Chapter 197: The More You Dream!
No wonder Shimizu was so alarmed.
The Land of Rain was not an ordinary small ninja country. This was the territory of the ninja demigod, Salamander Hanzo. It was an absolute powerhouse that had gained enormous fame during the Second Great Ninja War.
Hanzo was also the man who had bestowed the title of the Three Legendary Sannin upon Konoha’s three greatest ninja, a gesture that placed him at the very top of the ninja world’s power pyramid. Even though in recent years the Hidden Rain Village had remained inactive, and throughout this Third Great Ninja War the Land of Rain had been conspicuously quiet, the Hidden Rain Village’s remaining power was still immense.
One should not be deceived by the fierce battles between the Five Great Ninja Villages during the Great Ninja Wars. In reality, up to this point, the only village that had actually used the war to invade and occupy another country’s territory was the Hidden Stone Village, which currently held a portion of the Land of Lightning.
But even that situation remained unresolved. Whether the Land of Earth could ultimately retain that territory was still an open question. The two countries had not officially demarcated boundaries, and several smaller nations separated their traditional territories.
Even if the Hidden Stone Village managed to hold the occupied ground for a time, after the war ended and years passed, the Hidden Cloud Village could very well reclaim it. That was Cloud Village territory at its foundation. For others to permanently swallow that land, they would need to continuously station a large army there, and maintaining such a commitment indefinitely was far beyond manageable.
From a different perspective, even if the Hidden Stone and Hidden Cloud Villages eventually ceased hostilities, the occupied territory would most likely be returned to the Cloud Village in exchange for some form of resource compensation.
So the so-called military expansion was not as simple as it sounded. Even the Five Great Ninja Villages, while capable of conquering small nations, would not actually do so unless certain conditions were met.
Times had changed and the ninja world was evolving, particularly in terms of politics. How the Five Great Ninja Villages fought each other was considered their own internal business.
But conquering another country outright could lead powerful figures to take action through political and diplomatic channels, and many small and large nations had intertwined interests that created enormous complications.
Furthermore, the Great Ninja War was not yet completely over for the other four villages, and the Sand Village had only just extracted itself from the conflict. Although the Land of Rain did not have a Daimyo of its own, its connections to surrounding powers meant that if it were conquered by the Land of Wind, the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth would most likely not stand by and watch.
In Shimizu’s view, the most difficult obstacle remained Hanzo himself. Beyond that, the Hidden Rain Village’s internal combat strength was not weak. A country with similar capabilities had been discussed during the previous war, and resolving such a situation had required the combined effort of several major ninja villages.
Expanding the Land of Wind’s territory would not be easy by any measure. If they acted now while the other villages were still fighting, the Great Ninja War would descend into complete chaos and its end would be delayed indefinitely.
"Now?" Sasori asked, with a tone that suggested he would be entirely unbothered by the prospect.
He seemed completely oblivious to Shimizu, who was swallowing hard beside him, his mouth already going dry.
"Not yet. The other hidden villages have not yet been fully depleted. We wait until they finish fighting and begin their rebuilding phase, then we send troops to the Land of Rain."
Yuji smirked.
"By then, even if they want to interfere, they will be largely powerless."
He continued.
"From the outside world’s perspective, the Sand Village will appear as nothing more than a villain and a schemer, at the bottom of the moral and political hierarchy. This kind of disadvantage can be managed with clever tactics, though exactly how depends on the specific circumstances as they develop. Conversely, if successful, the rewards are beyond imagining."
His decision to target the Land of Rain, setting aside the resource question, rested on two primary reasons. First, Hanzo was old. Second, the Land of Rain had no Daimyo. Of course, there was a third reason he had not mentioned: Akatsuki.
But for now, Yuji had no intention of informing Sasori and Shimizu about the Akatsuki matter.
"This..." Shimizu’s heart was pounding in a way he could not calm.
If the Land of Wind occupied the Land of Rain, it would completely disrupt the existing balance and order of the ninja world. In his view, the Sand Village was already in an extraordinarily strong position with a genuinely bright future ahead. There was absolutely no need to take this kind of risk. Proceeding cautiously and step by step was the far wiser approach.
If it succeeded, that was one thing. But if it failed, the consequences were entirely unpredictable.
One had to understand that throughout this Great Ninja War, their village had nearly achieved a complete and dominant advantage.
Although they had used the situation to force both Konoha and the Hidden Cloud Village into ceasefire agreements and various concessions, they had also planted the seeds of several very dangerous landmines in the process. The Hidden Stone and Hidden Mist Villages appeared to have been cooperative partners, but there was not a shred of genuine trust between any of the parties.
Every arrangement had been built purely on mutual benefit. The moment the Hidden Sand Village launched troops against the Land of Rain, variables would enter the equation immediately.
Shimizu had no doubt whatsoever that Konoha and the Hidden Cloud Village would immediately seize upon that moment.
The Hidden Stone and Hidden Mist Villages also knew they would have a chance to take a bite out of the Hidden Sand Village the moment an opportunity presented itself.
No other ninja village could stand by and watch the Hidden Sand Village continue to prosper indefinitely. The better the village developed, whether economically, in terms of population, or militarily, the more it risked becoming the new Konoha, a dominant force that every other village would feel compelled to check.
Once attacked under those circumstances, it would become a thorn embedded in the side of every ninja power simultaneously.
"Is this not moving too hastily?"
Shimizu had originally wanted to advise against it more directly, but considering that Yuji was already the Kazekage and must have his reasons for wanting to pursue this, Shimizu chose his words carefully.
"Sensei," Yuji said, looking at Shimizu with a smile. "What has been the most powerful emotion you have felt since you first stepped onto the battlefield?"
"Ah?" Shimizu was slightly caught off guard by the question.
"The root of this world’s illness is war itself."
Yuji turned to look toward the village in the distance, his expression carrying a depth that was different from his usual manner.
"No matter how glorious any village becomes, it is only temporary. As long as this ninja world exists, war will never end. And where there is war, there will always be pain, hatred, and slaughter."
"I understood long ago that as a ninja, even enemies are not inherently right or wrong. Everyone simply has their own perspective, swept along by the currents of their particular time and circumstances."
"Many people yearn for peace. Many dream of it. Everyone tries to shape their own era of peace in their own way. But in the past, the present, and the future, no one has ever truly succeeded."
"I was born into this world, came to this world. I want to see if I can bring about some kind of change. In my own way, I will create the peace I want to see."
As someone who had come from another world, these words carried a particular weight that was different from how they would sound coming from anyone else.
Senju Hashirama, Madara, and all those who came after them had ultimately shared the same fundamental goal, moving toward what each of them individually considered peace. But even so, the Fourth Great Ninja War had ended and peace had still not come.
There was only one reason for this. The word peace was inherently unstable as a destination. As long as survivors existed, conflict would follow. Unless humanity was completely eliminated, peace would always be fleeting.
"I am not speaking of true peace. After all, I cannot take that step."
"I simply want the world that exists in my own heart."
"If I were a doctor, I would try to see if I could cure this world." He laughed quietly. "Of course, this root cause framing may be a false premise. Perhaps this world is not sick at all."
He looked at Shimizu’s dazed expression and grinned even more broadly.
After he finished speaking, neither Shimizu nor Sasori said anything for a moment.
Yuji coughed lightly.
"Life is not only for playing. Otherwise it would be a wasted existence. If you are going to do something, do it on a scale worth doing. That is what makes it genuinely exciting. Even if it costs you your life in the end, you will have no regrets."
"I believe that."
He looked up at the enormous sun hanging above them.
"Rewriting the destiny of the ninja world."
Yuji declared his dream with open excitement. This was the motivation he carried as someone who had come from beyond this world.
"Are you two willing to bet on this with me?"
"Boring," Sasori said flatly.
Yuji stared at him.
Shimizu was still trying to recover from the shock of everything he had just heard.
"Although it does not sound particularly interesting," Sasori said, his words shifting unexpectedly, "since I have nothing better to do anyway, I do not mind going along with you."
"You are the Kazekage. Of course I will follow your lead," Shimizu said after a moment of silence, having decided not to try to process the full scope of what had just been declared. He did not entirely understand it. But he could sense the genuine excitement and anticipation radiating from Sasori beside him, which was itself an unusual enough occurrence to carry its own kind of weight.
"But if we truly intend to move against the Land of Rain, this matter requires further discussion. I think we should inform Lady Chiyo and the others first," Shimizu said.
Sasori nodded at this, expressing clear agreement.
"Yes. Then let us return to the village for a meeting."
The dream was a secondary objective in the broader scheme of things. The core practical purpose behind his decision to move against the Land of Rain was to change the resource-scarce situation that had always constrained the Land of Wind.
Having said everything that needed to be said, Yuji stretched his arms above his head, turned with swift steps, and headed down toward the sand dunes below.
...
Stones 💎
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