"Finally willing to let him onto the battlefield?" In the temporary camp of Konoha in the Land of Rivers, Orochimaru looked at Tatsuma, who had been brought over by Tsunade, with an expression of doubt on his face.
Tsunade nodded and said, "He said he's ready."
"It does seem like he's prepared."
Orochimaru examined Tatsuma for a moment before he nodded. Now Tatsuma indeed looked different, at least with a bit of a ninja's appearance.
Tatsuma felt a bit uneasy under Orochimaru's gaze. Although he knew from Jiraiya, Tsunade, and his own observations that the current "Snake Uncle" had not started any human modification experiments, he was still a normal ninja plus scientist, at least for now.
However, once stereotypes are formed, they are hard to shake off. Tatsuma wanted to find an excuse to leave. Just as he was about to ask Tsunade about his accommodation, Orochimaru turned to Tsunade and spoke:
"The decision from the village has come in, declaring a full-scale war against the Wind Country. Since you were absent, I've already sent someone to the Hidden Sand Village's camp to declare war," Orochimaru said.
Tsunade nodded, showing no signs of displeasure on her face. After all, she genuinely didn't mind others taking over her command authority, and she even wished someone else would do all the work for her.
However, after some thought, Tsunade asked, "How many reinforcements will the village send?"
"More than half of the Hyuga Clan's ninja, led by the Hyuga brothers, Itsuki and Ketsu. Your two uncles also brought a considerable number of clan members."
"There aren't many clan members left," Tsunade waved her hand dismissively, seemingly unconcerned, but her brow slightly furrowed. Orochimaru continued, "Kunugi Mokume Senpai, Shinku Yuhi Senpai, and Umino Ikkaku Senpai are also leading Jonin teams for support. The Root has deployed numerous ninja and has already begun infiltration operations. Sensei has also applied to the Daimyo to recall ninja stationed in various locations, focusing on reinforcing the borders—firstly to support the situation here and secondly to guard against invasions from other countries during the chaos."
"By the way, there's also the Uchiha Clan. Uchiha Fugaku is in charge of escorting the war preparations this time. Sensei's intention is to not prevent them from joining the battle," Orochimaru explained.
"Uchiha," at the mention of this surname, Tsunade's face displayed a disdainful expression inherited from being a member of the Senju clan. She waved her hand and asked, "How many of them have come in total?"
"The first batch of reinforcements is about 1,500. Including those previously stationed here and the ones we brought, there are around 2,800 ninja in total," Orochimaru explained. Tsunade expressed dissatisfaction, saying, "What is sensei thinking? Trying to contend with the entire Hidden Sand Village with just 2,000 ninja?"
"It's 2,800, and we do have the Hyuga Clan and Senju after all."
"Hmm?"
Tsunade's dissatisfied gaze shifted, and Orochimaru shrugged, saying, "The ones joining the battle are all elites. Sensei has also sent a warning letter to the Kazekage, advising him against joining the battle or he will join as well. If the battlefield is in the Land of Rivers, we can actually hold our own, considering they are not familiar with jungle warfare, and Puppet Jutsu will be severely restricted in the jungle."
"If the Kazekage doesn't join the battle, our only difficulty lies in Chiyo's poison. As long as Chiyo's poison doesn't become widespread, we can stretch the front line and use our expertise in jungle warfare to break through Hidden Sand Village's forces."
Listening to Orochimaru's analysis, Tatsuma furrowed his brows and said, "The premise is that the battlefield is in the Land of Rivers, Orochimaru-sama. You've assumed that Hidden Sand Village will definitely take an offensive stance and continue to attack. If Hidden Sand Village abandons attacking and doesn't penetrate deep into the Land of Rivers, how can we erode their forces through a war of attrition? Besides, the Land of Rivers has many small flowing streams, making it more favorable for Hidden Sand Village to deploy poison."
Tatsuma's sudden interruption made Orochimaru a bit displeased initially, but upon hearing his analysis, Orochimaru couldn't help but start contemplating.
Indeed, he had assumed the stance Tatsuma mentioned because he believed that Hidden Sand Village, driven by Chiyo's determination and the deaths of her son and daughter-in-law, would launch a relentless attack at any cost.
But people fear pain, and they also learn from lessons. If the Hidden Sand Village suffers severe losses after two battles, they can't stubbornly continue their course. Once Hidden Sand Village withdraws from the Land of Rivers, Konoha won't be able to keep depleting the Hidden Sand Village's forces. If it turns into a defensive battle, considering the current situation, Konoha can accept it.
However, Orochimaru knows that his sensei is not just satisfied with successfully defending the borders; he wants to severely cripple the Hidden Sand Village and secure victory in this full-scale war. In this case, Orochimaru's previous thoughts are problematic and cannot fulfill Sarutobi Hiruzen's expectations and requirements for this war.
Seeing Orochimaru's strangely silent demeanor, Tsunade glanced at Tatsuma with surprise. After some contemplation, Orochimaru came up with a new plan in his mind. He looked at Tatsuma and was about to discuss it when, in that instant, he realized that Tatsuma was just a nine-year-old kid. Yet, he had been contemplating discussing matters with Tatsuma from an equal perspective.
Shaking his head, Orochimaru questioned himself internally about whether he lacked command abilities. However, he became more curious about Tatsuma. Looking at Tatsuma, he asked, "Tatsuma, what are your thoughts?"
"Huh? I don't really have any thoughts," Tatsuma scratched his head. He had only expressed his viewpoint without rejecting Orochimaru's plan or preparing to propose an alternative. Encouragingly, Orochimaru said, "It's okay. Just tell me, if it were you, what would you do?"
Tatsuma began to ponder, and after a while, he said, "Abandon the advantage of the Land of Rivers, seize the opportunity before the arrival of the Hyuga Clan, and proactively defeat the enemy. Deceive Hidden Sand Village step by step, making them advance further. Simultaneously, use false positions and false battle lines to mislead the Hidden Sand ninjas, fragmenting their forces.
Ideally, we should lure them into entering the Land of Fire. The forests in the Land of Fire are denser and more extensive than those in the Land of Rivers. the Hidden Sand ninja's visibility would be restricted, and by that time, we should also have the support of the Hyuga Clan."
Following that, encircle from both flanks, cut off their logistical supplies, and launch a joint attack with the reinforcements against the Sand Ninja teams. It's impossible for every Hidden Sand Village team to be equipped with Sensory-type ninja, but we have the Hyuga Clan that can meet this requirement.
In this way, the Hidden Sand Village would either have to choose to break through towards the center of the Land of Fire, colliding with the support teams, or turn around and break through towards the Land of Rivers. Either way, they would engage in large-scale battles with us.
To break through, they would have to pay a significant cost, perhaps even facing complete annihilation."
"That's a good idea, and we also have a more advanced communication system to execute this tactical plan."
Orochimaru stroked his chin, deep in thought. Tsunade smirked and said to Orochimaru, "You can't be serious, right? Tatsuma is just a Genin who has never been on the battlefield. What tactics can he come up with? In my opinion, it's better to march straight to their Wind Country and cut through to Hidden Sand Village..."
Orochimaru didn't hear what Tsunade said afterward; he actively blocked out her voice, continuously envisioning the scenario Tatsuma proposed – a battlefield in the jungle, luring the enemy deep, and conducting guerrilla warfare relying on the information gap.
'The only challenge with this tactical approach lies in the initial setback. Firstly, one must endure the pressure from both our side and the village. Secondly, it must appear authentic enough to make the Hidden Sand Ninjas overextend.
Apart from that, sacrificing a bit of dignity and reputation is necessary, but Orochimaru doesn't care about such things!
However, as he is not the battlefield commander, even if Tsunade, who holds that position, understands the plan after reviewing, it's unlikely she would agree. After contemplating for a while, Orochimaru, who regained his composure, looked at Tsunade, who was still talking incessantly, and said, "Tsunade, inform the village that you'll be researching the Hidden Sand Village's poison. Hand over the command to me; I'll take responsibility for everything."
'??? I thought of you as a teammate, and you want to usurp my position?!' Tsunade was left seachless
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