Naruto's civilian cannon fodder starts with the three-body technique

Chapter 447 Imperial Graveyard
Just as tensions were running high and a conflict was about to erupt.

Outside the command post, a steady sound of footsteps could be heard.

Wearing a white divine robe, Sasuke Umino arrived just in time with several Jonin captains from the Iron Wall Legion.

"Stop! We are all fellow countrymen of Konoha, why are you turning against each other with swords?!"

Umino Sasuke asked in a deep voice, his gaze sweeping over the two opposing sides before finally landing on Danzo, "Elder Danzo, what exactly is going on?"

Hyuga Muneyoshi, as if seeing a savior, rushed forward and said urgently, "Clan Chief Sasuke! You've come at the perfect time! Danzo, under the guise of Hokage, is actually trying to seize power and forcibly reorganize our clan's soldiers. His intentions are despicable! As the clan chief of the Umino clan and a representative of the powerful clans of Konoha, how can you sit idly by?!"

Sasuke Umino's face showed a timely expression of shock and doubt as he looked at Danzo: "Elder Danzo, is what Clan Chief Muneyoshi said true? Has the Hokage given any clear instructions regarding this matter?"

Danzo snorted coldly, seemingly quite displeased with Umino Sasuke's questioning, but still took out the order scroll and threw it over: "Umino, take a look for yourself. The Hokage's order is here, authorizing me to fully reorganize these clan soldiers in preparation for the upcoming great battle!"

Umino Sasuke took the scroll, examined it carefully, and at the opportune moment, a look of struggle and embarrassment appeared on his face.

Finally, he took a deep breath and handed the scroll back to Danzo, his tone carrying a helpless yet firm tone: "The order... is indeed written by the Hokage himself, the seal is correct, but—"

"Umino Sasuke, do you also intend to question the Hokage's decisions?!"

"this--"

Umino Sasuke was speechless, and said helplessly, "Since it is the Hokage's order, I, Umino Sasuke, as a Konoha ninja, should obey! Alas! Everything should be for the benefit of the village!"

Upon hearing this, Hyuga Muneyoshi and all the ninja clan representatives behind him changed their expressions drastically. Their last hope and reliance were instantly shattered!
They never imagined that Umino Sasuke, as a member of the ninja clan, and one of the oldest, would be so stubborn and, under the Hokage's orders, completely disregard the interests of his clan and choose to stand on Danzo's side.

Hyuga Muneyoshi looked at Umino Sasuke's righteous yet stubborn face and felt a chill in his heart.

The young man before me is not a political ally that can be won over, but a perfect ninja who is even more pure than Hatake Sagumo. Talking to him about clan interests is like talking to a brick wall.

Danzo was very satisfied with Umino Sasuke's statement. He looked sharply at Umino Sasuke with his one eye and ordered without room for doubt, "Umino-squad leader, since you have no objections, then please fulfill your duty and assist me in completing this reorganization! Anyone who dares to disobey orders... will be treated as a traitor!"

He emphasized the last five words heavily, his chilling killing intent undisguisedly directed at the ninja representative opposite him.

Sasuke Umino's face showed struggle, as if he still wanted to negotiate, but under Danzo's relentless pressure with the Hokage's order in hand, he could only sigh helplessly and wave to the Iron Wall Army of Jonin behind him, signaling them to cooperate at any time.

Looking at the menacing Anbu around him and the Iron Wall Legion that had already expressed their support, and feeling Danzo's almost tangible and undisguised killing intent, Hyuga Muneyoshi had no doubt that if they dared to resist, Danzo, that madman, would very likely take this opportunity to carry out a bloody purge.

He had no doubt that Danzo was capable of doing it!
The ninja clans are powerful in Konoha, even influencing the Hokage's decisions, but this is on the front lines, where military power is paramount. Besides, Sasuke Umino actually supports Danzo.

No matter how powerful the ninja clans are, even if they hold a majority stake in Konoha, when faced with weapons, it's like a military conflict between nobles and ninjas. No matter how strong the nobles are or how much support they have, they are still flesh and blood, afraid of head-on clashes, and will definitely suffer from insufficient military strength.

Thinking of this, cold sweat instantly soaked Hyuga Muneyoshi's back.

He swallowed hard, exchanged a glance with Uchiha Fugaku beside him, whose face was equally pale, and saw deep helplessness and fear in each other's eyes.

With such a vast disparity in strength and no legitimate cause, to resist? That would be suicide!

They whispered among themselves.

"We... obey the Hokage's orders."

Hinata Muneyoshi practically spat out those words through gritted teeth, instantly appearing as if he had aged ten years.

The ninja representatives behind him, as if their spines had been removed, lowered their heads in dejection.

"Very good!" Danzo's face broke into a victor's smile, his single eye gleaming with satisfaction. "Those who know when to yield are the wise! So, let the reorganization begin now!"

However, the ninja clan's compromise does not mean they were willing to comply.

During the subsequent reorganization process, these ninja clans started playing tricks again.

Naturally, they were unwilling to let their elite clan soldiers fall into the hands of Danzo, their mortal enemy. Therefore, a large number of clan soldiers, especially those who were not of the clan bloodline, were recommended to serve under Umino Sasuke.

Their plan was shrewd: firstly, to prevent Danzo from benefiting, and secondly, to use this opportunity to create conflict between Danzo and Sasuke Unno over the distribution of military power.

However, their wishful thinking failed once again.

Danzo and Sasuke Unno did have some disagreements over troop allocation, but it was far from a violent conflict.

Danzo held the Hokage's orders and was in a position of great righteousness. Moreover, he had a clear goal: to select only the most elite family geniuses to enter his Root organization, or more accurately, the Western Depot's reserve force. His screening mechanism was extremely strict, and not just anyone could meet his standards.

These genius ninjas from various clans, due to their bloodline talents and mastery of secret techniques, are often the core strength of their respective ninja clans.

Meanwhile, Sasuke Unno showed "consideration for the big picture," accepting all the "trash" that Danzo had rejected and incorporating them all into the Iron Wall Army's system.

In this way, the two thousand ninja clan allied forces were tacitly divided up by these two major forces, like dividing a cake.

Danzo gained top-tier elite troops, while Sasuke Unno acquired a large number of soldiers with considerable potential.

Of course, digesting these clan soldiers was not an easy task. Most of them had a high degree of loyalty to their original clans. The ninjas who were recruited into Root by Danzo were easier to digest and could be digested in a simple and brutal way.

It takes a lot of effort to get into the Iron Wall Legion system. Fortunately, Danzo has picked off the troublemakers, leaving mostly soldiers from the ninja clan's side branches or other clans.

Of course, the Iron Wall Legion is not without its own problems. With its unique welfare system, such as mechanical prosthetics, attribute-enhancing potions, relatively equal promotion channels, and advanced management model, after a long period of digestion and transformation, it is believed that soon, when these people experience what it's like to be in charge and acquire resources through their own strength, they will find it hard to return to the past state of being dependent on the family and having their fate controlled by others.

Thus, with troops at their disposal and the Hokage's orders personally delivered by Hiruzen Sarutobi, not to mention the formidable power of Danzo, the ninja clans dared not take any risks. In the end, the largest armed force of the frontline ninja clans was dismantled without bloodshed, greatly weakening their influence in the military.

Although these ninja clans still maintain considerable power within the village, they have lost their henchmen on the front lines and have become unusually "well-behaved" in order to avoid being used as cannon fodder by Danzo.

They subsequently made several attempts to win over Umino Sasuke, who was "obsessed with research," but he politely brushed them off each time with excuses such as the critical period of his research and "putting the interests of Konoha first." Of course, he accepted all the benefits offered without any embarrassment; only by accepting these gifts could the ninja clan feel at ease, otherwise, they might have other ideas.

He wasn't accepting gifts; he was trying to reassure people.

After completing the integration of the front-line troops, Danzo, as the nominal commander-in-chief of the front lines, was quite pleased with himself and felt that the power in his hands was stronger than ever before.

Without further delay, he led the Konoha ninja army, whose morale was soaring, and marched into the heart of the Land of Earth.

In the early stages, Konoha's forces encountered almost no significant resistance.

Iwagakure suffered heavy losses, and its remaining forces dared not confront Konoha's main force head-on.

The Konoha ninja army captured several border towns in succession, seizing a considerable amount of spoils. The thrill of plunder excited many Konoha ninjas.

However, the good times did not last long.

As the Konoha ninja army penetrated deep into the Land of Earth, a familiar pattern unfolded, only this time the roles were reversed.

"Report! The third logistics team has been ambushed, and most of their supplies have been destroyed!"

"Report! The 7th Reconnaissance Platoon lost contact after entering the canyon ahead!"

"Report! The newly captured town has been frequently harassed at night, and the defending ninjas have suffered heavy casualties!"

The hunter of yesteryear is now the target of harassment.

The Iwa ninjas perfectly applied the guerrilla tactics they had "learned" from the Iron Wall Army on the battlefield in the Land of Waterfall to the mountainous and cave-filled terrain of the Land of Earth.

They broke into smaller groups, appeared and disappeared unpredictably, and used their familiarity with the terrain to specifically attack Konoha's logistics lines, reconnaissance teams, and garrison troops.

Strike once and retreat immediately; never linger in battle.

This annoyed the Konoha ninja army to no end, like punching cotton.

Inside the command post, Danzo paced back and forth in frustration, his single eye filled with malice. He slammed his fist on the table: "Damn it! These Iwagakure rats! All they know is to hide in their burrows and ambush! If they've got the guts, they should come out and fight fair and square!"

He was as frustrated as he was when he was fighting Konoha's guerrilla tactics in the Land of Waterfall and the Hidden Stone Village.

"Is that old bastard Onoki a hamster?! Just how many holes has he dug in the Land of Earth?!" Danzo cursed angrily.

Sitting to the side, "Umino Sasuke" reassured him, "Elder Danzo, please calm down. The Land of Earth has a complex terrain, and Iwagakure is skilled in Earth Release techniques. They are determined to wage guerrilla warfare, so it is indeed difficult for us to eliminate them quickly."

He shook his head inwardly, never expecting that the guerrilla tactics he had promoted would now be used against his own people.

Ninjas are individually highly skilled and mobile, making them extremely effective in guerrilla warfare in mountainous environments, comparable to the US military's struggles in Afghanistan in the past.

In the ninja world, the Land of Earth may not be called the "graveyard of empires," but it is in reality one.

"Is there really no way to deal with these rats?!" Danzo roared in frustration.

"This is already considered good; it would have been much more difficult in the tribal era."

Sasuke Umino pondered and analyzed, "Decades ago, the Land of Earth was still a tribal alliance. Successive Tsuchikage and Daimyo have been committed to learning from our Land of Fire and have continuously carried out political reforms, which has made the country more cohesive. This is their advantage, but it is also their weakness."

If we can conquer Iwagakure and the Daimyo's residence in the Land of Earth, forcing the central government to surrender, we can achieve substantial control over the Land of Earth, just like we did with the Land of Wind.

If it were still a place teeming with tribes, that would truly be a nightmare.

At that moment, the curtain of the command center was lifted, and Senju Nawaki walked in, looking tired and indignant: "Elder Danzo, Squad Leader Umino! Another logistics transit station was just attacked by a small group of Iwa ninja! Although we repelled them and annihilated the invaders, they were very cautious, and we were unable to trace their gathering place!"

"It's happening again!" Danzo's face grew even uglier.

Sasuke Umino stood up, walked to the map, and pointed heavily at the location representing the Daimyo's residence in the Land of Earth: "We can't let them lead us by the nose anymore. Pass down the order: abandon any further entanglement with these small groups of Iwa ninja! All units, move towards the main force and concentrate all our forces! We're going to launch a lightning strike and head straight for the Daimyo's residence in the Land of Earth!"

His sharp gaze swept over Danzo and Senju Nawaki: "Regarding logistics, I will contact the Land of Waves to increase the procurement of aircraft and blades, and expand the air force formation, as long as we can maintain the supply line."

"Attack the Daimyo Prefecture?!" Upon hearing this, Danzo's one eye instantly flashed with a terrifying light. His previous agitation vanished, replaced by an almost frenzied excitement and exhilaration.

How can the thrill of plundering a town compare to the sense of accomplishment of conquering the heart of a nation's power?!

"Good! Good! Good! That's it! Men!" Danzo rubbed his hands excitedly and immediately roared at the messenger ninja, "Execute the order! All troops retreat, target—the Daimyo's residence in the Land of Earth! Charge there at top speed!"

Under Danzo's death order and Umino Sasuke's covert command, the Konoha ninja army ignored the harassment along the way, concentrated their superior forces, and plunged into the heart of the Land of Earth.

They advanced with unstoppable momentum, capturing several important towns along the way, and their advance was aimed directly at the core area where Daming Prefecture was located.

On a secluded hilltop in the distance.

Ōnoki hovered in mid-air, gazing at the unstoppable Konoha army like a flood, his face ashen, his fists clenched so tightly that his nails dug deep into his palms.

He felt a deep sense of powerlessness. Konoha's military strength was simply too great, with several Kage-level shinobi alone. On his side, his elite troops were wiped out, his Jinchuriki was captured, and he himself was still recovering from his injuries and in poor condition. In particular, he was facing the counter to Umino Sasuke's Gravity Secret Technique. If he was not careful, he might die.

"Send the order!"

Onoki's voice was hoarse and weary, "Don't engage Konoha's main force head-on! All squads, break into smaller groups and launch a full-scale attack on their supply lines! Especially those key supply points marked on the map! Find a way to cut off their food and supplies! I want to see how long they can hold out with this reckless advance!"

The order was quickly relayed, and the Iwa ninjas burrowed underground, spreading out quietly through the extensive network of tunnels and caverns to carry out the Tsuchikage's instructions.

(End of this chapter)