**Chapter 28: Target and Before the War**
It can be said that the moment he learned this information, the commander of the Hidden Cloud Village frowned slightly.
As the commander on the front line, this Cloud Village ninja knew very well what his Raikage intended. The Raikage wanted to test the current situation of the Hidden Leaf Village as much as possible. Despite the increasing intensity of attacks over the past three or four months, there had yet to be a truly overwhelming assault.
The Cloud Village itself still had a certain degree of fear.
The previous deployments and dispatches of Konoha's troops were within the expectations of the Cloud Village.
However, this time, the level of support was slightly beyond their estimates.
There were more than a thousand reinforcements, and at least three hundred of them were supporting the Hot Spring Mountain stronghold. The sheer number alone was indicative of the situation. During the fighting in this period, Konoha suffered heavy losses, but the casualties on the Cloud Ninja side were also not insignificant, roughly in a 60:40 ratio.
Now that Konoha had already sent a large number of reinforcements, if the Cloud Ninja wanted to maintain or even increase their previous attack intensity, they would have to dispatch equivalent or even greater numbers of troops from their country. It is important to note that they were the attackers while Konoha was the defender; their strategies were fundamentally different.
However, these considerations were not something a mere front-line commander could decide.
After securing this information and arranging for the corresponding intelligence personnel to report to the village, this Cloud Ninja commander subsequently dispatched a surprise attack team to launch another probing assault on the Konoha Hot Spring Mountain stronghold at night.
The purpose was to gather as much intelligence as possible about Konoha's new reinforcements.
Even if it cost some resources, it was worth it.
A direct night attack, though unexpected for Suzaku, Ida, and the others, was part of the routine in the past few months. After the initial shock, Suzaku quickly realized that this was a probing attack by the Cloud Ninja. They must have learned of his arrival. These Cloud Ninjas were likely sent to assess the strength and composition of Konoha's reinforcements.
Upon this realization, Suzaku felt relieved.
He ordered his forces to encircle and eliminate the attacking Cloud Ninjas with all their strength.
The strong stance that Suzaku wanted to showcase reflected the active defensive strategy he adopted. Nara Suzaku, who understood that his Hokage was unwilling to escalate the conflict, knew he had to control the scale of the confrontation with the Cloud Ninja during his deployment to the front line.
It was essential to protect the interests of the village and avoid aggravating the Cloud Ninja unnecessarily.
The entire ninja world knows it.
The most unpredictable faction among the five great ninja villages is the Cloud Ninja.
This "unpredictability" refers to their attitude toward war.
Konoha is the clearest and most experienced ninja village. The death of the second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, during a battle was directly related to the recklessness of the Gold and Silver Brothers from the Cloud Ninja!
Therefore, during subsequent wars, other ninja villages needed to be cautious against the Cloud Village.
No one wants to provoke a madman.
This time was no different.
If the Hidden Cloud Village was not overly aggressive, the Third Hokage would not have been willing to dispatch so many forces to support the northeastern front. The more significant the threat, the more it emphasized Sarutobi Hiruzen's mindset. Suzaku's idea was straightforward: to showcase the strength of his ninja village.
He aimed to dissuade the Cloud Ninja from advancing further.
Despite the high difficulty and low likelihood of success, the posture he presented should be firmly upheld.
If he could resolve this localized conflict at a minimal cost, that would naturally be the outcome that both Suzaku and the Third Hokage would prefer. However, the initiative still depended on the Fourth Raikage of the Hidden Cloud Village.
This night attack was the best proof.
While the clashes between the two sides seemed fierce, there was, in fact, more room for maneuver. The Cloud Ninja had only sent a few small teams, and Suzaku did not call upon backup forces. Yet, the fighting near the base was quite lively. The physical skills were commendable, but once the scale reached B-level or above, the clash of ninjutsu could be earth-shattering.
This was also the reason why Masashi experienced insomnia.
Generally speaking, ninjas on the battlefield avoid sleeping deeply; they only take light rest to restore their energy during rotations.
With repeated exposure to such situations, one would eventually acclimatize to this mode.
Masashi was either nervous or excited because it was his "first time."
He truly was sleepless all night.
Until dawn, Masashi stepped out of the tent with a slightly dejected expression. He encountered a clan member who was only three or four years older. Uchiha Kiyoshi noticed Masashi's obviously downcast demeanor and raised his eyebrows. "It seems you didn't rest well yesterday, Masashi. Has your body become lazy after being away from the battlefield for too long? This isn't like you!"
Kiyoshi was one of the Uchiha clan members who fought alongside Masashi in the southeastern coastal area of the Land of Fire two years ago. However, in terms of talent, he lagged slightly behind Masashi, especially considering Masashi had already awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan by merging with the 'Soul of Liu Heng.'
Before 'Liu Heng' arrived, the original owner of Masashi had already opened the three-tomoe Sharingan.
But Uchiha Kiyoshi, nearing twenty, still only had a two-tomoe Sharingan.
His personal strength could be regarded as that of an elite Chunin.
Yet, due to the Uchiha bloodline and the Sharingan, Uchiha Kiyoshi could contend with some ordinary Jounin. His likelihood of winning could only be described as low, but it wasn't zero.
After all, the gap wasn't insurmountable.
"Well, I'm a bit nervous and excited. After all, for me—or for us—this war holds different significance, doesn't it, Kiyoshi?"
Masashi gently pinched his right hand and then slowly released it. His words startled Uchiha Kiyoshi slightly.
Suppressing a smile, Uchiha Kiyoshi looked at Masashi with a serious expression and whispered, "You have really changed, Masashi."
"Everyone changes, Kiyoshi, because no one knows what they will encounter in the future. I just took that step a bit earlier."
Because they were companions who had fought side by side, Masashi knew Kiyoshi a little better than other clan members. Kiyoshi was also the companion Masashi had hoped to recruit in the early stages of his plan.
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(End of this chapter)