Chapter 789: Chaos in the Ninja World (1)
[A/N: Happy New Year everyone! Have fun, but stay safe. I hope you have a prosperous and fun 2025. Also, good luck with your New Year resolution :)]
Everyone understood Shikaku's words. While Fujin's sudden decision to attack the Land of Rice was very good, it had several pitfalls. Any one of them could force Konoha into a difficult position.
The first pitfall was information. Konoha's army was vulnerable in the Land of Grass as a far stronger Iwagakure army stood close to their location. So, it was important that no one knew about Fujin's maneuver and the fact that he was in the Land of Rice. Considering that even Konoha's council was in the dark, Fujin did a very good job at it.
The second pitfall was the Otogakure forces. Fujin had to ensure that they were wiped out. If he failed to eliminate enough bases or kill enough ninjas or if his forces were repelled by their resistance, it would be a huge blow to Konoha's reputation. Instead of deterring their enemies, the failure would embolden them.
The worst-case scenario would be if Konoha's forces were embroiled in a complicated war in the Land of Rice. If they had been forced to send reinforcements, Kumogakure and Iwagakure could have decided to take a risk.
However, Fujin had pulled it off perfectly and Onoki had acted as he and Shikaku predicted. Hence, Konoha could now enjoy the rewards of the outrageous move. Destroying Otogakure had far-reaching implications, nearly all of them were beneficial for Konoha.
The only real downside was that the other villages would be more wary of Konoha in the next Great War. However, that was rather ordinary for Konoha, and it changed nothing. Even without this incident, the Council made plans to deal with all four Great Villages while cooperating with the minor villages. The absence of a hostile minor village on their border made this planning easier.
The council immediately began preparing for the aftermath of the two operations. They formed a diplomatic team and dispatched them to the Land of Rice. While Konoha wouldn't annex the Land of Rice, the Daimyo would be forever indebted to Konoha and Fujin. The council wouldn't let go of such an opportunity. In the coming days, the Land of Rice would be subservient to the Land of Fire, almost akin to a vassal state.
——