Chapter 202: The Battle for Spoils
Kitsuchi hesitated. He wasn't sure if Konoha would retaliate once they discovered Iwagakure's movements.
That uncertainty was exactly why he hadn't acted rashly. He first needed to confirm with his father back in the village.
If Konoha decided to strike back, the consequences would be unbearable.
After all, Konoha had wiped out both Kumogakure and the Land of Lightning's Daimyō's Residence within just a few days. There was no doubt—they possessed some terrifying trump card.
For now, that trump card remained a mystery. Their spies had yet to uncover any related intelligence.
Three hours later, a messenger arrived with an urgent report.
Kitsuchi's eyes lit up as he opened the scroll. "The Tsuchikage has given the order—occupy the entire Land of Lightning!"
If Konoha wasn't interested in it, then Iwagakure wouldn't be polite!
But just as this command was issued, another scout burst in, panic-stricken.
"Urgent report! A large number of shinobi have been spotted landing on the eastern coast! None of them are wearing forehead protectors or identification! Their origins are unknown!"
Kitsuchi's expression darkened. For over a hundred shinobi to move together, this was no small force. Only a major Hidden Village could mobilize such manpower.
But which one?
Could it be that Konoha had returned?
Kitsuchi thought for a moment, then shook his head. No—if it were Konoha, they wouldn't land from the east. They would approach from the south. And there was no reason for them to hide their identity—the Land of Lightning was already their conquest.
Then… landing from the east…
His expression hardened. Hidden Mist.
Only Hidden Mist had both the ships and manpower for such a landing.
His guess felt solid, and his mood sank instantly. He hadn't expected Hidden Mist to also come for a share of the spoils.
From the initial reports, Hidden Mist had about a hundred shinobi—far fewer than Iwagakure's three hundred.
But numbers weren't everything.
Power was determined by quality, not quantity.
If half of those Mist-nin were jōnin, they could easily crush his forces.
After all, among Iwagakure's three hundred, only thirty were jōnin; the rest were chūnin.
"Quick—have the sensory unit determine how many jōnin the enemy has!" Kitsuchi ordered sharply.
If the opponent's strength wasn't too high, they could rally their scattered troops and repel them.
But if the enemy's strength was overwhelming… retreat would be the only option.
Moments later, grim news arrived.
The sensory-nin reported a massive chakra reaction among the enemy—the Three-Tails' Jinchūriki!
And roughly thirty jōnin!
Kitsuchi's face froze. The Three-Tails' Jinchūriki… that could only mean one thing: the Fourth Mizukage himself, Yagura Karatachi, had come personally.
A perfect Jinchūriki—someone capable of fully transforming into his tailed beast. His power was on par with Konoha's elite or the Raikage himself.
Kitsuchi clenched his fists. There was no way he could win against that.
Just one Yagura could probably take on their entire force. That was no exaggeration—perfect Jinchūriki were walking disasters.
He was still deciding whether to retreat or call for reinforcements when a bloodied ninja stumbled in, gasping.
"Bad news, Lord Kitsuchi! The reconnaissance unit has been wiped out! They managed to send one last message before dying—the enemy is advancing at full speed toward us!"
Kitsuchi's heart dropped. They'd been discovered far too quickly.
Then it hit him. The Byakugan.
Hidden Mist had once obtained a Byakugan from the Hyūga Clan. If the wielder was present, it was no surprise that their scouts had been exposed.
Of course. The Byakugan user must have spotted them long before they realized it.
"Sound the retreat! Everyone, full withdrawal—now!" Kitsuchi barked.
There was no time to hesitate. Against Yagura, staying meant certain death.
"Yes, sir!"
Within minutes, Iwagakure's troops abandoned their expansion and regrouped, retreating rapidly toward their previous positions.
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Meanwhile, on the eastern front…
The Hidden Mist forces advanced steadily, buoyed by fresh intelligence from captured survivors.
All Konoha shinobi had withdrawn from the Land of Lightning, and Iwagakure had taken over most of the territory.
The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, smiled coldly. This entire expedition had been a desperate gamble—a last throw of the dice.
Hidden Mist was broke. The village coffers were empty, its people suffering. This invasion was their only chance to survive.
If they could seize part of the Land of Lightning's territory and wealth, the Mist could stabilize—at least for a while.
And if Konoha objected… then so be it. Yagura no longer feared death.
He had prepared for the worst long before setting out.
But the intel from the Iwagakure prisoners brought him a rare moment of joy.
Konoha wasn't interfering, and Iwagakure had only three hundred shinobi—thirty jōnin among them.
Yagura had brought a hundred, but nearly a third were jōnin. Hidden Mist had emptied its reserves, sending almost every available elite to this campaign.
There were no jōnin left behind in the village.
Yagura smirked. "Even if the odds are against us, we'll win. As long as Ōnoki himself doesn't appear, Iwagakure can't stop us."
If they managed to push Iwagakure out, the rest of the Land of Lightning would be theirs.
Konoha had already stripped the Daimyō's palace and the Cloud Village of their treasures, but there was still plenty of wealth left scattered across the land.
That would be enough to save Hidden Mist from collapse.
He clenched his fists, his eyes blazing. Even if it offends Iwagakure, so be it. We'll take what we must to survive.
At that moment, Ao—bearing the Byakugan—turned sharply to his lord.
"Lord Yagura! The Iwagakure forces are retreating!"
A dangerous smile spread across Yagura's face.
"Perfect. Then we'll take everything."
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