Intimidating the daimyo was handed over to the reinstated Shimura Danzo. Having been sidelined for many years, the old man was extremely motivated. As soon as he received the order, he headed toward the capital of the Land of Fire, leaning heavily on his cane.
The advisors had all lived through the war era. While they didn't possess Ino's sources of information, the intuition they had honed through four Great Ninja World Wars allowed them to guess that this war wouldn't end so easily.
Shikaku actually harbored similar thoughts, but he simply hadn't voiced them in order to save his son some face.
Ino looked at Shikamaru and Gaara. These two, along with Mabui and Chojuro who had spoken earlier, were all likely hoping to settle the outcome in a single decisive battle. The reality was that such a thing was impossible.
Unless Ino personally charged into the Demon Realm and directly killed that Dabura, this war could go on for three, five, or even eight years.
Was she willing to go? To be honest, she lacked confidence and didn't really dare to!
No matter how impoverished the enemy might be, that was still the military might of an entire world. Asking her to wipe out a world by herself? She truly didn't have that ability.
She wasn't planning to personally intervene in this war between the Demon Clan and the ninja. She had even restrained Future Trunks, No. 17, and the others, instructing them not to enter the battle for the time being, just to maintain the current intensity of the war.
The Demon Realm was simultaneously invading four or five universes, opening up dozens of battlefields. If she intervened, it would easily draw the enemy's attention.
That hellhole of a Demon Realm was full of lunatics who would ignite at the slightest spark. If Ino's resistance provoked them into deploying their top experts and pouring millions or tens of millions of troops into an invasion of the Blue Planet, then forget about the ninja and the samurai—the entire planet might be obliterated.
Her strategy was to lay low for a bit and see which universe would stick its neck out first to bear the brunt of the Demon Clan's full-force assault, before adjusting her battle plan accordingly.
Using one's neighbors as a scapegoat was indeed immoral, but she was only the Apprentice Supreme Kai of the Seventh Universe; she really couldn't manage that much.
Using her authority as Hokage, she issued her orders: "Maintain the current defensive layout. We need land resources, but we also cannot allow the enemy to freely slaughter our population resources.
"The staff department will handle the rotation of frontline ninja. Tsunade-sensei will oversee the medical department. The administrative department will transition to a wartime system, along with the Konoha Military Police Force... the logistics department... and the ninja tool development department..."
Finally, she looked at everyone. "This war is not a crisis faced by a single ninja village or a single country, but one that involves everyone.
"Choji, distribute the brand new forehead protectors after the meeting. Tell everyone that from now on, there will be no more titles like Konoha, Iwagakure, or Sunagakure. We only have one name: we are ninja!"
After the meeting, the brand new "Shinobi" forehead protectors replaced the previous individual protectors of the Five Great Shinobi Villages. Although it was a bit formalistic, it was something that simply had to be done.
Even the quietly cursing Fourth Raikage didn't refuse this forehead protector.
If a former leader like him didn't refuse it, the ninja under his command would be even less likely to object.
The ninja tool development department developed brand new Jonin vests, enhancing the defensive capabilities around the torso and throat areas.
Sakura and the Jonin of the medical department worked tirelessly, finally managing to seal some simple medical ninjutsu into scrolls, which were then handed over to the frontline ninja as scientific ninja tools.
Ino specifically cleared out a medicinal field in Konoha's back mountain. Using her Wood Release abilities as a catalyst, she concocted Planet Vegeta's recovery liquid. This vibrant green fluid was also dispatched to the frontlines along with everything else.
Ino also had Iruka, who possessed an excellent image, temperament, and maximum affinity, travel to Earth to purchase food.
No matter how much the Blue Planet was beautified, and no matter how often it was selected as a "Civilization Village," it ultimately remained a societal environment stuck in a feudal era.
With low productivity and farmers fleeing as refugees, a reduction in grain production was inevitable. As for Earth, they were at most facing someone like Bojack; purchasing their food wouldn't be a problem.
Seeing the mountains of stockpiled food, the ninja gained the necessary confidence to continue fighting.
As the war continuously progressed, the Demon Clan army secured footholds. After establishing clusters of castles and camps, they were no longer in their initial state of running around like headless flies.
From the mouths of their captives, they also obtained a vast majority of the information regarding this planet.
To the Demon Clan, the so-called ninja and the so-called Hokage didn't matter. As long as they concentrated their forces to wipe out these "monkeys" jumping around in the trees, this planet would be theirs.
...
Crack, crack, crack!
Accompanied by a series of explosive snaps, over a dozen burly Demon Clan warriors wielding long whips fiercely lashed the giant beast in front of them, urging it to move faster.
The giant beast's legs had a reverse-jointed structure, allowing it to walk upright. Its entire body was dark green, and its limbs and chest were emaciated, revealing a skeletal frame.
It was hungry. Very hungry. After being captured by the Demon Clan warriors, it had been escorted all the way here to participate in the war, and to this day, it hadn't eaten a single full meal.
"Yakon's descendant is hungry. Hungry!" it roared, turning its head to glare at the Demon Clan warrior whipping it.
A Demon Clan warrior nearly two meters tall pointed his whip at it. "Past the dense forest ahead is an enemy stronghold. The enemies there will be your food."
The giant beast's bloodshot eyes narrowed, and the fangs inside its maw were as sharp as daggers. It hesitated for two seconds before turning back around and picking up its pace.
The Demon Clan warriors covertly wiped their sweat, terrified out of their wits.
Yakon was considered a very famous magic beast in the Demon Realm. Originally an ordinary wild beast, it had been modified by some brainless magician, turning into a monster that loved to devour light energy.
In the Demon Realm, light energy was an extremely scarce resource. How could they allow this thing to devour it at will? Consequently, numerous magicians had banished the creature.
Yakon was similar to Dabura, also a villain who had "debuted" far too late. If this guy had appeared earlier, his strength wouldn't have been much inferior to Frieza in his 100% state.
But while Dabura at least managed to secure the treatment of an elite mob, Yakon had been completely reduced to regular cannon fodder, used merely to highlight the power of a Super Saiyan and the shock of the Supreme Kai...
Yakon's mating history was incredibly complex, subsequently producing a massive cluster of descendants, who in turn bred more descendants. The monster present today, which called itself "Yakon's descendant," was the offspring of Yakon and a Demonic Goat.
After several generations of reproduction, its bloodline had grown increasingly diluted. It didn't harbor much greed for the Blue Planet's light energy, but instead hungered for human flesh and blood.
The Demon Clan fought without banners or unified commands; they only knew how to scream and charge forward. Facing the Blue Planet's frontline—which was held by the White Zetsu army with Gatling guns firing wildly from behind—their assault proved to be quite an arduous struggle.
Thus, the Demon Clan drove Yakon's descendant forward to assault the ninja's sturdy fortress.
Yakon's descendant's sharp claws struck the ground, plowing out deep trenches. The greed for flesh and blood took over its mind.
When it was roughly two hundred meters away from the ninja village's defense line, it began to sprint like an ape, its speed increasing with every bound.
The defense line garrisoned by the ninja was of extreme importance. Directly behind it was the vital route connecting the Land of Fire to the Land of Hot Water in the north.
Tenchi Bridge!
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