The carriage rolled to a stop at the center of the city, before the grandest structure in the entire fortress: the Guest Pavilion—a building whose doors normally opened only for kings or those of equal standing.
Now, under the control of Konoha's shinobi, it welcomed its true master.
Uchiha Soren stepped inside with the three women following him. His secretary-in-appearance, Sukama, stepped forward and pushed open the heavy doors to the top-floor hall.
A brilliant crystal-lit chamber unfolded before them. At its far end stood a raised throne. Below it, already assembled and waiting, were Uchiha Baru, commander of the Southeastern Ninja Army, along with the high-ranking officers under him.
"Greetings, First Leader."
The assembled shinobi bowed deeply. Noticing that Soren had brought another woman today, one member—captain of Kaori's personal guard, now a high officer of the Southeastern Army—instinctively bowed even lower.
Soren spoke casually:
"These three can be considered my secretaries while I handle governmental affairs in the kingdom."
Everyone present understood immediately.
—When there is work, the secretaries work.
—When there is no work… the secretaries are the work.
Following the First Leader's example, none of these shinobi were strangers to enjoying both the bowl in front of them and the pot on the stove.
"Report on the situation at the Ye Lanthier border," Soren instructed.
"Yes, First Leader."
Uchiha Baru steadied his voice and began.
"Five hundred Leaf combat-shinobi, two hundred from Mist, two hundred from Stone, and one hundred from Rain have all taken position. One thousand total.
Unit captains, platoon leaders, strategists, and command staff have already been approved by the Military Council and are ready for your audience."
Soren gave the room a sweep of his eyes. Every face belonged to a shinobi clan member—not surprising.
In the current Konoha, a clanless shinobi competing with inborn bloodline power was almost a fantasy.
Unless one possessed monstrous talent, catching up on decades of clan-accumulated advantage in a single lifetime was impossible.
One officer stood out: a female vice-commander with the chakra pressure of a true Kage-level elite—Senju Momoka, a Senju kunoichi who had married into Uzumaki Uzumaki's clan.
Baru continued:
"Per your instruction, Rain's Hanzo has already begun ravaging the Empire's border. After crushing their defensive forces, he is advancing straight toward their capital.
"Reports from the front indicate that the Empire has begun mustering its full forces. Their 'strongest human magic caster,' Fluder Paradyne, and Emperor Jircniv the Bloody Emperor, have left the capital and now preside over the front lines."
A clean, concise briefing.
Soren asked:
"What actions has our army taken?"
Baru bowed again.
"One-third of the Southeastern Ninja Army has already moved to follow behind Hanzo.
Should Rain's forces falter, our army will immediately take over the offensive.
"All combat units have practiced combined battle-formations. Their combined strength can reach elite Kage-tier, equivalent to this world's so-called 'Hero' class.
"The Empire… whose strongest fighters barely reach 'aberrant tier'… is unlikely to withstand us for long."
"Do not underestimate them."
Soren tapped the table lightly.
The sharp tok-tok-tok instantly tightened the air inside the hall.
"Ordinary humans in this world are weak. But humans are not the ones steering the world's fate—the non-human races are.
And they are the true threats to the Shinobi World."
"Yes, First Leader!"
All officers knelt on one knee.
"When time allows, I will personally inspect the battlefront between Rain and the Empire. Until then, do not let your guard down."
Soren then shifted topics.
"And the Theocracy?"
Baru continued:
"Stone has taken charge of that front. Under the Fifth Tsuchikage, Han, they've adopted a methodical strategy—advancing step by step and cutting into Theocracy territory.
"The remaining one-third of the Southeastern Army stands behind them as reserve reinforcement."
Soren nodded.
Different men fought differently. Hanzo gambled boldly; Han of Stone attacked patiently and relentlessly.
Against the Theocracy—with its God-kin, Scriptures, and player-descendant bloodlines—such an approach was appropriate.
"Keep a close eye on Stone's war. The strongest human nation will have its share of trump cards. Some of them may benefit Konoha greatly."
Soren did not intend to visit the Theocracy's battlefield until the world-class item『Downfall of Castle & Country』 surfaced.
Of all things, mental manipulation was what he—an Uchiha—understood most perfectly.
Used correctly, that item could ruin Konoha, even the entire shinobi world, far more efficiently than Kotoamatsukami ever could.
Baru replied:
"Yes, First Leader. I will send Vice-Commander Momoka to oversee our forces supporting the Stone Army."
Momoka bowed, her cold beauty expressionless.
"First Leader, the majority of Sand's shinobi have already deployed westward—toward the desert metropolis bordering the Theocracy.
The rest have arrived here under Lady Chiyo and await your audience."
Soren found himself as uninterested as ever in Chiyo.
"I know.
What about the Tob Forest to the north, and the Katze Plains to the east?"
"We have posted missions through the Adventurer Guild. Many magical creatures have already been captured alive and sent back to the Shinobi World for study.
"Our patrol schedule is five times per day.
So far, the Katze Plains show no unusual activity."
The Katze Plains—where the Great Tomb of Nazarick had once manifested.
A land eternally shrouded in pale mist, crawling with undead, where detection magic failed and ambushes were common.
The Southeastern Army had to deploy extra manpower simply to keep the area stable.
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