Although both sides had participated in the First Shinobi World War, it was Uchiha Kagami's first time meeting Hanzō, and Uchiha Kagami had primarily learned about Hanzō from his good friends. The moment they truly met, Uchiha Kagami realized Hanzō's formidable strength. Hanzō's gaze was exceptionally sharp, his breathing steady, appearing unremarkable, yet in his every movement, someone of Uchiha Kagami's strength could sense a dangerous aura.
"It's an honor to finally meet you, Hanzō," Uchiha Kagami said politely. At this moment, both were in a tent at a border outpost, serving as the initial meeting place for the commanders of the Hidden Leaf Village and the Hidden Rain Village.
"The honor is equally mine. It was you who stopped the invasion of the Land of Wind back then, and now you are once again serving as commander, which instills a great deal of confidence," Hanzō said with a smile. He had a very good impression of Uchiha Kagami; this person was quite different from the Uchiha clan members he had heard about in the past.
"Last time was last time, this time is this time; they cannot be confused. I presume you have already received the intelligence and know how difficult the enemy is to deal with," Uchiha Kagami said, not letting his past success in stopping the Land of Wind make him arrogant. Even if he had been, it would have dissipated after fighting the Land of Wind for some time.
Hanzō's expression grew slightly serious. He had indeed seen the intelligence sent by the Hidden Leaf Village. The Hidden Sand Village's desperate gamble, while unexpected, was also understandable. If the Hidden Rain Village were to face the same situation, Hanzō might also adopt such a combat strategy. As the saying goes, when two brave warriors meet, the braver one wins. When one's own strength is insufficient, one can only rely on courage to carve a path forward.
"I already know where the enemy's strength lies. What good strategies does your Hidden Leaf Village have for this?" Hanzō asked.
"Just a few days ago, I received the latest orders from the village. Since we are fighting side by side, I believe you should also know," Uchiha Kagami said, then handed the village's official order to Hanzō for him to read carefully.
Hanzō quickly read through it, not missing a single word. After reviewing the entire battle plan, he was very surprised. The Hidden Leaf Village had actually formulated such a ruthless battle plan. For years, the Hidden Leaf Village's good reputation had made people forget its sharp edge, but this battle plan seemed to be a reminder that the Hidden Leaf Village was by no means a superficial good guy. Those who were willing to be friends with the Hidden Leaf Village would naturally earn its respect, but as for its enemies—
During the First Shinobi World War, perhaps no one could tell, as Konoha's terms for the four nations were not particularly harsh, even for the defeated Land of Wind and Land of Water. But now, as the Hidden Leaf Village became the leader of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, it seemed to have the energy to leave an indelible memory on organizations that dared to challenge its authority.
Hanzō once again felt fortunate that he had not chosen to become an enemy of the Hidden Leaf Village. If the Hidden Leaf Village had done the same to the Land of Rain, the Land of Rain would have been doomed. Thinking about it this way, the former Besa was even more sinful. Fortunately, things were rectified in time, otherwise, the Land of Rain would not be enjoying the good days it had now. Long-standing problems like floods and epidemics had been resolved, and food and other living supplies were imported through mineral resources and trade cooperation, feeding a large number of people. It was unimaginable what the Land of Rain would have been like if it had followed Besa's policies.
"According to this strategic plan, we must achieve a high exchange ratio in our battles with the Hidden Sand ninjas, but that won't be easy," Hanzō said. "This isn't like the Land of Rivers, where there are towns and fortresses we can rely on for long-term defense."
The Land of Rivers was a country without a ninja village. From the past, it had been a target for both the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire to win over. Later, the Hidden Leaf Village, relying on its reputation and preferential terms, emerged as the victor. Under the guidance of the Hidden Leaf Village, the Land of Rivers built sturdy fortresses, ostensibly to protect the country's security in the absence of a ninja village. However, anyone with discerning eyes could see that these strong fortresses were meant to counter the Land of Wind. But since it was an independent action by the Land of Rivers, there was no evidence to suggest that the Hidden Leaf Village was manipulating it from behind—even though the Hidden Sand Village could guess—and thus, it could only be left unresolved.
However, the situation in the Land of Rain was different. It had only been a few years since it opened its borders. Even with improved finances, nearly half of the funds were invested in people's livelihoods, and the rest went into internal reforms of the Hidden Rain Village. As for building fortresses, the Land of Rain had the will but lacked the means.
"Exactly. That's why our Hokage-sama also stated in the document that we shouldn't be limited to defensive battles. The focus is on how to deplete the enemy's effective forces and maintain a high exchange ratio," Uchiha Kagami said, pointing to the content of the document. "And the key to all of this lies with you, Hanzō."
"Me?" Hanzō was slightly taken aback.
"Yes, that's what Hokage-sama said," Uchiha Kagami nodded. This was what Fumori Masaki had told him before he left with his troops. At that time, the Land of Wind had not yet invaded the Land of Rain, but Fumori Masaki had stated that he could cooperate well with the Land of Rain to jointly defeat the Land of Wind. If they entered the Land of Rain's battlefield, they would have to rely heavily on Hanzō, and not on the Hidden Leaf ninjas themselves.
Uchiha Kagami thought that Fumori Masaki said this because Hanzō had lived in the Land of Rain for many years and was very familiar with every blade of grass and tree there, while the enemy would be fighting on foreign ground, which would be very disadvantageous when facing the Hidden Rain Village on their home turf. This was indeed one of the reasons; Fumori Masaki trusted Hanzō's ability to fight on his home ground. After all, Hanzō was the man who could protect the entire Land of Rain even when besieged by the Land of Wind, Land of Fire, and Land of Earth.
"Then I am truly honored by Hokage-sama's high regard," Hanzō said with a smile. He was very surprised. It seemed as if the other party had already anticipated that the enemy would enter the Land of Rain. Even when he himself wasn't confident that he could protect the Land of Rain, where did that man get the confidence to believe that he would be the key to solving the problem?
Although he was puzzled, Hanzō felt a sense of eagerness. To be honest, Hanzō was very confident in his own strength. Even if he wasn't in the Hidden Rain Village, but in one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, he would definitely be among the top Jonin, and perhaps even contend for the position of Kage.
Even when facing the Five Great Shinobi Villages, Hanzō didn't feel like he could be easily manipulated. Although the Hidden Rain Village's strength wasn't impressive, under his leadership, it might still be able to contend with one of the shinobi villages for a short period—of course, he didn't know that in later history, he would face the attacks of three countries and persist until the end of the Second Shinobi World War, maintaining the independent status of the Land of Rain.
Thus, Uchiha Kagami and Hanzō briefly discussed the upcoming battle plan. Since the enemy's exact movements were still unknown, the priority was intelligence gathering. As for border defense, the Hidden Rain ninjas would identify key positions, with the Hidden Leaf Village serving as an important protective force.
After the discussion, the two left the tent to inform their respective ninjas. Uchiha Kagami knew his daughter was also in the Land of Rain, so she would certainly be there. He inquired about the stationing place of the Hidden Leaf ninjas from the Land of Rain and walked towards it. New Novel City
Upon reaching the tent, Uchiha Kagami immediately heard his daughter's voice, along with the voice of his friend's daughter, Asuna. Just as he was about to enter, he happened to see Hatake Sakumo walking by. The latter, seeing him, exclaimed in surprise, "Lord Kagami."
And the people inside the tent heard this, immediately ran out, and threw themselves into Uchiha Kagami's arms, saying in surprise, "Father!"
The person who ran out was, of course, Uchiha Kagami's daughter, Mizuki. Uchiha Kagami hadn't seen his daughter for several years either. In these years, she had been staying in the Land of Rain, striving to assist the Hidden Leaf Village in helping the Land of Rain gradually move towards prosperity and strength. This made Uchiha Kagami feel both heartache and immense pride.
After all, his daughter was a kunoichi. Since she chose this profession, she couldn't be pampered like a noble girl, but had to shoulder the responsibilities that a kunoichi should have. Over the years, although he hadn't seen Mizuki, Uchiha Kagami often learned about his daughter's performance from reports sent from the Land of Rain. Among all the Hidden Leaf ninjas, Mizuki's performance was also among the best, proving that she was a qualified kunoichi.
To be able to endure pressure from all sides in the harsh environment of the Land of Rain and complete missions received from the village, for a girl, doesn't this represent the epitome of a ninja who embodies "endurance"?
"Long time no see, Mizuki." Uchiha Kagami was emotional, looking at his daughter's face after many years. Nearing adulthood, her features had blossomed, looking more and more like her mother, no longer the innocent and naive girl of the past, but a graceful young woman who understood hardship. As a father, he felt genuine joy.
"Long time no see, Uncle Kagami." Asuna, who was following behind, greeted Uchiha Kagami. She also hadn't seen this uncle, who often came to their house to chat and drink with her father, for a long time.
"Hmm, you've grown up too, Asuna," Uchiha Kagami said with a smile, nodding. He felt that Asuna's face was also becoming more and more like Satomi's, but her expression and temperament were closer to Fumori Masaki's. Her older sister, Akemi, was more like her mother in personality.
Mizuki, being a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl, naturally couldn't stay in her father's arms like she did when she was little. This was merely due to emotion. She quickly composed herself, pulled away from her father's embrace, and looked up at him.
Compared to herself, her father didn't seem to have changed much; his appearance was as always, though there were faint wrinkles between his brows. As a high-ranking official of the Hidden Leaf Village, the head of the Uchiha clan, and the captain of the ANBU, Uchiha Kagami had always been under immense pressure. Driven by a sense of responsibility, he hardly ever slacked off. Fortunately, his health was good, preventing him from aging prematurely.
"Lord Kagami, are you here for…?" Hatake Sakumo asked after the father-daughter reunion concluded.
"It's nothing much, I just came to see you all. Well, the only thing I need to tell you is to be careful in the upcoming war; the enemy is stronger than you think," Uchiha Kagami said.
"I've read the report. The Hidden Sand ninjas seem to be coming with a 'rather be shattered jade than intact tile' mentality. A frontal assault seems to come at a great cost," Hatake Sakumo said.
"Yes, that's why the village's intention is not to engage in such battles, but rather to wear down the enemy, focusing on a high exchange ratio," Uchiha Kagami nodded slightly and said, "The specific methods haven't been developed yet, because we don't know the enemy's movements. We will tell you once the intelligence has been gathered."
"I understand." Hatake Sakumo nodded in agreement.
"By the way, Mizuki and Asuna are both in your squad, right?" Uchiha Kagami glanced at Hatake Sakumo and asked.
"Yes, is something wrong?" Hatake Sakumo asked, hearing this.
"Nothing's wrong. I'm quite at ease with them following you," Uchiha Kagami said with a smile. He had watched Hatake Sakumo grow step by step. In the first joint Chunin Exam, he had surpassed all others, demonstrating extraordinary strength. After years of training, his strength must be even more astonishing.
If it weren't for wartime, Uchiha Kagami would have liked to test just how strong Hatake Sakumo's abilities were, but he had other matters to attend to, so he had to extinguish that thought. He thought for a moment, then said to the three people in front of him, "Listen carefully, our strategic objective is to preserve our own strength while doing our best to deplete the enemy. Therefore, when you receive orders, you absolutely must not act on your own initiative. Although there isn't a specific plan yet, it certainly won't be like samurai charging each other. It will be more like ninjas. Unless there are special orders, you must not engage the enemy in frontal combat, understand?"
The three nodded slightly. Hatake Sakumo already had a good idea, and Asuna and Mizuki, after hearing Hatake Sakumo's words, understood what the Hidden Sand ninjas were like now. If they were to face such an opponent without thinking and just go head-to-head, they might get themselves into trouble, so it was better to be cautious.
Seeing this, Uchiha Kagami had nothing more to instruct, only telling them to pay attention to rest, and then he began to attend to his own affairs. As a commander, he had many things to worry about. Not long after the Hidden Leaf ninjas arrived in the Land of Rain, the Hidden Sand Village's forces also arrived. The main force stopped not far from the border, and their intelligence ninjas had already secretly begun to act. This time, the Hidden Sand Village believed they would not repeat the predicament they encountered in the Land of Rivers.