Chapter 133: The Konoha Hundred
The Second Great Shinobi War was ostensibly instigated by Hanzō, but in truth, it was driven entirely by the Sand Village. Iwagakure only began scheming later, seeing an opportunity. While Hanzō fought a war of counter-aggression, the Sand made strategic preparations from the very beginning.
After pinning down Konoha's main forces in the Land of Rain, the Sand decisively sent troops into the Land of Rivers, seizing the Shinano Plains and taking the River Daimyō himself hostage. Their plan was to use the River Country as a springboard into the heartland of the Land of Fire.
Konoha reacted swiftly, pushing them back to the Shinano River. But the Sand managed to retreat with the Daimyō and his court of nobles, establishing a pseudo-capital in the south and continuously exploiting the region's value. The northern part of the occupied territory, under direct military control, was oppressive but stable. The south, however, was mired in poverty and chaos.
The River Daimyō and his nobles resorted to every means possible to curry favor with their Sand ninja occupiers, with bribery of both money and women becoming a daily occurrence. Following this example, even the stationed genin benefited greatly.
Disguised as villagers selling firewood, Sasuke, along with Shun and Aoi, entered the city to investigate. They were immediately hit with not only a gate tax, but a so-called "barefoot tax." Had they worn straw sandals, they would have been charged a "sandal tax." In short, every commoner was subject to taxation, while those with status who wore proper shoes were exempt.
"Lord Sasuke," Shun asked, a guilty look on his face, "are we the 'Konoha Hundred' they keep talking about?"
"Shun," Sasuke comforted him, "the Sand has many reasons for wanting to raise taxes. It has little to do with us."
These Sand ninja were simply using the name of the Konoha Hundred to profit, discredit them, and divert the anger of the people. Since Sasuke's forces had twice annihilated the corps led by Ebizō, their reputation had resonated throughout the warzone. With just over a hundred men, they had become a legend—the "Konoha Hundred," a phantom army that remained undefeated deep behind enemy lines. This threat had forced the Sand Village to commit more troops to the River Country, straining their logistics and providing the pretext for the new taxes.
A brief investigation revealed that the Daimyō's mansion was poorly defended. The only real threats were the six Guardian Shinobi and a Sand logistics unit that was currently resupplying at the coastal fortress.
"Lord Sasuke," Aoi asked, a hand on his neck, his eyes filled with killing intent, "should we wait for the logistics unit to leave before we act, or shall we strike tonight?"
"We strike tonight," Sasuke replied. His primary target wasn't the Daimyō, but the elite Sand forces stationed at the heavily fortified coastal fortress. It was a classic strategy: besiege Wei to rescue Zhao. By attacking the Daimyō's mansion, he would lure the fortress garrison out into the open.
Aoi, using a partial Uchiha intelligence network, made contact with one of the Guardian Shinobi, Akira Kawakawa. The man was surprised but quickly agreed to cooperate, signaling they should act that night.
"Aoi," Sasuke said the moment his subordinate returned, "Kawakawa has already defected to the Sand. We act now." His sonar jutsu had been trained on the man the entire time; he had sensed the deception. Conversely, he had discovered that another guardian, Kagami Kawamomoyo, who had always opposed the Fire Nation's interference, only feigned loyalty to the Sand while remaining true to the River Daimyō.
Sasuke didn't waste time. He unleashed a multitude of shadow clones, using them to contact the Konoha Hundred. Under the leadership of his clones, they easily broke down the city gates and stormed the Daimyō's mansion.
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