Absolute shock.
In fact, not only was the Raikage surprised, but even A, Killer B, Dodai, Darui, and others in the tent showed expressions of disbelief, looking at Ōnoki as if they were seeing a monster.
Eight thousand ninjas?!
What is Iwagakure trying to do?
How is it possible to gather enough resources to maintain eight thousand ninjas? Even if they were all Genin, that number would be enough to make one's scalp tingle.
And if they remembered correctly?
In the battle at the Land of Grass, Iwagakure had also lost almost two thousand elite ninjas.
Didn't that mean that Iwagakure had prepared more than ten thousand ninjas for this world war?
Thinking of this, everyone present felt horrified.
"...Ōnoki, so this was the secret tactic you prepared to deal with me, right?"
Suddenly, the Raikage seemed to think of something, suppressing his heartbeat and speaking coldly: "After the end of the Second Great Ninja War, you said you had found a way to deal with me."
"So it turns out you wanted to use an overwhelming tactic!"
Saying this, he also gave Ōnoki a thumbs-up, while simultaneously breathing a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, Luo Lei from Konoha Village appeared out of nowhere, disrupting all of Iwagakure's plans. Otherwise, Ōnoki might have succeeded.
"...."
Ōnoki smiled calmly, without refuting the Raikage's words.
Overwhelming tactics... Iwagakure had been preparing this for many years.
It's a pity that plans don't always keep up with changes. To avenge the more than two thousand fallen Iwagakure ninjas, he was now forced to use it against Konoha.
The blame lay with that village's strength: too powerful, too oppressive, forcing him to make this difficult decision.
Soon, everyone in the tent looked at Ōnoki with admiration and astonishment!
Today, the Tsuchikage had given them a great lesson.
After losing the Jinchūriki of the Four Tails, Rōshi, the Jinchūriki of the Five Tails, Han, and other elite ninjas, Iwagakure still had a secret weapon powerful enough to face even the Third Raikage himself.
"Hahahaha!"
The Raikage laughed heartily, a laughter full of joy and determination.
"This is excellent! With these eight thousand Rock ninjas helping us, Konoha's troops will definitely be crushed... even if Luo Lei appears, he might not be able to do much!"
"Alright, then I'll return first."
Ōnoki took a deep breath, letting his body float slowly, and said with a sigh: "Raikage, when we attack, Iwagakure will appear on the battlefield in time."
"I hope you won't disappoint me."
"No problem!"
The Raikage pounded his chest. "I won't disappoint you, Ōnoki! I, the Third Raikage, will defeat Konoha's army!"
"Mm!"
Ōnoki flew out of the tent, disappearing in a flash.
The cooperation was sealed.
There was no need to stay any longer.
Next would be... the final battle against Konoha's army!
I hope we win this time, he thought as he left. He wanted to avenge his more than two thousand fallen ninjas and rub Konoha's arrogance into the ground.
"Damn old man! You really prepared a killer move!"
After seeing Ōnoki leave, the Raikage dropped his arrogant facade and snorted coldly. "If it weren't for the disaster at Kirigakure and for Luo Lei, that old fox would never have come out of his cave.
He would have let us fight Konoha's army, both sides worn down and exhausted, and then that bastard would show up to reap the benefits."
"That's right!" A intervened with a serious expression. "The Tsuchikage is cunning and calculating. He especially prepared a tactic to get rid of you, Father."
"Fortunately, Kirigakure failed miserably."
Dodai sighed, speaking in relief. "Otherwise, Ōnoki would never have agreed to cooperate with us. He would have hidden, waiting to strike us when we were weakened."
"Don't overthink it. Now let's actively prepare for the decisive battle against Konoha tomorrow."
The Raikage's eyes shone with determination. "A, Killer B, Darui, go make the necessary arrangements. Dodai, you and I will discuss some specific details."
"Understood!"
The ones named left the tent without saying anything else.
When only Dodai and the Raikage remained inside the tent, the Raikage looked at him and said:
"Dodai, pay close attention to the situation on the battlefield tomorrow. If something goes wrong, I want you to immediately use the Tensō no Jutsu and get A and Killer B out of there as soon as possible."
"What...?"
Dodai showed a perplexed expression.
Could it be that even with eight thousand Iwagakure ninjas, they still couldn't defeat Konoha's army!?
"Since Yugito returned to the village without giving me any explanation, I've had a strange feeling, as if something terrible is about to happen, although I can't say exactly what it is."
The Raikage showed a serious expression, his voice becoming solemn. "If it really comes to that point, I can die. But A and Killer B must not die. They are our village's hope and must live."
"Understood."
Dodai nodded, showing an expression of determination.
At that moment, his admiration for the Raikage only grew.
"That's all."
The Raikage rubbed his temples.
This time, as the strongest Raikage in history, he would give it his all, hoping to defeat Konoha in one fell swoop.
…
The next day.
The Kumogakure army, which had recently been inactive, suddenly mobilized. More than 2,000 troops gathered, and with unstoppable momentum, they marched directly towards Konoha's camp.
Of course, a large-scale operation like this didn't go unnoticed by Konoha. As soon as they received the news, Tsunade, Jiraiya, Minato, and the others quickly organized. After gathering over 2,000 ninjas as fast as possible, they headed to the battlefield.
Finally, more than two thousand Kumogakure ninjas and more than two thousand Konoha ninjas faced each other on the plains of the Land of Soup.
Face to face.
At the front of the Konoha ninjas were the legendary Sannin Tsunade and Jiraiya, along with Minato, Shikaku, and other high-ranking leaders. On Kumogakure's side, the Third Raikage, Dodai, A, Darui, and more commanded their forces.
No one spoke, but the silence made the atmosphere on the battlefield unbearably solemn.
Because both sides knew very well.
The battle in the Land of Soup, which had been stagnant for months, was about to reach a grand finale.
Konoha and Kumogakure.
One of them would win, and the other would lose.
But, just at that moment,
The expressions of more than a dozen sensor-type Konoha ninjas suddenly changed, their faces turned pale, and their eyes widened.
"Tsunade-sama, Jiraiya-sama, there's a force to the left!"
One of the sensor Jōnin exclaimed urgently.
"What?"
Everyone on Konoha's side frowned, imagining that Kumogakure had received reinforcements. No wonder they had decided to initiate a decisive battle so suddenly.
"No... no, IT CAN'T BE!"
The Jōnin remained focused, his face covered in sweat, his eyes filled with absolute terror, his hands trembling uncontrollably.
"What's wrong?!"
Tsunade glared at him. "If you have something to say, say it now! Don't destabilize everyone!"
"...T-Tsunade-sama..." The Jōnin swallowed hard, his voice barely a murmur filled with dread. "To the left... they appear to be... EIGHT THOUSAND... PEOPLE!"
Upon hearing those words, everyone in Konoha was petrified, their hearts almost stopped from shock and disbelief.
It was as if the ground had vanished beneath their feet.
And the hundreds of shinobi at Konoha's front began to murmur, fear and uncertainty spreading like wildfire.
"It can't be! Eight thousand?!" Jiraiya exclaimed, clenching his fists, trying to keep his composure as a drop of sweat ran down his temple.
Minato closed his eyes for a moment, quickly calculating the situation. "This is going to be much harder than we thought..."
________
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