The Eastern Front campaign had fallen into an eerie silence. After the Land of Lightning officially declared war, the movements of the Land of Water's army began to become subdued. Everyone knew that the Land of Water would inevitably make a big move next, and they were constantly monitoring its every action.
However, the Land of Water's sphere of influence extended to islands of all sizes in the rear. Apart from the strongholds within the Land of Fire, the territories within the ocean were not easily detectable by Konoha ninja. It was precisely for this reason that the movements of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were so elusive.
Although the temporary halt in fighting allowed the combat ninja to breathe a sigh of relief, the intelligence ninja's tasks became increasingly heavy. Large numbers of reports arrived daily on Hiruzen Sarutobi's desk. Hiruzen Sarutobi was not responsible for intelligence missions, but as the commander of the front, he had no choice but to review them daily.
"You tell me, how exactly does Kirigakure plan to fight this war next?" Hiruzen Sarutobi held a scroll in his hand and said to Danzo Shimura, who was silently beside him.
"I don't know, which is why we must find clues from these intelligence reports," Danzo Shimura said calmly.
"But these intelligence reports are too vague. We don't know what they're planning at all. At most, we can only deduce that they'll have a large-scale operation next, but that's something that can be figured out just by common sense. Isn't there any clearer intelligence?" Hiruzen Sarutobi tossed the scroll onto the table, shaking his head.
Everyone knew that the Land of Water couldn't choose to abandon the war, and in order to break the situation where the Land of Lightning and the Land of Fire were jointly pressing in, they would inevitably have large-scale actions. However, the specific actions were not so easy to determine. Everyone's thoughts were different, and their methods were also different. Even standing on the same level, as experienced ninja, they couldn't possibly think exactly alike.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had read countless reports, but all of them were vague, merely stating that the Land of Water had movements in certain places, but what exactly those movements were, the subordinates couldn't explain clearly.
"You think I don't want more detailed intelligence? But who's to blame when the Land of Water's main operations are all on the islands." Danzo Shimura, hearing this, also threw the scroll he was reading onto the table. On the surface, he looked composed, but his heart was clearly not calm. "But we just can't reach those islands. If the Land of Uzushio were still here, it would be better. But it's because of those guys' shortsightedness that we can't act rashly. In the end, we brought their people back, but lost the islands. It's hard to say whether it was a gain or a loss!"
"It's all in the past, there's no use talking about it. For Mito-sama's sake, let's forgive them," Hiruzen Sarutobi said, waving his hand.
Danzo Shimura snorted heavily and picked up the scroll. Seeing his friend's behavior, Hiruzen Sarutobi shrugged helplessly and asked, "Isn't there an alternative method?"
"There is," Danzo Shimura said, still looking at the scroll.
"It's not that easy after all…" As he said this, Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly reacted, surprised, "There really is? What is it?"
"Don't you know? It's those people from the Fuma clan. They say they can help us gather intelligence, but because we can't trust them, we haven't officially agreed yet," Danzo Shimura said.
"Them," Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed to deflate, sitting back down in his chair. He did know about this matter, and it was he and Danzo Shimura who had decided not to use them for now, so he had temporarily forgotten about them.
The Fuma clan was a rather special ninja clan. After the Warring States period ended, ninja clans of all sizes joined the ninja villages within their respective countries. Only a handful of ninja clans did not choose this path, such as the Uzumaki clan and the reclusive Taketori clan.
The Fuma clan also had a certain level of strength during the Warring States period. They had no fixed dwelling place,
but lived by smuggling. Initially, they operated within the Land of Rice, where they had lived for many years, and later gradually expanded their business to the Land of Hot Water and nearby seas. During the Land of Water's isolation, by secretly trading goods to the Land of Water, the Fuma clan made a huge fortune, becoming the most powerful maritime smugglers.
Sometimes, the merchant trade supported by Konohagakure would have friction with them. At that time, the Konoha genin who came to learn from the merchants would participate in missions against the Fuma clan. Because the Fuma clan did not dare to offend Konohagakure, although there were some conflicts between the two sides, they generally coexisted peacefully.
With the support of Konohagakure, land-based smuggling gradually lost its market. Thus, smuggling with the Land of Water became a relatively important financial source for the Fuma clan. However, the moment the Land of Water initiated war, it affected the Fuma clan's smuggling trade, severely damaging their interests.
Although the Fuma clan could choose to continue war trade with the Land of Water, their main area of activity was still on land. They had previously had friction with Konohagakure, and if they continued to aid the enemy in this way, Konohagakure would likely disregard everything and directly choose to wipe them out.
If that happened, what would the Fuma clan do? Would they leave the Land of Fire and run to those offshore islands to live with the Land of Water? If the Land of Water were strong enough, they might choose that path, but the Fuma clan, having operated on the mainland for many years, truly had no confidence in the Land of Water, especially after the Land of Lightning officially declared war, they had mentally sentenced the Land of Water to death.
If, in the war, the Land of Water could gain temporary benefits, occupy territory, and expand its own strength—though they thought this was unlikely—the Fuma clan would not be able to gain much benefit from it. They lived by smuggling trade. The Land of Water, having reached this point, would not need to rely on smuggling much in the future; they could conduct legitimate commercial trade. It should be known that the Land of Water actually disliked smugglers like the Fuma clan very much. No matter which way, the Fuma clan would not fare well.
Therefore, for them, a self-isolated Land of Water that needed to rely on trade smuggling was their best choice. So, they should help the Land of Fire win the victory and force the Land of Water to retreat back to the islands. They believed they had that value; with their experience in maritime smuggling, they had the ability to obtain some intelligence, which Konohagakure would certainly be interested in. This would also allow them to forge good relations, which would be beneficial for the Fuma clan's future.
However, Konohagakure did not so easily trust the Fuma clan's defection, as they might also secretly collude with the Land of Water, planning to ambush Konohagakure. The Fuma clan had anticipated this and repeatedly expressed their sincerity, hoping that Konohagakure would agree.
"Is it possible to agree to their terms? Although it's a bit risky, the Land of Water's next move is likely to affect the entire course of the war. I think this risk is worth taking. After multiple investigations, we can actually confirm that the Fuma clan is indeed sincerely willing to gather intelligence for us, right?" Hiruzen Sarutobi said.
"I also think it's unlikely they'd betray us. While there's a slight risk, if we strictly monitor and verify during the process, we can minimize that risk," Danzo Shimura nodded slightly. "But I'm still a little worried. What if they manage to deceive us?"
"Danzo, you should give people some trust. No matter what, risk always exists; it's just a matter of magnitude. You used to be too focused on complete loyalty, only willing to act if there was absolutely no risk," Hiruzen Sarutobi said.
Danzo Shimura had a tendency towards "perfectionism," or rather, he was overly suspicious. He had to repeatedly verify everything to ensure it was absolutely correct, and he also had to confirm the loyalty of his subordinates before he could show his trust. In the original story, for the members of his Root, Danzo Shimura used cursed seals to control them and trained them into loyal subordinates by eradicating their emotions, all of which reflected this psychological tendency of his.
Although after leaving the Anbu, Danzo Shimura's tendencies were somewhat corrected, after all, he couldn't strictly control his subordinates as he did in the Anbu; at most, he could restrain them. Because of this, Danzo Shimura also became a bit more lenient in trusting others, at least for people from his own village there were no problems, but he didn't dare to easily trust the Fuma clan, who had separated from Konohagakure.
Danzo Shimura appeared somewhat hesitant, repeatedly telling himself what methods could reduce the risk of betrayal, weighing the Fuma clan's background and their stance, and then he nodded, saying, "Then perhaps we can try it."
"That's it, and I think we should use this opportunity to bring them under our banner," Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a smile.
"Bring them under our banner?" Danzo Shimura was a bit surprised.
"Yes, although they have agreed to gather intelligence for us now, it's because of their self-interest; the Land of Water's current actions are affecting them. If the situation were different, it's quite possible they would secretly collude with the Land of Water and ambush us," Hiruzen Sarutobi said. "We cannot be complacent just because of this stroke of luck. This war will change the situation of the ninja world. Since that's the case, we should also make further changes and win over the Fuma clan; it will definitely be beneficial."
"You have a point," Danzo Shimura nodded. "However, the Fuma clan might not agree so easily. They're used to a life of smuggling. To get them to break away, we'd have to promise them better treatment than what smuggling offers. Will the village agree to such a thing?"
"Methods are always thought up by people. Anyway, the war won't end so easily, and who knows what else might happen in the future," Hiruzen Sarutobi said.
Thus, after the two supreme commanders on the Eastern Front reached an agreement, the Fuma clan ninja officially became informants for Konohagakure. Utilizing their connections and secret strongholds established through overseas smuggling, they began to gather intelligence. For confidentiality, they did not allow Konoha ninja to personally learn of their secret channels, which was also for their survival and interests.
After reconnaissance by the Fuma clan, reports clearer than those from Konoha ninja were immediately delivered. The Land of Water had not only begun to mobilize troops and ships, but also gathered a large number of forces from their homeland. Judging by the scale, it was impossible for them to commit forces to only one location. It was predictable that they would deploy troops to fight in two or more places.
"Deploying troops to two or more places is understandable. Currently, they probably want to open up a second front to tie up our forces and stabilize their battle lines," Hiruzen Sarutobi said. "But we just don't know where they'll deploy and how many people they'll commit."
"And more detailed information, even the Fuma clan couldn't uncover. However, we at least know the general outline of their battle strategy. Within common sense, we can infer using our own experience," Danzo Shimura said.
Afterward, they sat in the room, looking at the battlefield simulation map, making inference after inference. After their assessment, they concluded that the enemy would either open a second front within the Land of Fire or in the Land of Lightning. However, which one they would choose remained unknown.
"Either option presents difficulties. The Land of Lightning side would be more difficult. Based on common sense, they should choose the Land of Fire side," Hiruzen Sarutobi said.
"But the opponent might subvert common sense. Even if they pay a greater price, they might reap even greater rewards," Danzo Shimura did not easily agree, refuting him.
"Indeed," Hiruzen Sarutobi thought for a moment, agreeing with his friend's judgment. "But no matter what, if they plan to open a second front in the Land of Lightning, then we only need to cooperate with the Kumogakure ninja. Even if we need to keep an eye on that area, we don't have to deploy many troops there, and we can maintain our forces here for defense."
Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura were speculating where Kirigakure might land in the Land of Fire, Kirigakure had already begun to mobilize its troops, placing a large number of forces on ships. It was late at night, and the Third Mizukage stood at the bow of a ship, gazing at the distant Land of Fire. The time had come for him to officially participate in the war as a Kage.
—This battle, only victory is allowed, not defeat!
The Third Mizukage repeated this to himself more than once. Before the battle began, he had also repeatedly declared the importance of this battle to his troops, boosting their morale and making them realize that they had no retreat. This would be Kirigakure's last stand; everything depended on what came next.
The Third Mizukage's gaze swept over every ship. Even in the night, he seemed to see the faces of the Kirigakure ninja on board, and he slowly said, "Begin."
Aside from the sound of the waves and the silent movement of the ships, everything was extremely quiet. However, what followed was the beginning of a brutal war.