Gaara's move made the elite Fuma ninjas' hearts sink halfway.
How could they possibly fight this monster?!
I was waiting online.
Urgent.
Fortunately, Gaara was only there to declare war.
The Sand Ninja army had strict discipline.
They declared war, made their announcement, and left.
Gaara didn't even launch a sandstorm Gatling gun sweep; instead, he commanded the helicopter to return.
Fuma Santaro, watching the departing helicopter, quietly wiped away a bit of sweat.
Thankfully, they left.
He laughed heartily.
"See, Lord Kurozumi? The Sand Ninjas aren't that impressive after all."
Kurozumi wasn't entirely sure what had just happened.
Now wasn't the time to expose Fuma's bravado.
He quickly reassured Momojiro.
"Lord Momojiro, look."
"The Sand Ninja have been repelled."
Only then did Momojiro cautiously peek outside.
The terrifying, loud monster was finally gone.
"Kurozumi, what do we do now?"
What else could they do?
If the Fuma clan could defeat the Sand Ninjas…
If the Land of Rivers could defeat the Land of Wind…
They would've already become the fifth great nation!
Kurozumi didn't hesitate.
"Of course, we must immediately request aid from the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. Lord Enichi will surely send troops and ninjas to help."
"With the Land of Fire on our side, our country will be safe."
Momojiro kicked him.
"Then hurry up!"
After taking the kick, Kurozumi thought to himself: You little brat, just you wait.
Kurozumi suddenly burst into laughter.
Momojiro and Fuma Santaro needed clarification.
Was there something funny?
Kurozumi laughed three times.
"I laugh at Kazekage Mufeng's foolishness."
"If he hadn't declared war and instead launched a surprise attack with that monster earlier, we would have been wiped out."
"How pathetic! How pathetic!"
"His arrogance is truly absurd."
"He just sent that monster to shout a few words."
"Isn't that just giving us a heads-up to prepare?"
"Ridiculous, simply ridiculous."
Momojiro and Fuma Santaro pondered over his words and realised he was right.
Momojiro laughed along.
"Kurozumi, you're right."
"What a fool that Kazekage is."
Their confidence surged.
Kurozumi: "Hmph, the Land of Rivers is crisscrossed with waterways, like a maze. The people of our land love and respect their Daimyo. If the Sand Ninjas dare to enter, they will never leave."
Fuma Santaro: "Our Fuma clan will do everything to stop the Sand Ninjas."
Kurozumi, with some military sense, added:
"Clan leader Fuma, you are ninjas, so leave the front-line battles to the army and the reinforcements from the Land of Fire."
"You should use your familiarity with the waterways to strike the Sand Ninja's logistics from behind and burn their supplies."
Fuma Santaro found the plan very reasonable.
"Understood, my lord."
"The Fuma clan guarantees the mission will be completed."
Momojiro, still worried, asked:
"What about me?"
"What if the Sand Ninja sneak attack me?"
Kurozumi reassured him:
"Rest assured, my lord. The Nine Red Blades and the elite Fuma ninjas will protect you at all times."
Momojiro finally felt at ease.
"Then what are we waiting for?"
"Get things arranged quickly."
"Hurry and request reinforcements."
The Fuma ninjas delivered the request for help to Lord Enichi, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, within a day.
Enichi, upon seeing that Kazekage Mufeng had openly declared war on his subordinate, the Land of Rivers, flew into a rage.
You don't hit someone in the face.
And if you hit a dog, you need to consider its owner.
How dare the Sand Ninja Village attack my subordinate?
"Summon the troops immediately and declare war on the Sand Ninja Village!"
His elder statesman, Hosokawa, quickly intervened.
"My lord, my lord, please calm down."
Enichi: "What's the matter?"
Hosokawa explained:
"The Sand Ninjas didn't declare war; they said they were punishing Momojiro."
Enichi was puzzled.
"How is that different from declaring war?"
"My lord, please look. The Kazekage stated that they wouldn't occupy an inch of the Land of Rivers nor harm its people."
"In reality, this whole matter seems to be a personal dispute between the Kazekage and Lord Momojiro."
"Why not let the two of them resolve it themselves?"
The room was filled with elders and advisors who all agreed with this view.
They all had close economic ties with the Sand Ninjas.
Enichi flatly refused.
"No way."
"I must send troops to help Momojiro."
"Even if Momojiro is at fault, the Kazekage should have come to me. I would have punished Momojiro."
"The Kazekage's actions clearly show he has no respect for me."
"I order the immediate dispatch of troops to support the Land of Rivers."
"At the same time, have Konoha send reinforcements."
"That's my decision."
Hosokawa and the others could only reluctantly accept the order.
However, when the messenger returned from Konoha, he reported:
"My lord, the Hokage said their village recently faced a near-destruction crisis."
"The entire village is in ruins and requires rebuilding."
"There are no ninjas available to be dispatched."
The messenger also described the devastation he had witnessed.
Especially the factory district destroyed by Mufeng.
It was like a tornado had hit a parking lot, leaving everything in utter chaos.
Enichi was stunned.
What was going on?
The messenger added: "The Hokage also said, my lord, that you should know what this is about."
Enichi suddenly realised.
Could this be Homma's doing?
"Where's Homma?"
"Get Homma here immediately!"
"Damn it!"
"What has he done?!"