After receiving the reply from Hyuga Soushu, Suiton Mū was actually quite displeased.
After all, in his letter, Hyuga Soushu spoke to the Mist Ninja Clan with an overbearing tone, implying that it was hopeless for them to remain in Hidden Mist Village and continue fighting the meat mill battle with the Bloodline faction. He claimed their only way forward was to move southward, seize islands, and declare independence.
This attitude of placing the Mist Ninja Clan in a subordinate position immediately ignited anger within Suiton Mū.
But before his fury could fully erupt, the following content in the reply chilled him like a bucket of cold water—Hyuga Soushu further stated that according to the regulations outlined in the "Provisional Administrative Measures for Issuing the Land of Water's Unlimited Letters of Marque (PAM-IULW)" issued by the Ninja Clan Capital Corporation, the first fleet of privateer ships from the mainland would arrive off the coasts of the Land of Water's archipelagos within seven days. Except for the southern islands designated as a retreat path for the Mist Ninja Clan, all other islands within the Land of Water would be subject to attack.
This meant that if the Mist Ninja Clan did not perform a strategic relocation, they were highly likely to be caught up in indiscriminate attacks by these privateer fleets. After all, the mainland attackers probably couldn't tell the Mist Ninja Clan from the Bloodline faction—or even the nobles' hired ninja forces. And honestly, they wouldn't even care to try!
As for the actual scale of this so-called privateer fleet, Hyuga Soushu didn't mention it, and Suiton Mū had no idea either.
Therefore, he dared not take it lightly at all. Immediately, he summoned representatives from the other ninja clans to discuss whether they should follow Hyuga Soushu's instructions.
Hozuki Elder and Kaguya Tsunashige arrived first, followed shortly by the jonin representatives from the other ninja clans.
However, after seeing the original copy of Hyuga Soushu's reply, their expressions showed varying degrees of indignation—even those who had originally advocated seeking aid and retreating expressed disapproval.
"We are not his vassals!"
A Mist ninja who previously supported relocating to the southern islands muttered loudly.
He made no attempt to keep his voice down—he wanted everyone to hear his anger at Hyuga Soushu's demands.
Everyone knew the rule—"The man on the spot outranks the distant official." If they hastily voiced support, they might draw unwanted attention from the Suiton Clan—which would definitely bring nothing but trouble.
The other clan representatives nodded in agreement and then simultaneously turned their gazes toward the three influential clan leaders.
Hozuki Elder appeared somewhat conflicted, while Kaguya Tsunashige remained composed as always.
Many young members of the Kaguya Clan had already been sent to the Hyuga Clan under the guise of being entrusted to their care. They were now undergoing training in the Hyuga Clan's core Instructor Corps and [Shinsengumi (Special Task Force)]. As long as the Kaguya Clan didn't recklessly cause problems, these de facto hostages could look forward to promising futures.
Although the Kaguya Clan would inevitably face infiltration by the Hyuga in the future, at least they'd escape the suffocating cage formed by the Mist Ninja Clan's lineage in the Land of Water. It could still be seen as an opportunity to carve out a new world for themselves.
But Hozuki was different from Suiton—they still dreamed of standing on their own two feet and carving out their own power.
Tsunashige Kaguya silently observed everyone's expressions, mentally categorizing them all before preparing a detailed report on the Mist Ninja Clans' intentions and movements for Hyuga Soushu.
After exchanging quiet words with Elder Hozuki, the Suiton Clan Leader asked, "Do you all truly intend to withdraw from the village and relocate to the southern islands?"
The group of clan ninja remained silent.
In the current uncertain situation, playing it safe was the wisest move. Although this might displease their superiors, at least they wouldn't stand out and become targets.
"The Kaguya Clan will head south."
The first to speak was the barely noticeable Tsunashige Kaguya, whose statement drew sidelong glances from the others. "Our clan has already lost nearly half our numbers in this war; we cannot afford further losses!"
"And our resources have also been nearly depleted,"
Tsunashige added, pausing momentarily before pulling out some dried meat and chewing on it.
"Resources…"
The gathered clan ninja simultaneously sighed, rubbing their foreheads in frustration.
Most ninja clans were responsible for their own supplies during wartime.
Although both the Hozuki and Suiton clans had generously distributed provisions, standard equipment like ninja tools, explosive tags, and medical supplies still needed replenishment. Especially now, as battle grew increasingly brutal and resource consumption accelerated far beyond expectations.
Originally, standard rations had been calculated based on A-rank mission expenditure levels, but now vanished within half a day of combat, putting enormous pressure on every clan's supply reserves.
Furthermore, the biggest challenge during wartime wasn't just limited resources—it was that even money couldn't guarantee access to desperately needed supplies.
At this point, many clan storages were practically empty. Without emergency distributions of critical supplies from the Hozuki and Suiton clans, many clan ninja would have already found themselves completely devoid of essential combat equipment.
"On the bright side, those Crimson Mist faction bastards seem to be struggling too—recently captured supplies from fallen enemies have decreased significantly."
One clan ninja pointed out.
"But they've got numbers on their side!"
Another immediately countered.
Everyone fell silent again.
Perhaps the Crimson Mist faction under Third Mizukage faced similar shortages, but with superior manpower, they could still gradually grind down relatively elite clan forces through attritional warfare—that was exactly the dilemma.
"In that case… let's move south then."
After carefully observing everyone's reactions, Elder Hozuki made the decision.
"Now that we're all here, we'll follow the general consensus!"
Though clearly reluctant, the Suiton Clan Leader still agreed with Elder Hozuki's judgment.
Anyone who failed to read the room didn't deserve their place among leaders.
Thus, the resolution passed unanimously. The Hidden Mist clans began dispersing operations to prepare for staggered withdrawals, providing mutual cover while evacuating the Hidden Mist Village headquarters.
The privateering license, an unprecedented initiative in the Ninja World, spread like wildfire to all the great Hidden Villages within an hour of its release.
Kumo, which had long harbored deep hatred toward Mist, was especially eager to act, ready to avenge the previous invasion by the Hidden Mist.
Meanwhile, the envoy sent by Hyuga Soushu arrived at Raimei Canyon and presented the Third Raikage with a tempting set of offers.
"Armaments will be sold at cost, express transport ships will be provided for free, spoils of war can be collected through our buyback service, and there will even be performance-based rewards according to privateer rankings."
After reading the personal invitation from Hyuga Soushu, the Third Raikage felt a stirring in his heart.
Now *this* was the feeling of taking action!
Although both the Third Raikage and the Jonin Assembly knew that Hyuga Soushu was using Mist as bait to drain Kumo's strength, and although those seemingly generous conditions would still require Kumo ninja to pay for them in blood and iron,
"Still, how much military power does Mist actually have left? We currently lack reliable intelligence sources."
An elder from Kumo raised the question most pressing on the Raikage's mind.
"Mist still has around thirteen thousand battle-ready ninja. Of these, around five thousand are gathered at the village headquarters as part of the Bloodline faction, while another three thousand are Clan-affiliated ninja."
The Hyuga envoy, who had been dispatched on this mission, replied calmly and without deference.
"In other words, throughout the entire Land of Water—including but not limited to coastal regions across the various islands—there are fewer than five thousand ninja assigned to coastal defense units. Furthermore, the Bloodline faction has already recalled some of these coastal defenders back to the village for combat operations."
"Then you must know exactly which seas or islands are poorly defended?"
One of the Kumo Jonin stood up to ask. "If so, can you provide such information?"
"All ninja who officially accept the privateering license and agree to the non-interference protocol will receive detailed maps of the coastal defenses in the Land of Water!"
The Hyuga envoy said with conviction. "This is the only legitimate source of such intelligence!"
"Oh, and this data has been verified directly by the Mist Ninja Clan. Updated versions will be freely provided based on any adjustments made by the Bloodline faction."
The envoy added as an afterthought.
With that, the value of the intelligence had significantly increased.
The Kumo Jonin exchanged glances, each seeing the same spark of desire in the others' eyes.
They'd still have to pay in blood, but if the risks were manageable, the rewards seemed worth it.
Especially since their main targets would be territories in the Land of Water. As long as they avoided Mist's coastal forces, Kumo ninja could move swiftly inland where they'd enjoy complete freedom to plunder at will. It would also give them a chance to settle old scores—and offer valuable training for newly graduated Kumo Genin.
"Does Lord Soushu have any further requests?"
Seeing the eagerness among his subordinates, the Third Raikage smoothly went along with the current.
"If there are none, then Kumo will accept your organization's terms!"
"No further demands," the envoy said. "Other than to avoid direct conflict with other ninja licensed under the same program. Otherwise, our Standing Ninja Army will ensure justice for the aggrieved party!"
The Third Raikage immediately said,
"Other parties? Who else?"
The Third Raikage's brow furrowed instantly.
"Iwagakure might also participate in the attack on the Land of Water and Kirigakure."
The Hyuga envoy replied politely.
All the Kumo jonin immediately frowned.
But considering they were currently under external pressure and that Iwagakure had also been exploited by the Ninja Clan Capital Corporation, it seemed better to temporarily put aside past grudges.
Thus, the Third Raikage casually changed the subject, beginning to discuss with the envoy various secondary issues such as logistics supplies and medical services.
After learning about the proclamation issued by the Ninja Clan Capital Corporation, Iwagakure was the first to respond and immediately began organizing a small ninja fleet preparing to participate in the privateering operation.
The primary reason for Iwagakure's reconciliation with the Ninja Clan Capital Corporation was its severe ninja overpopulation problem.
Especially during the period when Bird Country and Sunagakure were engaged in prolonged battles, through the Earth Daimyo, the Third Tsuchikage obtained substantial funds and trained over a thousand newly graduated genin and more than five hundred guardian ninjas who directly served the daimyo. For the next three to five years, Iwagakure planned to maintain an annual growth rate above 8 percent.
Therefore, the Third Tsuchikage faced a bittersweet dilemma—sufficient funding to train ninjas but insufficient resources to sustain them. Entry-level missions providing practical experience opportunities for genin had drastically decreased due to the expansion of the daimyo's guardian ninja forces. Coupled with encroachments by the Ninja Clan Capital Corporation along the borders of the Land of Earth, even more low-tier mission quotas were eaten away.
Yet Iwagakure could not just allow those freshly graduated genin straight out of ninja academy to idle around the village receiving basic allowances without purpose; they had no choice but to find something meaningful for them to do.
Thus, the privateering license became a perfect battlefield training opportunity in the eyes of Iwagakure's jonin.
"Making money isn't the priority. The real purpose is to give the next generation proper training opportunities!"
This was how the Iwagakure jonin supporting the raiding campaign against the Land of Water expressed it.
Of course, the deeper underlying reason was that these elite jonin needed room to turn their combat skills into tangible gains!
Since the Earth Daimyo established a standardized guardian ninja unit, the number of missions available to Iwagakure plummeted sharply. Additionally, ninja clan corporate enterprises nearly monopolized all mission markets within buffer states, continuously infiltrating into the peripheral regions of the Land of Earth, which directly caused a massive reduction in mission opportunities and economic sources for Iwagakure ninjas.
Although after increasing the military budget, annual incomes of Iwagakure's jonin saw some improvement, this also brought tighter controls from the village, undoubtedly constraining those ambitious jonin aspiring to compete for the position of the next Tsuchikage.
Because building a personal power base not only required financial backing but also needed strong prestige as its foundation. And the most effective way to accumulate prestige was achieving remarkable feats on the battlefield, thus winning people's respect and admiration.
Therefore, Iwagakure's Jonin saw the Land of Water—about to face a joint offensive from the Ninja World continent—as a perfect target. Whether seeking war profits or using this chance to gain popularity, invading the Land of Water was a golden opportunity they couldn't afford to miss, a moment for them to truly prove themselves.
This was also the main driving force behind Iwagakure's enthusiastic response.
Although the Third Tsuchikage had his doubts, seeing all the Jonin in the village eager and ready to act, he found himself unable to go against the general will. Even though he inwardly disapproved of this war effort that openly disrupted the balance among the Five Great Nations, he could only set aside his concerns and pretend not to see the Jonin leading their Directly Commanded Units on wild rampages.
After all, once other ninja started jumping into the fray, even if the Tsuchikage himself refused to join, he couldn't stop them from leaping in either—or else he'd be seen as out of step.
Once all preparations were complete, the Ninja Clan Capital Corporation, together with Iwagakure and Kumo, issued a joint declaration, announcing a full blockade of all maritime routes entering and exiting the Land of Water until the Hidden Mist Village had fully restored order.
Then, before the Land of Water and Hidden Mist could even respond, swarms of privateer fleets descended upon the country like locusts, unleashing chaos across its lands.
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