—Silence.
Ryuji had no idea what to say.
Because everything the Daimyo said was true; he couldn't find a point to refute.
With such a disparity in strength, yet the battle turned out like this mess. If he were the financial backer, he'd also question things.
"Daimyo-sama only offhandedly expressed dissatisfaction with Sunagakure, but Prince-sama openly and bluntly questioned our Sunagakure's capability."
Yamada's words made Ryuji's expression turn serious.
In the Land of Wind, only two people could be called 'Prince-sama'.
One was the current Daimyo. The other was the Daimyo's son, the heir to the position.
The current Daimyo was nearly sixty, his health declining daily. He could pass away at any time, and many affairs were gradually being handed over to his son to manage.
In the Land of Wind, the Crown Prince's authority and influence were higher than his father's. After all, everyone knew it wouldn't be long before the Prince became the Land of Wind's true master.
And the 'Prince-sama' Yamada referred to was clearly the Crown Prince.
If he started doubting Sunagakure's capabilities, he might very well reduce financial sponsorship to the village.
After all, in the original story, the Land of Wind's Daimyo lost trust in Sunagakure due to its repeated defeats, reduced military funding, and even assigned national missions to Konoha.
'That's exactly why I didn't want Sunagakure involved in war in the first place!' Ryuji felt a headache coming on.
Especially the fatigue from consecutive all-nighters researching Tailed Beast Seals made his brain feel like mush.
As the saying goes, pull one hair and the whole body moves.
War, as the ultimate means of contest between powers, involves every aspect once used.
Winning was fine. But once you lost, or won too miserably, it would bring unacceptable consequences.
He gently massaged his temples for a while, feeling his brain ease up a bit, then let out a sigh.
"What's the current situation in the Land of Rain?"
"Because the Third Kazekage-sama fell in battle, the war ended in defeat due to low morale. Over a thousand casualties. Rasa-sama is now in command."
"What about Akatsuki and Amegakure?"
"They also suffered heavy losses. Although the specific numbers aren't clear, we held an absolute advantage at the start of the battle. However..."
"However what?"
Seeing Yamada's hesitation, Ryuji pressed.
"Although Akatsuki and Amegakure's remaining forces also suffered heavy losses, their spirit of protecting ordinary people and standing up for peace moved many. Many Rogue Shinobi and even clans have joined them. Now, their combined forces have surpassed ours."
"I..."
Ryuji opened his mouth, ready to curse.
But looking at Yamada in front of him, his mouth opened and closed, and he swallowed the impulse back down.
He took a deep breath. "I understand. You may leave now. I need to think carefully."
"Yes."
Yamada acknowledged and left the room.
Ryuji poured himself another cup of tea and went over the events again.
The whole thing was simple: the Third Kazekage lacked self-awareness, used a foolish move that trampled on Nagato's beliefs, causing him to erupt and leading to his own defeat and death.
Why say the Third Kazekage lacked self-awareness?
Because he was a fake.
He had the original Third Kazekage's Chakra and physical strength. Due to his position, he also learned Magnet Release.
But without the original Kazekage's combat experience, he was just trash with power he couldn't use properly.
If Ninjutsu were compared to guns, knowing how to shoot and being a hundred-percent-accurate marksman on the battlefield were completely different levels.
Take Naruto as an example. At twelve, he learned Shadow Clone and Rasengan. But he had no idea how to unleash their power, relying purely on brute force.
After training with Jiraiya for two and a half years, he knew how to use Shadow Clones to create openings and finish with Rasengan.
Even without considering growth in physical stats or Chakra, using the same conditions, his combat power was worlds apart from two years prior.
And Kuro's original body was an Elite Jonin who could fight on par with a Kage, even with a decent chance of winning. Yet he was defeated in one move by Tsunade. All this sufficiently shows the importance of combat experience.
If he didn't understand his own situation or the enemy's strength, that was one thing. But after engaging with Akatsuki for over two months, he should have had a fairly clear understanding of the opponent's strength, right?
Yet, knowing his own situation, the Third Kazekage still sought a one-on-one duel with their leader. What is that if not a lack of self-awareness?
The reason it's said Nagato erupted rather than killed the Kazekage at his normal level is precisely because the Kazekage sought him out for a duel.
That guy, though lacking self-awareness, wasn't stupid. If the opponent was far stronger, he wouldn't have sought a fight.
Moreover, Chakra is refined from Spiritual and Physical Energies. A surge of belief strengthens Spiritual Energy, leading to a Chakra surge.
The Third Kazekage chose to violate Nagato's bottom line; it's normal for him to erupt, after all, this guy also had a protagonist template.
'I need to resolve the village situation first.' Ryuji thought carefully.
The one who erupted was Nagato, not Yahiko. Though that guy also had a protagonist template, his potential was limited. No matter how much he erupted, reaching Kage-level was his limit.
With Rasa there, the Amegakure's front could hold for a short time.
But if the village situation isn't resolved quickly, civil war might erupt, further affecting the Daimyo's court's attitude towards Sunagakure.
According to Ryuji's thinking, directly killing the Daimyo and having the Shinobi Village rule would solve things once and for all.
But the Shinobi of this world didn't think that way.
In their eyes, Shinobi were mercenaries, a profession that accepted commissions, completed tasks to earn money and support their families.
If a Shinobi robbed passersby, he was no longer a Shinobi but a bandit with power.
If he plotted treason, he was an ambitious schemer, a rebel with power.
If Ryuji led Sunagakure to usurp the Daimyo's power, most people in Sunagakure would probably see him as a dangerous element and expel him.
Even if Sunagakure was willing to follow him, the entire village would become the public enemy of the Shinobi World. The other villages, Rogue Shinobi, and clans wouldn't need a mission from the Daimyo to rise up and attack together.
This was a mindset formed over hundreds of years, which is not easily changed.
If Ryuji himself wanted to contest for supremacy, that would be one thing.
He could ignore those Shinobi, hide in a small country, secretly manufacture a puppet army, and then take over the world.
But he had absolutely no ambition to contest for the world.
He became a Shinobi simply to have the power to protect himself in this dangerous world. The reason he wanted Sunagakure to grow and develop and become a Shinobi World's power was merely to repay the village's care for him.
No matter what, as an orphan taken in at three, it was Sunagakure that raised him, taught him Ninjutsu, and trained him to be a Shinobi.
Though this was also the village's need, the kindness given couldn't be fully described as a transaction.
As long as the village followed Shinobi rules, or as long as Ryuji didn't change his own thoughts, he could only follow the rules of a Shinobi.
But in the end, Ryuji's thinking was different from that of this world's Shinobi.
"First, resolve the village matter. Then go to the Land of Rain and complete the mission impressively to solve the Daimyo's trust crisis. If that doesn't work, then..." A cold glint flashed in Ryuji's eyes.