Saints and Suffering: A Naruto Fanfiction

Chapter 41- Opening Gambit

Koga, the commander of Kumogakure's black ops forces, sat at his desk within the headquarters and reviewed the most recent reports from the Land of Rice Fields.

It was early in the morning, and the sun had just started to peak over the nearby cliffs that surrounded his hometown. Quiet, dusty flurries of snow fell to the ground, nestling into cracks here and there, but it was not enough to blanket the ground.

Tonight, the world would be celebrating the New Year, and their plans in Shimogakure would begin.

Tomorrow, it would be Yugakure.

However, his on scene commanders would be handling those operations, and Koga could do nothing but wait patiently for the reports to come back to him in Kumo.

Success and failure were outside of his hands at this point. He had made the plans, he had trained his men, and he had promoted the best.

Everything was now on them, and it would only prove or disprove whether Koga had made the right choice of men assigned to the missions.

As he reviewed the reports from the Land of Rice Fields, a small smile threatened to break on out his lips.

It had gone perfectly.

The Land of Rice Fields was currently fragmented between Shinobi Clans, like a miniature version of the Warring States Period.

Koga was glad that it was this way. It had a whole host of benefits for any established village.

Constant fighting created a terrific training ground for his shinobi.

Constant fighting also created many orphans and disillusioned ninja, perfect for recruitment opportunities.

The only thing that Koga would regret about the situation as a whole was that it was just so quaint and petty.

There were no larger than life figures like Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha.

There were no myths or legends, only men.

Koga himself was born a few years after the establishment of the Hidden Village System, and his biggest regret was that he was not able to personally witness the Warring States Period.

Luckily, the Lightning Daimyo was more than happy to bring it back. Koga mused to himself, he must send the Daimyo a nice gift.

Something meaningful, maybe the personal tea leaves of the leader of Yugakure? They would certainly be delicious, and their previous owner would only add to the experience.

To drink the tea of a man you ordered the death of? To drink the tea from a village you ordered razed?

It must be sublime.

Koga leaned back in his chair for a few seconds more, and the hairs along his arms stood up and a shiver ran through his body as he imagined what it would feel like. His lips were parched and cracked, and he felt a deep and unquenchable thirst in the pit of his stomach.

But he was also a shinobi, and he quickly governed his faculties and turned his attention back to the reports from the Land of Rice Fields.

It really had gone perfectly.

The land was fragmented, and 5 families split the land between them.

Mai, Mugi, Kon, Yukka, Yamu.

Mai controlled the largest city; it couldn't really be called a capitol, the state was too fragmented for that.

That city was the major distribution center along the Great River, which transported food and goods along the northern border of the Land of Fire all the way down to the ruins of Uzushiogakure.