Chapter 225: The Daimyō's Full Support
"Excellent."
A rare, genuinely satisfied smile appeared on Uchiha Akira's face. Fugaku's unwavering declaration, the fire in his Mangekyō eyes—it was exactly what Akira needed.
"Since that's the case, Fugaku," Akira continued, his voice regaining its command tone, "I have an important, crucial mission to entrust to you. And to the Uchiha clan."
"Please command, Hokage-sama!" Fugaku responded in a deep, resonant voice, his back ramrod straight. He felt a surge of anticipation.
"You will personally select three hundred of the absolute elites from the Uchiha Clan. Jōnin and experienced Chūnin only."
"Then, you will draw one hundred elites each from the Hyūga, the Yamanaka, and the Akimichi ninja clans."
[Inorin's Note: Combining Uchiha (combat/Sharingan), Hyūga (recon/Byakugan), Yamanaka (intel/sensory/mind jutsu), and Akimichi (heavy assault/defense) creates a highly versatile and powerful independent force.]
"Form a mixed combat force of six hundred. You, Uchiha Fugaku, will personally serve as the overall commander of this Eastern Defense Force."
Fugaku's heart trembled. His breath caught.
Three hundred Uchiha elites? That was almost the majority of the clan's current high-end combat power!
Coupled with the hand-picked elites from the other prominent ninja clans... the sheer combat power of this single unit was staggering. It was enough to easily annihilate a small country's entire military force!
This wasn't just a mission. This was a core strategic command.
"Your mission!" A hint of cold, hard light flashed in Akira's eyes.
"Is to secretly proceed to the eastern border of the Land of Fire (火の国, Hi no Kuni). Specifically, the Yu no Kuni (Land of Hot Water) region, which borders the Land of Lightning (雷の国, Kaminari no Kuni)."
[Inorin's Note: The Land of Hot Water is a small, neutral country situated strategically between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning.]
"You will set up ambush points and establish primary defensive positions along that border."
"Kumogakure?" Fugaku instantly understood Akira's intention. The Eastern Defense Line.
"Exactly," Akira confirmed.
"If we move against Sunagakure in the west, there's a ninety percent certainty that the Yondaime Raikage, A, will try to take advantage of the chaos. He is aggressive and opportunistic."
Akira leaned forward slightly, his gaze intense. "Your mission, Fugaku, is to deliver a crushing, decisive blow to Kumogakure the moment they attempt to step foot onto the Land of Fire's territory!"
"I don't demand that you annihilate their entire force. But you must firmly block them outside our national border! You must hold that line, at all costs."
"Let them know," Akira's voice turned to ice, "that the Land of Fire's land is not somewhere they can just come and go as they please!"
Fugaku's mind reeled.
To entrust such an incredibly important mission—guarding Konoha's entire eastern gate—into his hands! Into the hands of the Uchiha!
After decades of suspicion, of being pushed to the margins...
What immense trust! What incredible, vindicating honor!
Fugaku's body trembled slightly, not with fear, but with a profound, bone-deep excitement. This was it. This was the moment the Uchiha clan reclaimed its true place.
"Please rest assured, Hokage-sama!"
Fugaku's fierce Mangekyō eyes burned with an intense, unwavering fighting spirit. He stood and bowed deeply.
"As long as I, Uchiha Fugaku, still draw breath, those Kumogakure scoundrels will not set foot even half a step into the Land of Fire!"
"I swear it! By the honor of the Uchiha! And by the honor of Konoha!"
"Go," Akira nodded, accepting his oath.
"Don't disappoint me, Fugaku."
"Yes!" Fugaku responded with a firm, resolute voice. He turned and strode away, his steps filled with a new, powerful purpose.
Watching Fugaku's departing back, Akira's gaze once again turned to the night sky outside the window.
The three armies. Each with its own vital duties.
The Eastern Defense Line, anchored by the Uchiha elites and led by the experienced, newly motivated Fugaku, would be secure. Fugaku would not fail. His pride wouldn't allow it.
The Northern Defense Line, with Jiraiya, Kakashi, and Might Guy stationed there... Ōnoki would posture, he would bluster, but he would not dare to act rashly against such a concentration of S-rank power.
And he... he would personally lead the campaign against Sunagakure.
This battle... it must not only be won.
It must be won decisively. Cleanly. Overwhelmingly.
It must make the entire Shinobi World tremble. It must announce the dawn of a new era.
The next day, early morning.
The Land of Fire, Capital City (Shuto).
Inside the magnificent, opulent main hall of the Daimyō's residence. Seductive, languid music filled the air from unseen musicians.
Chiba, the current Daimyō of the Land of Fire, was half-reclining on a soft, silk-covered tatami mat. He was enjoying plump grapes being fed to him one by one by a beautiful, giggling maid.
He squinted his eyes, lazily admiring the graceful, provocative dance of a dozen scantily-clad dancers in the center of the hall.
Ever since being... elevated... to the position of Daimyō by Uchiha Akira (after the previous Daimyō had met with an unfortunate 'accident'), Chiba had completely, and enthusiastically, embraced this life of utter debauchery and luxurious indulgence.
He was well aware of his position. Painfully aware.
He was merely a puppet. A figurehead, supported entirely by Uchiha Akira's terrifying power.
Power? Ambition? Political maneuvering?
What were those things? Could they be eaten? Did they feel as good as silk sheets and warm sake?
No.
As long as he could comfortably enjoy wealth, luxury, women, and fine food... living a life of pampered idleness... he was content. More than content. He was grateful.
As for the actual military and political affairs of the Land of Fire... the all-capable, terrifyingly efficient Godaime Hokage-sama would naturally take care of them. Chiba didn't need to trouble his pretty little head about it.
"Hmm… good, good dancing! Reward them!" Chiba yawned contentedly, casually tossing out a pouch heavy with gold coins.
The dancers immediately expressed their gratitude profusely, their movements becoming even more vigorous, more enticing.
Just then.
The space in the very center of the hall—right between the dancers—suddenly distorted. It shimmered, like water ripples under the sun, appearing without any warning, without any sound.
A figure slowly emerged from it, stepping out of nothingness.
The newcomer wore a black shihakushō-style robe, embroidered with subtle flame patterns along the hem. He had long black hair tied back loosely, and a handsome, almost unnervingly calm face.
[Inorin's Note: A shihakushō is a type of traditional Japanese garment, often associated with samurai or priests. Here, it signifies Akira's authority and perhaps a connection to traditional Uchiha attire.]
It was Uchiha Akira.
Buzz!
The seductive music in the hall abruptly ceased. The musicians froze, instruments halfway to their lips.
The dancers stopped mid-twirl, scared pale. They instantly fell to their knees, trembling, averting their eyes.
Everyone in the hall was stunned into silence by this sudden, impossible turn of events.
"How dare you!" A sharp, reedy voice suddenly rang out, shattering the terrified silence.
A young servant, who was attending to Chiba, puffed up with self-importance. Relying on his proximity to the Daimyō, he pointed an accusatory, trembling finger at Akira.
"Who are you?! How dare you trespass into the Daimyō's residence!"
"Guards! GUARDS! Quickly apprehend this... this assassin!"
This servant was new. Very new. He had been hired just last week, brought in from a remote province. He had never seen Uchiha Akira before.
Naturally, he didn't understand Uchiha Akira's significance—his absolute authority—over Daimyō Chiba!
Before he could even finish his sentence...
"SLAP!"
A crisp, loud slap echoed through the hall.
"THUD!"
Then, Daimyō Chiba, moving with a speed utterly belying his usually sluggish demeanor, fiercely kicked the clueless servant hard, sending him sprawling to the ground.
Cold sweat instantly poured down Chiba's face like a waterfall. His plump legs trembled like sieves beneath his silken robes.
This FOOL! This IDIOT! Chiba screamed internally. He has doomed us all!
He had no idea what terrifying existence he was reprimanding!
Chiba scrambled off his cushions, crawling on hands and knees across the tatami mats to Akira's front.
He didn't dare lift his head. He immediately prostrated himself in a full, groveling bow, his forehead pressed flat against the floor.
Chiba's voice was tearful, high-pitched, and trembled uncontrollably.
"Akira-sama! Chiba was unaware of Akira-sama's arrival and failed to greet you! I deserve death! I deserve death! Please forgive my servant's ignorance!"
The other people in the hall—the maids, the musicians, the guards who were just now rushing in—saw the Daimyō, the ruler of the Land of Fire, in such a pathetic, terrified state. They were all paralyzed with fear.
Although most of them didn't recognize Akira by sight, anyone who could scare the Daimyō like this... possessed power and status far beyond their wildest imagination.
"Get up," Akira's voice was calm, devoid of anger.
"Thank… Thank you, Akira-sama!" Chiba tremblingly got up, but his waist remained bent at a painful ninety-degree angle. He didn't even dare to breathe heavily.
"I came today to inform you of something," Akira said, ignoring the trembling servants and dancers.
"Please speak, Akira-sama! Anything! I will surely accomplish it!" Chiba quickly, desperately, expressed his absolute loyalty.
"Konoha is going to war," Akira stated casually, as if discussing the weather. "With Sunagakure."
Chiba was stunned. His mind, already reeling from terror, struggled to process the words.
War… war?
Going to war... with Suna? But... why?
Did this mean that the peace, the fragile peace so hard-won after the Third Shinobi World War... was about to be shattered?
Was this... was this going to trigger the Fourth Shinobi World War?
Chiba's face instantly turned pale, losing what little color it had.
War meant turmoil. It meant death. It meant instability.
It meant... his comfortable, decadent life of pleasure might be coming to an abrupt, violent end.
However, before Chiba could even fully feel the cold grip of fear about the war itself...
Uchiha Akira's next sentence made Chiba even more terrified. Made his blood run cold.
"This," Akira said, his voice dropping slightly, "is just the first step."
"My goal... is to unify the entire Shinobi World."
Unify… the Shinobi World!
Chiba's eyes nearly popped out of his head. His mouth opened and closed silently, like a fish gasping for air.
This... this Godaime Hokage-sama...
His ambition wasn't just large. It wasn't just terrifying.
It was insane!
But... after the initial, paralyzing shock... Chiba's mind, the mind of a born survivor, immediately cleared.
He understood. He had no choice. None at all.
His fate was irrevocably tied to this terrifyingly ambitious young man.
Either he clung tightly, desperately, to Uchiha Akira's incredibly thick, powerful thigh and followed him all the way to the end, wherever that might lead...
Or... he died. Probably now. Probably messily.
The calculation was instant.
"This humble one… this humble one UNDERSTANDS!" Chiba stammered, bowing even lower, his forehead nearly touching the floor again.
"This humble one, on behalf of the entire Land of Fire, will wholeheartedly support Akira-sama's grand, glorious ambition!"
"Whatever you need, Akira-sama! Funds! Resources! Supplies! Men! The Land of Fire will spare no effort! We will cooperate fully! We are yours to command!"
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