Uchiha Fugaku was the first to pledge his loyalty, and Aoki nodded in acknowledgment. Seeing this, Hyuga Hiashi immediately showed eagerness, unwilling to fall behind.
"Hmph! The Hyuga clan is also willing to take the vanguard!" Hyuga Hiashi declared firmly, making it clear he intended to compete for this task.
The other clan heads, who had been hesitant, now saw that the two most powerful and prestigious clans in Konoha were actively volunteering. Realizing they could not afford to lag, they all raised their voices, clamoring to express their willingness to participate in the operation. Watching the soaring morale of the crowd, Aoki smiled and raised a hand to quiet the commotion.
"Since that's the case..."
"Next, let's discuss which minor countries we should target first."
Everyone's gaze shifted in unison to the map before them, awaiting Aoki's deployment.
But before Aoki could speak, the representative of Konoha's think tank stood up and raised a question.
"Hokage-sama, attacking these minor countries is not difficult, but we need a legitimate reason. Without a proper pretext, the Daimyo likely will not approve the declaration of war. The Daimyos of other nations may also intervene and obstruct our plans."
Hearing this question, Aoki slapped his forehead in annoyance. Even after transmigrating to this world, he had never held the Daimyo in any regard and truly could not understand why he had to report to a powerless weakling.
Even before his transmigration, he had always been puzzled: in the ninja world, where every ninja possessed formidable strength, why did they have to obey the orders of a Daimyo who had no combat power whatsoever? Today, prompted by the Nara Clan Head, he finally remembered the existence of such a figure.
"Ah, I had completely forgotten about that..."
"With so much going on lately, I actually forgot about the Daimyo."
"But for now, there's no need to pay him too much mind!"
"We'll acknowledge him as the Daimyo for the sake of appearances. But if he dares to provoke us, then don't blame me for being impolite—I'll crush him directly!"
Upon hearing Aoki's words, all the clan heads present showed expressions of shock. No one had expected him to be so brazenly defiant. Even the Nara Clan Head was momentarily speechless.
Observing their reactions, Aoki's expression remained calm. In his view, the Daimyo was nothing more than a puppet with no real power. He simply could not comprehend why the Hidden Villages of various countries obeyed the Daimyo's every word, effectively becoming their vassals.
Aoki quickly put the matter of the Daimyo out of his mind and refocused his attention on the task at hand. In his eyes, empty titles were meaningless; enhancing Konoha's overall strength was the top priority.
"Everyone, we currently have three targets."
"The first is the Land of Whirlpools!"
Aoki pointed to an isolated island on the map. This was once the homeland of the Uzumaki Clan, now long destroyed and reduced to an uninhabited wasteland.
"This was once the Land of Whirlpools. It is now in ruins, so let's designate this place as our first target. Occupying the Land of Whirlpools will not only expand the Land of Fire's territory but also allow us to establish a base there to closely monitor the movements of the Hidden Mist Village."
Aoki's gaze swept over the group, awaiting the clan heads' responses. After a moment of consideration, they all expressed their agreement without objection. Having an excellent vantage point to monitor Kirigakure would be nothing but beneficial for Konoha.
After reaching a consensus, each clan quickly mobilized their ninja. The Hyuga and Uchiha clans each contributed one hundred ninja, while the remaining clans collectively dispatched three hundred, totaling five hundred ninja who immediately set out to occupy the Land of Whirlpools.
In addition to combat ninja, Aoki also ordered the conscription of personnel from the Land of Fire to rush to the Land of Whirlpools and participate in its reconstruction, transforming it into a strategic outpost against Kirigakure.
With matters in the Land of Whirlpools arranged, Aoki continued, "The second target: the Land of Grass!"
He pointed to the land bordering the Land of Earth and the Land of Fire. The clan leaders all wore expressions of confusion, unable to immediately grasp the deeper meaning behind attacking the Land of Grass.
"If the Land of Whirlpools is a bridgehead against Kirigakure, then capturing the Land of Grass would be equivalent to directly confronting the Hidden Stone Village. This would inevitably trigger a major war between our two villages," one clan leader voiced their concern.
Aoki had anticipated such hesitation and immediately spoke to reassure them, "Rest assured, everyone!"
"In the current Ninja World, leaving these opportunistic minor nations will only create unnecessary trouble. Moreover, if Iwagakure's Onoki dares to act recklessly, I, the Fourth Hokage, will show him what true power looks like!"
"Furthermore, many members of the Uzumaki clan still reside in Kusagakure. With the Land of Whirlpools already fallen, Lady Mito does not wish to see her people continue to live displaced and wandering."
Hearing Aoki's explanation and the mention of Uzumaki Mito, the wife of the First Hokage, the clan leaders raised no further objections.
The clans immediately took action, rapidly deploying ninja. A force of one thousand, composed of Konoha's major noble clans and civilian ninja, would head to the Land of Grass. Aoki entrusted the command of this operation to his trusted subordinate, Minato.
With the battle plan for the Land of Grass finalized, Aoki's gaze fell upon the final target—the Land of Rain. This was once the territory of Hanzo of the Salamander, the Demigod of the Ninja World, and the catalyst for the Second Shinobi World War. However, the Land of Rain's strength had greatly diminished, now left with only an aging leader devoid of ambition.
Aoki chose the Land of Rain, firstly for its excellent strategic location, and secondly because he wanted to bring Amegakure under his control. This land was, by nature, a valuable territory that Konoha was determined to secure.
"As for the Land of Rain, I will personally lead the expedition!"
"The Ino-Shika-Cho Trio, the Uchiha clan, and the Hyuga clan—each will dispatch an elite squad to accompany me."
"This time, we will make it quick and decisive, taking the Land of Rain in one fell swoop!"
As Aoki's words fell, the clan leaders all agreed. Not only did he allocate the combat forces, but he also planned to bring the Legendary Sannin of Konoha along. He would launch the attack on the Land of Rain as soon as Jiraiya and his disciples returned.
With all plans finalized, the clan leaders took their leave, returning to their respective clans to make preparations. After everyone had departed, Aoki's gaze returned to the map before him.
Attacking these minor nations was part of Aoki's careful consideration. If he were to rashly strike at other major Hidden Villages among the Five Great Nations, it would inevitably arouse suspicion and likely cause the remaining three nations to unite against Konoha.
Even though his power was now formidable, Aoki understood that he was not yet capable of confronting the entire Ninja World alone.
His path was still long, and everything required careful, step-by-step planning. For now, he only needed to wait quietly for Jiraiya's return to initiate the next phase of his plan.