Naruto: Starting as the Third Hokage with Tears in His Eyes

Chapter 128 Your bravery is indeed unparalleled in the ninja world.

The atmosphere in the Raikage's office instantly shifted from tense and confrontational to restless and eager for battle the moment the alliance was signed.

"Very good! Excellent!"

The Third Raikage, A, had undisguised excitement on his face.

He waved his hand dismissively and shouted towards the door, "Zuo Yue, and Tu Dai! Come in!"

"Yes, Lord Raikage!"

Two completely different responses immediately came from outside the door.

One had a vibrant, loud voice, while the other sounded calm and collected.

Soon, the office door was pushed open.

Thunderclap Left Moon and another man wearing a single eyepatch, who looked refined and whose style clashed with the overall aesthetic of Cloud Village, walked in.

This person is none other than Hidden Cloud Village's few strategist-type Jonin, responsible for devising various battle plans for the Raikage—Tsuchishiro.

"Father."

Ai, the boy who had been standing in the corner and witnessed the whole thing, also came up, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Um."

The Third Raikage, A, glanced at his son and nodded in satisfaction.

He wanted his son to experience the ruthless atmosphere that determined the fate of the ninja world from a young age.

"Master Yuan, let me introduce myself to you."

Ai pointed to the two who had just entered, "These are my two most capable fighters. Zuo Yue, a battle maniac whose muscles are more developed than his brain. Tu Shi, a battle maniac whose brain is more developed than his muscles."

"Lord Raikage, my brain and muscles are actually quite well-developed."

Tsuchishiro shrugged helplessly, a wry smile on his face.

Zuo Yue grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, and stared intently at Hozuki Kaigetsu with a provocative look.

"..."

Hozuki Kaigetsu remained expressionless, as if she hadn't noticed his gaze.

"This is the Grand Master of Kirigakure."

Ai then pointed to Master Yuan and introduced him to his two subordinates, saying, "From today onwards, Kirigakure is our Hidden Cloud Village's most steadfast ally!"

ally?

Zuo Yue and Tu Shi were both taken aback, their faces showing surprise.

"Alright, enough with the chit-chat."

A didn't give them much time to react. "Immediately summon all Jonin to the operations room for a meeting. We need to discuss something important with our allies from Kirigakure!"

"yes!"

At this moment, the war machine of Kumogakure began to roar into operation in an extremely efficient and brutal manner.

……

Hidden Cloud Village, the highest command and control conference room.

A huge sand table map was placed in the center of the conference room, with detailed markings of the terrain of the Land of Lightning, the Land of Fire, and the surrounding small countries.

The Third Raikage, A, sat in the main seat, surrounded by several core members of the Hidden Cloud Village.

On the other side of the conference table were Genji and the Hozuki siblings.

"Is everyone here?"

Ai looked around at everyone, then focused his gaze on Master Yuan. "Master Yuan, since we're going to cooperate, let's not keep things to ourselves. Tell me about your Hidden Mist Village's plans."

Master Yuan smiled and nodded. He leaned on his cane and slowly walked to the sand table, his gaze fixed on the map.

"Lord Raikage, everyone."

The Master's voice was unhurried, "The Land of Whirlpools is located at sea, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. Although their Whirlpool Clan is not good at direct combat, their use of barriers and sealing techniques is superb. The entire Land of Whirlpools is shrouded in a powerful barrier."

"Um..."

The Third Raikage extended his finger and tapped it heavily on the sand table, on the model of the island representing the Land of Whirlpools.

"My plan is very simple!"

"We will gather the most elite forces of our Cloud Village and your Kirigakure, and from the front, with overwhelming force, we will directly crush their coastline and raze their village to the ground!"

"Use absolute power to crush their ridiculous defenses to dust!"

Ai's words were full of the unique style of Kumogakure, which revered strength and speed.

Simple, direct, and brutal.

"..."

Hijiro, standing to the side, frowned, feeling like black lines were running across his face. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something but then stopped, wanting to say something but then stopping himself.

After listening to Ai's plan, Master Yuan simply smiled and shook his head.

"Lord Raikage, your courage is indeed unparalleled in the ninja world."

Master Yuan spoke slowly, "However, your plan, if I may be so bold, is far too... wasteful."

"waste?"

Ai frowned.

"Yes, it's a waste."

Master Yuan, leaning on his cane, walked to the map, his eyes gleaming with wisdom.

"Lord Raikage, have you considered this? Our goal is the sealing technique scroll of the Land of Whirlpools, not to raze the entire country to the ground. If we follow your plan, although we may achieve victory, it will inevitably cause enormous chaos."

"The Land of Whirlpools is, after all, a country. Although their ninjas are few in number, they are like cornered beasts, fighting to the death."

"In the chaos, will those Uzumaki clan ninjas choose to perish together, burning all those precious scrolls to the ground? Even if we win the war, what's the point if we don't get what we want most?"

Master Yuan patiently explained, "Moreover, the most important thing for our operation this time is speed."

Master Yuan's words made Ai fall into deep thought.

Indeed, he was only thinking about how to win and how to avenge his previous defeat, but he neglected the most fundamental strategic objective.

"and,"

Master Yuan continued, "A frontal assault would cause too much noise. Even if we can end the battle as quickly as possible, there's no guarantee that Konoha won't receive the news."

"Once Konoha's reinforcements arrive, we will be caught in a predicament of being attacked from both sides."

"Then tell me, what should we do?"

Ai's tone was no longer as harsh as before.

Although he was arrogant, he wasn't a fool who wouldn't listen to advice.

My suggestion is...

A sly glint flashed in Yuan Shi's eyes. "Infiltration, assassination, and then... the harvest."

He extended his finger and lightly tapped on the map.

"But any strong fortress can be breached from within."

"We can first send our most elite assassination squad to infiltrate the Land of Whirlpools silently. Their mission is not to fight, but to destroy. Destroy their barrier core, disrupt their command system, and create chaos in their heartland."

"For example, our assassination squad is led by these two geniuses of the Hozuki clan who are beside me."

"Their water-transformation technique allows them to silently infiltrate any location."

Yuan Shi pointed to the Hozuki siblings beside him.

Hozuki Shio immediately puffed out her chest and a smug smile appeared on her face.

"When their defenses crumble due to internal chaos, the two village leaders will lead the main force to launch a thunderous attack from the front."

"By then, the Land of Whirlpools will be thrown into chaos, and they will be powerless to fight back against the combined attack from both sides of our two villages."

"We can get what we want with minimal cost and in the shortest amount of time, and then retreat gracefully."