"Sister, the information from Konoha came back. "
In Suna's army tent, Ebizō unrolled a scroll written in cryptic language, which he, who held the intelligence service, naturally had no problem reading, deciphering it word by word.
"Orochimaru held a battle meeting and laid an ambush in Kikyo Mountain. "
A short sentence, but very critical information, it wasn't too much to say that it could change the outcome of the war in one fell swoop.
Re-rolling the secret scroll into his sleeve, Ebizō looked at his sister Chiyo: "Sister, what do you think we should do about it?"
"Of course, it's to concentrate on eliminating the ambush units. "
Chiyo answered without thinking, as she always does.
"This..." Ebizō said slowly, "I think there is something wrong with this information. "
"I'm not suspecting that the spies under my command have betrayed us. " He had high trust in this spy lurking in Kikyo City: "I can be sure that the source of the information must be true and valid. "
Pulling Chiyo's eyes back to the sand table, Ebizō planted the flag belonging to the Konoha shinobi on the hill representing Mount Kikyo.
"This information came so easily that I suspect Orochimaru deliberately passed it on through spies as false information. "
"This is a naked open plan, attacking Kikyo City to withstand a sneak attack, or besieging an ambush force surrounded by Konoha's main force, Orochimaru capitalized on the mindset that we couldn't delay any longer. "
Ebizō picked up the glass of water set aside to moisten his throat.
Chiyo, however, had already thought of the crux of the matter and followed his brother's words, "And no matter which option, Orochimaru is confident to withstand our attack. "
Ebizō didn't agree, "Maybe they have new reinforcements. "
"However, Orochimaru clearly underestimated our strength. After all, we were planning to send out Shukaku. "
"Since they brought the bait to our mouths, there's no reason not to eat it!" Chiyo plucked up the Konoha banner on Kikyo City, "Someone! Bring Pakura to see me. "
...
On Mount Kikyo, in the middle of the woods where the leaves had fallen, and basically only the branches remain, a team of more than a hundred ninja, like busy ants, worked together to set up traps with all kinds of jutsu -- falling logs, drop holes and everything.
"Captain Manoshi, the traps have been made, and the seals are all marked. "
Genin Isao reported the mission to the teenager in front of him, who was a few years younger than himself.
Although he didn't understand why as an ambush force, he had to set traps at the ambush site.
"Well, let's rest in place. Now, we just need to wait for the signal from Kikyo City. "
Manoshi naturally did not need to explain to others.
He also reacted only after assembling this mostly Chūnin-composed force.
If this ambush were really important, the person leading this team wouldn't be the only Jōnin.
Not to look down on Chūnins, Chūnins are the most important grassroots force in any village.
But if you want to play the role of an ambush force, the top class like Minato Namikaze was even more important.
So, the conclusion was very simple. Unfortunately, this "odd bunch" will instead become the enemy's priority target, and the troops in Kikyo City were the real ambush.
"It's a lot of pressure. "
Manoshi sighed, perhaps many Chūnins had thought of this.
Of course, this wasn't to say that they were treated as outcasts; even if they were really ambushers, the threat they faced wasn't small in the slightest.
But the psychological pressure on the offensive side and the defensive side was totally different.
Weaving through the crowd, Manoshi found Hideyoshi, who was using his Byakugan to look around.
As the only shinobi in the team with long-range reconnaissance capabilities, Hideyoshi Hyuga opened his Byakugan every so often to ensure an adequate supply of chakra for combat, ensuring the safety of the team.
Around the bluish-white eyes, covered with veins from the supply of chakra, made Hidetoshi Hyuga's expression look a little grim. If people who aren't familiar with it see it, they may find it scary.
But for the shinobis of Konoha village, it was the most reliable and trustworthy sign.
"Thank you for your hard work, Hideyoshi-senpai." Manoshi stood by Hideyoshi's side, "The trap for scouts has been set, so you can stop using your Byakugan so often. "
"Manoshi-sama, there's no chakra reaction anywhere within a kilometer radius. "
After scouting out the last area, Hideyoshi Hyuga then closed his Byakugan. The bulging veins gradually subsided, and he returned to his usual gentle appearance as he looked to Manoshi, who was standing beside him and spoke respectfully.
"I'm still holding up, being able to provide an extra layer of protection to companions is good. The only way to survive is to do everything you can. This is war. "
...
"Pakura, do you have the confidence to wipe out all of Konoha's ambush units?"
With her Scorch Release, Pakura was a rising star in Suna village. Even Chiyo had to admit that the kunoichi's blood limit was powerful.
"For the sake of the village, I will use my Scorching Release to evaporate all the shinobis from Konoha. "
The beautiful kunoichi said firmly.
"Very well, then Konoha's ambush will be handled by you. I'm relieved. "
Chiyo was very satisfied with Pakura, strong and loyal to the village.
If not for the equally strong strength of Rasa's God Dust jutsu and a great help to the development of the village, perhaps she would consider pushing Pakura to become the Fourth Kazekage.
"Yes!"
Pakura accepted and turned to leave, straightening her smooth back.
Chiyo turned to her brother Ebizō and said, "Give the order to the whole army to attack!"
Suna's big move was soon discovered by Konoha's scouts.
"Orochimaru-sama, the enemy has moved!"
The shinobis of the Hyuga clan reported the enemy's movements to the snake-pupil shinobi standing behind them.
"Very well. "
As Orochimaru expected, Suna, caught in the tangle of war, would take the bait even if it was deliberately thrown out.
Suna's main battleground was still a long-standing feud with the Iwa shinobis.
The Land of Wind, which was poor and weak, didn't have the resources to support Suna's two-front war.
"Minato, get ready to go. Keep the enemy outside the scope of Kikyo City. "
Orochimaru looked at Minato Namikaze standing beside him.
Minato Namikaze, who had already changed into combat wear, had his short blonde hair blowing in the wind. If you had to use one word to describe it, it would be spirited.
"Orochimaru-sama, I am ready for the war!"
Konoha's shinobis poured out, leaving only a small number of support staff stationed at Kikyo City.
Shinobi's extraordinary power, dust rose with the high-speed movements; it was all as exaggerated as in the anime.
Within a few moments, Suna and Konoha shinobis met unexpectedly on a vast plain.
The two armies were only a few hundred meters apart.
The clear weather allowed both sides to see what kind of shinobis were standing in the forefront.
"Chiyo and Ebizō are there. Fire the signal for Manoshi Uchiha to lead an assault on Suna's rear!"
There was no verbal session, as the leaders of both sides waved their hands, thousands of shinobis rushed towards the enemy line while throwing their jutsus.
Most shinobis didn't have the amount of chakra to release a long-range killing jutsu, so physical attacks were their strongest weapons.
However, with these kinds of shots, only a few unlucky people could be wounded. Even with the shuriken embedded in their arms, the shinobis continued to rush forward without hesitation.
As the two sides came into close contact, war broke out.