Naruto: Hyuga Warlord

The brutal, sandstorm-ridden environment of the Land of Wind forged some of the fiercest ninjas.

The Sunagakure ninjas who emerged from the desert were always known for their ferocity, bloodlust, and warlike nature.

With full support from the Daimyo of the Land of Wind, they carried out continuous small but relentless incursions into the Land of Earth, the Land of Fire, and other neighboring territories. Although overall victories and losses were roughly equal, the Land of Wind managed to seize several fertile and water-rich regions, significantly boosting its national strength.

Having tasted success, they naturally craved more.

When the Second Great Ninja War broke out, with complete backing from the Daimyo of the Land of Wind, the Sunagakure Ninja Force boldly invaded the universally despised Land of Rain, engaging in bloody combat against Sanshouo Hanzo's Rain Ninja Village.

However, when invading the Land of Rain, the Sand ninja overlooked one crucial fact—the weather conditions there had a significant suppressing effect on jutsu.

On the perpetually storm-drenched battlefield of the Land of Rain, their signature Wind Release techniques were noticeably weakened, their usual poison gases became useless under constant rainfall, and even their puppets experienced mechanical issues due to the excessive humidity. As a result, despite fierce resistance from Sanshouo Hanzo's forces, the Sand managed only a tiny foothold with no real strategic gain.

But for the Daimyo of the Land of Wind—who considered not gaining any benefit as equivalent to losing—the barely-maintained stalemate felt no different than a defeat!

This latest move into the Land of Rivers was therefore the Sand's fresh attempt following their failure to gain ground in the Land of Rain.

They originally believed that Sakumo Hatake—who previously commanded the western front of the Land of Fire—had already been recalled to Konoha to serve as Jonin Unit leader, so the current commander of Konoha's border forces was just an aging Jonin—skilled enough, but nothing extraordinary. To them, this mission should have been a breeze.

Yes, at first the Sand's goal was simply to capture the Land of Rivers, the buffer nation situated between the two great countries of Fire and Wind.

But since several days ago, when the Sunagakure scouting units failed to send back reconnaissance reports again, the atmosphere within the Sand Ninja Force had grown increasingly tense day by day.

Leading this ninja force was Chiyo, the Sand advisor elder—a veteran figure from the same era as the village-founding Kazekage.

The missing Sunagakure infiltration unit was exactly Chiyo's only son and daughter-in-law.

As for why those ninja lost contact, unless someone was stupid, anyone could understand what must've happened—even if they were lying dead somewhere, that would still be considered the best-case scenario.

Therefore, a conflict initially planned by Sunagakure's upper echelons as a limited creeping expansion war completely changed its nature overnight, quickly spiraling into a full-scale invasion.

Despite insufficient reserve supplies, Elder Chiyo recklessly ordered over seven hundred Sand ninja to advance as the vanguard force, launching an immediate attack against Konoha's stationed troops in the Land of Rivers. Meanwhile, she sent urgent messages back to the village, demanding immediate dispatch of military supplies and backup forces—she herself wanted to march all the way to Naha River to wash her puppets clean!

Sure, the feasibility of this plan remains uncertain. Yet even though escalating the war so hastily felt somewhat inappropriate, the Third Kazekage still had no choice but to accept it—he couldn't easily oppose Chiyo, who was not only his senior but also his predecessor!

Moreover, besides Chiyo herself, she also had her younger brother Ebizō, who served as another high-ranking elder advisor in Sunagakure. When siblings like them worked together on certain matters, even he—the Kazekage—couldn't go against their will.

So after a brief internal meeting, the Third Kazekage swiftly decided to immediately dispatch two thousand Suna ninja alongside the most elite Puppet Brigade under Chiyo's command. The goal was to completely annihilate Konoha's Western Border Forces and create enough momentum to carve out territory from the Land of Fire!

Just after surviving what felt like a chaotic and exhausting military conference, Hyuga Soushu didn't bother exchanging many words with the anxious Jonin before returning directly to his unit's base.

"The preparations for war have begun."

Upon arriving at headquarters, Hyuga Soushu immediately gathered all his subordinates and announced the news.

A slight stir rippled through the assembled ninja before they quickly fell silent.

"Is it Suna?" Yamanaka Toshimichi asked first.

"That's right." Hyuga Soushu nodded. "Our Advancing Unit inside the Land of Rivers has already engaged Suna forces and is currently retreating."

Though phrased politely, everyone except the Genin understood clearly—it meant either defeat or a strategic retreat from the Land of Rivers.

This also revealed another critical truth: this time, Suna had arrived with overwhelming force, one so powerful that it exceeded the Western Border Forces' ability to resist. Otherwise, they wouldn't have withdrawn without even attempting reinforcement or defense.

"I remember both of you claim to be proud members of the Martial Faction," Hyuga Soushu said coolly to Yamanaka Toshimichi and Mitotou Takahiro. "Now that war is imminent, can you truly remain steadfast in your beliefs and keep leading charges forward?"

"No regrets, even in death!" the two Tokubetsu Jonin, both from notable ninja clans, stood up together in reply.

"That's good enough." Hyuga Soushu simply nodded.

"For now, we'll temporarily halt today's joint training exercises. Rest well and prepare yourselves for immediate deployment at any moment."

He stood up calmly and added, "Rest assured, as long as there's a path to survival, none of you need die! I hope each of you makes it back to Konoha alive to enjoy the honors deserved by victors."

"Victory!"

Inspired by Yamanaka Toshimichi, the entire Soushu Unit rose together in unison.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

Just when Hyuga Soushu was about to speak again, the alarm bells suddenly rang out across the camp!

The previously passionate ninja instantly grew restless and uneasy.

"Silence!"

Hyuga Soushu roared furiously, suppressing the panic among these lower-ranked ninja with sheer killing intent.

"Special Jonin Soushu, Commander Namiko requests your presence immediately!" A messenger Chunin rushed over shouting.

"All personnel will remain here at headquarters until further orders—nobody leaves this base without my explicit permission!"

Hyuga Soushu nodded, then issued a final order before following the Chunin messenger to meet Shirakawa Namiko.

"The infiltration unit from Sunagakure has intercepted our retreating forces' escape route!" 

He wasted no time on greetings and spoke bluntly as soon as he met Shirakawa Namiko. "Therefore, to assist our comrades whose retreat route has been blocked, I request your support, Soushu Jonin!"

"What was that alarm just now about?" 

Hyuga Soushu gave no indication of agreement or disagreement, changing the topic instead. 

"Over ten Sunagakure ninjas were spotted near the front watchpost," Shirakawa Namiko replied without hesitation. 

The Sunagakure ninja had moved far quicker than anticipated; hiding battlefield intelligence at this point would be impossible anyway. 

Besides, with Hyuga ninja possessing the Byakugan, there was no point in hiding such military information anyway. 

"Commander Namiko, the rescue team is ready!" 

At that moment, Yechame Hamako pushed aside the tent curtain and rushed into the command center. 

Shirakawa Namiko nodded, then turned his gaze toward Hyuga Soushu, who appeared somewhat hesitant. 

Of course, Soushu wasn't refusing the mission—he simply hadn't yet decided what equipment to purchase with his 1627 coins in order to achieve maximum cost-effectiveness in this critical situation!

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