Hyūga Sōshu had always believed that Konoha, and indeed the entire Ninja World, was nothing more than a ramshackle troupe.
His experiences only reinforced this belief.
In his eyes, the Ninja World was simply a world where all sides were just as bad as each other.
According to Sōshu, the reason why Konoha—with its severe internal conflicts—could still maintain its status as the top Hidden Village wasn't because of its excellence, but rather because all other villages were equally flawed, or originally far weaker than Konoha to begin with. Even after working tirelessly to strengthen themselves, they still lagged far behind Konoha.
Take for example the Hidden Cloud Village, which during the later phase of the First Great Ninja War sparked the rebellion led by Kinkaku and Ginkaku, ultimately resulting in the death of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. It was a powerful ninja village driven by ambition, with leaders and soldiers united in their desire to challenge Konoha's supremacy over the Ninja World.
Furthermore, Kumo served as the theoretical enemy for the Northern Border Defense Force commanded by Hyūga Sōshu. The very existence of the border force's main camp was to resist any possible invasion by those highland savages from Kumo.
To Hyūga Sōshu, the best defense was offense!
Once all the Kumo ninja operating within the buffer states along the Northern Border were wiped out and the frontline of the Northern Defense Forces pushed all the way to the border of the Land of Lightning—and even right outside the Raimei Canyon where Kumo itself lay—he could rest easy knowing his defense strategy was solid!
As for war and death, those weren't issues to be considered now.
"Ladies and gentlemen! I love war!"
After twenty operational squads unwillingly departed from their camps under the leadership of their respective commanders, Hyūga Sōshu quickly gathered the remaining ten reserve squads and gave an overtly inciting speech:
"This is not mere admiration for bloodshed and flames, nor is it a mindless obsession with destruction and death!"
"What I truly love is the battle of wits hidden behind war—the shining brilliance of heroism amidst chaos, the explosive power unleashed when one pushes past their limits on the brink of death!"
"A ninja exists for war, and the purpose of war is peace!"
Under Hyūga Sōshu's fiery rhetoric, the weak reserve ninjas remained largely unmoved, but the Uchiha and Martial Faction members standing behind him became visibly excited, deeply touched by Sōshu's words!
"When the barbaric Kumo invaders trample across our borders, when our interests are violated and Konoha's honor is disgraced, war becomes the necessary means to defend freedom and protect peace!"
Sōshu's voice grew more and more passionate. The Uchiha ninjas began shifting eagerly, and even some of the reserve squad members—placed there due to their weaker skills—started to stir.
Yet, this wasn't enough.
During these two months, Sōshu hadn't focused exclusively on the Special Task Force—a disposable unit destined for single use. Using his commander's authority, he reviewed every personnel record within the Ninja Force and found the perfect entry point.
That entry point was precisely these ten reserve squads.
According to records, all the ninja in these reserve squads were graduates of Konoha Ninja Academy. They came from ordinary Konohan civilian families and were practically worthless beyond their basic knowledge of the Basic Three Techniques. In fact, even their lives were worth no more than five Explosive Tags as compensation should they fall in battle—and that too, based on the price of Explosive Tags before the Ninja World War began.
Compared to them, Hyuga Soushu, who had also been conscripted three years ago for combat duty, could actually be considered someone privileged.
Due to these Five Explosive Tag ninja lacking combat capabilities, they often took on extremely heavy non-combat duties. These included, but were not limited to, various D-rank mission assignments that were incredibly tedious with minimal pay, as well as highly dangerous material transportation missions.
Hyuga Soushu even suspected whether some of those incidents recorded in the Ninja Force archives—where entire supply convoys led by reserve squads were completely wiped out—might have been staged by the operational squads. Motivated purely by greed.
For these bottom-tier ninja whose life was harder than regular work slaves, it wasn't just a matter of boosting morale—it was about emotional connection that could give them some real value.
"How are your families in Konoha doing?"
Hyuga Soushu's question came out rather abruptly.
The reserve squad ninja looked at each other in confusion, unsure what he meant, yet no one dared or wanted to step forward and answer their commander's question.
"The village's lower-class civilians suffer terribly—your own families aren't having an easy time either, right?"
"Isn't it obvious that the days when having a ninja in the family meant the whole household could live comfortably—that era is gone now?"
These two follow-up questions from Hyuga Soushu stirred up even more uneasiness among the reserve squad ninja.
But under the icy, death-staring gaze of the Uchiha ninjas from the Direct Command Units, those squad leaders stayed quiet as mice, too scared to scold or rein in their men.
"Listen to me—the world shouldn't be this way! Your rewards should not be this low!"
Soushu's voice was high-pitched and full of passion. At this moment, he might as well have raised his right hand forty-five degrees skyward to emphasize his conviction: "Everything that needs changing must change—and that is my promise to you!"
"Your earnings will match your efforts—that is my promise to you!"
"Your concerns will be heard and addressed—that is our promise to you!"
With those three promises echoing, and thanks to a few planted supporters already among the ranks, the once apathetic reserve ninja finally snapped awake!
"Hail to you! Great Lord Soushu!"
First came the planned cue shouted loudly by the planted supporter, who then knelt down on one knee and saluted Hyuga Soushu. Soon after, several hundred reserve ninja followed suit like dominoes falling one after another, kneeling down on one knee and passionately shouting crowd-favoring slogans without clear understanding.
Yet at the same time, a faint spark of hope for the future ignited in their hearts.
"Urgent report from the front lines! Urgent report!"
In Kumo's temporary base camp located in the central Land of Rice Fields, a Kumo ninja staggered back from the southern direction. Rushing in wildly, he kept shouting, "Konoha! Konohan ninja from the south have begun advancing northwards!"
"What are you panicking about!"
Hearing the commotion beyond the camp walls, the Kumo commander burst outside and barked, "Anyone who spreads rumors and undermines the morale of the Ninja Force will be executed on the spot!"
At the same time, he gave a subtle glance, signaling his trusted men to apprehend the Kumo messenger ninja who was in tattered clothes and looked terrified.
Regardless of whether or not those Konoha ninja who had been peacefully coexisting with Kumo and sharing tasks among the buffer states had moved north, he could not allow this information to be spread under any circumstances.
After all, at this moment there were less than two hundred ninja in Kumo's temporary base camp. Most of the Kumo ninja were still out on missions across the buffer states and hadn't returned yet. Under these conditions, any internal panic would spell total collapse.
Meanwhile, approximately ten kilometers away from Kumo's temporary camp, the eight operational squads of the Northern Border Defense Force, compelled into this offensive in the north, had already taken their positions and waited for the signal to attack from their respective Jonin commanders.
"One left behind?"
A squad leader looked toward Chief of Staff Keshi Nara, confirming their mission one last time.
"Not a single one must escape!"
Keshi Nara, usually cautious and careful in camp, now wore a ruthlessly cold expression: "Those brutes at Kumo's temporary base know too much—this is what happens when they meddle too much!"
Up until now, Keshi Nara was still gambling that Hyuga Soushu had not yet uncovered the rampant corruption within the Northern Front headquarters.
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