Shikaku Nara wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Lord, shouldn't we restrict or block the information somehow?"
"Why should we block it?"
Orochimaru didn't understand.
"Shikaku, you need to understand, some things don't need to be hidden. If it happened, we acknowledge it and move on. As for restricting..."
He got up, walked to Shikaku's side, and patted him on the shoulder.
"Trust me, never do something so foolish, or you'll regret it."
"Don't worry about this. Treat it as a little gossip after dinner. Our real concern is our enemies."
"Understood!!"
Orochimaru didn't care if the news spread—it wasn't his doing anyway.
As for his partner, he had no obligation to clean up Danzo's dirty work.
Even though they were involved together, Orochimaru still despised Danzo's ways.
Compared to Danzo, he was more concerned about what Kirigakure was up to. They had been suspiciously quiet for several days.
They were supposed to be engaged in a full-front offensive, but now they had withdrawn, which felt off.
Kirigakure's forces indeed pulled back because their Third Mizukage had arrived on the front lines.
The Third Mizukage wasn't joking.
He said he'd personally supervise the frontlines, and he did.
He said he'd bring the Jinchuriki to fight, and he brought them.
Despite opposition from many in the village, the Third Mizukage paid them no mind.
I am the Mizukage; I have the authority to do this.
"So, it's difficult for us, Kirigakure, to break through the enemy lines?"
The Third Mizukage wasn't skilled in commanding troops. He'd rather ponder over trivial matters than think about strategies for troop movements and warfare.
"Yes, Lord Mizukage."
Yagura pointed to the map, explaining.
"Here, there's a secondary Konoha camp, commanded by Jiraiya of the Sannin. With him there, it will be difficult for us to take the Whirlpools camp. Plus, due to its proximity, Orochimaru can provide support at any time."
"If we attack the coastal camp with full force, Jiraiya will flank us from behind."
"Considering the other deployments, engaging across the entire front line would be disadvantageous for us. I chose to conduct skirmishes in isolated areas. Konoha's forces are fewer than ours. As long as their reinforcements don't arrive in time, we'll eventually penetrate the Fire Country."
"Skirmishes are too slow."
While the Third Mizukage didn't understand military tactics, he knew the basics.
Konoha's two camps formed a pincer, like a wide-open mouth, just waiting for Kirigakure to attack.
And in the Land of Bears, there had been no significant progress.
Given that Takuya was stationed there, the Third Mizukage knew it would be tough for Kirigakure to break through. Going around would be pointless.
Besides, what would be the point of going around?
What he wanted was for Kirigakure and Konoha to fight tooth and nail, escalating their losses. After all, the more they fought, the better.
The greater the depletion of the Five Great Shinobi Villages' strength, the more it would benefit Uchiha Madara's plan.
At this point, the Third Mizukage wasn't satisfied with just having Kirigakure and Konoha fight. He wanted to involve other villages too.
The ambitious Sunagakure, longing to rise, and the Iwagakure and Kumogakure, both eyeing the wealth of the Fire Country, were promising targets.
"Yagura."
"Lord Mizukage."
Pushing the map aside, the Third Mizukage spoke firmly.
"I don't need skirmishes. What I need is for our village to defeat Konoha head-on. For victory, I've even brought the Jinchuriki. If needed, they can break through Konoha's defensive lines."
"Lord Mizukage..."
Yagura was worried.
"Konoha will certainly not stand by. Breaking through will not be easy, and if the Jinchuriki loses control, it will be troublesome."
"What's so difficult?"
The Third Mizukage snorted.
"Send a group to escort them. If they follow in and fight, once they reach the coast, so what if the Jinchuriki loses control? I don't believe that Orochimaru and Konoha can withstand two rampaging tailed beasts."
"As for the tailed beasts, we'll just catch them again after the war."
I may not understand military tactics, but I know that two rampaging tailed beasts are more than Konoha can handle.
Even if the tailed beasts went berserk and attacked everyone, so what?
That's exactly what he wanted. The bigger the chaos, the better.
Once they reached the coastline, if the Jinchuriki went wild, they would only attack Konoha's forces.
I could say that your plan is dangerous, couldn't I?
Yagura smiled wryly, lowering his head. The Third Mizukage had made up his mind. He couldn't argue against it; all he could do was follow orders.
"Oh, and..."
"Send a letter to Sunagakure immediately. Let them know that Kirigakure invites them to join in attacking Konoha. I'm confident they'll agree."
Are we just going to keep this standoff with Konoha?
No, no, no, that wouldn't align with his plan.
He wanted nothing less than a grand, explosive Shinobi World War involving all Five Great Shinobi Villages, a war fought to the bitter end with heavy losses—not just a prolonged back-and-forth between two villages.
"And another thing."
The Third Mizukage added as he turned to Yagura.
"Forget the southern front of the Land of Bears. Just send a small force to harass them. Yagami Takuya is not someone you can handle."
As long as Takuya stayed out of the main battlefield, the Third Mizukage didn't believe Konoha could withstand two rampaging tailed beasts.
And with Sunagakure joining in.
He was sure the Third Kazekage would be interested—after all, Sunagakure couldn't afford their war reparations anymore.
If Sunagakure wanted to develop, if they didn't want to remain weak, the Third Mizukage believed the Third Kazekage would make the right choice.
Starting a war was the only way to change Sunagakure's situation.
As for Iwagakure and Kumogakure, that would depend on circumstances—Onoki and the Third Raikage weren't easy to manipulate.
"Understood."
Yagura bowed respectfully and left to arrange contact with Sunagakure.
Kirigakure's withdrawal brought a temporary lull in the fighting, and during this time, Takuya's words spread across the battlefield, leaving everyone stunned.
That the village's own advisors had used public opinion to smear a hero of Konoha was shocking enough.
But even more shocking was that Yagami Takuya, who had also been slandered in the past, described Danzo using words like "cunning," "deceitful," and "shameless."
It was a direct slap in Danzo's face.
"What do you think Takuya's thinking?"
"Don't ask me, I don't know."
Minato was stunned when he heard about it.
Sure, Danzo was a despicable man, but openly calling him out like that—wasn't that too much?
"Tsk, I knew you'd be useless to ask. I'm heading to the Land of Bears camp—are you coming?"
Taking advantage of the few days of rest, Nawaki decided to visit the camp in the Land of Bears. He missed Takuya's cooking.
"I'm coming!"
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(P)(S): If you're interested, you can read up to chapter 400+ at Patreon com/ Emik01.
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The next goal is 2000 for a bonus
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