It was now the year after the Second Shinobi World War. The war for Konoha Village had been going very smoothly, and even with occasional setbacks, it hadn't hindered the overall positive situation. However, this time, Konoha Village encountered a rare defeat, and no one, from any side, could view this battle with optimism.
In the wartime general staff headquarters, all high-ranking shinobi, including senior figures like Kazamori Masaki, sat in the conference room, listening to a jonin from the intelligence department read a report. The report mainly detailed the series of battles and losses sustained after the Kirigakure shinobi forces landed from the south.
Although Akimichi Torifu arrived at the southern battlefield in time to temporarily hold back the Kirigakure shinobi forces, the Kirigakure forces were clearly not intimidated. Instead, they began to consolidate the territory they had already occupied, and Akimichi Torifu, whose Third Unit had not yet fully arrived, was unable to counterattack.
Once Konoha's Third Shinobi Unit arrived, Akimichi Torifu immediately organized a counterattack. However, due to the Kirigakure Village's rapid assault earlier, the Konoha shinobi forces in the area had been fragmented. By the time they regrouped, the Kirigakure shinobi forces had already established a strong defensive line and were not seeking further advancement, firmly holding their ground.
After Konoha's Third Shinobi Unit's offensive was repelled, the Kirigakure shinobi forces began to support their strongholds on the eastern front, directly threatening the rear of the First Shinobi Unit. During this time, the Kirigakure shinobi forces on the eastern front also launched a strong and fierce attack, forcing the First Shinobi Unit to take them seriously. In this situation, facing a threat from the rear, the First Shinobi Unit immediately found itself in a dangerous predicament.
Through urgent communication channels, Sarutobi Hiruzen informed the village of the situation and offered his suggestion. He believed that under these circumstances, a stalemate with Kirigakure shinobi was disadvantageous. Although it might be seen as cowardice or abandoning territory, he hoped they could retreat their strongholds, fully unite with the Third Shinobi Unit, establish a new eastern defense line, and confront Kirigakure Village there.
In the report, Sarutobi Hiruzen expressed his willingness to take responsibility for the battle's failure. After deliberation, the village decided to approve Sarutobi Hiruzen's suggestion. Thus, under the command of Konoha Village's central department, the First and Third Shinobi Units began to contract their defensive lines and reorganize their defenses. Even so, Sarutobi Hiruzen managed to control the contraction of the defensive line under the best possible circumstances.
Kazamori Masaki quietly read the report in front of him. When the reporter's voice stopped, the sound of pages turning continued, as Kazamori Masaki's face was expressionless. The others also held their breath, and the atmosphere in the entire conference room was extremely tense.
With a 'thud,' the report booklet closed. Kazamori Masaki let out a soft sigh, looked at the jonin present, and said, "Gentlemen, don't make those faces. I must admit that in this operation, I made the mistake of underestimating the enemy, which led to the current situation."
"No, Lord Hokage, this is all because the frontline commander didn't notice the enemy's movements in time. It has nothing to do with your decisions," someone immediately said.
Since becoming Hokage, Kazamori Masaki's performance had been consistently outstanding, making significant contributions to the village's prosperity. After the outbreak of the Shinobi World War, Kazamori Masaki's strategic measures were largely flawless, which earned him immense prestige. Even when accidents occurred, others instinctively attributed the blame to someone else, rather than believing the Hokage himself had made a mistake.
"Enough. No one is perfect, everyone makes mistakes. There's no need to make excuses for me," Kazamori Masaki shook his head slightly. "Just like you, I was blinded by the smooth progress of the war. I somewhat underestimated those ninja villages."
The strategy formulated by Kazamori Masaki was generally feasible. If fully achieved, it could resolve the Suna and Kiri ninja villages with relatively small costs. However, he had somewhat underestimated the tenacity of these two ninja villages; when pushed to a certain extent, they were not to be easily manipulated.
The operation undertaken by Kirigakure Village this time was very daring, with a spirit of going all out. According to the report, both the southern and eastern Kirigakure shinobi forces used jinchuriki, while Konoha Village had underestimated the enemy's counterattack capabilities, which led to the critical situation of Konoha's shinobi forces.
While the frontline commanders certainly bore some responsibility, as they failed to notice all of the enemy's movements, Kazamori Masaki and others in the village, responsible for overall strategy, were equally accountable. This was specifically due to the smooth progress of the war, which led them to underestimate the ninja villages' potential strength.
"However, while Kirigakure Village has gained a breathing space, to some extent, they have also been pushed to their limit," Kazamori Masaki said. "They have already deployed two jinchuriki into the battlefield, while we, let alone using jinchuriki, haven't even fully unleashed the potential of our shinobi forces. Gentlemen, relax a bit. The situation, while not great, isn't terrible either."
Hearing Kazamori Masaki's words, the expressions of the others eased slightly. Indeed, Kirigakure Village had already committed its jinchuriki, yet Konoha Village's forces still possessed ample combat capabilities. Both Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo had the strength to contend with jinchuriki. Although some territory had been lost, making the situation seem somewhat dire, considering the allied Kumogakure Village and Konoha's re-integrated shinobi forces, it didn't seem so bad after all.
Seeing everyone's expressions, Kazamori Masaki nodded slightly and said, "We must not be discouraged. We will surely win, but we must never again fall into the trap of blind optimism. The enemy is also a ninja village of the Five Great Nations. To completely suppress them, we must be prepared to pay the corresponding price."
"Lord Hokage is right. We must not get overly excited by the smooth progress of the war and overlook the potential capabilities of other ninja villages. No matter what kind of battle it is, we must take them seriously," the head of the Nara clan said, rising to speak.
The people of the Nara clan are all very intelligent, and the head of the family is especially prominent among them. As the 'brain' of the Ino–Shika–Cho alliance, their wisdom is recognized by every ninja clan, and not just them, but even people from other countries admire the Nara clan's strategies.
In the Fourth Shinobi World War of later generations, the Fourth Raikage ceded the position of Chief Strategist of the Allied Shinobi Forces to Nara Shikaku, the then-head of the Nara clan. Shikaku lived up to expectations, and when faced with the unreasonable Edo Tensei army, he used brilliant strategies to assign personnel to each battlefield, thereby suppressing the Edo Tensei army.
Even when the extraordinary Uchiha Madara and the Ten-Tails appeared later, Nara Shikaku displayed excellent strategies. Although their power was too great and required people of equal strength to deal with, that was the realm of myths, and it cannot be said that Nara Shikaku's abilities were insufficient. The current war, however, was merely a war between mortals.
In this Shinobi World War, the Nara clan head made significant contributions to the details of Kazamori Masaki's overall strategy, holding a crucial position in the general staff. However, he too had been momentarily optimistic due to the smooth progress of the war. Now, hearing Kazamori Masaki's self-reflection, he was the first to regain his composure and rise to support the Hokage's words.
"Making mistakes is not scary, because no one is infallible. And in war, it's about who makes fewer mistakes that wins. This is just a temporary defeat. Other ninja villages have suffered so many defeats and haven't given up, so it's even less possible for us to give up because of this. As long as we win the final victory, the early failures are nothing," Kazamori Masaki said.
After the Hokage's words, everyone began to readjust their mindset, realizing that they had indeed been overly optimistic due to the war's smooth progress. Encountering a single setback made them feel the situation was dire. In reality, such thoughts were completely unnecessary. Was the enemy's advantage truly that great? As the Hokage said, Kirigakure Village had to commit such a large force to achieve this situation. While it looked better for them, they still faced the prospect of being pressed by both Fire and Lightning nations. At most, they had more capital to maneuver, but whether they could win still seemed unlikely.
After all, Kirigakure Village was isolated overseas, and its only perceived allies were the various small islands nearby. However, these were merely insignificant small islands, capable of providing how much support? And no matter how bad the situation in the Land of Wind was, or how difficult Suna Village's military capabilities were, they at least had support from the Land of Earth, with other small countries acting as buffer zones in between.
The Land of Water, however, had no major country supporting it. Facing the allied nations of Fire and Lightning, the best outcome would only be to control the coastal areas. It was highly likely that the Land of Water wouldn't even achieve such a result. Thinking this way, the true image of the Land of Water seemed to subtly emerge.
"...Is it like a desperate counterattack from an animal cornered?" someone murmured.
"Exactly. As long as we can suppress Kirigakure Village's momentum, over time, that burst of strength unleashed before death will rapidly decline," the Nara clan head nodded.
"In other words, all we need to do now is strengthen our beliefs and avoid any other operational mistakes." Fumori masaki looked at everyone. "I have always believed that Konoha will be the victor of this war and will undoubtedly be the leader of the ninja world order in the future. I hope you all share the same belief."
"We will not fail Lord Hokage's trust." Everyone stood up and bowed to Fumori masaki.
After receiving the village's orders, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzo, and others personally oversaw the task of retracting the defensive line. Believing their responsibility to be heavy, they personally covered the retreat of the troops on the front lines. However, only their formidable strength could make the Hidden Mist Village wary and prevent them from advancing too far.
When the First and Third Ninja Squads were reorganized, the defensive line was re-planned. Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzo, and Akimichi Torifu steadily controlled three directions. Even with their reliance on the power of the Tailed Beasts, the Hidden Mist Village stopped advancing and began to consolidate the newly occupied territories. According to their intelligence, the Hidden Cloud Village's forces had already begun moving south and could threaten the Hidden Mist Village's right flank at any time.
Due to the Hidden Mist Village's attacks, a significant amount of territory in the Land of Fire was lost, and the nobles there had no choice but to gather their remaining troops and retreat. Naturally, they harbored some resentment towards the Hidden Leaf Village. Sarutobi Hiruzen finally managed to appease their emotions and couldn't help but let out a long sigh.
The newly established stronghold could effectively control the eastern and southern front lines. After confirming the enemy's movements on the front line, Sarutobi Hiruzen returned to the stronghold. He first went to his tent, intending to get some rest. As soon as he entered, before he even had a chance to sit down and drink some water, he saw an unexpected figure.
"Fumori masaki." Sarutobi Hiruzen said in surprise when he saw the person in front of him. Because they were in a private tent, he didn't use the formal honorifics he would in front of outsiders, which was also a way to express their camaraderie.
Fumori masaki nodded at him, poured him a glass of water, and said, "Drink up. You must be tired. I heard you went to confirm the Hidden Mist Village's movements."
"Why are you here?" Sarutobi Hiruzen took the water, took a sip to moisten his throat, pulled up two chairs, and sat down with Fumori masaki.
"It's just a shadow clone. Although I wanted to write a letter, I felt it would be better to come in person to discuss the next battle with you," Fumori masaki said.
"I apologize, Fumori masaki. You entrusted me with such a heavy responsibility, yet—" Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head. "Although I guessed that the Hidden Mist Village would definitely retaliate, I didn't expect it to be so fierce, forcing us to retract our defensive line. I'm not making excuses for myself. I also stated in my report that I bear full responsibility. As for the others, please don't hold them accountable."
"This can't be said to be your problem." Fumori masaki repeated the conclusions of the meeting. "You don't need to blame yourself. Since you intend to take full responsibility, I will give you a certain punishment, but I will not strip you of your commander status. I can also assure you that for anyone else who bears responsibility, except for those who showed cowardice in battle, even if they retreated, as long as they fought bravely, they will not be held accountable. The compensation for those who sacrificed will not be reduced by a single cent."
"Is that so? Thank you very much, Fumori masaki," Sarutobi Hiruzen said solemnly.
"Don't think this is free. I'm telling you, you must win a beautiful victory for me. If not, you know the consequences," Fumori masaki said with a smile.
"I understand." Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded heavily, a hint of coldness in his eyes. "The Hidden Mist Village caused us so much trouble this time. So many people died in the south, and I even had to face the accusations of those nobles. I'll make sure to settle these scores with them properly."
"We must certainly account for our village's people, including the soldiers and civilians who lost troops and suffered casualties protecting the territory," Fumori masaki said. "By the way, what's this about noble accusations you mentioned?"
"Because the lost territories were all their fiefdoms, they blamed me for the loss of territory, saying that the protection was inadequate. Although the military defeat was my responsibility, I swallowed my anger, but the tone of those guys really made me uncomfortable," Sarutobi Hiruzen said.
"Our Hidden Leaf Village is the military force of the Land of Fire, and these local lords are also. This operation involved both ninja and samurai. Don't they bear any responsibility at all?" Fumori masaki snorted softly.
"The Miyamoto clan was very dedicated and understood the reasons for the military defeat. Moreover, he promptly gathered his troops, so his losses weren't too great. I feel somewhat indebted to him. But the others are different. There were instances of them dragging their feet during the war. I don't know how they have the nerve to dump all the responsibility on me," Sarutobi Hiruzen said, his tone tinged with anger at this point.
"These noble lords are all talk and no action. If they were nobles who dared to get personally involved, I would admire them somewhat. But for those who just stand behind and point fingers, I have no good feelings," Fumori masaki said. "They only demand that others pay, but they themselves don't dare to take any responsibility. Having such people around is truly uncomfortable."
"But there's nothing we can do. After all, they are the nobles of this country, and we are just an Employmented ninja alliance," Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't help but sigh.
"What, you just accept their accusations like that?" Fumori masaki raised an eyebrow slightly.
"What else can I do? We don't have the right to deal with the nobles within the country. If they are guilty, then the Daimyo himself will handle it. At most, we can provide some military force," Sarutobi Hiruzen shrugged helplessly.
The Hidden Leaf Village was a mercenary force for the Land of Fire. By all accounts, they had no right to interfere in the internal politics of the Land of Fire. At most, they could indirectly influence politics by influencing the nobles. But ultimately, they could not personally participate in it. This was also an inherent problem for the Hidden Leaf Village, placing it in a relatively equal position with the Land of Fire, but also causing it to lose some things.
"Honestly, our Hidden Leaf Village has been dedicated to the Land of Fire, not only protecting its territory but also striving for its status and interests in the ninja world," Fumori masaki said. "In comparison, what we receive is just ordinary mercenary fees—even less than our own commercial operating income—the return and effort are truly disproportionate."
"Not only that, but we also have to endure the nobles'Make things difficult." Sarutobi Hiruzen knew that as the Hidden Leaf Village developed to its current strength, its excessive power had already aroused the wariness of the Daimyo and his faction of nobles. It was only due to the needs of the ninja village's strength, friendly relations with other local lords close to the Hidden Leaf Village, and showing favor to the Daimyo that the relationship was maintained. However, the Daimyo certainly intended to weaken the Hidden Leaf Village.
The half-hearted efforts of some local lords this time might very well be due to the Daimyo stirring trouble behind the scenes. Ultimately, the Daimyo was unwilling to see a Hidden Leaf Village, like a state within a state, break free from his control, and the Hidden Leaf Village would also not be willing to place itself under the Daimyo's complete control—the current Hidden Leaf Village was actually becoming increasingly detached from the constraints of traditional feudal thought, and held less respect for the Daimyo.
"Those who work diligently should receive their due rewards, and our Hidden Leaf Village is no different. Since we protect the country's security, at least the state should bear the responsibility of supporting the military. However, it is the village's own financial income that currently pays the ninja's salaries." Fumori masaki looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen seriously. "To this day, the conflict between the village and the state is growing. It was fine during peacetime, but now, during wartime, it has begun to erupt. It is only because of the need to protect the country that the nobles cannot truly suppress the village completely, but they will certainly try to find ways to weaken the village's power."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's heart tightened slightly. He was actually quite worried about this point, but he couldn't think of any other good solutions, feeling that he could only try to alleviate the conflict. He said, "Fumori masaki, do you have any ideas?"
"It's hard to say right now, but no matter what, the village must never be constrained by those nobles in the future. If we are to maintain order in the ninja world, we must fully utilize the power of the Land of Fire. The current village barely maintains a unified relationship through other means, but problems will arise sooner or later. The situation you are facing is proof of that," Fumori masaki said.
"Masaki, are you trying to…?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked hesitantly.
"I don't have any special ideas. I just want the Hidden Leaf Village to get the rights and status it deserves. You get what you put in, and that's fair," Fumori masaki smiled at Sarutobi Hiruzen.