To decisively subdue the notoriously tough Takugure ninja, Hyuga Soushu had made thorough preparations.
In addition to regular combat units, he had also brought along his most elite Uchiha Three-Comma Jonin and Uzumaki Clan ninja skilled in Adamantine Sealing Chains.
The entire plan hinged on waiting for the appearance of the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki currently in Takugure's possession.
After all, among the Nine Tailed Beasts, only the Seven-Tails Chomei possessed flight capability — a crucial asset the Shogunate desperately needed to strengthen its forces.
As the Shogunate Ninja Force advanced, a storm of ninjutsu and ninja tools barrage rained down in an extremely short time, annihilating all potential resistance from Takugure right at the starting line.
Even after stepping into the battlefield turned chaos, not a single casualty occurred on their side.
This was a completely one-sided crushing victory!
For the Takugure leader observing from the sidelines, nothing could be more disheartening than this.
"Finished..."
Staring blankly as his forces' positions crumbled upon first contact, the Takugure leader trembled all over, muttering incoherently.
He fully understood that his undertrained, inexperienced Takugure ninja stood no chance against the battle-hardened elites of the Seii Taishogun's Shogunate. Truthfully speaking, he never truly expected to gain any advantage from the Shogunate from the very beginning. He merely hoped putting up even a brief resistance might increase Takugure's bargaining power later, instead of surrendering instantly.
For Takugure, the best possible outcome was being accepted into either the Shogunate or even the Ninja Clan Capital Corporation after demonstrating unique value, becoming a relatively special member within their system.
Maintaining a certain level of independence also offered another advantage — it would allow them to expand their own strength and influence while operating under the Shogunate's system. Who knows, perhaps even compete for control of the Corporation or Shogunate itself following Hyuga Soushu's eventual passing.
This smooth tactical maneuver — playing weak before striking strong — was something the Takugure leader had never been willing to share with anyone else. After all, it represented the only viable path he had painstakingly devised.
Yet it was just like that classic joke about how to put an elephant in a fridge — everything starts with the very first step.
If Takugure failed to demonstrate their combat effectiveness and systemic value during the battle, then the independence so dear to the leader's heart would become purely academic.
"Deploy the Jinchuriki!"
After a moment of hesitation, the Takugure leader clenched his teeth and decided it was time to play his trump card.
If they delayed much longer, the Shogunate Ninja Force would probably have already stormed deep into Takugure Village's core territory. Attempting to activate the plan then would be far too late!
Sure enough, as enemy forces kept pouring in, suddenly a pink chakra pillar erupted from Takugure's rear positions!
"He's out!"
Witnessing this scene, Hyuga Soushu instantly became energized!
Immediately afterwards, he waved his hand, signaling his clan ninja to commence action!
[Adamantine Sealing Chains!]
When the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki had just extracted tailed beast chakra, partially transformed into the beast, and soared into the sky, several Kongo Sealing Chains suddenly appeared out of nowhere, immediately locking onto the body of the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki!
"Ahhh!"
The Jinchuriki, who had been full of fighting spirit moments ago, instantly panicked.
This strange technique was completely foreign to the Jinchuriki, who hailed from a remote ninja village with little experience beyond its borders.
More crucially, the tailed beast chakra that had seemed endless and inexhaustible was cut off like a stream severed at its source as soon as the golden chains tightly bound his body, rapidly drying up and becoming uncontrollable.
"Roar!"
Letting out a furious roar, the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki attempted to break free from this terrifying restraint.
Yet no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't shake off the solid Kongo Sealing Chains controlling him!
Soon, the extracted tailed beast chakra began depleting, and the chakra fluctuations surrounding the Jinchuriki started weakening.
"Keep going!"
With a wave of his hand, Hyuga Soushu gave the order. Sanshouo Hanzo and the Three-Comma Uchiha Jonin, who were already fully prepared, immediately used Body Flicker to rush forward, launching a surprise attack behind enemy lines!
Right after that, the Shogunate Ninja Force that had previously been advancing steadily also began forming small units, initiating a piercing offensive straight toward the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki's position.
"It's over now."
Watching this unfold, the leader of the Takugure ninja felt his limbs go cold, his mind numb and completely dazed.
As for what to do next, he no longer had any solutions.
Therefore, when Sanshouo Ibuse was summoned by Sanshouo Hanzo into the Hidden Waterfall Village, the remaining Takugure ninja, who had still been stubbornly resisting, quickly crumbled into disarray like snow under the sun—completely routed and broken.
Meanwhile, the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki, struggling desperately against the Kongo Sealing Chains cast by the Uzumaki sealing ninjas, could not withstand even a few moves from the group of Uchiha Jonin of the Three-Comma Clan before being swiftly subdued and securely sealed away.
As for the leader of the Takugure ninja, who still stood atop the village's commanding position, he remained in a state of complete bewilderment.
Everything had shifted too fast for him to process!
In the face of such chaos, his mind went blank—there was nothing he could do but stand frozen.
But as the dust settled, despite having run countless possibilities through his mind, all he could ultimately do was surrender.
Especially when two Uchiha Jonin suddenly appeared using Body Flicker on either side of him, the leader of the Takugure ninja clearly understood—there was no hope left.
"Sigh..."
The leader exhaled heavily, slowly raising his arms in surrender, then closed his eyes.
"Crack!"
Without hesitation, one of the Uchiha Jonin stepped forward and locked iron sealing cuffs around his wrists, forcing him down. Then another Hyuga Jonin used Body Flicker to reach the high ground, retrieved the Shogunate banner from a scroll, and planted it proudly atop the tallest peak of the Hidden Waterfall Village, signaling the successful completion of the Shogunate's conquest.
Thus, this once-proud Hidden Village was utterly destroyed—an event that sent direct and terrifying shockwaves across the entire Ninja World.
Although the Three Great Hidden Villages never believed that the Hidden Waterfall Village (Takugure) could resist the Shogunate's Standing Ninja Army, they were equally shocked by how quickly Takugure fell.
It was like everything crumbled in a single night.
Especially the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki within Takugure's ranks—they never even got the chance to fight before being taken down by the Shogunate's Jonin working together. That also shattered what little mystery was left around Tailed Beasts as ultimate village weapons!
In the face of overwhelming ninja power, all else became meaningless.
Thus, the Third Kazekage—who had been locked in intense negotiations with Fugaku Uchiha—decisively cut short the prolonged discussions and swiftly gathered Sunagakure's top elders for an emergency meeting. After thorough debate and careful weighing of pros and cons, they finally reached a consensus: officially informing Fugaku Uchiha of their full agreement allowing the Seii Taishogun's Shogunate to establish a ninja force supply dock along the western coastal borders of the Land of Wind.
The Third Kazekage showed true foresight by proposing that Sunagakure should participate in the expedition against Mount Myoboku. But since Sunagakure wasn't officially part of the Shogunate or the Organization, he proposed a clever solution: Sunagakure ninjas could serve as mercenaries, officially integrated into the ranks of the Shogunate Ninja Force for joint combat operations.
Naturally, Fugaku Uchiha—who served as envoy—expressed wholehearted support with both hands.
However, regarding finer details such as budget allocation and the exact scale of hired ninja forces, Fugaku knew he had no authority to make independent decisions. Therefore, he meticulously recorded Sunagakure's resolution and promptly reported it back to Shogunate headquarters for further deliberation and approval at a higher level.
When Hyuga Soushu received Fugaku Uchiha's secret report, he had already led his forces back to Hakone Prefecture City.
As for the captured Seven-Tails Jinchuriki, the tailed beast sealed inside was immediately extracted and re-sealed by sealing ninjas belonging to the Uzumaki clan.
Hyuga Soushu hoped to conduct targeted research on these Tailed Beasts, aiming to create a group of ninja capable of aerial combat.
Otherwise, conventional land warfare would be helpless against Summoned Beasts capable of flying into the sky.
To unravel the secrets of Tailed Beasts within such a short time frame, they naturally needed key research personnel.
Therefore, Orochimaru—who had been under house arrest for quite some time—was brought before Hyuga Soushu.
"Good day, Lord Soushu."
Maybe it was just his mind playing tricks, but recently Orochimaru seemed a bit more polite than usual.
"Good day. How have you been lately?"
Soushu merely calmly nodded in response.
"I appreciate your concern, Lord Soushu. The restful days have actually treated me quite well."
Orochimaru spoke very calmly: "However, I do wish to return to my work in the laboratory doing what I love. Excessive leisure simply does not suit someone like me."
Is that right?
Soushu raised his eyebrows slightly: "If so, I happen to have a rather urgent research project recently. Would you be willing to contribute some time to assist with it?"
Please, enlighten me.
Orochimaru bowed slightly.
"Tailed Beast Research."
Soushu said slowly.
I will give it my all without hesitation!
Orochimaru immediately responded eagerly.
This is a Tailed Beast!
Once missed, it would be difficult to find such high-quality experimental material among the Tailed Beasts again. For Orochimaru, this was undoubtedly unacceptable, so naturally he was determined to seize this opportunity and would never give up easily.
The bitterness and frustration that had built up during his years in isolation began to fade away — just like morning mist under the rising sun. With time and the promise of the Tailed Beast, everything seemed to vanish into thin air. Orochimaru's spirits lifted accordingly, as if a long shadow had finally passed.
"Oh right!"
Suddenly, Hyuga Soushu called out to Orochimaru, who was preparing to leave, and handed him a secret report from Fugaku Uchiha. "Take a look at this and decide what should be done."
"Uh..."
Orochimaru hesitated slightly but still reached out to accept it, carefully reading through the document.
"Do you think Sunagakure Village can be trusted?"
After a while, Hyuga Soushu finally asked.
"At least better than letting them remain completely outside the Shogunate system."
Orochimaru gave his opinion: "However, even if we do hire Sunagakure ninja for combat, we shouldn't allow them to maintain any formation larger than a squad. We must prevent the emergence of a new mercenary faction within the Shogunate."
"You make a good point."
Hyuga Soushu nodded noncommittally.
Seeing this, Orochimaru gently placed the scroll on the table, bowed respectfully, and then departed.
After patiently waiting for three days, Fugaku Uchiha finally received the top-level directive — personally signed by Hyuga Soushu. In this detailed reply, Soushu not only highly praised Fugaku Uchiha's hard work but also issued comprehensive policy guidelines regarding Sunagakure Village's cooperation conditions:
Concerning the scale and treatment of hired ninja forces, Soushu demonstrated unprecedented generosity and magnanimity.
He declared that all Sunagakure ninja joining the Shogunate Ninja Force would receive exactly the same pay as members of the Standing Ninja Army. Their equipment and supply provisions would also strictly follow the standard given to regular Shogunate ninjas.
It felt like a weighty gift, carrying great responsibility along with its value. For Sunagakure Village, which had always suffered resource shortages, these favorable conditions were undoubtedly tremendous encouragement and recognition. After all, even the top elite ninja within Sunagakure might not regularly enjoy such generous benefits.
Furthermore, Soushu initially set the number of Sunagakure ninja around two thousand, which was clearly a significant support and encouragement sent directly into the hands of Sunagakure Village.
However, accompanying these generous conditions were clear requirements and expectations from Soushu.
First, all hired Sunagakure ninjas must unconditionally obey the commands and dispatches of the Shogunate's Standing Ninja Army. Their former organizational structure would need to be restructured and could not exceed the level of a squad — meaning the actual operational units of the Sunagakure ninja would be broken down into ten-man teams, more flexibly integrated into the Shogunate Ninja Force's combat system.
Secondly, to ensure the combat effectiveness and mission execution capability of the hired ninjas, Soushu required all Sunagakure ninja to pass the Shogunate's secondary ranking examination.
This measure not only served as verification and adjustment of Sunagakure's existing ninja rank system but also represented necessary steps taken by the Shogunate to guarantee mission success and maintain troop discipline.
In other words, Hyūga Soushu cast doubt on whether Sunagakure's existing Ninja Ranks system could accurately reflect true combat strength.
Unsurprisingly, this stance drew strong opposition from the Third Kazekage and the Suna Elders.
Their most intense reaction focused on the requirement for a second round of rank assessment.
After all, it directly challenged Sunagakure's demonstrated power—an affront no Hidden Village leader could tolerate.
Yet despite their firm arguments, Hyūga Soushu refused to back down. After several days of letter exchanges, the Third Kazekage simply dropped the matter and publicly announced his decision to ally with the Seii Taishogun's Shogunate in launching a punitive campaign against the rogue Mount Myoboku.
Immediately afterward, massive supplies from the Ninja Clan Capital Corporation began pouring into the previously uninhabited western coastline of the Land of Wind, where one medium-to-large-scale military camp after another quickly sprang up. Meanwhile, shipyards in the distant Land of Water received massive orders for warships, quickly reviving the previously stagnant local economy.
At the same time, the Ninja Frogs of Mount Myoboku once again initiated a new round of probing operations.
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