Chapter 51: The Hidden Mist's Plan
Hidden Mist Village, Kiyoshi, who was not out on a mission, was instructing his subordinates at the First Training Ground when suddenly the piercing cry of a Ninja Hawk echoed through the sky. Kiyoshi's expression changed; this was the highest level of combat readiness notification.
"Continue your training on your own!" Kiyoshi didn't have time to explain, leaving behind these words before quickly changing his attire and heading towards the Mizukage Tower.
On the way, Kiyoshi also received urgent intelligence from his subordinates in the underground exchange. After glancing at the contents, Kiyoshi instantly understood and accelerated his Body Flicker Technique.
Inside the conference room of the Mizukage Tower, several elders, the heads of various clans, the heads of various departments, the squad leaders of the Anbu, and all the Jōnin currently in the village had gathered in the room. Even Kaguya Musashi, the head of the Kaguya clan, whose relationship with the Hidden Mist Village was currently tense and who did not reside within the village, had arrived.
Kiyoshi, dressed in his Anbu uniform, did not sit with his grandfather Elder Seiji but instead sat with the Commander Ken and the other squad leaders.
As soon as he entered the conference room, Kiyoshi sensed the familiar fluctuations of the Bone Pulse Kekkei Genkai. This was the first time he had seen Kaguya Musashi himself.
Kiyoshi restrained his hateful gaze from looking at Kaguya Musashi, constantly persuading himself that his current strength and influence were not the best time to take action against him.
The door to the conference room opened again, and the Third Mizukage Ice, wearing his Mizukage hat, slowly walked in, nodding to everyone. Behind him followed a ninja with sharp teeth, a beard on his chin, and fluffy bandages wrapped around his neck.
Kiyoshi recognized this ninja named Torune Aburame, knowing that he was a guard ninja personally trained by the Third Mizukage Ice.
"Everyone!" The Third Mizukage cleared his throat and began to speak, his voice amplified by Chakra, echoing throughout the conference room. "I have received definitive intelligence that the Great Ninja War has erupted once again!"
As soon as the words fell, the silent conference room immediately burst into a clamor. The participants whispered among themselves.
"Silence!" Torune Aburame beside Ice said loudly.
"Let me finish speaking first, and then everyone can discuss it," Ice said without paying attention to the noise, continuing, "On the night of September 18th, the Hidden Rain Village proactively launched surprise attacks on the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire. According to the latest intelligence, Salamander Hanzo has led the Rain ninjas into the heart of the Land of Fire!" Ice dropped another bombshell.
This time, the quiet state in the conference room could no longer be maintained. Everyone couldn't believe what they had heard.
One was that the small ninja village of Hidden Rain actually dared to provoke war first, even confronting two major ninja villages simultaneously.
The other was that the current hegemon of the ninja world, the Hidden Leaf Village of the Land of Fire, was unexpectedly close to being attacked at its doorstep.
"Cough cough cough!" An old cough came from the front row. It was Kiyoshi's grandfather Elder Seiji who spoke, "Mizukage-sama, may I ask if our Hidden Mist will participate in the war?"
"No!" Ice denied without the slightest hesitation, then added, "At least not now. The future will depend on the situation. Our most important task at the moment is to prepare for action against the Land of Whirlpools."
Using this conference, the Third Mizukage Ice officially announced the news of the planned attack on the Land of Whirlpools to all the high-ranking members of the village.
"The Hidden Rain attacked the Hidden Sand and Hidden Leaf simultaneously. To achieve any significant results, they must have attacked first and declared war afterward. Although Salamander Hanzo's actions were a bit despicable in this regard, there is actually no problem with it. Because the Hidden Rain, as a small ninja village lacking various ninjutsu inheritances, has a large number of ninjas, even more than our Hidden Mist, but their overall strength, apart from the so-called demigod Salamander Hanzo, is far weaker than that of the Hidden Sand and Hidden Leaf," Ice analyzed.
Then he paused slightly and continued, "The Hidden Rain's goal is nothing more than territory and resources. So, to obtain sufficient benefits, they must seize the initiative in the war and achieve the strategic goal of dragging down the Hidden Sand and Hidden Leaf, and then unexpectedly concentrate their superior forces to carry out a strategic decisive battle, defeating one of the ninja villages in one fell swoop, and then freeing up their forces to fight the other ninja village. And between the Hidden Sand and Hidden Leaf, not only must they be wary of each other, but even if they can temporarily form an alliance, they must also reserve enough ninjas to guard against the Hidden Stone, Hidden Cloud, and even our Hidden Mist. Therefore, I believe the war between them will last at least one to two years."
Ice made his prediction and then continued, "This gives us a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take action against the Land of Whirlpools. Most of the Hidden Leaf Village's vital forces are tied down on the battlefield with the Hidden Rain. As long as we don't actively attack the Hidden Leaf or the Land of Fire, I think the Hidden Leaf's rescue efforts for the Land of Whirlpools will be extremely limited."
"I know that some of you present here do not agree with the creation of tailed beast weapons like Jinchuriki, but according to intelligence, other ninja villages already possess Jinchuriki who can play a role on the battlefield. Having a sword and not using it is completely different from not having a sword at all. Therefore, our Hidden Mist must also possess its own Jinchuriki! Thus, the inheritance of sealing techniques is currently urgently needed by our Hidden Mist Village, and the preparation for the war against the Land of Whirlpools is our top priority right now! I have already dispatched the Anbu to gather relevant intelligence and have contacted the Hidden Cloud, reaching an agreement. The operation plan will be distributed to relevant personnel later. All departments must work together to prepare, and I will launch the war against the Land of Whirlpools at any time depending on the situation on the Hidden Leaf's side!" Ice concluded, firmly stating the future direction of the Hidden Mist.
As for Kiyoshi's plans for the Land of Whirlpools and the Uzumaki clan, Ice didn't need to tell everyone. They could be implemented specifically when the war broke out.
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