Let's not forget, Konoha also played a part in making the Land of Rain the way it is now.
If Konoha hadn't tried to drag Amegakure into the conflict, the Land of Rain wouldn't have ended up in such dire straits.
Orochimaru, sitting beside Takashi, wore a faint smile on his lips. However, the smile seemed more mocking than anything else.
Noticing someone looking his way, Orochimaru turned to meet Takashi's gaze. The two exchanged smiles.
Perfect—they shared the same views. Since they were already involved, there was no need to justify themselves or seek praise.
What is wrong with you two?
Everyone else was condemning Sunagakure, yet these two were grinning away.
If it were anyone else, Nara Shikashin would have immediately reminded them to mind the occasion.
But he knew he couldn't control either Takashi or Orochimaru.
"Everyone."
Nara Shikashin raised his voice, interrupting the ongoing arguments. "Sunagakure's retaliation isn't just targeting Amegakure. They're also focusing heavily on plundering resources. Don't forget their purpose in starting this war in the first place."
"From here on out, Konoha's strategy will shift from offense to defense. Let's hope Sunagakure and Amegakure exhaust each other for a while."
Since Sunagakure intended to retaliate against Amegakure, Konoha would simply alter their approach and let them wear each other down.
Retreating entirely wasn't an option. If Konoha were to do so, Sunagakure and Amegakure would undoubtedly stop fighting each other and refocus their efforts.
This war was a chaotic free-for-all; anyone attempting to back out would become a target.
The change in strategy had little to do with Takashi. As a medical ninja, his mission was to stay in the camp, not to fight on the frontlines.
Unless the enemy breached the camp, or unless Konoha was on the verge of collapse, Takashi didn't need to concern himself with the battlefield.
As for the innocent civilians of the Land of Rain, Takashi had no sympathy for them either.
Like he always said, if Sunagakure were the main villain, then Konoha was the accomplice. It wasn't his place as an accomplice to feign sympathy for the victims.
At this stage, his primary focus was on doing his job well, accumulating as many puppets as possible, and dedicating himself to learning Senjutsu.
---
Faced with Sunagakure's frenzied retaliation and pillaging, Hanzo of the Salamander was enraged to the point where the poison sacs inside his body nearly exploded. In his fury, he slammed his hand on the table and shouted:
"Damn old hag!!!"
Hanzo and Chiyo had known each other for years, and they never got along. She called him an "old venomous snake," and he called her an "old hag."
Sunagakure's retaliation had undoubtedly pushed the demigod to his breaking point.
And the cost of angering a demigod?
---
"What did you say?"
Takashi almost thought he'd misheard. He raised a hand to scratch his ear and asked, "Amegakure declared war on us?"
"Yes, not just us. They declared war on Iwagakure and Sunagakure as well."
Jiraiya, who had just returned from the battlefield for some rest, scratched his unwashed hair and sighed.
"I don't know what kind of stimulus that demigod received, but he just declared war on all three Great Ninja Villages at once. Doesn't he fear retaliation?"
Jiraiya couldn't make sense of it.
Good grief, Hanzo of the Salamander ended up following the same path as in the original story. Knowing the unwinnable situation, wouldn't it have been better to conserve his strength? But no, he chose to declare war on all three Great Villages in a fit of rage.
Even more astonishing was that the Amegakure ninja, led by Hanzo, launched a series of mad attacks against the territories occupied by Konoha, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure.
Faced with Hanzo's seemingly crazed assault, the three Great Villages were caught off guard.
How dare he?!
To the three Great Villages, Amegakure was nothing more than a sacrificial pawn in their games. Otherwise, Konoha wouldn't have deliberately dragged them into the conflict. They clearly didn't take Amegakure seriously—their size and power were not even in the same league.
Even Hanzo, a so-called demigod, wasn't respected. The Third Kazekage had humiliated him, wanting him to become his pet.
From beginning to end, none of the three Great Villages had considered Amegakure's feelings or potential reactions.
The result? The very village that the three Great Villages treated as expendable had declared war on them.
Not only that, but Amegakure declared war on all three villages at once and launched attacks against them.
Where did Hanzo of the Salamander get such audacity? Did he really think himself a god?
In the original story, Hanzo did declare war on the three Great Villages, but the impact was far less dramatic because, at that point, Amegakure had been pushed beyond endurance.
Back then, the great conflict among the three Villages had almost run its course.
But now?
The war had only just begun.
And here Hanzo was, jumping into the fray.
No kidding, Hanzo leading Amegakure against the three Great Villages actually caused some real damage, particularly to Sunagakure, who were completely unprepared for such a fierce response.
"Our demigod is brave."
Takashi was silent for a moment, then offered Hanzo a simple evaluation: he was brave.
Other than that, Takashi really didn't know what else to say.
If it were him, he'd prioritize preserving strength and waiting until the three Great Villages had exhausted themselves before striking a fatal blow.
The Land of Rain was already ruined. Jumping into the fight now would just make them a prime target. It would be better to wait until the three Great Villages had almost finished each other off before making a move.
The three Great Villages, after all, were desperately trying not to become the target of everyone else. They fought without official declarations, battling silently.
But now, Amegakure had shattered that tacit understanding among the three Great Villages, laying everything bare.
Once the news spread, the entire ninja world would be shocked.
What happens next will depend on how the three Great Villages respond.
If they didn't do something in the face of Amegakure's declaration of war, they'd be humiliated.
And now that there was a prime target, the three Great Villages could finally unleash their full strength.
"Enough of that, just help me look over my manuscript."
Jiraiya had no thoughts about the ongoing situation; what he cared about was whether his manuscript was any good.
So, upon returning to camp, the first thing he did was find Takashi.
Not to report in. Not to rest.
Looking down at the manuscript Jiraiya had shoved into his hands, Takashi's face was full of question marks. "You wrote all of this?"
Jiraiya nodded. "Of course! I thought the story you told me before was great, so I added some details. Don't worry, once the book is published, you'll get a share of the royalties."
"No, I mean... when did you have time to write this?"
Takashi wasn't particularly interested in the royalties. Sure, it would be nice, but it wasn't his primary concern. What he was curious about was when Jiraiya found the time to write this.
He was supposed to be on the battlefield!
Not hunkered down in camp, writing.
"Oh, during those breaks in the recent battles, why?" Jiraiya asked, looking genuinely puzzled.
"..."
You're something else!
Other people go to the battlefield to risk their lives and fight the enemy.
And you, Jiraiya, found the time to write a book—and not just any book, but a risqué one at that!!!