Upon receiving the report, Fumori Masaki's spirits immediately lifted. After issuing such an order, he had actually been somewhat worried about whether the goal of a high exchange ratio could be achieved. If it was a very difficult task, he might have to consider new policies. However, Uchiha Kagami's report was full of good news. In the initial battle against the Sand Hidden ninja forces, the anticipated goal was perfectly met, and there were even nearly two hundred Sand Hidden prisoners.
From the report, Fumori Masaki learned for the first time the reason for the Sand Hidden ninjas' strong fighting will, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of melancholy. Such an order could indeed make the troops fight fiercely, but this fierceness was built upon cruel oppression. If it were a life-and-death battle, for the limited strength of the Sand Hidden Village, this might not be a bad method. It was just unfortunate that they encountered the Leaf Hidden Village.
The Leaf Hidden Village's new policy effectively halted the enemy's advance, and operations centered on a high exchange ratio further depleted the Sand Hidden ninjas' war potential. More importantly, the Leaf Hidden Village's benevolent treatment of prisoners provided a retreat for those desperate Sand Hidden ninjas, especially when contrasted with the cruel orders of the Sand Hidden Village. Those nearly two hundred Sand Hidden prisoners were an undeniable testament!
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura had also read the report. Mitokado Homura pondered for a moment and said, "Masaki, Kagami unilaterally promised the Sand Hidden ninjas post-war treatment. Do you have anything to say about that?"
Although the Leaf Hidden Village had already formulated a policy to curb the Sand Hidden Village's war potential, thereby forcing them to surrender and controlling them, the specific details and regulations had not yet been discussed. Uchiha Kagami, however, directly promised those captured Sand Hidden ninjas their future status in the Sand Hidden Village. Even though Uchiha Kagami himself was a high-ranking official of Konoha, such a major matter required discussion among all high-ranking officials.
"Hmm, there is indeed a suspicion of acting on his own initiative, but after all, it's just an empty promise, and I also agree with Kagami's idea." Fumori Masaki was in a good mood and explained to the two, "I said before that the Land of Wind's land is too barren, and it's not a good idea for us to occupy it. The cost of management is too high. Rather than the land of the Land of Wind, I'd rather take control of the small countries surrounding the Land of Wind."
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura's eyes flickered slightly. They both knew what Fumori Masaki was referring to when he spoke of other small countries; he was actually referring to the Kingdom of Rōran. The underground Dragon Veins of the Kingdom of Rōran were an extremely rich resource, especially with the emergence of new ninja tools based on chakra storage blocks, the demand for chakra was growing. Relying solely on manpower was clearly insufficient, and utilizing Tailed Beast chakra would also affect the jinchūriki's physical and mental state. Therefore, the unconscious underground Dragon Veins were the best source of chakra, but because the Kingdom of Rōran was close to the Land of Wind, the Leaf Hidden Village had always been unable to make a big move.
However, taking advantage of this war, Fumori Masaki intended to bring all the small countries surrounding the Land of Wind to his side. Although the Kingdom of Rōran was the most important among them, from the perspective of the overall situation, they couldn't just involve the Kingdom of Rōran. It would be best to bring in other small countries as well.
Of course, the Leaf Hidden Village would not resort to direct occupation, as this would go against the Leaf Hidden Village's own principles. Moreover, the underground Dragon Veins recognized the bloodline of the Queen of Rōran, and the current Queen of Rōran had no intention of merging her country into the Land of Fire. Therefore, Fumori Masaki planned to incorporate the small countries, primarily the Kingdom of Rōran, into the Land of Fire's system as allied nations, forming a different kind of whole.
Then, Fumori Masaki also needed to find a way to shift the location of the underground Dragon Veins, as it was too close to the Land of Wind and too far from the Leaf Hidden Village, making it very troublesome to manage. Because of this matter, Fumori Masaki had secretly contacted the Queen of Rōran multiple times and received a definite answer: if controlled by the Queen of Rōran, the location of the underground Dragon Veins could be shifted to a certain extent, but it couldn't be too far or too fast, because the power of the underground Dragon Veins was extremely strong.
Regarding this point, Fumori Masaki's idea was to establish something similar to pipelines underground that could transmit Dragon Vein chakra, thereby achieving the goal of rapid transfer. However, such pipelines for easy chakra transmission had not yet been developed. Those based on chakra metal consumed too many resources. What he needed was a lighter material.
However, no matter what, the prerequisite for achieving the transfer of the underground Dragon Veins was to completely defeat the Land of Wind, preventing the Sand Hidden Village from interfering with the Leaf Hidden Village's measures. Therefore, the purpose of this war against the Land of Wind was very clear: to make the Sand Hidden Village completely submit.
"That's why I think it would be better to support a friendly, or even puppet, Sand Hidden regime. The benefits to the village might be even greater, and these well-treated Sand Hidden prisoners will become its pillars," Fumori Masaki said.
Fumori Masaki's idea coincided with the report, and Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura nodded slightly, no longer dwelling on the matter. After all, they were all from the same faction and had good relations. Moreover, as Fumori Masaki said, it was just an empty promise. As a commander fighting abroad, he was entitled to this much authority. Of course, if he had truly acted on his own initiative and granted substantial benefits, it couldn't have been brushed off with a smile; at the very least, a verbal reprimand would have been necessary.
However, the handling of Sand Hidden prisoners was already part of the plan. Therefore, Uchiha Kagami's acceptance of the Sand Hidden ninjas and provision of basic preferential treatment did not exceed the village's orders. Coupled with the fact that his prior promise was merely an empty gesture from Uchiha Kagami's perspective, the matter was dropped.
The Sand Hidden ninjas should feel fortunate that Uchiha Kagami's words were merely an empty promise, but with the Hokage's approval within the village, this matter became a tangible post-war benefit, preventing them from being caught in an impossible situation.
"Honestly, I've always wondered how much we should cripple the Sand Hidden Village before we could support a Sand Hidden high-ranking official who would be willing to be close to us," Fumori Masaki mused with a click of his tongue. "I didn't expect the Sand Hidden Village to deliver its own weakness right to our doorstep."
"You're talking about that order from the Sand Hidden Village, aren't you?" Utatane Koharu pointed to the line of text in the report and said, "From the perspective of traditional ninjas, it's not a cruel order, but for the current era, it might be a bit out of touch."
"That's right, this is where the Sand Hidden Village didn't anticipate, or perhaps they did, but had no choice but to do so." Fumori Masaki nodded and said, "It's like a person who's about to die of thirst; even if there's a bottle of poison in front of them, they have to drink it. Moreover, from the current performance, this order has been very effective. If it weren't for the combat plan formulated by Kagami and Hanzō, we might not have even gotten these two hundred prisoners."
"According to Kagami's request, we are to hide these Sand Hidden ninjas to prevent them from being detected by the Sand Hidden ninjas," Mitokado Homura said. "The purpose of doing this is to ensure that the Sand Hidden Village will not harm their families if they realize their surrender. I believe they will be very grateful to us."
"There's another benefit: it prevents the Sand Hidden Village from noticing the error in this order," Fumori Masaki pointed out. "As long as these Sand Hidden prisoners are kept hidden, the Sand Hidden ninjas will continue to believe that their order is not absurd, and that all Sand Hidden ninjas are willing to die wholeheartedly for the village. But in reality?"
"In reality, ninjas are also human. This is no longer the old era. We absolutely cannot just view ninjas as workers. We must win their loyalty with other, more positive things." Mitokado Homura continued Fumori Masaki's words. This was Konoha's new understanding after the resurgence of the Shinobi Sect. For over twenty years, the new generation of ninjas grew up under such a concept, and more and more ninjas from the old era like Mitokado Homura also began to agree with this concept—after all, the village's strength growth was tangible, and nothing was more convincing than results. Moreover, as the saying goes, 'he who keeps company with the wolf will learn to howl.' In this general environment, even the most stubborn people would waver. Even Danzō, who was considered the 'Darkness of the Shinobi' by ordinary people, had softened somewhat over the years, though he still appeared ruthless on the surface.
Fumori Masaki smiled and nodded at him, then said, "As long as the Sand Hidden Village has such a mistaken perception, the more likely we are to acquire those devastated Sand Hidden ninjas from the Sand Hidden Village. And would these people not be willing to be close to the Leaf Hidden Village, which liberated them from tyranny?"
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura couldn't help but laugh. Of course, they wouldn't question this point. Once Uchiha Kagami's claims were truly realized, these Sand Hidden ninjas, essentially rescued by the Leaf Hidden Village, would undoubtedly become a faction close to the Leaf Hidden Village. Even if there were some ungrateful individuals, they couldn't possibly become the mainstream of the Sand Hidden Village, nor could they even form a significant force.
"Then, do you two have any objections to Kagami's suggestions?" Fumori Masaki asked.
"None," the two shook their heads and replied.
"Good, there are no necessary modifications to the strategic policy for the Land of Wind at present. Now the Land of Rain has entered its rainy season. Except for the Rain Hidden ninjas who have lived in the Land of Rain for many years, neither our Leaf Hidden ninjas nor the Sand Hidden ninjas have adapted to fighting in this environment. Therefore, it is foreseeable that both sides will cease hostilities during this weather and wait until the rainy season ends." Fumori Masaki began to analyze the upcoming war situation. This was explained by Kagami in the report, and he also agreed with this judgment. The other two had no objections either.
"We can put aside worries about the war in the Land of Wind for now. What we need to focus on is the movements of the Stone Hidden Village. Once the war stops, the Land of Wind will have to consider the issue of material consumption. Trade with the Land of Fire has already ceased, so they cannot obtain food from here. The only place they can get it from is the Land of Earth," Fumori Masaki stated solemnly.
"Ōnoki is an old fox. He hasn't made a clear declaration of war yet, obviously planning to watch from the sidelines. With the goal of weakening the village, he can't possibly sit idly by and watch the Sand Hidden ninjas quickly fall. So, the possibility of him supporting the Sand Hidden Village from behind is very high," Mitokado Homura nodded slightly.
"That's right, so it depends on the work of the Anbu. If we can catch evidence, we can accuse the Land of Earth of supporting the Sand Hidden Village's treacherous actions. Either the Land of Earth stops its aid, causing the Land of Wind to lose its resource supply, or it is forced to participate in the war. Then we can naturally form an alliance with the Land of Lightning, letting those warmongers in the Cloud Hidden Village expend some of their excess energy against the Stone Hidden Village," Fumori Masaki said.
Fumori Masaki had always paid more attention to the Cloud Hidden Village. Their martial tradition was ingrained in their blood, and turning them into docile lambs was an extremely difficult task. First, the Cloud Hidden Village would have to be thoroughly subdued, and then it would require a long period of management. From the current perspective, it was clearly an impossible task.
Fortunately, due to the experience of the two villages fighting side-by-side in the last war, there were some people in Cloud Hidden Village who were close to Leaf Hidden Village, such as the Third Raikage and Sora, who were not very willing to conflict with Leaf Hidden Village. Over the years, Fumori Masaki had also paid attention to contacting them and conveying friendly intentions.
However, the Third Raikage and others also could not defy the warlike nature of the people of the Land of Lightning, and they certainly worried about the strength of the Leaf Hidden Village. Precisely because of this, the suggestion to fight against the Land of Earth received the Third Raikage's approval, offering three benefits: first, the Leaf Hidden Village, facing a three-front war, would bear greater pressure, and conventionally, its losses would be greater than those of the Cloud Hidden Village; second, the Cloud Hidden Village could avoid conflict with the Leaf Hidden Village and instead deal with the easier Stone Hidden Village, shifting internal village conflicts; third, with its lightning release advantage, the Cloud Hidden Village was very likely to gain a large piece of land from the Stone Hidden Village, strengthening its national power.
After Akimichi Torifu's careful lobbying, an unspoken understanding had formed between the Cloud Hidden Village and the Leaf Hidden Village. The only problem was to drag the Stone Hidden Village into the conflict. If it dragged on for too long, the situation in the Cloud Hidden Village might change.
The secret contact between the Stone Hidden Village and the Sand Hidden Village became an increasingly important matter, requiring the Anbu to be even more effective at this time.
"As for the Mist Hidden Village, the war there has also entered a stalemate. A certain amount of troops can be deployed for unforeseen needs, and there's no need to worry. Once the Cloud Hidden Village joins the war, our advantage will also be greater. Lightning Release is also surprisingly effective against Water Release, especially against members of the Hozuki clan," Fumori Masaki said with a smile.
Overall, the situation in the Second Shinobi World War was very good. There was not much pressure on the battlefields of the Land of Wind and the Land of Water. The Leaf Hidden Village's deployed forces were less than the combined forces of the two countries, yet they had already subtly suppressed them. Although the Leaf Hidden Village's strength ranked first among the Five Great Shinobi Villages, backed by the fertile land of the Land of Fire, in terms of the entire village's military strength, the Leaf Hidden Village had not reached the combined level of the other four countries. Because of its emphasis on quality, the Leaf Hidden Village's total military strength should be about twice that of the Stone Hidden Village or the Cloud Hidden Village. As for the Sand Hidden Village and the Mist Hidden Village, perhaps the total number of ninjas from both countries combined might not even match that of the Leaf Hidden Village.
The reason for this was all thanks to the correct strategic policy. Even if their numbers were not as great as the combined four nations, as long as appropriate tactical policies were adopted, the Leaf Hidden Village was confident in taking on all four nations alone. However, after the war, the Leaf Hidden Village itself might also be half-crippled, or even powerless to do more. The Leaf Hidden Village in the original story actually faced such a situation.
Fumori Masaki, of course, would not make such a mistake. The Leaf Hidden Village in the original story only won tactically, so it could defend against the attacks of other countries, but at most, it could only maintain the balance of the five great nations, with all of them being half-crippled, and then, after recovering, another war would ensue, repeating the past.
Fumori Masaki, on the other hand, intended to judge the situation from an overall perspective. His first goal was to eliminate the Land of Wind. As long as the enormous Dragon Veins could be controlled, even if it brought temporary benefits to the Land of Earth or the Land of Lightning, the benefits to the Leaf Hidden Village would be even greater. This way, further measures could be implemented in the future.