Although the Land of Water performed poorly in the battle for the capital, due to Ghost Lantern Cold Moon's momentary impulsiveness, the army was almost left to its own devices. Fortunately, he later came to his senses, cut his losses in time, and retreated with his troops, preserving the active strength of his forces. Even so, the negative impact on the Land of Water's army was still very significant. Repeated failures caused the army to lose confidence in quickly eliminating the Land of Whirlpools. Apart from the Hidden Mist ninjas, voices advocating for abandoning the surprise attack and transitioning to a prolonged war had begun to emerge within the samurai army.
When Ghost Lantern Cold Moon heard this news, he was so furious that he slammed his fist on the ground. He ignored the pain in his fist; this pain was less than one ten-thousandth of the pain in his heart. However, no matter how angry he was, he had to admit that quickly overthrowing the Land of Whirlpools was now an impossible task.
One must know that even when Hiruzen Sarutobi had so few people, the Land of Water's army failed to achieve this strategic goal. Now, the enemy has received support from the rear. Let alone quickly overthrowing the Land of Whirlpools, whether a long-term war can even overthrow it is an unknown.
Therefore, even when there were voices criticizing him within the samurai army, Ghost Lantern Cold Moon could only grit his teeth and accept it. Not only did the samurai army not fall under his command, making it impossible for him to interfere, but a large part of the failures in this war was also due to Ghost Lantern Cold Moon's poor performance.
Upon returning to the base, Jing punched him heavily in the face, scolding him for being hot-headed and ignoring the actual situation, causing their side to suffer repeated defeats. Ghost Lantern Cold Moon couldn't even utter a word in rebuttal.
However, Ghost Lantern Cold Moon was, after all, the commander of the Hidden Mist ninja forces. Although Jing was also a Jonin, his status in this unit was still half a head lower than Ghost Lantern Cold Moon's. Furthermore, Ghost Lantern Cold Moon's later performance made Jing feel that he wasn't beyond redemption. After the scolding, Jing began to ease their relationship.
"Regretting it now is useless. As you said, the only way for us to salvage our reputation is to destroy the Land of Whirlpools." Jing sat next to Ghost Lantern Cold Moon, analyzing the current situation. "But the problem is, with the current state of the Konoha ninjas, they can fully support a long-term war. Although the Land of Whirlpools poses a threat, in the eyes of the Mizukage, it's not as important as the Land of Fire itself. The Mizukage might not be willing to let us continue to be bogged down here."
"Yes, that's exactly why I wanted to quickly overthrow the Land of Whirlpools. But Hiruzen Sarutobi is truly amazing. He held on until now with so few people, and now he has so many new recruits. Our hope of victory is even more slim. At most, we can only tie Hiruzen Sarutobi down here," Ghost Lantern Cold Moon said.
"That's not necessarily a bad thing," Jing mused, then said, "Hiruzen Sarutobi, as the student of the Second Hokage and the son of Sarutobi Sasuke, being able to tie down such a master in this small place, from a strategic perspective, cannot be said to be a bad thing."
If they could truly tie Hiruzen Sarutobi down in this place, it wouldn't just not be a bad thing; it would be excellent. Ghost Lantern Cold Moon and Jing had personally witnessed the large-scale destructive power of Hiruzen Sarutobi's compound ninjutsu. If he were to go elsewhere, who knows how much impact he would cause.
"However, I always feel that Hiruzen Sarutobi has other intentions," Ghost Lantern Cold Moon said with some unease. "From the beginning until now, I've always felt that Hiruzen Sarutobi doesn't seem to have any intention of fighting a long-term war with us."
"What do you mean? If he doesn't plan to fight a long-term war with us, then what does he plan to do? If he wanted to leave, he could have abandoned it and left long ago." Jing couldn't help but frown deeply. An incredible thought suddenly flashed through his mind, and he took a deep breath.
"What did you think of?" Ghost Lantern Cold Moon stared at the astonished Jing. He didn't even need to wait for the other party's answer, saying, "Although it seems unlikely, the Konoha Ninja Village prides itself on justice. During the last war, they tried their best to support many small countries, pulling their stance to their side. After entering the era of peace, they also cooperated closely with other small countries, especially the Hidden Rain Ninja Village!"
"If that's truly the case, we must stop Hiruzen Sarutobi, otherwise, we will face an unprecedented great defeat," Jing's voice trembled slightly.
"Do you think I don't want to? So, we need to plan carefully. If they succeed, we'll be waiting for the Mizukage's punishment!" Ghost Lantern Cold Moon said.
At this moment, although Ghost Lantern Cold Moon and Jing realized Hiruzen Sarutobi's intentions, stopping him was not an easy task. When the sea route from the Land of Fire to the Land of Whirlpools became unobstructed, Hiruzen Sarutobi had already begun to transfer the citizens within the capital. Although the speed wasn't very fast, it didn't cause any significant harm.
The first to withdraw were the Daimyo of the Land of Whirlpools and the members of the Uzumaki clan. Before leaving, the Daimyo of the Land of Whirlpools said to Hiruzen Sarutobi, "Thank you for holding on until now, Sarutobi-Jonin. I look forward to seeing you again in Konoha Ninja Village in the future."
To prevent the Hidden Mist ninjas from secretly pursuing, Hiruzen Sarutobi also dispatched a small team to protect the evacuating civilians, while he himself remained in the capital, putting on a facade of intending to hold out, in order to deceive the enemy. However, when the enemy's attack began again, Hiruzen Sarutobi judged that the enemy had already learned of their true objective.
Because Hiruzen Sarutobi had intended to abandon the entire Land of Whirlpools from the start, during his battles with the Hidden Mist ninjas, he hadn't focused on preserving the country's active strength. He had virtually abandoned all important towns and lands, leaving only the capital. No matter how one looked at it, it didn't seem like he intended to hold out here to the very end.
After understanding this, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt relieved. Observing the Hidden Mist ninjas' offensive capabilities, he estimated the number of people they might send in pursuit. Considering factors such as the complexity of the journey, the threat posed by the Hidden Mist ninjas was also very limited. Despite this, he once again sent a portion of his people to protect the retreating civilians. He was confident that he could hold on with the remaining people.
The results proved that even if Ghost Lantern Cold Moon and others realized the opponent's true objective, they couldn't stop the Konoha ninjas' actions. The citizens of the entire capital continuously withdrew. Soon after, only the Konoha ninjas and Uzumaki ninjas remained, while ordinary citizens had already departed by boat.
"Alright, now it's our turn. Come on, this will be our last battle here," Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled, saying to the others, and was met with the spirited voices of everyone.
The ensuing battle was only known to those who personally participated. Hiruzen Sarutobi divided his ninjas into multiple shifts, alternating combat every so often to allow them to recover their stamina, ensuring sustained combat capability. Time and again, they repelled the Hidden Mist ninjas and the Land of Water's army. 90 Kankan Novels
When Hiruzen Sarutobi boarded the ship, he finally felt that those days were over. This time, assisting the Land of Whirlpools came at no small cost to Konoha Ninja Village. More than a third of the Konoha ninjas who came to help were lost, almost half. Only over forty elite samurai from the Land of Fire remained, unable to maintain their formations. And one must also count the Uzumaki clan members and samurai of the Land of Whirlpools who fought to the death—
However, considering the Uzumaki clan members and a large number of civilians brought back, from a long-term perspective, it wasn't without any benefits. In a sense, Konoha Ninja Village gained a considerable advantage. Firstly, a large number of civilians could serve as fresh blood for the village, and the Uzumaki clan completely became a force within Konoha Ninja Village, rather than being distant as in the past.
When the people of the Land of Whirlpools and the Uzumaki clan arrived at Konoha Ninja Village, they were immediately given a warm welcome by the village. The civilians were taken to be settled, while the Uzumaki clan members were settled in the former location of the Senju main family. The Daimyo of the Land of Whirlpools, Uzumaki Wakihiko, and Misaki then went to meet Mito.
The current Daimyo of the Land of Whirlpools also had a relatively close blood relationship with Mito. Mito had met the young Daimyo of the Land of Whirlpools back then. Looking at the white-haired Mito, the Daimyo of the Land of Whirlpools couldn't help but feel the passage of time.
Not long after, Fumori Masaki arrived and met with the Daimyo of the Land of Whirlpools. In the presence of him, the Daimyo of the Land of Whirlpools, and Mito, they meticulously discussed the rights and interests the Uzumaki clan would enjoy in Konoha Ninja Village in the future, which were basically consistent with what Hiruzen Sarutobi had previously stated.
Of course, as a ninja clan that had moved far from their homeland, compared to the prestigious families that had joined Konoha Ninja Village early on, the only area where the Uzumaki clan was inferior was that they had to enter the Konoha Ninja Village's ninja system for service. In contrast, prestigious families like the Uchiha and Hyuga could, to a certain extent, retain their private family armies—the Uchiha's private family armies were mostly replaced by the police force, but there was also infiltration by regular Konoha ninjas. The only family that retained a large number of private armies was the Hyuga clan. Although the Hyuga clan was dedicated to protecting the village, as a prestigious family within the village, their independence remained very strong.
The Daimyo of the Land of Whirlpools had no objection to this. The Uzumaki clan's strength was inherently inferior to that of prestigious families like the Uchiha and Hyuga. It was only due to unique historical reasons that the Uzumaki clan held a comparable status, but ultimately, they couldn't be completely equated.
Moreover, the Uzumaki clan was forced to leave their homeland, making them appear weaker in status. Naturally, they couldn't bargain with Konoha Ninja Village. If they had the same strength as the Uchiha clan, then it might have been possible to maintain their status, just like the Uchiha clan, who, despite being defeated by the Senju in the past, still enjoyed rights no less than the Hyuga. However, the Uzumaki clan did not possess such power.
After the initial settlement of the Uzumaki clan and the people of the Land of Whirlpools, Fumori Masaki then received a report from Hiruzen Sarutobi—because he was still responsible for the war with the Land of Water, he hadn't returned—the report detailed all his actions in the Land of Whirlpools war and the losses incurred, which he submitted to Fumori Masaki for review.
"Although the cost was not small, the outcome seems to be worth it. Hiruzen performed exceptionally well in this mission. I think he should be awarded a meritorious service. What do you two think?" Fumori Masaki said to Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane.
For encouragement, Fumori Masaki decided to introduce a system of honors, awarding medals to ninjas who performed outstandingly in war, as a form of honor beyond regular promotion. This could greatly enhance the village's cohesion, and the other positive effects it would bring were self-evident.
Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane naturally had no reason to refuse. They were also very happy to see the Uzumaki clan join the village, and Hiruzen Sarutobi's performance in the war could be said to be excellent. Although there were losses, compared to the overall situation, they were insignificant.
"With Danzo and Hiruzen there, there shouldn't be any problems with the Land of Water. The only thing we need to worry about is whether the Land of Lightning will get involved," Koharu Utatane said.
"Torifune's report doesn't explicitly state the Land of Lightning's intentions. He can only tell us that the Land of Lightning doesn't yet have any intention of participating in the war, but there are subtle signs emerging."
"Sometimes people just don't learn their lessons. The people of the Land of Lightning have a certain ferocity in their blood. Although it was temporarily suppressed during the rebellion of Kinkaku and Ginkaku, it should be starting to show itself now. Even if the Third Raikage doesn't have such intentions, he might be incited by the warhawks below," Homura Mitokado said.
"Hmm, the Hidden Cloud Ninja Village's combat power is very formidable. If they target us, it will increase the pressure on the eastern front. In my heart, I'm not too keen on that," Fumori Masaki said.
"Masaki, although your relationship with the Hidden Cloud Ninja Village is quite good, don't let that affect your judgment," Homura Mitokado couldn't help but frown.
"I don't mean that. My idea is to shift their target elsewhere. Don't those warhawks crave war? Then let them go after others, not us. Coincidentally, there's a suitable target," Fumori Masaki said.
"You mean?" Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado exchanged glances, then said.
"Of course, it's the Land of Earth. The Land of Earth has sent letters many times, asking us to cooperate in invading the Land of Wind's territory—Onoki is truly cunning, but I don't have that intention. If we do that with him, wouldn't it ruin the village's reputation?" Fumori Masaki said.
"In other words, you plan to lure the Land of Earth to proactively invade the Land of Wind's territory, or to lure them to cooperate with the Land of Wind against us?" Homura Mitokado said.
"Exactly. Coincidentally, in the last Ninja World War, the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth also had a feud. It's perfect to let them fight each other, and the key is how to lure them. All of this depends on how the battle in the Land of Wind goes," Fumori Masaki said.
Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane were silent. The Land of Wind battlefield was currently under the command of Kagami Uchiha. From the results, it couldn't be said to be excellent, as the Hidden Sand Ninja Village was now adopting a completely reckless stance.