Chapter 478: 478.Ōnoki Comes to the Border to Test the Waters

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Everything has been arranged perfectly. If the two of you still can’t handle the remaining issues after all that, then there’s really no point in you continuing to waste time here in the camp. It would be better to replace you sooner rather than later!

At least that way, if something goes wrong, no one has to lose face in an ugly way.

There are plenty of people who would love to take over Hiashi and Fugaku’s positions. The only reason it hasn’t happened is because Kazuki hasn’t allowed it.

When Hiashi and Fugaku perform well in these roles, they earn credit. They build prestige. They raise their own reputations.

But if they perform poorly, they’ll end up with their backsides on fire—becoming laughingstocks in everyone else’s eyes.

If it weren’t for the fact that the upcoming war between Konoha and Iwagakure would prioritize stability above all else, Kazuki would never have pushed these two into such prominent seats in the first place.

Fortunately, external military operations still had Orochimaru overseeing them.

The same old saying applied: this snake might be venomous to a fault, but at least he had real ability.

As long as you could keep him in check and direct him properly, he made for a perfectly qualified tool.

Kazuki didn’t say a single word to Orochimaru on the matter. He trusted that Orochimaru understood exactly what was being implied.

Do well, and everyone benefits—you, me, the whole team. Do poorly, and rest assured your rewards will take a serious hit.

“Lord Advisor, please rest assured. We will not disappoint you.”

With the conversation having reached this point, Fugaku and Hiashi immediately stood up to give their solemn promise.

They knew full well this was their one and only real shot.

If they failed to seize it, any similar opportunities in the future would pass them by. They’d be left watching helplessly from the sidelines, with no chance to get involved.

“Hm. Confidence is good. Truth be told, managing the camp isn’t actually that complicated. Right now there are a few too many problems piling up, but once we disperse the elite forces and send them back to the village, things will stabilize quickly. You three go rest for now. Help me summon all the squad leaders in here.”

The elite units needed Kazuki’s personal touch to organize. Fugaku and Hiashi simply couldn’t command the full respect of the camp. At best, they could keep their own clan members in line, and perhaps a few ninja from closely allied families who had shared interests would listen—somewhat.

As for everyone else? They could only shake their heads in resignation.

It didn’t take long for the squad leaders from each unit to assemble in the command tent.

Kazuki immediately got to work laying out the plan.

He began selecting units one by one, deliberately retaining as many Uchiha and Hyuga clan members as possible. He also kept a portion of ninja from families with particularly close ties to the Uchiha and Hyuga.

This arrangement would make it far easier for Fugaku and Hiashi to exercise effective command.

As for the rest of the forces, they would be organized into batches, loaded with the plundered resources, and sent back to the village ahead of schedule.

Kazuki had originally planned to lead the return march himself once he got back.

But looking at the current situation, that clearly wasn’t feasible anymore.

Too many people in one place, and the camp’s supplies simply couldn’t sustain them.

Shuffling resources back and forth was a logistical nightmare.

The simplest solution was to send these units back to the village in waves, starting immediately.

Once they reached the village, Shikaku would handle the rest. Kazuki wouldn’t need to worry too much about the details.

As for merit evaluations, resource inventory, and financial distributions—Shikaku could manage all of it.

Even if Shikaku didn’t want to take on the responsibility right now, he had no choice but to step up—unless he was willing to drag the Third Hokage out of retirement.

And since pulling the Third out wasn’t an option, Shikaku’s only real choice was to handle it himself.

Fortunately, Shikaku could recruit some help. Homura was an excellent candidate.

At present, Homura was obedient and wouldn’t dare cause trouble. He was also highly skilled at dealing with precisely these kinds of administrative headaches.

Kazuki would send word back to the village ahead of time. After that, he could wash his hands of the whole thing and simply wait for the results.

Under Kazuki’s clear directives, the squad leaders accepted their orders without protest. They quietly gathered the resources they had looted and began departing the camp in organized groups.

“For your father’s sake, I’ve really gone all out. I originally wanted to let those two great clan heads rake in a big haul of merit. Who would’ve thought they couldn’t hold the fort?”

By sheer strength alone, Fugaku could absolutely secure this position—but he had never truly demonstrated that strength in front of the camp!

Hiashi was even less impressive in that regard!

A man who rarely showed his hand even once a year—with two such figures sitting above everyone else, who wouldn’t feel resentful?

Hinata stand shyly on Kazuki side.

“Won’t this… make things too difficult for them?”

Hinata didn’t understand much about military affairs. As a daughter, she naturally hoped her father’s position would remain secure.

But she also worried that this arrangement might put Kazuki in a difficult spot, torn between loyalties.

“You worried too much.” Kazuki said with a smile, he then add, “It won’t be difficult for me. There are just some people who aren’t convinced yet—that’s completely normal. Power is the ultimate temptation for the human heart.”

There were many things Hinata mind couldn’t yet grasp, and Kazuki had no intention of explaining them in detail. If he did, she would only fret over it for days.

Leave this kind of problems to the people who is involved.

“You don’t need to think too much about it. The elite forces returning to the camp have already begun departing in stages. The pressure on the camp will ease considerably from here on out.”

If even that couldn’t stabilize the situation, then those two might as well pack up and go home to focus on being clan heads. No need to keep embarrassing themselves here.

Two heads of major clans—both with somewhat flawed personalities—and then you put them together…

Kazuki honestly didn’t know how to describe the result.

Never mind. No point dwelling on them. Better to spend time deepening his bond with his fiancée. Everything else could wait.

Kazuki thinking about what Hinata been doing.

The girl had even secretly started asking around within the Uchiha clan about various internal matters.

Unfortunately, she had asked the wrong person for advice. Asking Sasuke about these things? That was just a waste of time.

Sasuke understood none of it.

******

Meanwhile, deep inside one of Iwagakure’s newly rebuilt forward camps, Ōnoki sat in the temporary command post, quietly handling a stack of administrative documents.

No one would have guessed that the Tsuchikage—someone who should have been firmly seated in the heart of the village—was secretly here at the border, personally overseeing the camp.

“Lord Tsuchikage, reconstruction of the new defensive line has already begun. The camp itself should be fully completed within seven days—unless Konoha launches harassment raids or direct assaults.”

Listening to his subordinate’s report, Ōnoki didn’t even lift his head from the paperwork.

“After Konoha’s elite forces withdrew back to their border camp, have there been any new movements?”

The reporting ninja answered promptly:

“For the past few days, there has been no significant activity. They have, however, increased patrol teams considerably within the Land of Rain and the Land of Grass. Today our scouts observed a substantial number of ninja leaving Konoha’s camp. Their destination is unknown. Konoha’s control over the border is extremely tight. Our agents have not yet managed to infiltrate successfully.”

Along the Land of Fire’s border, patrol squads, hidden sentries, and visible outposts tightly monitored every blade of grass that stirred.

For Iwagakure ninja to slip through at this moment was incredibly difficult.

Unless they took a long detour and approached from an entirely different direction.

No matter how many Konoha ninja there were, completely sealing off the entire border was simply unrealistic.

Only key strategic zones received heavy garrisons.

Ōnoki’s presence here was no accident. He had come to probe—quietly, carefully—testing Konoha’s current strength, intentions, and vulnerabilities along this tense frontier.

The old man’s sharp eyes finally lifted from the documents. A faint, calculating smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

Konoha might think they held the advantage after their recent victories, but Ōnoki had survived far too many wars to be fooled by surface appearances.

If Konoha’s elites were dispersing… that could mean weakness. Or it could mean preparation for something far more dangerous.

Either way, he intended to find out.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep