Yashamaru began reporting on Konoha’s current situation.
Koshiro and Gen’nosuke, who had accompanied him, watched him speak so confidently and methodically, their hearts filled with envy.
Yashamaru was becoming more and more immersed in his professional role.
"According to our statistics, before the war, Konoha had a total of 36,725 shinobi.
"Of these, the Sarutobi Clan had 11,137 shinobi; civilian-born shinobi numbered 15,071; and shinobi belonging to the other clans numbered 10,517."
Yashamaru had managed to count the numbers down to the individual.
Clearly, he had put a great deal of effort into this.
Kei listened attentively, while Yashamaru continued his report in meticulous detail.
"After the war, Konoha has 18,601 shinobi remaining. The shinobi clans suffered virtually no casualties."
After the battle with Konoha, Uchiha Kei still considered himself extremely fortunate.
If Konoha had been united from top to bottom, the outcome of the war between Konoha and Nanga would still have been uncertain.
Kei sincerely had to thank the Third Hokage for all the questionable decisions he had made.
Otherwise, that day would not have gone nearly so smoothly.
And it wasn’t just that day.
Even now, the shinobi remaining in Konoha gave Kei a headache.
Not all of these shinobi would remain in Konoha.
Most of the survivors had been rigorously trained by their respective clans and had experienced the brutality of war. They were hardened veterans, and they were nothing like the mediocre fighters who had merely been piled together through the Sarutobi Clan’s numerical advantage.
Although they belonged to different clans, having them all gathered around Nanga, which possessed only five thousand shinobi, was still far too dangerous.
Especially the civilian-born shinobi.
Their relatives had died in the war, and seeds of hatred had already been planted in their hearts.
They were all potential sources of trouble.
"How many of the current Konoha shinobi will remain in Konoha?"
Kei was very concerned about this.
He hoped his allies, Orochimaru and the others, would be useful enough to lure away as many Konoha shinobi as possible.
Yashamaru had conducted a detailed investigation and immediately answered.
"Lord Orochimaru took approximately 2,211 civilian-born shinobi away from Konoha."
"These people did not participate in the fighting in the first place, and their families were largely unaffected. Their attitude toward Nanga is indifferent, and they are satisfied with their new living environment."
"However, they seem to be having some friction with the Fūma Clan in the Land of Rice Fields."
Kei wasn’t concerned with the internal affairs of the Land of Rice Fields.
That was Orochimaru’s problem.
Yashamaru continued.
"Lord Danzō took 3,387 Root shinobi from Konoha."
"The Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal left them with no choice."
"However, apart from a little over three hundred who possess some degree of strength, the rest can barely be considered genin."
At this point, Yashamaru struggled to suppress a laugh.
"They suffered casualties on both sides in their battles against the wandering warriors of the Land of Waves."
Orochimaru and Danzō had already begun building their own organizations.
At present, Orochimaru seemed to be developing quite smoothly, while Danzō appeared to have run into some difficulties.
The Land of Waves bordered the Land of Iron, a secluded nation inhabited by remnants of the old samurai order.
It was said that they had also mastered the method of chakra cultivation.
Now, they had actually ventured beyond their borders and were stirring up trouble in the Land of Waves.
Kei wondered whether Danzō could withstand them.
It would be truly laughable if he finally managed to establish a profitable enterprise, only for a group of samurai to swoop in and take advantage of him.
The shinobi world had no room for samurai to run wild.
There was no longer a ship in the new world capable of carrying the samurai.
That was the consensus among all shinobi.
Hopefully, Danzō could finally prove himself useful for once.
"What about Kushina? How are preparations for her restoration effort going?"
Kushina was the person Kei was most concerned about, because her situation was the most complicated.
"Lady Kushina’s restoration movement is still nothing more than plans on paper. She remains in Konoha, seeking sponsors from various quarters."
Although Kei had provided her with substantial financial support, she still had to recruit the manpower herself.
And the country she was trying to restore wasn’t merely the insignificant Land of Bears.
She was trying to rebuild the Hidden Whirlpool Village, which meant ultimately confronting the Land of Water, one of the Five Great Nations.
This wasn’t something that money alone could solve.
Yashamaru knew that Lord Kei wanted concrete numbers, and he had prepared those as well.
"Lady Kushina is still recruiting shinobi in Konoha who are willing to follow her and rebuild Uzushiogakure."
"At present, approximately 1,210 Konoha shinobi are willing to follow Minato Namikaze, while approximately 1,087 shinobi are willing to follow Mitokado Homura."
Then Yashamaru looked awkwardly at Lord Kei.
"However, not a single shinobi is willing to follow the former jinchūriki of Konoha."
"In fact, there’s even a rumor circulating that she was the ’Demon Fox’ who destroyed Konoha!"
The customs and attitudes of Konoha were still the same.
It seemed that unless Konoha underwent a major change in personnel, there would be no way to fix this.
In the Konoha of today, if Kei—the person who had brought Konoha a new life—was the savior, then those who yearned for the old regime could only vent their hatred on a single woman.
Because Kushina had refused to fight for Konoha during its most dangerous moment, Konoha’s defeat had all been blamed on her.
The logic was entirely consistent with Konoha’s traditional way of thinking.
And the people who thought this way were still in Konoha.
Yet most of the shinobi would follow Minato Namikaze, while Mitokado Homura would leave with Kushina to rebuild the Land of Whirlpools.
Wasn’t that an enormous joke?
The future Hidden Whirlpool Village would probably be quite lively.
"Continue."
Kei motioned for Yashamaru to proceed.
"Yes, my lord!"
Yashamaru’s report continued to be meticulous.
Whenever Lord Kei asked a question, he had an answer ready.
He was determined to earn this hard-earned merit.
"After the Konoha shinobi were redistributed, Konoha has 10,806 registered shinobi remaining."
"Among them, the shinobi clans have certainly concealed a small number of unregistered personnel. However, the number is definitely limited and should not exceed one thousand."
"Even so, those hidden shinobi are almost certainly the elite of their respective clans."
Kei had already anticipated this.
Everyone would keep a few trump cards hidden.
As long as the hidden forces didn’t have a major impact, it didn’t matter.
"Which clans have concealed their strength?"
Kei still wanted to know who had the greatest ambitions.
This time, Yashamaru hesitated.
"All of the shinobi clans, including the Uchiha?"
Hmm.
The Konoha Uchiha had so few people to begin with, yet they were still concealing their strength.
It seemed that little Uchiha Cha had played a significant role in this.
"Heh. Konoha’s ambitions really haven’t diminished."
Kei sighed before continuing.
"What is the composition of the Konoha shinobi who have been redistributed?"
Seeing that his lord wasn’t particularly concerned about the previous matter, Yashamaru returned to his professional mode.
"The former followers of the Sarutobi Clan—including the Izuno, Kazamatsuri, Ise, Ebisu, Yūhi, and Morino families—suffered heavy losses during this battle."
"They have completely lost faith in Konoha, and they will follow the Mitokado faction to relocate to the Land of Whirlpools."
After saying this, Yashamaru gritted his teeth.
"However, they still harbor feelings for Konoha and remain extremely hostile toward us!"
Kei nodded, signaling for him to continue.
Yashamaru obediently went on.
"Shinobi represented by smaller families such as Genma Shiranui, Raido Namiashi, Aoba Yamashiro, Hayate Gekkō, Iwashi Tatami, Izumo Kamizuki, and Kotetsu Hagane will follow Minato."
"They all come from minor shinobi families and don’t have such a deep attachment to Konoha."
"To them, it feels almost like they’ve simply changed jobs."
Listening to the composition of the army attempting to restore the Land of Whirlpools, Kei found it almost absurd.
If Kushina actually succeeded in restoring the Land of Whirlpools, wouldn’t it merely become another version of Konoha?
"I wonder whether Kushina can actually handle this."
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