Chapter 54: Strategy

The First Division had ten squads, each consisting of four members, making forty people in total, including the division captain, which brought the number to forty-one. They all gathered swiftly at their designated meeting point.

Everyone wore masks, standing in ten neat rows, with the squad captains standing at the front.

The Division Captain's gaze swept over the assembled members, pausing momentarily on Mochizuki Hui.

In fact, it wasn't just the captain; nearly all the ANBU members from the First Division were discreetly glancing at the four members of Squad Four.

After all, Squad Four was something of a legend. For four years, despite not being fully staffed, it had never been disbanded, nor had it received any new members.

Moreover, ever since the end of the last war, Squad Four's only mission had been to guard the Hokage—an assignment they had held continuously without interruption.

But none of the ANBU members who had also been assigned to protect the Hokage had ever actually seen the members of Squad Four in person.

Squad Four was the only squad not under the control of the division captain or even the ANBU commanders—it reported directly to the Hokage and was exempt from participating in ANBU meetings.

For four years, Squad Four had remained out of sight, becoming something of a myth within ANBU. No one knew who its members were, or how many there were.

But now, with this mission, the legendary Squad Four had reappeared, and it was no wonder they drew so much attention.

And with their squad leader appearing to be a mere child, their curiosity only deepened.

"Alright, let's go over our mission for the First Division," the Division Captain said, his eyes sweeping over the gathered ranks.

"Our task, as outlined in the mission brief, is to destroy a country."

His words caused several of the ANBU members to stiffen, many of them drawing sharp breaths.

No wonder the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, had spoken with such cold detachment and killing intent earlier—this mission wasn't just about taking down a village; it was the destruction of an entire nation.

"The country we are to destroy is the Land of the Moon, located between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth."

The Division Captain continued, "Based on the intel we've gathered, the Hidden Moon Village within the Land of the Moon has one elite jōnin, three jōnin, forty-five chūnin and elite chūnin, and an unknown number of genin.

"You have one hour to prepare. After that, meet at Point 12 in the village. Dismissed!"

With those instructions, the ANBU members scattered to gather whatever supplies they needed for the mission.

Mochizuki Hui returned to prepare as well, although there was little he needed to gather.

He had already known about this mission beforehand.

Senju Tobirama had once posed a political question to him, a hypothetical scenario about international relations, and the topic was uncannily similar to this mission.

Back then, Hui had suggested that wiping out certain smaller nations, while leaving others as buffers between the larger powers, would be the most strategic approach.

He had also proposed manipulating these buffer nations into becoming allies and informants, serving as eyes and ears against other major nations.

That question had been posed earlier this year, and the moment Hui saw it, he had understood Tobirama's intent.

It also shed light on why the Land of Fire had grown so large in later years and why there were so few nations left in the world.

It was all thanks to the Second Hokage's strategy.

Mochizuki Hui didn't feel particularly interested in the political ramifications, nor did he harbor any resentment towards the mission.

The behavior of these smaller nations during the last Great Ninja War had already sealed their fate.

An hour passed quickly, and the First Division reassembled, ready for their mission.

Five days later, the First Division reached the border of the Land of Fire.

They didn't immediately storm into the Hidden Moon Village, as that would have been pointless.

Their task was not simply to destroy a village; they had to dismantle an entire country.

After all, they couldn't realistically kill every citizen of the Land of the Moon, nor could they hope to conquer an entire nation with only forty-one people.

"I suggest we start by destroying the Hidden Moon Village. Once the village is eradicated, we can assassinate the Daimyo of the Land of the Moon, which would essentially render the country powerless," one of the squad captains suggested during a meeting held in a cave.

"I think we should incite internal conflict within the country, gain control over several key generals, and have them turn against each other. By dividing them from within, we could tear the country apart," said another squad captain.

"I suggest..."

Each captain proposed their ideas in turn, but Mochizuki Hui remained silent in the corner, quietly observing the discussion.

The Division Captain, noticing this, specifically addressed him.

"Squad Four Captain, Light, what do you think?" he asked, drawing everyone's attention toward Mochizuki Hui.

There was a mixture of curiosity and anticipation in their eyes.

After all, Squad Four was legendary—ANBU's most unique squad. Everyone was eager to see what kind of person led such a remarkable team.

Mochizuki Hui had anticipated being asked for his opinion. He glanced at the group before calmly stating his plan:

"To destroy a nation, the most effective strategy is to use the power of another country.

"The Land of Fire cannot directly attack the Land of the Moon—that's the baseline. So, our target should be the neighboring country, the Land of Trees.

"I believe we should first create internal chaos within the Land of the Moon, then leak information to the Land of Trees, prompting them to declare war.

"Once the war begins, we must ensure that the Land of Trees gains the upper hand but leave the Land of the Moon with enough hope to keep fighting.

"Hope is what will drive them to seek help from the Land of Fire.

"At that point, we guide the Land of the Moon to offer concessions in exchange for aid—territory, resources, or even population.

"The key is ensuring that their request for help remains secret at first. Only after the Land of Fire's forces arrive should the Land of the Moon make their plea for assistance public.

"Meanwhile, the Land of Trees, eager to avoid drawing attention from other nations and hoping to claim the Land of the Moon for themselves, will refrain from seeking help from outside powers.

"The Land of Fire will naturally accept the plea for aid; that part doesn't require our interference.

"Our job is to ensure that, just as the Land of Fire's forces begin to make a difference but before they can solidify their position, we assist the Land of Trees in swiftly conquering the Land of the Moon.

"This will give the Land of Fire a reason to retaliate against the Land of Trees, allowing them to annex both countries in one fell swoop.

"That's my proposal."

When he finished speaking, the entire cave fell into a stunned silence.

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