Chapter 33: If We Can Screw Over Konoha, Why Not?

"Just go all out!" The Mizukage's assistant scanned the room at everyone who was deep in thought and said, "Every time we send people to scout Uzushiogakure's situation, we run into their ambushes."

"If we send too few people, we get overwhelmed by Uzushio-nin who outnumber us two or three times. If we send too many, not only do we become a bigger target and lose stealth, but Uzushio still sends two or three times our numbers!"

This was utterly exhausting.

The Uzumaki Clan had completely thrown away their dignity. What could they even do about it?

No matter how many people they sent, Uzushio would always send two or three times more. How were they supposed to fight like this?

Send one wave, lose one wave.

Hadn't they noticed that the lower-ranked ninja were already too scared to go out on missions? They hadn't even killed many enemies, yet they were just delivering themselves as easy targets. Even if they died, they wouldn't be recognized as village heroes.

What would happen to their wives, children, and parents without support? Their deaths would be completely meaningless!

Ninja couldn't afford to die so pointlessly. So, a group of jōnin righteously refused.

They wanted to dedicate themselves to more critical hardships for Kirigakure, ensuring every resource was used efficiently, without the slightest waste.

In short, they wouldn't go on these suicidal missions with no benefits. Ninja fought for profit.

"So, we gather all our forces at one point and crush Uzushiogakure in one push," the Mizukage's assistant said, word by word. They would just brute-force it, concentrating all their power into a single strike.

This way, no matter how many ninja Uzushio had, they wouldn't outnumber Kirigakure's forces. Even if they did, so what?

They were just cannon fodder. Even if there were traps…

Damn, those hundreds of millions of explosive tags were indeed dangerous. But they weren't afraid. What were they? Jōnin. If they couldn't defend, they could dodge.

Besides, Uzushio's high-tier combat power was definitely inferior to Kirigakure's. Not counting the Mizukage or the tailed beasts, just the Seven Ninja Swordsmen alone would force Uzushio to pay a heavy price to resist.

"I call this plan the Spearhead Strategy!"

The Mizukage's assistant crossed his hands and rested his chin on them. No wonder he had become the Mizukage's assistant.

It wasn't for nothing. When everyone else was stumped, only he had come up with a solution.

It seemed that even if the Mizukage were to be removed this time, he would still be fine.

The ninja below frowned in thought, especially Hōzuki Gengetsu. They felt the Mizukage's assistant made a good point.

Why were they bothering with small-scale skirmishes? Kirigakure had so many people. Instead of holding back, why not just go all out? What were they waiting for? To waste food?

Hōzuki Gengetsu slammed the table and said fiercely, "Execute it!"

...

"Tsk tsk!" Uzumaki Jun peered through his binoculars at the Kiri-nin's camp. Today, they hadn't sent any scouts out. It seemed Kirigakure had finally gotten smarter.

But…

What exactly were they planning this time?

"Holy shit!" Suddenly, Uzumaki Jun saw an overwhelming number of Kiri-nin pouring out of the camp. A bad feeling rose in his chest. "Don't tell me…"

Why couldn't they just stick to their old tactics? Why gather all their forces now?

Were they going for an all-out assault?

"Pass down the order. Kirigakure has lost patience and is launching their final attack," Uzumaki Jun said solemnly to Uzumaki Kai beside him.

"Continue using shadow clones, Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

If they couldn't win in strength, they'd just block the path with shadow clones. With so many people, even just shouting would probably scare the enemy to death.

That's why when Naruto used Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu, the enemy's intelligence dropped drastically. It wasn't without reason.

Seeing so many identical people was terrifying.

If they all shouted, "Call me Daddy!"

The Kiri-nin would probably be scared stiff.

"And also…" Uzumaki Jun suddenly leaned close to Uzumaki Kai's ear and whispered something.

Uzumaki Kai's expression turned strange, and he awkwardly said, "Isn't that a bit too much?"

"It's fine. After all, we're eternal allies!" Uzumaki Jun replied casually.

"Understood." Hearing this, Uzumaki Kai's expression turned serious as he acknowledged the order.

Since Konoha had screwed over the Uzumaki Clan, they couldn't blame them for retaliating.

Watching Uzumaki Kai leave to carry out the mission, Uzumaki Jun rubbed his chin and glanced subtly at the Senju Clan. For the past few days, he hadn't let the Senju ninja go out.

They were probably getting impatient. After all, they had come to help fight, not just cheer from the sidelines.

Not letting them assist these past few days showed a lack of trust in them.

However, Uzumaki Jun had also thought about the Senju Clan's role. Thirty-some people wouldn't make much difference in a large-scale battle, but…

They had backing.

As long as they were active on the battlefield, the forehead protectors they wore would tell the enemy they were Konoha-nin.

Even if there were only thirty of them, they were still Konoha-nin. The Kiri-nin would see that even Konoha had come to help. Would they dare to keep invading?

Wouldn't they fear Konoha and Uzushiogakure joining forces to surround them?

Moreover, he had just ordered Uzumaki Kai to arrange for some Uzumaki ninja to disguise themselves as Konoha-nin—without the Senju noticing.

As for how the Senju would explain it later, or how Hiruzen Sarutobi would explain it, that wasn't Uzumaki Jun's problem.

Besides, weren't the Senju part of Konoha?

If they said yes, wouldn't they be betraying the First and Second Hokage? What?

The Senju were indeed part of Konoha, but they had come to help without orders?

Please, Uzushiogakure was their ally. If they had the ability to help but didn't, wouldn't that be a betrayal of the First and Second Hokage's legacy?

No matter what, once the Senju Clan joined the fight, Konoha would have no choice but to take the blame. Even if other villages believed Konoha was heartless enough to not send help, Kirigakure wouldn't buy it.

Especially after losing the war, wouldn't they need a scapegoat to demand reparations from?

Konoha had just won the war and was rolling in money. Who else would they demand compensation from if not Konoha? Uzushiogakure?

Please, they were the invaders. Unless absolutely necessary, Kirigakure wouldn't stoop so low. Did they think Kirigakure had no shame?

In any case, Uzumaki Jun was determined to pin this mess on Konoha. Not doing so would be a disservice to himself.

Who told them to covet someone else's assets?

"Sorry for making you spend money. My apologies!"

As for what would happen if Konoha didn't inherit anything in the end?

Not his problem.

The Uzumaki Clan wasn't even dead yet, and Konoha was already eyeing their inheritance. How shameless could they be?

So, Hiruzen Sarutobi would only smile on the surface and say that Konoha and Uzushiogakure were eternal allies. They had the ability and the duty to protect their ally's interests and safety. As for what he was really thinking inside…

Heh.

Uzumaki Jun didn't care.

As long as Uzushiogakure survived, being called a few names was nothing.