Casually dispatching an unlucky Kumogakure ninja, Jie Uchiha turned his attention back to the broader battlefield.
Whether it was due to Fugaku Uchiha's strict reminders or simply Konoha's excellent combat traditions, whenever a comrade was in grave danger, someone would inevitably leap out from a blind spot to save their life.
However, there were exceptions.
The ninjas of the Sarutobi, Mitokado, and Utatane clans, for instance, were treated like unloved stepchildren. On the battlefield, they were left entirely to fend for themselves, receiving no backup from the other clans.
Slowly, the Kumogakure forces seemed to catch on to this dynamic.
When encountering general Konoha ninjas, the Kumo shinobi fought defensively, doing their best to preserve their own lives. But the moment they ran into anyone wearing the Sarutobi clan crest, they fought with desperate, lethal ferocity. After all, they were still Konoha ninjas; killing even one was a victory for Kumogakure.
After half an hour of fierce fighting, under a deliberate strategy of contraction, the front line was rapidly pushed right up to the edge of the Kumogakure main camp. Seeing the situation turn dire, Darui decisively ordered a retreat.
Fugaku Uchiha wanted to press the advantage and pursue the routing enemy, but Jie quickly stepped in to stop him.
"Father, the battle is already won. Don't forget our true objective," Jie quietly reminded him.
Only then did Fugaku remember that their goal in this war was no longer just to drive out the enemy, but to use the pressure of combat to temper their own clansmen.
And so, the Konoha offensive came to an abrupt halt. Although the ordinary shinobi didn't quite understand Fugaku's intentions, he was the supreme commander. Trusting that there had to be a tactical reason for the order, the forces immediately rallied and withdrew to their main camp.
"Clan Head Fugaku, the casualty reports have been tallied."
Not long after, Shikaku Nara found Fugaku, holding the battle damage reports collected from the various clan leaders.
"The casualties among the allied clans are remarkably light," Shikaku reported. "Most are just minor injuries; there are very few fatalities. However, what is truly baffling is that the casualties for the Sarutobi, Utatane, and Mitokado clans have absolutely skyrocketed."
Shikaku scratched his head in confusion. "Especially the Sarutobi clan. Out of fifteen Jonin deployed, four were killed in action. Out of two hundred Chunin, nearly seventy are dead. This mortality rate is even higher than that of the civilian-born ninjas. It's perplexing."
Hearing the report, Fugaku simply gave a faint nod.
During this offensive, the Uchiha clan had suffered zero fatalities, and even severe injuries were extremely rare. More importantly, the baptism of blood had yielded incredible results: seven Chunin-level clansmen had awakened their fully matured three-tomoe Sharingan, successfully advancing to the rank of Jonin.
Not only had the Uchiha clan's strength remained completely intact, but they had also made significant, terrifying strides forward. As expected, the battlefield was the ultimate forge for awakening their ocular powers.
As for what progress the other ninja clans had made, Fugaku wasn't entirely sure, nor did he care to know. Regardless of how much the others improved, there was no way they could outpace the Uchiha's explosive growth.
Having confirmed that this method of 'sustaining war with war' was viable, Fugaku launched fierce offensives against Kumogakure for three consecutive days. He wasn't seeking a definitive victory; he merely wanted to use the enemy as a whetstone for Konoha's forces.
Three days later, the Uchiha clan still hadn't lost a single member. Only a handful were severely injured and temporarily incapacitated. Conversely, their number of Jonin had soared from the initial twenty to over forty.
The strength of a Jonin was leagues above a Chunin, let alone an Uchiha who had awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan—they were the undisputed elites among Jonin. In just this single campaign, the Uchiha clan's overall combat power had at least doubled.
By the second day, some of the other clan leaders had caught on to Fugaku's true intentions. When deploying their own forces, they specifically instructed their people to prioritize survival above all else. The results were quite favorable. Although they couldn't replicate the Uchiha clan's progress, a few exceptionally talented Chunin from various clans still managed to break through their limits and advance to Jonin.
By now, every clan in Konoha understood what Fugaku was doing. This mutual understanding turned the brutal war into something resembling a dangerous sparring match—violent back-and-forth clashes where hardly anyone actually died.
But war was still war. There would always be bloodshed, and there would always be sacrifice.
Shinnosuke Sarutobi watched the dwindling numbers of his clansmen stumbling back into camp, his heart bleeding.
'Damn you, Fugaku Uchiha! Damn you all!' he cursed inwardly, a trace of agonizing doubt rising in his mind. 'Why are they exclusively targeting the Sarutobi clan? Do they think we're easy prey?!'
He clenched his fists. 'No, this can't go on. At this rate, my clan will be wiped out before the war even ends.'
That evening, during the routine battlefield briefing, Fugaku had just finished his tactical summary and was preparing to outline tomorrow's deployments when Shinnosuke abruptly stood up.
"Clan Head Fugaku, I don't think we can continue fighting this war like this," he declared loudly.
The other clan leaders turned to look at Shinnosuke in utter astonishment. As far as they were concerned, this war was going perfectly. It honed their younger generation without getting them killed—it was practically a dream scenario.
Unfazed by the stares, Shinnosuke pressed on. "The situation back in the village is currently very unclear, and our logistical pressure is mounting by the day. Therefore, I propose we launch a surprise attack on the Kumogakure hospital and assassinate the Eight-Tails and Two-Tails Jinchuriki. Following that, we dispatch an elite strike force to besiege the Fourth Raikage and end this war once and for all."
Shinnosuke hadn't been idle that day. Through his independent intelligence networks, he had discovered that both the Eight-Tails and Two-Tails Jinchuriki were bedridden in the Kumo medical ward. Furthermore, the Fourth Raikage had recently lost an arm, drastically reducing his legendary combat prowess.
If this bold plan succeeded, Shinnosuke would be hailed as the supreme hero who ended the war. Upon returning to the Hidden Leaf, he would undoubtedly be adored by the villagers, securing his political future.
However, when Shinnosuke finished his grand speech, he noticed Fugaku looking at him as if he were a complete idiot. It wasn't just the Uchiha head, either; every single clan leader in the tent was staring at him with the exact same expression of baffled pity.
'What?' Shinnosuke discreetly checked his uniform. Was there something wrong with his appearance? Why were they looking at him like that?
"Ahem." Fugaku coughed lightly to draw everyone's attention back to the front. He masked a cold smirk. "The Sarutobi clan's idea is incredibly ambitious. In that case, we will leave the execution of this plan entirely to your forces."
He paused, letting the weight of the words settle. "If you manage to successfully end the war, I will personally report your magnificent achievements to the Hokage and request the highest commendations for you."
Fugaku cast a deeply meaningful glance at the foolish man.
Times had truly changed. Nowadays, people were actually enthusiastic about digging their own graves.
Putting aside the fact that the hospital was located at the very rear of the Kumogakure main camp—making it nearly impossible to break through thousands of enemy shinobi—even if Shinnosuke somehow evaded all of their sensory ninjas, wanting to besiege the Fourth Raikage was a hilarious delusion.
The fastest man in the ninja world, a monster who could wrestle the Eight-Tails single-handedly... did Shinnosuke really think a handful of Sarutobi elites could take him down just because he was missing an arm?
However, since the Sarutobi clan was volunteering to court death, Fugaku had absolutely no reason to stop them. In fact, he silently hoped Shinnosuke would drag the Utatane and Mitokado clans down into the abyss with him.
If they all died here, the village would finally have some peace, and the ninja world would be a lot quieter.
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