"Chiyo has led the remaining Sand Ninjas to retreat to the border between the Land of Rain and the Land of Wind. It seems they are planning to return to the Land of Wind."
In the cave, several Konoha leaders assessed the current battle situation with slightly calm expressions. At this moment in the Land of Rain, they no longer had any competitors; they had successively driven back both the Rock Ninjas and the Sand Ninjas.
"Ribbit!"
A light green toad quickly hopped in, landing in Jiraiya's hands after a few jumps. He proficiently took out a scroll from the toad's mouth, placed the toad on the ground, and it swiftly left.
Jiraiya unfurled the scroll, glanced at it for a while, and frowned slightly.
"What's wrong?" Seeing his odd expression, everyone became curious.
Jiraiya directly handed the scroll to Hatake Sakumo. "Read it yourself," he said.
Everyone passed the scroll around quickly, and about a minute later, when Tsunade finished reading it, her face darkened, and she clenched her teeth.
"Bang!"
She struck a rock beside her, shattering it into rubble.
The others looked displeased as well, and a moment of silence ensued.
"The third Hokage acted this way out of necessity. Fully investigating this would shake the foundation of our entire village," Uchiha Kai remarked first. Sandaime's order was to investigate the information leak without specifying a deadline, implicitly suggesting that the matter wouldn't be thoroughly probed.
Such an investigation would implicate Konoha's top leadership, threatening the village's stability. As the head of the clan, Uchiha Kai greatly understood this complexity. During the Second Ninja War, internal strife was not an option.
Sandaime sama had no other choice.
"But if we don't catch the traitor, how can we continue this war?" Tsunade retorted angrily. Though she understood the reasoning, she detested betrayal from within.
"In our current state, we've achieved partial victory. If we halt now, the Sand and Rock Ninjas won't be able to challenge us soon," Orochimaru reasoned.
The Rock Ninjas were weakened, and their neighboring Lightning Country posed a threat to them. The Land of Wind and its Sand Village, already weaker than the other major villages, suffered significant losses and wouldn't dare confront Konoha immediately.
"Konoha's long period of calm probably led other ninja villages to underestimate us. The final order on Sandaime's scroll is critical!" Uchiha Kai pointed to the last words on the scroll.
[All members rest for half a month, then join the village troops to attack the Land of Wind!]
[Further battle plans will be communicated later.]
This order reflected Sandaime Hokage's stance: strike back against those who attack us. Given the repeated ambush from the Sand Ninja Village, there was no need for restraint.
"He finally did it," murmured Tsunade. Sandaime's order brought her satisfaction. She cracked her knuckles in anticipation.
Usually, Sandaime preferred stabilizing the situation rather than pursuing risky invasions. Attacking the Sand Village, one of the world's five largest ninja villages, was a difficult and uncertain endeavor. But Sandaime's true anger stemmed from internal betrayal. Unable to address it openly, he directed his wrath toward the ambusher—Sand Village.
"It's just that not catching the traitor makes us uneasy!" Tsunade hissed, genuinely concerned. Invading the Land of Wind with the risk of further intelligence leaks could devastate Konoha's forces.
Yet, everyone knew Sandaime would likely implement some oversight over Konoha's leadership following this incident.
"The situation in the Land of Rain has stabilized, but we need to maintain a presence until the Second Ninja War officially ends," Uchiha Kai stated. The current stability in the Land of Rain resulted from Konoha ninjas' sacrifices, and they couldn't abandon it lightly.
In ninja wars, peace was only achieved with formal treaties. All major ninja countries tore up previous peace accords before the Second Ninja War. While treaties were mere documents, they carried binding weight among the five major ninja nations. Until bound by such, conflict persisted.
Tsunade and her peers knew Sand Village wouldn't quit after losing a few hundred ninja.
"Let me make it clear, I don't want to stay in this rain-soaked place any longer, and Chiyo needs to learn a lesson!" Tsunade declared impatiently, eager to advance into the Land of Wind.
"Even if you didn't mention it, your participation in the Land of Wind mission is certain," Jiraiya assured. Besides her puppetry skills, Chiyo's proficiency with poisons made her dangerously unpredictable. Only Tsunade in Konoha could counteract her toxins.
"If given a choice, I'd prefer to confront the Land of Lightning," Hatake Sakumo commented solemnly.
Others understood his sentiment. Before the Second Ninja War, Cloud Village supported Konoha rebel Kuriyama Shinzo in a coup in Land of Hot Spring. Their ambition was evident, and their animosity surpassed even Sand Ninja's.
Moreover, Konoha's Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, was assassinated by Cloud Ninjas Kinkaku and Ginkaku during a previous peace signing event, leaving a bitter enmity.
Hatake Sakumo's desire mirrored the historic animosities that fuelled this Ninja War. The cycle of hatred, more than national interests, stirred conflicts between ninjas from different lands.
Hatred remains the true trigger of war.
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