"Incredibly audacious! Truly audacious!"
In the midst of the Rain Ninja camp, Hanzo rushed back, looking at his subordinates tormented by toxins, his exposed half-face flushed with anger. As a master of poisons, he was actually tricked with poison by someone.
Beside him, Rain Ninjas, also wearing gas masks, bowed their heads in silence. After all, this was too shameful. After simmering in anger for a while, Hanzo asked discontentedly, "Who exactly did this? Have you found out?"
Upon hearing the question, a Rain Ninja nodded and presented a document, saying, "According to the returning ninjas, they encountered three suspected Sand Ninja ANBU, one of whom seems to be skilled in Puppet Jutsu and controlling Sand techniques.
After examining the poisoned ninjas and testing their blood samples, we found some components extremely similar to the poison used by Sand Ninjas, but there wasn't a complete match. We suspect it's a new type of poison developed by Sand Ninja."
Hanzo took the report and began to read. Ever since the transplantation of the venom sac, he hadn't stopped his research on poisons, for both his own sake and those around him. Thus, he naturally understood these professional reports.
The report not only analyzed this particular toxin but also compared it with other known toxins. After reading it, Hanzo concluded that the poison afflicting his subordinates was from the same series as the one used by Hidden Sand Village's Chiyo.
This was inevitable for every poison master. Each generation of poisons was a refinement of previous works, and in the eyes of professionals, many connections could naturally be seen.
"What's the reaction from Konoha?" After reading the report, Hanzo's anger had subsided somewhat. In response, a Rain Ninja said, "Konoha seems to have also gathered intelligence on this incident. They sent us an invitation for talks again yesterday."
Upon hearing that Konoha wasn't intending to take advantage of the situation, Hanzo breathed a sigh of relief. After all, within the Rain Ninja village, he was the only one capable of confronting the power of the great nations and their elders.
However, he couldn't conduct truly simultaneous operations. The route to the east was blocked by the warriors of the Land of Iron, and despite leading his forces against Mifune's warrior group for a long time, they hadn't truly overcome them.
It wasn't because the warriors of the Land of Iron were truly formidable, but rather, these conservative warriors had unbelievably sought aid from Konoha.
After suffering significant losses in the initial battle due to being unfamiliar with ninja combat, the warriors swiftly adjusted their strategic approach. While Mifune was responsible for overall coordination, on-site command was handed over to Konoha's ninja.
Simultaneously, the ninjas from Konoha who provided support were largely medical ninja, greatly reducing the warriors' casualties. The Waterfall Ninja Village, originally powerless to stop the Rain Ninja's eastward expansion, also managed to staunchly halt their advance with the assistance of the warriors and Konoha ninjas.
This setback deeply frustrated Hanzo. After all, the absorption of territories and expansion was the only path for the rise of the Land of Rain. However, despite his ambitions, he wouldn't truly occupy the lands adjacent to him, such as the Land of Earth, Land of Fire, and Land of Wind.
Moreover, faced with the trilateral alliance of the Waterfall Ninja Village, Land of Iron, and Konoha, Hanzo had no way to condemn them. After all, he had initiated hostilities against the Land of Iron and Land of Fire. As for the Waterfall Ninja Village, if the Rain Ninja ventured onto others' territories, could they really expect no resistance?
But the prolonged inability to conquer filled Hanzo with frustration and impatience. He stared at the report in his hand and then said, "Gather one thousand ninja. We're going to attack the Sand Ninjas."
"Hanzo-sama, but the Sand Ninjas haven't—"
One of his subordinates was about to advise Hanzo, but noticing Hanzo's dangerous gaze, he promptly shut his mouth.
Attacking the Sand Ninjas now is indeed not a wise move. However, the prolonged inability to make headway on the northeastern front and Konoha's refusal to engage with the Sand Ninjas, opting instead for defense, means there's been no opportunity for engagement, even if desired.
The only remaining option that could potentially change the situation for the Land of Rain is the Sand Ninjas, who have repeatedly suffered defeats in their battles against Konoha. Moreover, their current large-scale attack on the Sand Ninjas is a well-known move.
However, despite the Sand Ninja's repeated losses in their wars with Konoha, they are still a major village of a great nation, with resources that the Rain Ninjas cannot match. The fact that they have maintained their ability to wage war against Konoha after over a year of defeats speaks volumes.
Konoha continues to deploy ninjas from various regions, urging the Ninja Academy to produce ninjas quickly, ensuring a steady stream of reinforcements to join the battlefield. They simultaneously open up battles against the Sand Ninjas, resist attacks from the Cloud Ninjas, support the Land of Iron, and even delve deep into the Land of Rain to seek opportunities for negotiations.
Although the Hidden Sand Village may not compare to Konoha in some aspects, their battlefield is more concentrated, focusing solely on the Land of Rain. They also have reserves of power in the rear, including the unutilized force of the tailed beasts.
Why is the Land of Rain so eager to expand eastward? Apart from resources like land and population, they also covet the tailed beasts of the Waterfall Ninja Village. Only by mastering the power of the tailed beasts can they maintain the confidence to engage in real wars with the great nations.
While the five great ninja villages have varying degrees of control over their respective tailed beasts, they undoubtedly possess the power to utilize them in warfare. However, until the final moment, no village will unleash their tailed beasts.
Hanzo firmly believes in his own judgment and is not yet willing to provoke the Hidden Sand Village to deploy their tailed beasts. Therefore, he has decided to attack the Sand Ninja forces at this time.
...
Hanzo can be considered the sole authority figure of the Land of Rain Ninja group, and his orders were quickly carried out. Within a short day, one thousand ninja were formed into battalions.
Mobilizing one thousand ninja in the Land of Rain is on an entirely different level of difficulty compared to Konoha's mobilization of the same number. In the great nations, deploying one thousand ninja constitutes a medium-sized military operation, but in the Land of Rain, it's considered a large-scale military operation.
The Land of Rain's actions immediately alerted the spies of other hidden villages embedded in the Land of Rain. In no time, news of this reached Hidden Sand Village, Konoha, and even the Elders of Iwagakure.
In the command tent of Konoha's camp, upon receiving this news, Danzo rarely displayed a smile, Orochimaru wore an expression of slight astonishment, occasionally glancing at the jovial Jiraiya.
While Jiraiya's actions were impressive, Orochimaru didn't believe this was Jiraiya's plan. The most likely orchestrator was Tatsuma.
"Last time it was trapping the lords, this time it's driving the tiger to swallow the wolf. Tatsuma, you're truly giving me more surprises," Orochimaru inwardly sighed. It seemed that Tatsuma, that lad, not only increasingly resembled Second Hokage-sama in appearance but also in methods. Could it be that talent runs in the bloodline?
As the instigator of rumors, Orochimaru now doubted whether he had inadvertently revealed the truth in the form of gossip.
"This is our chance, a golden opportunity for Konoha. We must seize it, concentrate our forces, and strike them while the Rain Ninja are engaged with the Sand Ninja," Danzo declared.
At that moment, Shima's eyes sparkled as he looked towards Danzo. However, upon hearing this, Orochimaru and Jiraiya furrowed their brows, and even Hyuga Itsuki couldn't help but purse his lips.
Such actions were too hasty and shortsighted. Konoha's best course of action now was to refrain from involvement. Regardless of which side emerged victorious in the conflict, Konoha would secure a greater advantage by staying out of it.
However, Danzo's expression betrayed a hint of eagerness. Since establishing his development policy for the next decade, Danzo understood what he needed: recognition and glory.
While observing from the sidelines might ensure the village's stability, it offered him no personal benefit. Therefore, he spoke up, saying, "I also intend to participate. What are your opinions?"
With that, he looked towards the furrowed brows of Orochimaru and Jiraiya. Jiraiya simply waved his hand, saying, "I'm about to head back to Tsunade's side. I won't be involved in or express opinions on matters here."
Hearing Jiraiya's words, Danzo felt somewhat disgruntled. After all, this was the time to concentrate forces and accomplish great deeds. Although he looked down on Jiraiya as a person, he had to admit Jiraiya's role on the battlefield.
However, if Jiraiya wanted to leave, Danzo had no reason or excuse to stop him. After all, Jiraiya's current status on the battlefield was on par with Danzo's, both serving as commanders on different fronts.
Moreover, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade didn't care about who held the actual command authority. Therefore, they could easily hand over command to one another without causing much disruption, even if one or two of them left the camp.
Jiraiya's reluctance to participate led Danzo to turn his attention to Orochimaru. As for the attitudes of other Elders in the camp, such as Hyuga Itsuki, Danzo didn't care much because he had the authority to command and mobilize them.
What he desired was more power, whether from Jiraiya or Orochimaru. It would be best if they stayed together, but since Jiraiya was unwilling, he could only look to Orochimaru.
However, Orochimaru shook his head, facing Danzo's darkening expression as he said, "I've only stayed here for a while to let Nawaki gain battlefield experience. Now that he's adapted quite well, I should report back."
"Are you disregarding the village's interests?! How did Hiruzen teach you?!" Before Danzo could speak, another person in the tent, Rima, who also had Senju blood, questioned them both. Seeing someone speak up for him, Danzo didn't feel the need to rush to respond.
He had previously spoken to these two individuals. As descendants of the Senju, Rima and Shima naturally sided with Danzo in the interest of "reigniting Konoha's rise." Faced with Rima's interrogation, while Jiraiya wanted to explain, Orochimaru stopped him. Then he spoke:
"Senpais, advancing for the village's benefit and holding our ground are both for the village's sake. I'm not unwilling to see Konoha gain an advantage. It's just that Jiraiya and I have our own battlefield and tasks that belong to us."
Upon hearing this, Rima's expression soured, and Shima spoke up, saying, "If you choose to go back, can't we at least keep Tsunade's disciple here? We need his medical abilities."
"I'm sorry, but I don't think Tsunade would agree to that," Orochimaru continued to refuse. Rima slammed the table, saying, "What? Are we not even allowed to command a single Chunin now?!"
Rima's chakra erupted at that moment, making the atmosphere in the command tent extremely tense. However, Orochimaru showed no signs of fear. Instead, he became even more resolute compared to his previous gentleness. He looked at Rima, then at Shima, and said:
"Senpais, I don't know if you're aware, but Mito-sama has already approved Tatsuma as the successor to Second Hokage-sama. Forgive my bluntness, but you truly have no authority to command or mobilize Tatsuma anymore."
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