Hyuga Soushu and his group took a total of two days and one night to reach the Northern Border Defense Force's main camp from Konoha.
And that was even with a full night's rest midway through their journey to recover, traveling all the way using the iron feet of ninja.
By the time they arrived at the Ninja Force's camp, all the lower-ranking ninja under direct command were exhausted and covered in dust. Their expressions, however, had changed — from the restless eagerness they showed at departure, which was tinged with a hint of laziness at the beginning — to a more composed demeanor. Though their actual abilities hadn't improved, they now shared a degree of unspoken understanding among themselves. This was exactly what Hyuga Soushu hoped to see.
Escorted by his directly commanded Jonin, Hyuga Soushu reached the headquarters camp of the Northern Border Defense Force — whose loyalty remained uncertain — and entered the Central War Tent amid a warm welcome from the stationed Jonin officers.
This marked Hyuga Soushu's first legitimate chance since being "volunteered" thirty-five years ago to take command of a sector within the Ninja Force, issuing orders and leading thousands of shinobi.
It was a unique feeling he'd never experienced across lifetimes. Although his expression remained calm, inside he was already surging with emotion.
Mahiru Uchiha sat quietly behind him and to his left, while the Jonin of the direct-command unit all sat together on the left side seats. Meanwhile, the original stationed Jonin officers crowded into the rows on the right.
Overall, although there was clearly some tension between the two groups — with the Jonin from Hyuga Soushu's personal unit obviously carrying an air of dominance over the locals — Hyuga Soushu paid no mind to these small-scale rivalries. His immediate priority was to familiarize himself with the various cliques that had formed within headquarters before his arrival and to reclaim authority into his own hands.
"By order of the Hokage and appointed by Jonin Unit Leader Sakumo Hatake," Hyuga Soushu said slowly, "I will now assume command of the Northern Border."
Unlike other frontier commanders who might have avoided such emphasis, Hyuga Soushu deliberately invoked both the Hokage and the White Fang — an approach that greatly reassured many of the Jonin officers from common backgrounds who secretly held deep admiration for Sakumo.
The murmurs inside the war tent — previously brimming with whispers and quiet chatter — fell deathly silent. Everyone held their breath, attentively listening to the surprisingly young commander seated above them.
"Before my arrival," Hyuga Soushu continued, "who was temporarily overseeing operations at headquarters?"
The stationed Jonin looked at each other, their gazes eventually focusing on a round-headed Jonin officer.
Just as expected.
Hyuga Soushu already had a good idea.
"I am Keshi Nara," the man stood up and stuttered nervously, choosing his words carefully — clearly filled with survival instincts. "Currently serving as Chief of Staff here. After Jonin Koryo was reassigned back to the village for other duties, I assumed temporary responsibility out of necessity, only to avoid any leadership vacuum that might lead to border failures."
"However," he continued, "now that Commander Soushu has arrived, please assume full command."
"Um."
Hyuga Soushu was somewhat taken aback.
He had expected to encounter some local big shots who would recklessly challenge authority head-on, but to his surprise, they surrendered so directly and decisively instead.
"Why don't the rest of you introduce yourselves as well?"
Well, it was good that things wouldn't escalate unnecessarily. Nodding slightly, Hyuga Soushu gestured for Chief of Staff Keshi Nara to take his seat, then turned his gaze toward the other Jonin.
"Your humble servant, Commander Nagayasu Oomori of the First Battalion! I lead over one hundred twenty combat ninjas responsible for tactical support missions!"
"Your humble servant, Commander Kouriba Izawa of the Second Battalion! I command ninety-seven operational ninja units and am responsible for border patrol duties!"
"Commander Yamano Hidejiro of the Third Battalion!"
"Commander Kuroi Takeki of the Fourth Battalion!"
Promptly following the order, all the Jonin stood up to introduce themselves one by one. Although their attitudes weren't exactly obsequious, at least on the surface, they maintained what appeared to be a decent level of respect due to a superior officer.
After this round of introductions, Hyuga Soushu gained a rough understanding of the current personnel situation.
Consistent with the information he had obtained prior to his assignment, the Northern Front headquarters originally had twenty operational battalions and ten reserves, totaling approximately three thousand personnel. Every battalion commander was an experienced Jonin. However, ever since the large-scale conflict that broke out along the front with the Land of Rain, ten fully staffed operational battalions had successively been transferred from the relatively stable Northern Front headquarters, leaving a current force of less than two thousand people.
You could easily tell just by how the officers of the Directly Commanded Units were seated separately from those stationed at the original garrison: among the more than two thousand ninjas currently stationed at the Northern Front headquarters, even the number of Jonin within Soushu's mere sixty-strong direct command already accounted for one-third of all the Jonin serving at headquarters.
For an Overseas Ninja Force, Jonin represented its core strength; judging by the current number of Jonin at the Northern Front, saying its combat effectiveness was worrying would actually count as being rather polite.
Hyuga Soushu still clearly remembered how, back when he served with the Western Front defense forces, Jonin had been assigned directly down to the squad level, and even under his command served Jonin such as Toshimichi Yamanaka and Mitotou Kousuke; that kind of proportional distribution between upper, middle, and lower ranking ninja represented what a properly balanced garrison ninja force should look like.
"Jonin Keshi."
After briefly listening to reports from each unit, Soushu remained noncommittal before directing his gaze toward Keshi Nara, who seemed slightly restless.
"Yes! Lord Soushu!"
Keshi Nara immediately stood up, respectfully proclaiming, "Please issue your orders—your humble servant stands ready to obey!"
"There's no need to go through all these elaborate formalities."
This time, however, the excessive ceremony made Hyuga Soushu himself feel somewhat uncomfortable. "Have there been any unusual activities recently from Kumo?"
"According to current intelligence, Kumo has been focusing its efforts on vying with Iwagakure of the Land of Earth for control over the northern regions of the Land of Frost," Keshi Nara quickly replied. "In our northern area, Kumo mainly operates within smaller buffer nations such as the Land of Rice Fields, taking on various missions, but so far has not engaged in any open conflicts with us."
"No obvious incidents mean there were covert conflicts or at least unproven confrontations, correct?"
Hyuga Soushu pointed out a blind spot.
"Uh..."
Keshi Nara opened and closed his mouth several times, speechless.
Was it appropriate to ask such questions during a meeting?
According to Konoha's long-standing tradition, shouldn't a newly appointed superior begin by stabilizing morale and consolidating authority within the ranks before diving into work?
How could he be in such a hurry to start questioning? How awkward was that! Nobody seemed prepared at all and everyone was caught off guard!
Besides, he just wanted to make an impression in front of the new commander to protect his hard-won position as Chief of Staff of the Ninja Force. He didn't have any malicious intentions at all!
"What is the approximate annual mission quota for the Northern Border countries?"
Hyuga Soushu didn't dwell on it, directly bypassing the stunned Chief of Staff Keshi Nara. He turned his gaze toward the gathered Jonin stationed here who were exchanging glances. "Can anyone answer this question for me?"
He had already figured it out—the seemingly obedient chief actually held considerable authority within the Northern Front headquarters. In fact, those Jonin who looked like they wanted to speak had probably already been spoken for beforehand.
"In the 36th year of Konoha, the village's mission revenue from the Northern Border countries, primarily the Land of Rice Fields, amounted to approximately 140 million ryō. According to regulations, the village retains thirty percent of mission payments from buffer nations, while the Main Camp takes an additional twenty percent."
Nagayasu Oomori, the Jonin officer responsible for the First Battalion, stood up and reported.
"Why are you referencing data only up to Konoha Year 36?"
Hyuga Soushu countered with a question.
"That's because since the beginning of Konoha Year 37, Kumo has actively entered the Land of Rice Fields. The total mission revenue collected by our Main Camp in the Northern Border countries has dropped below thirty million ryō annually."
Kouriba Izawa, the Jonin officer of the Second Battalion, immediately rose to continue, "Especially in the second half of last year when Kumo significantly increased its forces deployed in the Land of Rice Fields, our northern revenue plummeted further. As we're nearly three months into this year already, the total mission revenue received from headquarters hasn't even reached two million ryō!"
Based on Konoha's minimum payment standards for ranked missions, Soushu could deduce that Kumo had basically taken over the entire mission market in the Land of Rice Fields.
"Based purely on the figures from Konoha Year 36, the Main Camp alone gained 28 million ryō just from mission commissions."
Hyuga Soushu tsked in disbelief. "To fall so sharply in under three years—and past commanders just ignored this steady decline? Honestly, I can't help but entertain some rather unpleasant suspicions!"
"You flatter us too much, Honorable Lord Soushu."
Though not directly addressed, the perspiring Chief of Staff Keshi Nara still had to stand up respectfully and respond. "I simply wished not to trouble Lord Soushu with these inevitable yet immutable bureaucratic affairs upon your arrival. I absolutely had no intention of deliberately withholding information!"
"Maybe not intentional on your part, but in practice, that's another story."
Hyuga Soushu chuckled lightly. "Furthermore, did either of the battalion leaders say anything inappropriate?"
As his words settled, the Central War Tent instantly fell into dead silence.
Although two Battalion Commanders stood up and honestly described the current situation, this was clearly not what Hyuga Soushu wanted.
"Who was previously in charge of intelligence operations?"
Hyuga Soushu asked again.
"It was this one."
Keshi Nara had no choice but to stand up once more, albeit reluctantly.
"Chief of Staff Keshi, you hold high rank and prestige. It would be best not to overwork yourself."
Hyuga Soushu casually spoke these polite words he himself didn't believe, then lit the first fire of his new administration. "From now on, intelligence operations will be handed over to Takahiro Uchiha!"
"As you command!"
Uchiha Toshimichi immediately stood up in response.
Though Keshi Nara appeared obedient, Hyuga Soushu couldn't possibly leave such a critical matter as intelligence—an affair that could determine life or death—to someone from the old guard at the Ninja Force headquarters, especially not someone like Keshi Nara, who belonged to the Nara Clan—a staunch supporter of the Hokage faction!
"As you command."
Keshi Nara dared not offer any resistance. He immediately bowed respectfully toward Hyuga Soushu, then offered a polite nod to Takahiro Uchiha.
Even stationed at the remote Northern Front headquarters, akin to a place of exile, Keshi Nara, as a Jonin from the Nara Clan, still maintained channels through which he learned about all major events occurring within the village—including the detailed circumstances behind why Soushu had become commander of the Ninja Forces at such a young age. Of everyone in the Northern Front headquarters, he understood its details better than anyone else.
As a Jonin from a ninja clan aligned with the Hokage, he understood better than most when to yield and when to push.
What made Hyuga Soushu most feared wasn't his strength per se, but rather his audacious attitude—the kind that showed reckless disregard for taboos and brazenly ignored the village's unspoken rules.
Under these circumstances, having unintentionally become an example used to assert authority, Keshi Nara simply couldn't afford to gamble on whether Soushu dared to cause serious trouble—better to concede defeat outright.
And avoid being captured on the spot by those Uchiha ninjas watching like hawks from across the room.
Glancing sideways at Takahiro Uchiha, who seemed somewhat eager, Keshi inwardly sighed in despair.
Surely there was some underhanded manipulation behind Kumo's smooth encroachment into various buffer states along the Northern Border.
Hyuga Soushu could have deduced that much without even thinking. But right now, all he cared about was reclaiming authority; he had no interest in wasting time investigating past backroom dealings.
"How many Kumo ninja are currently operating in each of the buffer states?"
"About eight hundred altogether."
Though stripped of intelligence oversight, Keshi Nara still answered as the former head: "Of those, roughly thirty are Jonin, the rest Chūnin and Genin."
This largely confirmed Soushu's suspicions. The shrinking task allocations across the Northern Border countries likely involved more than just Kumo's encroachment—perhaps those long-deployed border forces had colluded together, pocketing shares of mission revenues for themselves!
"Why haven't these intruders been eliminated?"
Hyuga Soushu questioned further: "To neglect duty while serving as border forces and passively allow enemy nations to nibble away our sphere of influence—that is an unforgivable offense!"
"Honorable Lady Soushu, it's not that we're unwilling to drive out Kumo, but the village forbids Border Forces from initiating any border conflicts."
Nagayasu Oomori, the first Jonin to rise and speak, said, "Moreover, apart from the First and Second Battalions, other battalions have always been undermanned, so—"
"Past is past, future is future!"
Hyuga Soushu interrupted Nagayasu Oomori's explanation. "To fear Kumo like wild beasts or poisonous insects while serving as border ninjas—that is a disgrace to Konoha!"
"As for the problem of insufficient manpower across divisions, that's an easy fix."
Hyuga Soushu then revealed his plan: "Let's pool our strength for a decisive strike!"
The gathered Jonin exchanged uneasy glances, too stunned to speak.
"Starting today, each battalion will transfer three elite squads from its headquarters to form a Special Task Force. The remaining personnel will still be commanded by their respective battalion leaders."
Hyuga Soushu directly issued his second order since assuming office.
Although nearly one-tenth of their strength was being taken straight from their headquarters, the Jonin still accepted this command.
"Past mistakes will be forgiven, and all errors wiped clean as of today!"
Hyuga Soushu's third declaration served as a reassuring promise to these Jonin with various hidden agendas: "As for mission report protocols, they'll remain unchanged—but the Kumo ninjas in the Northern Border nations must be eliminated without delay!"
"Honorable Lady Soushu is wise!"
With that, the stationed Jonin finally felt a weight lifted from their shoulders.
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