Naruto: Did i Just Get Reincarnated as Gojo?-Chapter 287: Allied Shinobi Forces to Assault Konoha!

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The elders quickly assembled at the Raikage's command.

Some, their faces grim, assumed he was there to ask for another loan.

To their surprise, however, the Raikage's words were unexpected. "By order of the Raikage, prepare yourselves! All departments, all members of the Kumo Alliance! Hold nothing back! Mobilize all our forces!"

The elders' hearts sank. "Lord Raikage, why?"

"This war—is unavoidable! I've already contacted the other three Kage. The attack will commence—in three days."

The Raikage, with a grand gesture, planted the Kumo banner on the map, within the Land of Grass.

His voice was calm, even. "I will personally lead the Kumo Shinobi forces to Kusagakure, where we will rendezvous with the other three villages. The Allied Shinobi Forces, sixty thousand strong, will launch a frontal assault on Konoha!"

"Simultaneously, the Eight-Tails jinchuriki, Killer B, leading an elite one hundred-man squad, will use Mount Kikyō as a passage, launching a lightning attack on Otogakure to retrieve the Lightning Daimyo!"

The elders exchanged uneasy glances, staring at the banner on the map.

The Raikage's tone brooked no argument. "These two operations will commence simultaneously. You have one day to gather your forces. Tomorrow, we move towards the Land of Earth border! Killer B will also launch his attack on Otogakure tomorrow..."

Are we seriously attacking? In our current state?

An elder immediately protested. "Lord Raikage, can we truly afford such a war? We haven't even resolved the—Shinobi tools issue."

"Furthermore, you said all our forces? Shouldn't we leave some behind to defend against a potential invasion from the Land of Earth, or a counterattack from Konoha?" The Falls of Truth, involving a jinchuriki, was a top-secret operation. Even the elders were unaware of Kushina's presence there.

"Yes! That's exactly what I mean—all our forces!" The Raikage emphasized each word. "If we lack standard Shinobi tools, let them purchase their own! If they lack the funds, then let them rely on their strong bodies, their honed muscles, to face Konoha's weapons!"

"The Kumo Shinobi's Will, can pierce even Steel!"

Madness!

Utter madness!

The elders understood.

They'd hoped to leverage the Raikage Tower's financial difficulties and lack of preparedness to dissuade him from war, to seize the opportunity for personal gain.

But their attempt to control the Raikage had backfired, only fueling his recklessness.

He was abandoning the village's defenses, allying with the man who'd killed his father, the Third Tsuchikage. He expected the Kumo Shinobi to fund their own war, to face Konoha's superior weaponry with their bare hands...

At the Genin level...

No amount of muscle could withstand chakra-infused metal.

The Raikage was willing to sacrifice countless Kumo Shinobi lives to conquer Konoha.

"Lord Raikage, please reconsider! Withdraw your command! This is reckless! You're jeopardizing Kumogakure's future, destroying the Raikage Tower's credibility! If this war fails, if anything goes wrong—we will face the same fate as the Land of Lightning's government!"

Bankruptcy!

Kumogakure's economy was in freefall, job prospects were bleak, unemployment among young Shinobi was soaring, the average income was plummeting, taxes were rising, the birth rate was falling, dowry prices were skyrocketing...

Furthermore, the repeated sacrifices, draining the village's resources to fund questionable strategic initiatives, had fueled resentment among the lower-ranking Shinobi, eroding their trust in the Raikage Tower.

Only the Raikage's immense strength and the accumulated prestige of his predecessors had prevented the Raikage Tower's immediate collapse.

And now, instead of addressing the village's internal problems, he was planning an all-out assault on Konoha...

While redirecting aggression was a viable strategy, expecting the Kumo Shinobi to fight for free, motivated solely by his promises—

He had only one chance.

If this gamble failed, the Raikage's authority would be shattered, the Raikage Tower's credibility destroyed.

No matter who succeeded him, they couldn't reverse the perception of the Raikage's incompetence. Combined with the village's internal struggles...

Unless they sought external aid, no Fifth Raikage, with Kumogakure's limited resources and self-recovery capabilities, could solve their problems.

Unable to resolve their internal conflicts, Kumogakure faced—dissolution.

The very reason they'd formed a hidden village in the first place had been to avoid being conquered individually, to pool their resources, to build a better life.

They couldn't win a war, and they couldn't restrict their Shinobi from seeking better opportunities elsewhere.

While these clans could survive by defecting to other villages, it wouldn't compare to the power and influence they enjoyed in their homeland, in Kumogakure.

Or perhaps—the Raikage was employing reverse psychology, trying to force them to donate funds for Shinobi tools?

Impossible!

Absolutely impossible!

They would rather fight Konoha with their bare hands than give him a single ryō.

"This is the Raikage's command! The war has begun, gentlemen..."

"If anyone dares betray the village at this time, I will not show mercy."

The Raikage waved his hand, issuing his final command. "Begin!"

With the Raikage's decree, unseen currents surged through Kumogakure.

Some Kumo Shinobi, unwilling to be sacrificial lambs, to offer both their skills and their money, fled under cover of darkness. The Anbu and patrol Shinobi, seeing their meager belongings and the despair in their eyes, sighed and let them pass.

Why make life harder for fellow sufferers?

Some clans gathered in secret, plotting to pledge their loyalty to Konoha at the opportune moment, seeking the best possible outcome. They'd lost all faith in the Raikage and believed that Konoha, at its peak, was invincible. That's why they'd invested heavily in Konoha's bonds and stocks.

They didn't even want the Allied Shinobi Forces to win. Victory would only strengthen the Raikage's grip on power. Their lives wouldn't improve; the village might win, but they, the clans, would lose.

So—at the critical moment—they would betray the Raikage and defect to Konoha!

If Konoha truly sought to unify the Shinobi World, they would eventually need them, the Lightning Country Shinobi, to manage their own people.

Some Shinobi returned home, asking their mothers to carve the words "Loyal to the Village" onto their backs. Ignoring their mothers' pleas, they sold their valuables, packed their bags, their eyes filled with resolve, and left.

They went to the Shinobi tool shops, purchasing essential supplies with their own money, even buying exploding tags at inflated prices—items they'd normally been too frugal to acquire.

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