As a result, Kushina only played occasionally, while Tsunade, the big spender, got completely hooked.
"Orochimaru-sama, this is the information collected by the Anbu. According to the intel, a large number of Mist Village ninja are gathering and constructing military facilities on several islands, clearly preparing to defend against us using the islands as stepping stones to attack Mist Village."
"Is there any new information from the Land of Rivers?"
Orochimaru stared at the map, his pale face etched with exhaustion.
From preparing for war to now, where both sides were constantly testing each other, everything had gone beyond his expectations.
Mist Village had been incredibly cunning—more specifically, Yagura, that small guy, was extremely crafty. He never engaged Konoha directly, just resorted to constant harassment and underhanded tricks.
Taking advantage of the fact that the Land of Fire and Konoha lacked sufficient warships, they kept ambushing Konoha forces.
To prevent Konoha from using the islands as stepping stones for an attack, they were even building military installations on the islands, linking them together like a chain.
If Konoha dared to use the islands as a springboard, they would be immediately surrounded by Mist Village's army.
To make matters worse, with the onset of war, the sea was constantly shrouded in mist. Not only was visibility limited, but even Konoha's sensory ninja were significantly affected.
"There's nothing new as of now."
Nara Shikaku hadn't expected the war to evolve like this either.
Mist Village was indeed too cunning. There hadn't been a proper battle yet, but many areas were already suffering from Mist Village's sneak attacks.
There were even signs of Mist Village ninja activity near the Land of Rivers.
With Mist Village holding the initiative, Konoha was struggling to respond.
They had to find a way to destroy Mist Village's warships. Even if they couldn't destroy them all, they needed to take out at least some of them.
Relying solely on the village to build warships wouldn't be enough.
And commandeering merchant ships wasn't a wise option either—Mist Village would love nothing more than for Konoha's ninja to head out onto the open sea to fight them.
If Konoha fell for that trap, Mist Village would be laughing in their sleep.
Sitting back and taking the hits wasn't Orochimaru's style either.
They needed to force Yagura into a direct battle. Konoha had no fear of a head-on clash with Mist Village.
Even if the sea was Mist Village's home turf.
What Konoha feared was Mist Village launching random attacks here and there, with the initiative in Mist's hands. This would keep Konoha on the defensive.
Forcing Mist Village into a large-scale battle wasn't difficult—if Mist Village wanted to hide, Konoha could just push forward.
Or they could find a way to destroy some of Mist Village's warships.
If their warships were destroyed, Mist Village wouldn't be able to build replacements quickly, leaving them no choice but to engage Konoha directly.
"Seems like everything has gone beyond my expectations."
Suddenly, Orochimaru let out an inexplicable chuckle.
"???"
Shikaku, his assistant, was utterly confused. What had gone beyond his expectations?
Orochimaru-sama, could you please not talk to yourself like that?
It's really hard for me, as your subordinate, to follow!
Even with my high IQ, it's difficult to guess what your self-mutterings mean.
Working for Orochimaru was truly exhausting.
"Shikaku."
"Orochimaru-sama!"
Nara Shikaku straightened up and stepped forward in response.
"Send a message to the village. Tell the third batch of ninja reinforcements to depart as soon as possible. Also, inform the old man to send Takuya's squad over. I need their support."
"Yes, sir!!!"
Shikaku opened a blank scroll and began writing while keeping an eye on Orochimaru.
He wondered whether Orochimaru would choose to have Sakumo Hatake sent over.
To be blunt, if anyone could deal with the Mist Village ninja, Sakumo Hatake would be the one to give them a hard time.
But unfortunately, Orochimaru had no intention of calling on Sakumo.
He only needed Takuya's squad to assist him, along with the third batch of reinforcements from Konoha.
On Konoha's side, Orochimaru was feeling troubled, but things weren't much better on Mist Village's end.
Since the Third Mizukage had declared war on Konoha, many of the Mist Village ninja were prepared for an all-out fight with Konoha.
But when Yagura was appointed as the frontline commander, he had no intention of engaging Konoha directly. Instead, he kept sending people on harassing raids and sneak attacks, using hit-and-run tactics.
As time went on, more and more people in the village grew dissatisfied, particularly the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
Although they had lost Samehada, Mist Village had chosen new members to join the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
"How cowardly."
Jūzō Biwa leaned against the ship's railing, purposely making a comment.
"It seems the enemy has been spun around by our esteemed commander and will soon be defeated without a fight."
"Ha ha ha!!"
Jūzō's words drew laughter from the others.
Although Yagura was appointed as commander, many in Mist Village didn't respect him.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen, in particular, didn't see eye-to-eye with him.
And it wasn't just the Seven Ninja Swordsmen—many others were also amused.
"I know you want to kill Konoha's Takuya Yagami and reclaim Samehada. I also know you're unhappy with me, and you want to engage the enemy head-on instead of being sent on sneaky missions."
Yagura, unfazed by their mockery, provocatively replied,
"Whether you like it or not, you'll have to deal with it because the Mizukage and the elders appointed me as the commander, not any of you."
"Tch, don't get cocky. One day, I'll take your head!" Jūzō scoffed, directly confronting Yagura in front of many people.
Yagura didn't care. He crossed his arms and coldly said,
"Only weaklings resort to poisonous words to provoke others. To be honest, I don't have much faith in you Seven Ninja Swordsmen."
"Don't forget how Fuguki Suikazan was killed—struck down with one blow, his heart pierced without any sign of struggle."
"Perhaps you think Takuya Yagami is just a kid, and you see me as a coward who didn't dare to fight him."
"I hope when you encounter Takuya Yagami, you'll still be able to laugh."
"And..."
Boom!!
A massive surge of chakra erupted from Yagura, locking onto the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
"Don't think that just because you're specially trained warriors from the village, you have the right to challenge me."
"If you try this again, I won't hesitate to take your heads back to the Mizukage and elders to atone for your arrogance."
Yagura!!
With that enormous burst of chakra, Yagura transformed from an unimposing little figure into a terrifying monster. The Seven Ninja Swordsmen could no longer laugh.
Each one eyed Yagura warily, secretly preparing for anything.
With the growing influence of the Bloody Mist regime, it was no longer uncommon for Mist ninja to suddenly turn on their comrades.
It had become so frequent that it was barely noteworthy.
After all, many ninja were guilty of such acts.
Speaking of turning on their comrades, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen remembered that Yagura was the most ruthless when it came to taking down his own.
____________Bonus chapter______________
Next Bonus: 2900 Power Stones ╰ (´꒳`) ╯
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(P)(S): If you're interested, you can read up to chapter 340+ at patreon.com/ Emik01. ಥ‿ಥ
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