Inside the Land of Fire border command post, candlelight flickered, illuminating faces with various expressions.
Shun stood before the map on the table, his fingers gently tapping on the map of the Land of Water, his crimson Sharingan glinting in the dim light.
His voice was unusually calm. "Kirigakure is different from Iwagakure. They first experienced a coup and internal strife, then were ambushed by Sunagakure. Now, their remaining combat strength is only about six thousand."
He looked up, his gaze sweeping over the four people in the room—Fugaku, Yashiro, Unkai, and Tetsu.
"Kirigakure has no intention of occupying the Land of Fire's cities. They are more like a band of brigands, taking advantage of the chaos to plunder resources, so their will to fight is weak. This is also why Hiruzen and the others underestimate Kirigakure."
Yashiro narrowed his eyes, his greed undisguised. "Shun, is there an opportunity for our Uchiha in this?"
Shun's finger tapped lightly on the edge of the map, his voice low and dangerous. "Actually, if it weren't to help Fugaku-sama contend for the Fourth Hokage position, I would suggest directly destroying Kirigakure and making it our Uchiha's private garden."
The room fell silent for a moment.
Yashiro's breathing noticeably quickened. "Shun, if we really were to fight, how confident are you in destroying Kirigakure ?"
Shun's gaze was confident and firm, he chuckled softly. "One hundred percent."
"One hundred percent?" Unkai couldn't help but exclaim.
Shun's finger traced over the location of Kirigakure on the map, his voice terrifyingly calm.
"Fourth Mizukage Yagura rose to power through a coup, so the original Kirigakure high-ranking officials must have been purged. In other words, Kirigakure's advanced combat strength has been severely depleted."
His fingertip tapped lightly as he continued his analysis, "They dispatched over 3,000 ninjas to plunder the Land of Fire amidst the chaos. While this diverted internal pressure, it also plunged them into a fatal crisis."
Unkai asked urgently, "What crisis?"
A glint flashed in Shun's eyes, as if he had spotted precious prey.
"Kirigakure now only has just over 3,000 defenders internally. And we have over 4,000 elites."
He looked up, his gaze like a blade. "While Kirigakure's main forces are out, we will strike directly at their heart, and Kirigakure is sure to be destroyed."
The air in the room seemed to freeze for a moment.
If anyone else had proposed such a crazy plan, they would have scoffed at it. But the speaker was Shun, a man who would create legends.
In terms of strength, he was only Elite Jonin level, which was certainly great but not much in the grand scheme of things.
But in terms of intelligence analysis, war strategy, etc, his talent was terrifying.
If he said he could destroy a village, it was genuinely possible that he could.
A few days ago, they had defeated over 6,000 Iwagakure ninjas in a night raid, with fewer numbers.
Destroying one of the Five Great Ninja villages?
With such a high success rate, it naturally held a strong appeal.
Yashiro, Unkai, and Tetsu seemed to have reached a consensus. They all looked at Fugaku, awaiting his decision.
Fugaku remained silent, his Three-Tomoe Sharingan faintly visible in the shadows. The temptation of destroying a village was indeed great, but he knew his own limitations.
Last time, during the night raid against Iwagakure, he had used Susanoo, which seemed powerful but also consumed a large amount of ocular power, leading to a noticeable decline in his eyesight.
If he were to fight to the death with the Fourth Mizukage, he would probably win, but after winning, how much longer could his Mangekyo be used?
Seeing his delay in responding, Unkai couldn't help but urge, "Clan head Fugaku, this is an opportunity not to be missed."
Prolonged use of the Mangekyo leads to blindness, this was a crucial Uchiha secret, which Fugaku naturally wouldn't reveal. So, his gaze subtly swept towards that man.
Shun immediately understood, and suddenly changed the topic, laughing wildly. "Hahaha, everyone, what I just said about destroying Kirigakure was just a joke."
"Oh?" Yashiro raised an eyebrow slightly, with a hint of suspicion.
Shun spread his hands helplessly and said, "The Land of Water is an island. Even if we conquer it, we can't hold it, and the actual gains are limited. It would also cause other ninja villages to ostracize Konoha. So, as I said before, our real goal should be to return to Konoha and contend for the Fourth Hokage position."
Fugaku subtly breathed a sigh of relief, and seized the opportunity to interject, "Shun is right, the top priority is to return to Konoha."
He stood up, his Mangekyo Sharingan slowly rotating. "Issue the order, the entire army will set off, we are returning to Konoha."
...
As the order was given, the over 4,000 Konoha ninjas were first stunned, then erupted in thunderous cheers.
"Finally, we can go home!"
"Hahaha, this bonus is enough for me to drink for a year."
"Hatano, big brother is leaving, you'll be very lonely by yourself, why don't you live with me?"
The ninjas' faces were filled with long-lost smiles. The war had lasted over a year, and everyone was exhausted. Now, finally being able to return to their familiar village and see their families, this joy was impossible to hide.
Shun stood on a high vantage point, looking at the cheering crowd below, the corners of his lips slightly upturned.
Yukari stood beside him, saying softly, "It seems everyone can't wait."
"Yes, this war has lasted too long."
His gaze swept over the crowd, noticing that many ninjas had already begun packing their belongings, and some were even eagerly pulling out their newly issued bonuses, excitedly discussing with their companions which tavern they would celebrate at after returning to the village.
As night fell, the army of over 4,000 people set off in a grand procession.
However, in this seemingly festive atmosphere, shadows subtly stirred in the darkness.
Swish... Swish... Swish...
Figures streaked across the treetops, quickly disappearing into the night.
"Report! Fugaku has led the front-line troops back to Konoha, numbering approximately four thousand!"
"Continue monitoring."
Similar scenes played out continuously along the way.
Spies from various countries, rogue ninjas, and even scouts from other clans within Konoha, were all closely monitoring the movements of this large army.
...
The midday sun shone on the towering gates of Konoha, and the over four thousand ninjas, seeing the familiar silhouette from afar, immediately erupted in thunderous cheers.
"Finally, we're back!"
"Look! It's Hokage Rock!"
"Aoi, you said you would marry me when we returned to Konoha, you can't go back on your word."
The ninjas' tired faces finally showed relaxed smiles, some even excitedly took off their headbands and waved them high.
The war was over, they had returned home alive.
Shun stood at the front of the line, calculating the days.
Over 4 days had passed since the Kannabi Bridge incident, Kakashi and Rin had already been sent to reinforce the Kirigakure battlefield. The day Rin would have her heart ripped out was approaching.