Minato Namikaze!"
A yellow figure appeared instantly on the Hokage's building: "Lady Tsunade, I'm here."
"Use the Flying Thunder God Technique immediately to reach the Land of Water and inform the Uchiha Mitsurugi to come and provide immediate support!"
"clear!"
Minato Namikaze nodded slightly, chakra emanating from his body, and the next second, the blond-haired man vanished from his spot.
At this moment, the Daimyo's residence in the Land of Water was brightly lit.
Uchiha Mitsunori sat in the main seat, listening to his subordinates' report on the situation at the border of the Land of Water. His eyes were deep and unfathomable, revealing neither his emotions.
Suddenly, with a soft "whoosh," a yellow figure appeared abruptly—it was Minato Namikaze.
He was slightly out of breath, and before anyone could react, he said urgently, "Advisor Sanfeng, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire has sent seven thousand National Guard ninja to surround Konoha Village. Many have already defected, and Konoha Village is in grave danger!"
Uchiha Mitsunori's calm expression vanished instantly, his eyes turning icy cold as he slowly uttered two words: "You're courting death."
The next second, his figure suddenly disappeared.
Outside Konoha Village, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the hundreds of Konoha ninja who had defected, a smug smile on his face.
He stroked his beard, circulated his chakra again, and continued to incite, "You did the right thing! Following the Fire Country Daimyo means safety, peace, and a comfortable life. Why suffer in that poor Water Country? You become ninjas to make money and enjoy life, right? Submit to us, and all of this can be easily achieved!"
"boom......!!!"
Just then, a deafening roar suddenly rang out, as if the sky had been torn apart, and the clouds churned and surged.
A huge orange light flew rapidly from a distance and instantly stopped above Konoha Village.
It was a fully-formed Susanoo, over two hundred meters tall, entirely orange in color, radiating a terrifying aura of chakra. Four enormous wings spread out from its back, blotting out the sky and casting its shadow over the entire Hidden Leaf Village.
The storm created by the flapping of the enormous wings made the ninjas of the Protectorate Ninja Army lose their footing, staggering backward, with many dropping their ninja swords to the ground.
They looked up in terror at the giant who resembled a god, their faces filled with fear.
"What...what is that thing?!"
A squad leader of the National Protection Ninja Army screamed, his whole body trembling.
Uchiha Mitsunori stood within the crystal on Susanoo's forehead, his icy gaze sweeping over the Konoha ninja army below, his voice filled with chilling killing intent: "Anyone who dares to touch Konoha... dies!"
"cut!"
After saying that, Susanoo gripped the huge long sword at his waist with his right hand and swung it out horizontally.
The orange blade energy swept across like a crescent moon, cutting the ninjas of the Protectorate Ninja Army in two wherever it passed, their blood splattering on the ground, and screams echoing everywhere.
With a single strike, hundreds of ninjas perished.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression changed drastically, and he felt as if his soul had left his body.
When he was young, he had the privilege of witnessing the battle between Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju, and he knew how terrifying that level of combat power was.
As soon as the complete Susanoo appeared, he knew something was wrong and didn't dare to stay any longer. He turned around and ran back.
As he fled, he waved his arms and roared at the Guardian Ninja Army behind him, "Retreat! Retreat now! Split up and run, don't stay together! Hurry!"
He knew that if they gathered together against the complete Susanoo, they would only be wiped out in droves.
But would the Uchiha Mitsurugi give them a chance to escape? He controlled Susanoo, his huge long sword constantly swinging, each attack taking away a large number of lives.
In just 3 seconds, more than a thousand members of the National Protection Ninja Army fell in pools of blood.
The remaining five thousand-plus ninjas completely collapsed. They threw down their weapons, knelt on the ground, covered their heads with their hands, and cried out repeatedly, "Spare us... Spare us... We surrender... We'll never do it again!"
Uchiha Sanfeng's gaze swept over the group of kneeling ninjas below, begging for mercy, and Susanoo slowly stopped its attack.
"What a bunch of rabble, not even as good as the ninjas of Kirigakure."
After saying that, he turned to look in the direction of Konoha Village and amplified his voice with chakra: "Tsunade, don't panic, I'm back."
Upon hearing the voice, Tsunade covered her forehead with her hand and muttered under her breath, "This guy, he seems to have really gotten cocky. Can't he even speak seriously..."