The familiar lottery wheel appeared once again inside Shinsuke’s mind.
[ D Rank Reward: 40%, C Rank Reward: 50%, B Rank Reward: 10% ]
The wheel spun several times before gradually coming to a stop.
[ Ding!
Congratulations, Host, for obtaining a C Rank Reward: C Rank Ninjutsu, Fire Release: Hiding in Ash Technique.
]
Everything related to the technique, including its hand seals, chakra flow, and practical combat experience, flooded into Shinsuke’s memories as though he had already mastered it for many years.
Immediately afterward, the system’s voice rang out once again.
[ Ding!
Main Mission Issued: An Eye for an Eye ]
[ Mission Description: The Suna-nin have brought great disaster upon the Land of Fire.
It’s time to make them pay.
Plunder five towns in the Land of Wind.
]
[ Mission Reward: Lottery Draw ×1.
]
Shinsuke stared at the mission description and fell into deep thought.
Logically speaking, after suffering such devastating losses, the Suna-nin no longer had the strength to launch another invasion anytime soon.
If he returned to the village now with his troops, they would be welcomed by cheering civilians, rewarded by the Hokage, and every clan would receive generous rewards for their military achievements.
It would truly be a victory for everyone.
But…
Would these accomplishments be enough to push him onto the position of Uchiha Clan Head?
Probably…
not quite.
“Plunder the towns of the Land of Wind?”
He muttered softly to himself.
“That’s not impossible.”
He stood up and walked toward the troops that were currently resting.
When the ninja saw their commander arrive, they all stopped what they were doing and turned their attention toward him.
“The Suna-nin have suffered devastating casualties, and the Land of Wind’s border is now almost completely defenseless.”
“Since the Land of Wind wanted to bring pain to the Land of Fire, we’ll repay them with something even crueler!”
“Everyone, follow me into the Land of Wind!”
“Kill!!!”
Amid thunderous roars, the army reorganized itself, crossed the border, and entered the Land of Rivers between the two great nations.
This small country, which had no hidden village of its own, could only lower its head and silently allow the Konoha-nin to pass, just as it had always done for Sunagakure.
Three days later, the border of the Land of Wind was finally within sight.
Looking at the completely defenseless town ahead, Shinsuke expressionlessly raised his hand.
“Move.”
“We’ll treat them exactly the way the Suna-nin treated our people.”
The Konoha-nin charged into the town like wolves descending upon sheep.
Cries, screams, and the sounds of destruction soon filled the air.
Watching his own ninja carry out the looting with practiced efficiency, Shinsuke wasn’t surprised at all.
In this era, hatred and plunder had long since become the norm, especially when the other side had been the one to start the war.
His objective was simple.
They had to make the enemy experience even greater suffering.
Just then, Shinsuke noticed someone approaching.
It was Uchiha Shisui.
“Commander!”
Shinsuke waved his hand dismissively.
“You don’t have to be so formal.
Just call me Shinsuke.”
“Yes!
Commander!”
Shinsuke was momentarily speechless before asking directly,
“Aren’t you going to join the plundering?
This earns money much faster than taking missions.”
Shisui didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he watched the other Konoha ninja looting throughout the town.
“Is it really right…
to let them do this?”
“What’s wrong with it?”
Shinsuke turned toward him.
“The Suna-nin struck first.”
“We’re simply returning everything they’ve done back to them.”
Shisui didn’t seem satisfied with that answer and continued asking,
“But if both sides keep taking revenge like this, will the war ever truly end?”
“No.”
Shinsuke answered without hesitation.
“But if Konoha keeps showing weakness, our enemies will believe invading the Land of Fire comes without any price.”
“And if that happens, the war will never end.”
Shisui revealed a thoughtful expression and said nothing more.
About an hour later, the town had been completely stripped clean.
According to the rough count, they had obtained wealth worth nearly one hundred million ryō.
“The Land of Wind really is poor.”
Shinsuke let out a light scoff before waving his hand.
“Next town.
Keep going.”
“Ohhhh!”
Having tasted the benefits, the ninja enthusiastically responded.
This kind of risk free plundering earned money far faster than ordinary missions.
After all, the enemy nation had organized virtually no effective resistance.
As for ordinary soldiers and samurai, they weren’t even worthy of forcing ninja to use ninjutsu.
Thus, the second town…
Then the third…
Then the fourth…
Four towns were successively stripped of everything.
The more wealth the army accumulated, the brighter the smiles on everyone’s faces became.
Then they finally arrived at their fifth target.
This time, it wasn’t a town.
It was a city of considerable size.
“Scorpion Sand City…”
Looking at the city before him, Shinsuke knew there would certainly be some resistance.
Of course, it wouldn’t pose much of a threat to his ninja force.
Even so, to be safe, Shinsuke ordered everyone to rest first.
After continuous traveling and plundering, even ninja with physiques far stronger than ordinary people would become tired.
He immediately ordered everyone to receive specially made Uchiha Soldier Pills and rest where they were for two hours.
Two hours later…
They would attack Scorpion Sand City.
…
Meanwhile, inside Scorpion Sand City.
“My lord!
This is terrible!
A large force of Konoha ninja has appeared outside the city!”
A Suna-nin rushed into the hall in a panic and shouted toward the man seated at the head.
It was Satetsu, who had escaped from the Land of Fire.
Over the past few days, he had barely managed to gather a little over two hundred surviving ninja, yet he still didn’t dare return to the village.
Out of an army of one thousand, nearly eighty percent had been wiped out.
He had no idea how he was supposed to explain such a disaster.
Now he had unexpectedly received news that Konoha had invaded the Land of Wind.
“Those damned Konoha ninja…
How dare they!”
Satetsu growled viciously.
In his eyes, only Sunagakure had the right to invade other nations.
Since the First, Second, and Third Shinobi World Wars, when had the Land of Wind ever been invaded by another country?
“This is outrageous!”
Satetsu ground his teeth in anger.
“Send five envoys to negotiate with them.”
Satetsu finally gave the order.
“Take a firm attitude and probe their intentions.”
“Konoha is fighting on multiple fronts right now.”
“They may not actually dare to completely fall out with us.”
…
“Lord Shinsuke, five Suna-nin have arrived outside!”
Hearing the report, Shinsuke looked somewhat surprised.
“Oh?”
“Instead of hiding from us, they actually have the guts to come here on their own?”
“Did they say what they came for?”
“No.”
“These Suna-nin are extremely arrogant.
They insisted they would only speak after meeting the commander.”
Shinsuke pondered briefly before nodding.
“Bring them to me.”
Not long afterward, five Suna-nin were escorted over by Konoha ninja.
The leader was tall and thin, carrying himself with obvious arrogance.
When his gaze landed on Shinsuke, there was even a trace of disdain in his eyes.
“So you’re the leader of the Konoha ninja?”
Shinsuke looked at him calmly without answering.
The man didn’t seem to care and continued speaking as though lecturing a subordinate.
“You Konoha have invaded the Land of Wind without provocation and plundered our towns.”
“By the order of Commander Satetsu of Sunagakure, I command you to withdraw from our territory immediately and formally apologize to the Land of Wind.”
“If you do so, Sunagakure may consider letting this matter go.”
The expressions of the surrounding Konoha ninja immediately darkened.
Shinsuke, however, simply laughed.
“Command me?”
“Apologize?”
“If I remember correctly, wasn’t it Sunagakure that invaded the Land of Fire first and slaughtered innocent civilians?”
“That’s completely different!”
The tall ninja raised his voice.
“Sunagakure’s operation was a strategic military advance aimed at Konoha.”
“What you’re doing now is nothing more than barbaric aggression against the Land of Wind!”
“Konoha is already fighting Kumogakure and Kirigakure at the same time.”
“If Sunagakure launches a full scale counterattack as well, can you really bear the consequences?”
“Withdrawing now is us giving you a way out!”
“I see…”
Shinsuke nodded as though carefully considering the proposal.
“So…”
“You’ve come here to beg Konoha to withdraw?”
The envoy frowned.
“What do you mean by beg?”
“This is a peace negotiation!”
Shinsuke smiled.
“Fine.”
“If you call it peace negotiations, then peace negotiations it is.”
“So…”
“What exactly are your terms?”
The envoy’s eyes rolled for a moment before he answered,
“As for the terms…”
“You will hand over every bit of wealth you’ve looted from the Land of Wind.”
“If you do that, Sunagakure will no longer pursue this matter.”
Shinsuke slowly nodded, his eyes turning ice cold.
“So…”
“This is your attitude toward peace talks?”
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