The young man smiled faintly and said calmly, "Lord Kazekage, declaring war on the Lands of Earth and Water would be an exercise in futility. Especially with the Land of Water, whose territory is far from ours. Even if we won, we wouldn't be able to invade their lands effectively."
"The Land of Earth has already suffered significant losses from their direct clash with the Third Raikage. They are unlikely to take any action against our nation in the near future."
"Although the Land of Lightning has lost the Third Raikage, his son is still a Kage-level shinobi. The decline in their military strength has not been as significant as it might seem."
"Additionally, the most significant difference between our village and others lies in our strategic weapon—our Jinchūriki."
"The Land of Earth has the Four-Tails and Five-Tails, the Land of Lightning has the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails, the Land of Water has the Three-Tails and Six-Tails, and the Land of Fire has the Nine-Tails."
"We, on the other hand, only have the One-Tail, and we can't even deploy it on the battlefield."
"A shinobi capable of controlling a Tailed Beast can wreak far more havoc on the battlefield than a Kage-level shinobi..."
"So, what you're saying is that we should just admire others' strength and belittle our own?" the scar-faced man interrupted impatiently.
"Iwagakure managed to exhaust the Third Raikage with ten thousand shinobi. We can just as easily drown our enemies in a sea of soldiers!" The scar-faced Jōnin's tone was sharp, his expression filled with disdain. "Of course, if you're afraid of dying, feel free to hide in the village!"
"Enough, Nobuhiro! Let Sōmi finish speaking!" the Kazekage commanded sternly, his voice carrying an undeniable authority.
"Yes, Lord Kazekage!" Nobuhiro Ishizaki responded respectfully. Though his eyes still carried a hint of contempt for the young genius, his respect for the Kazekage was unwavering.
Sōmi gave the Kazekage a slight nod before continuing, his expression unchanged. "The timing is almost right. Using a human wave tactic to eliminate the top combat forces of other nations may succeed, but it would bring no real benefit to our country."
"What we need are tangible territorial resources."
"Our negotiations with the Land of Fire have made no progress because they are merely stalling for time. The pressure on their battlefronts has eased considerably compared to before, so it's only a matter of time before the talks completely collapse."
"The time has come for us to strike decisively and make a lasting impact."
"My proposal is to mobilize our forces and swiftly take control of the Lands of Birds, Rivers, and Stones."
"Once we've taken these territories, our logistics units should immediately follow to construct defensive fortifications to fend off counterattacks from the Lands of Fire and Earth."
"Treat the civilians with kindness and pacify them. As for those who resist... show no mercy!" Sōmi's tone remained steady, but as he spoke the words "show no mercy," an intimidating aura unconsciously emanated from him.
The shinobi in the room exchanged glances. Some clearly struggled to comprehend Sōmi's proposal.
"The Lands of Rivers and Birds, fine, but what's the point of taking the Land of Stones? That place is nothing but a pile of rocks, with very little arable land!" Nobuhiro Ishizaki exclaimed, his face full of confusion and disdain. "We should target the Land of Fire instead!"
"Even a small piece of land from the Land of Fire is far more fertile than anything else!" he added, his tone filled with scorn.
Sōmi ignored Nobuhiro's ridicule and stood silently after finishing his proposal.
The office fell into a brief silence.
After a moment, the Kazekage broke the quiet. "Sōmi, why not attack the Land of Fire?"
"Lord Kazekage, with all due respect, even with the Land of Fire engaged on three fronts, and even with a surprise attack, we are no match for them," Sōmi replied, turning to face the Kazekage.
"..."
"This little brat..."
"How dare he say something like that..."
Sōmi's words caused an uproar in the office. The Jōnin began murmuring among themselves, their egos bruised by what they perceived as a lack of ambition.
In their minds, if they were to wage war, their target should naturally be the Land of Fire, with its superior geographical conditions.
"Ahem!"
The Kazekage cleared his throat softly, and the room fell silent as he cast a sweeping gaze over the group.
"Sōmi is absolutely correct. Don't let our recent development fool you into thinking we are on par with the Land of Fire. Konohagakure is home to countless Forbidden Techniques and Kekkei Genkai. To say nothing of the Uchiha and Hyūga clans, whose mastery of their bloodline abilities far surpasses that of ordinary shinobi."
"There's also the kunoichi from the Uzumaki clan. Rumor has it she can control the Nine-Tails' power!"
"And let's not forget the Yellow Flash, who has stolen the spotlight in this war. Human wave tactics and multi-front battles are meaningless in the face of his space-time ninjutsu."
"If we cannot counter his space-time ninjutsu, sheer numbers will only lead to us being picked off one by one."
"Even Kumogakure, known for its fearless warriors, has issued orders allowing their shinobi to abandon missions and flee if they encounter the Yellow Flash," the Third Kazekage said, his tone filled with caution and frustration.
"Therefore, I believe Sōmi's proposal is entirely feasible. Avoid direct conflict with the Land of Fire, annex smaller nations to strengthen ourselves, and wait for the right opportunity to act!"
"Does anyone have any objections?" the Kazekage asked as he stood, slamming his hand onto the map of the shinobi world. His hand landed squarely on the Land of Rivers.
"None!" the shinobi shouted in unison.
"Good! Let's proceed with drafting a detailed battle plan!"
After the meeting concluded, the scar-faced man walked down the street with another middle-aged shinobi. His face showed a hint of confusion as he asked his companion, "Hey, why do you think Lord Kazekage didn't suggest attacking the Land of Rain?"
His companion, a round-faced man with a simple and honest demeanor, chuckled and said, "I have no idea! Nobuhiro, why do you care so much? Just follow Lord Kazekage's orders!"
"Do you think that kid is really as capable as they say?" Nobuhiro asked, casting a sidelong glance at his companion.
"You mean Sōmi? Of course he is! He and Sasori have completed the most S-rank missions in our village!"
"Even though we haven't actively participated in this war until now, we've been well-informed about the conflict. That's because much of the intelligence came from Sōmi!"
"Strictly speaking, he was one of the first shinobi from our village to be involved in this war!" The round-faced man scratched his cheek, his expression showing clear admiration.
Nobuhiro fell into deep thought after hearing this.
"Could that kid really be a genius?" he wondered silently.
"Come on, let's stock up on ninja tools and provisions. We're heading to the Land of Stones tomorrow!"
"This time, we need to make Sunagakure's name resound across the shinobi world!" his companion urged.