Chapter 126: Northern Upheaval

As the time to distribute the points draws near, the two begin discussing how to use the points a month later.

"Given the current situation, having Grandpa oversee the clan's development is sufficient, and Grandpa's activities within the clan have become increasingly frequent lately; inevitably, people will start noticing him. I think it's better to use these points to strengthen Grandpa."

In the study, Shisui repeatedly persuades Sima Yi, hoping the latter will accept his suggestion.

Sima Yi does not endorse Shisui's analysis, though he is curious about how far the points can enhance him and which aspects they would improve.

But unless the points can directly elevate him to an eternal or ordinary Kaleidoscope level, a slight increase or decrease in strength would have little impact on the Uchiha and little personal significance.

His own power is average, his command of troops is passable, but real combat with blades and guns is challenging for him, and he currently has no particular ambition in that area.

In other respects, as the Uchiha situation unfolds, Shisui's ideas multiply, affairs inside and outside the clan lands increase, and they even begin covertly expanding influence beyond the Leaf Village.

Moreover, he needs a great deal of time to study sealing techniques and human biology, so having someone take on some Uchiha affairs alone would be quite helpful.

"Strength isn't urgent for now; with a Barrier in the courtyard and your protection when we go out, the family affairs are numerous, many things aren't on track yet, so we should find someone to share the load."

"This"

Shisui hesitates; Sima Yi's strength is indeed unimportant to the clan, but the other has helped him so much that he wants to repay him as much as possible.

However, he knows Sima Yi is always rational; since the other insists, Shisui no longer objects.

Of course, Shisui still makes a final insistence, "Then let's observe first; if the situation becomes turbulent, we'll first boost Grandpa's strength, and if it stabilizes, we'll summon others to help advance family affairs."

Sima Yi nods, without pressing further; the world is unpredictable, and there's still over a month left, who knows what may happen.

North of the Land of Fire, the entire Northern Front is split into eastern and western battlefields: the Eastern Front in the Hot Springs Country and the Western Front in the Country of Fields.

While the two were negotiating, the balance that the Leaf Village and Cloud Village had maintained for nearly a year finally shattered.

After nearly a year of friction, Cloud Village could no longer hold back; when news of Orochimaru's defection arrived, they seized the moment of unrest in the Leaf Village and launched a sudden large‑scale raid.

That night, the two‑tail jinchuriki, the two Youmu Ren, personally led the vanguard, commanding hundreds of Cloud Village ninjas from the Country of Fields front to tear through the Leaf Village defenses.

The Hyuga ninja tasked with detection quickly noticed changes in the west, and the intelligence was swiftly relayed to the Leaf Village Northern Front command.

However, before they could issue orders, the Cloud Village's main force simultaneously launched a full‑scale assault, and the skirmish quickly escalated from a localized clash into an all‑out war.

The two Youmu Ren, under cover of Cloud Village's elite ninjas, surged into the Leaf Village's western garrison, then fully displayed the perfect jinchuriki's power; massive fireballs rained down like meteors, and the two Youmu Ren moved as if in an empty realm, causing the Leaf Village heavy losses in an instant.

"Seal Team!

Quickly cover the Seal Team's ninjas heading west for support, prepare to seal.

Hyuga Touhiko, immediately lead troops to support and must block the western gap, cut off Cloud Village's western support, buying time for the Seal Team."

At the Northern Front command, Nara Rokkū listens to the incoming reports, a fine sweat beading on his forehead.

Because of Orochimaru, many ninjas were dispatched to the Northern Front; the Third Hokage had also considered their situation, so he temporarily assigned Nara Rokkū to command, hoping he could stabilize the battle.

Putting the pre‑battle change of commander aside, most ninjas implicated by Orochimaru are completely innocent and harbor great resentment.

Their numbers are sizable, and the negative emotions are abundant, quickly affecting the entire army.

Nara Rokkū had repeatedly warned the Third Hokage before, but the Leaf Village leadership remained obstinate; today, Cloud Village finally exploited a flaw.

Beside him, several Jonin stand; one middle‑aged man in a gray robe is Hyuga Touhiko, the head of a Hyuga branch, whose Hyuga ninjas form the main force resisting Cloud Village.

Hyuga Touhiko receives the order without hesitation, immediately leading a unit of ninjas toward the Country of Fields defensive line, protected by various branch families.

The Country of Fields is small and not far; they can arrive within half an hour, while the main front remains within the Hot Springs Country.

After Hyuga Touhiko departs, Nara Rokkū falls into contemplation.

The western front breaks through, the eastern front launches a full assault; clearly one is the main attack, the other a feint.

If the eastern front is a feint, then the western forces certainly cannot stop the large contingent of Cloud Village elites led by the two‑tail.

Once the enemy tears through the line, they can surge straight in, loop behind them, creating a double‑sided encirclement, and their primary target will undoubtedly be him, the Northern Front commander, and the rear camp.

If the western front is the feint, the enemy's aim is the entire first defensive line.

After a moment of thought, Nara Rokkū sighs; unfortunately his tenure is short, internal issues remain unresolved, so now he can only prioritize stability.

Thus Nara Rokkū focuses his attention on the two Youmu Ren.

The tailed beasts' power is indeed immense, but in the era of the Ninja Village, ninja strength was consolidated; even the Nine‑Tails could only be obediently locked in a cage.

If the beasts themselves are restrained, jinchuriki who draw their power naturally cannot escape it; in wars between ninja villages, even a perfect jinchuriki can only enter the battlefield under a teammate's cover, except those proficient in sealing techniques.

And a jinchuriki on the battlefield is a double‑edged sword; wielded well, they can devastate the enemy at minimal cost and reap victory, but mishandled they cause both human and beast to perish, a total loss.

After a moment, Nara Rokkū decides to commit a batch of reserve ninjas to the eastern front to stall Cloud Village, then pull a large contingent of elite ninjas from the east to shield the Seal Team and head straight to the western front.

The eastern battlefield stretches long; both sides' mid‑ and low‑rank ninjas total over ten thousand, with numerous attack and defense points. With him watching, he believes that even with fewer elite ninjas, Cloud Village ninjas cannot break through quickly.

Thus he chooses to concentrate elite forces to besiege the two Youmu Ren; the jinchuriki's importance is self‑evident—once the jinchuriki is surrounded and falters, Cloud Village will have to consider reinforcement.

If Cloud Village insists on attacking the eastern front without reinforcement, they might seize the chance to capture the two‑tail; even if they lose some ninjas or the first defensive line, they would not be at a loss.

Anyway, they haven't been pushed into the Land of Fire yet; they still have a second and third defensive line.

And the eastern front cannot be breached quickly; if Cloud Village wishes to support Youmu Ren, they can only keep siphoning troops to the west.

Thus Cloud Village cannot execute a point‑to‑area breakthrough to disrupt the whole situation; once he stabilizes the front and prepares defenses, the enemy will need greater casualties to achieve the same effect.

Moreover, the situation will shift from a full‑front infiltration push to a brutal localized offensive‑defensive battle.

If Cloud Village refuses to stand down, the western front will become the main arena of mutual slaughter, a meat‑grinder for both sides.

Of course, with the tailed beasts present, Cloud Village will have greater advantage, and the Leaf Village's losses will be severe.

But he believes Cloud Village will not fight to the death; being forced to reinforce the jinchuriki would indicate a tactical failure, and if losses become excessive, the northwest's Great Wildwood will not miss this opportunistic chance.

It should be noted that the Leaf Village has never reached the borders of the four great nations, whereas Cloud Village has truly invaded the Country of Earth; the mutual hatred is far deeper than that of the Leaf Village.

If the Leaf Village and Cloud Village both suffer heavy losses, Great Wildwood will surely send people to the Country of Lightning for a tour.

However, Nara Rokkū clearly underestimated the degree and consequences of the troops' wavering morale.

On the Country of Fields front, blue flames swirl around the two Youmu Ren, revealing the two‑tail's massive body, then spitting out large fireballs.

Many Genin could not evade in time and were swallowed on the spot; this overwhelming power and visual impact caused some already wavering individuals to quickly abandon the line and flee the battlefield.

On the battlefield, any single deserter can shake the morale of those nearby; morale dissipates, and an army can crumble in a heartbeat.

Their retreat widens the gaps in the line, allowing large numbers of Cloud Village forces to cross the front and engage Leaf Village ninjas in fierce close combat on the plain. Over ten Jonin leaders gather, willing to die to block the two‑tail jinchuriki and buy time for reinforcements.

But in front of the perfect jinchuriki, the distinction between elite ninja and lower‑ranked ninja is meaningless; they quickly either die or flee, allowing the opponent to move freely across the battlefield.

Their performance not only failed to stir any resistance in others, but further undermined morale.

Only a few Konoha ninja who refused to retreat from the desperate fight were soon overwhelmed by Shadow ninja.

It wasn't until Rixiang Dongyan arrived with his troops at the western front that he saw only the shattered western‑line defenders; before he could consider his next move, he received a new order from Nailiang Lujiu.

"Western line collapsed; cancel support mission; cover the western main force's retreat to the second line."

Rixiang Dongyan was shocked; although the jinchuriki is formidable, he has appeared on battlefields before and has even been repelled by them several times.

Now the western line has at least two thousand ninja, yet it was completely shattered within just half an hour, even though he led his troops in a full‑speed assault with no delay whatsoever.

Has the Konoha ninja's strength truly dwindled to this level? Suddenly, a thunderous boom echoed, and the massive disturbance ahead caught his attention.

Using Byakugan, he clearly saw a large group of ninja not far behind the retreating army rushing toward them.

The chakra level of the one leading them was astonishingly high; it had to be a jinchuriki.

If only the jinchuriki were alone, these ninja behind him would be enough to drag the enemy to the sealing team for preparation, but the opponent has even more behind them, so he can only rally the retreating troops and fall back to the second line.

Erwei looked at the fleeing Konoha ninja with a human‑like contempt.

You Muren added, "Konoha ninja are no different; Nailiang Lujiu is merely a pretender with an empty reputation."

However, the group of ninja guarding her side were very cautious; other Shadow ninja from the rear had already arrived one after another, and they completely seized the Konoha field nation's defensive line. Winning so easily left them somewhat puzzled.

"Konoha fell back so easily; perhaps there's an ambush—should we continue the pursuit?"

The others hesitated, but You Muren was unfazed, raising his voice: "What ambush could they have? It's just cowardice. Follow me and chase!"

Having said that, he chased after them alone; the Shadow ninja, seeing this, followed without further thought.

He then collided head‑on with the retreating Rixiang Dongyan.

"Byakugan! Rixiang clan!"

With just a glance, Rixiang Dongyan drew a flood of eyes.

Rixiang Dongyan, helpless, had to lead his men to the front to cover the main force's withdrawal, and the two sides immediately launched a massive battle.

Meanwhile, the eastern front was still locked in fierce fighting; although it was a surprise attack that caught Konoha off guard, the Yunyin ninja here initially struggled to advance.

But as the battle wore on, they found the pressure ahead easing, the front line gradually advancing, and each point securing victories.

Has the Konoha ninja's strength truly dwindled to this extent? Naturally, it wouldn't be so exaggerated.

Facing a total collapse and excessive losses, after a scouting ninja reported the western line's defeat, Nailiang Lujiu realized he had to retreat.

He then decisively severed his own arm to survive, leaving a rear guard, and led the main force to withdraw to the second line to avoid being caught from both sides.

However, the movement of several thousand people created a huge disturbance, and within just two hours You Muren, who had come around from the western line, discovered it.

At this moment, only three people were guarding her side; the others couldn't keep up and had to temporarily leave the unit. They had come here with only one important task.

The four concealed themselves at a height; one of them was a sensing ninja. When the Konoha army passed by, he suddenly opened his eyes and pointed, saying, "There."

Upon hearing this, You Muren did not hesitate, immediately transforming into a tailed beast, then gathering a Tailed Beast Orb and charging toward the indicated direction to smash. After the orb was hurled, the four turned and fled without hesitation.

Several li away, where the Konoha army stood, the scattered scouting ninja immediately sensed the massive chakra from the approaching Tailed Beast Orb and promptly prepared to report.

However, the Tailed Beast Orb swiftly flew over their heads and fell into the main force; Nailiang Lujiu, who was hurrying within the army, looked up and his pupils instantly contracted.

Countless earthen walls burst from the ground, forming a continuous barrier, followed by a thunderous boom.

The earth trembled, and smoke and dust rose.

When Konoha received the news, three days had already passed. Within day and night, the northern First Defense Line fell, and the Yunyin surprise force advanced continuously for eighty li, using the Tailed Beast Orb to ambush the army's command, nearly annihilating the headquarters and rear camp.

Nailiang Lujiu was gravely wounded but continued to command; after safely leading the army back to the second line and establishing defenses, he fell into an unconscious state.

Later, Rixiang Dongyan led the remnants of the western line back to the second line. Rixiang Dongyan himself sustained only minor injuries, but the unit that covered him incurred severe losses.

Moreover, before dawn they attracted a Yunyin pursuit army; after several points of the second line were breached, they were retaken, and both sides fought fiercely until daylight, when the enemy, reluctantly, withdrew.

Preliminary figures for this battle list six hundred dead, countless wounded, the northern front in crisis, requesting support.

Bang~ The Third Generation's hands trembled, the pipe fell to the ground unnoticed; he stared at the battle report, his heart aching to the point he could not breathe.

What does six hundred ninja mean? Previously, the main mode of conflict between the sides in the Land of Hot Springs was small‑scale infiltration and assassination.

At this level of combat, a month's casualties never reach six hundred, whether injured or dead! Now just the confirmed dead number six hundred, and that's only preliminary; further deaths are expected, and the wounded are at least three times that.

That means this battle caused Konoha casualties of at least two thousand, accounting for thirty percent of the entire northern front's forces.

The three assistants who learned this news were all stunned, their guts turning green with regret.

They should never have sent those ninja to the northern front; even throwing them to the Police Department would have been more reliable.

"Rizhan, this is not a time for sorrow; we must quickly find a way to send reinforcements."

Seeing the three remain silent, Shuimo Menyan had to speak up with a reminder.

If these were casualties from a front‑line battle, they wouldn't be this dire, but this is clearly a crushing defeat; the Land of Thunder's losses are estimated to be less than half of theirs. If this spreads, the hard‑won stability of Konoha will be thrown into turmoil again.

However, sending reinforcements is not something that can be solved by mere words; the direct material losses from this battle and the subsequent compensation and medical expenses already give them a huge headache.

Not to mention the manpower and resources needed to redeploy reinforcements, which adds insult to injury for the already impoverished Konoha.

"The Village's finances are insufficient; monetary matters must be taken to the great lord for help. We need to send some people to persuade the great lord to add an extra military fund," Shuimo Menyan continued, as he always oversees financial affairs and knows the details well.

The Third Generation covered his forehead and sighed, his tone weary: "First gather the heads of all Village families, and also summon Zilai as well."

He said, then coughed several times, his face flushed red, nearly his qi and blood attacking his heart.

"Rizhan, you should first recuperate your body."

When Xiaochun and Shuimo Menyan turned their heads, they were startled and quickly urged him not to, but the Third Generation merely waved his hand and said, "It's nothing, a minor ailment."

Tuan Zang stood aside, a faint glimmer flashing in his eyes as he watched the Third Generation.

(End of Chapter)