"It seems that this time, Hokage-sama really values this war, persuading the Hyuga Clan to send the main family ninja to support us."
Inside the medical camp, Tatsuma listened to the discussions of the surrounding ninjas, curiosity prompting him to lift his head and eavesdrop on their conversations.
Before coming to this world, Tatsuma had a mistaken belief that the Hyuga main family consisted only of the Hyuga clan head and the heir, especially considering that even the heir's younger brother had to be sealed with the Caged Bird Seal.
However, upon arriving in this world, he learned that the Hyuga Clan had not just one or two main families; while the number wasn't large, it wasn't nonexistent either.
Yet, Tatsuma, a civilian-born genin, couldn't fathom how the decision between the main family and branch family was made.
One thing he could ascertain, though, was that each Hyuga main family held an extremely high status within the clan and was an entity that the Hyuga branch families needed to protect with all their might.
Therefore, each time the main family ninja embarked on a mission, it represents the degree of importance that the Hyuga Clan and the village attach to that mission.
Unexpectedly, Tatsuma had not anticipated the arrival of the Hyuga main family ninja this time. He had been with the main force for a week, during which there were occasional clashes between the ninjas of the Wind and Fire countries, but they were within manageable limits.
In fact, Tatsuma had his own speculations about this situation. He believed that the Hidden Sand Village did not hide the fact that they sent Chiyo to the front line. Considering Chiyo's poison-making ability, the current calm was probably just a buildup before a major move.
With this in mind, Tatsuma suddenly had a conjecture that Konoha did not intend to passively respond to the enemy but rather planned to take the initiative.
In the past few days, the friction between the two countries involved continuously dispatching small teams of ninjas to infiltrate the Land of Rivers or the Land of Rain. They were searching for Hidden Sand operatives who were also hiding in these lands, engaging in skirmishes between teams.
However, the efficiency of such actions was too low. Konoha could afford the expenditure, and while the Sand Village might be somewhat impoverished, they could also bear the cost.
If Konoha is unable to advance and gather more information from the Hidden Sand Village, once Chiyo's poison is developed and deployed on the battlefield, Konoha will find itself in a passive situation.
An antidote must be developed first to counteract the poison, and during the process of developing the antidote, the Hidden Sand Village may be preparing for the next round of attacks.
To avoid falling into this passive state, choosing to advance through reconnaissance and striking directly before the Hidden Sand Village develops the poison is indeed a very good approach.
At this moment, any Hyuga Clan ninja who automatically becomes a Sensory Ninja as soon as they open their eyes would be the best vanguard.
However, in doing so, Tatsuma instantly realized that the first large-scale conflict was about to occur because Konoha needed to create enough time for the Hyuga Clan's reconnaissance.
The simplest way is to engage in combat, diverting the attention of the Hidden Sand Village's front line.
This tactic is straightforward and rough but often effective because it is not a conspiracy; it is a direct strategy. The Hidden Sand Village must stop Konoha on the main battlefield.
If the Hidden Sand Village does not engage in battle to stop them, the majority of Konoha's forces will advance directly. Once the Hidden Sand Village intervenes, their rear defense is bound to become vulnerable, allowing the Hyuga Clan to invade.
Unless the Hidden Sand Village has the strength to simultaneously deal with enemies on both fronts, they will have to abandon one of them.
After some thought, Tatsuma left the medical camp. He wanted to inquire from someone, and the best person to ask would be someone like Sensei Tsunade. However, Tatsuma understood that Tsunade was unlikely to tell him.
After leaving the medical camp, Tatsuma quickly found the Hyuga Clan's team. Among them, everyone else was wearing ninja vests, but this particular family was wearing yukatas adorned with the emblem of flames, making them quite conspicuous.
Before Tatsuma could approach, he felt that he had attracted quite a few scrutinizing glances. However, the scrutiny quickly ended, and a middle-aged man with a cheerful smile walked toward Tatsuma.
"Tatsuma, long time no see."
"Uncle Kai, it's been a while."
Upon seeing the newcomer, Tatsuma also smiled and bowed. This person was Hyuga Kai, the father of Hyuga Sento. When Tatsuma was apprenticed, it was Hyuga Kai who presented the gift on behalf of the Hyuga family.
"Sento heard that you're heading to the battlefield. These days, he's been making a fuss about graduating. If it weren't for the urgent mission, I would have definitely given him a good talking-to. He better not graduate, or else he'll have to deal with me."
"Uncle, be cautious in your words."
Tatsuma interrupted Hyuga Kai. There was a hint of confusion in Hyuga Kai's eyes, but Tatsuma didn't explain. Instead, he pointed to the camp where the Hyuga Clan guards were stationed and asked, "There's going to be a large-scale operation soon, isn't there?"
Upon hearing this, Hyuga Kai nodded. He didn't realize that Tatsuma had deduced this based on the news of their arrival. He simply thought that Tatsuma, as Tsunade's disciple, had received internal information. He generously replied, "Yes, either tomorrow or the day after. My elder brother is currently discussing the specific plans with Tsunade-sama and Orochimaru-sama."
"Is that so?"
Tatsuma felt a tinge of worry. This Konoha operation, while aimed at preparing to strike the Hidden Sand Village, would also escalate the already tense situation.
After this operation, regardless of whether Konoha gains any benefits or not, it will push the situation towards full-scale war. Seeing Tatsuma frowning, Hyuga Kai patted his head and said, "Don't worry, we will win. You stay in the rear and tend to the wounded."
"Okay." Tatsuma nodded and said, "Uncle, I won't disturb you then. Rest first, we can talk if you return victoriously."
Tatsuma suddenly stopped speaking because he realized he had said some strange and inappropriate words. However, Hyuga Kai didn't pay much attention and just smiled, saying, "Sure, we'll talk later."
As night fell, Tatsuma hadn't even had dinner when the camp suddenly became busy. A large number of ninjas were mobilized, and some lightly injured ninjas from the medical camp were urgently summoned.
Tatsuma, the de facto second-in-command of the medical camp, unaware of the situation, suddenly found that more than half of the patients and medical ninjas were gone.
Subsequently, Tsunade and Orochimaru led a large number of ninjas towards the direction of the Wind Country. The Hyuga Clan ninjas, under the leadership of Hyuga Kai's elder brother, Hyuga Miyako from the main family, set off in another direction.
In the vast camp, there were suddenly only a small number of medical ninjas, communication team members, and six or seven combat ninjas, barely maintaining the camp's operation and caring for the wounded.
Tatsuma, who couldn't yet participate in the war, could only spend another night at the camp. The next day, he went to the communication team to inquire about news. Soon, he heard some important information.
The large force led by Tsunade and Orochimaru, as they were about to cross the Land of Rivers and reach the Wind Country, was discovered by Wind Country ninjas. A large-scale battle ensued, and Chiyo was also involved.
Upon hearing this news, Tatsuma felt something was off.
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