On the outskirts of the Land of Fire lies Kikyo Mountain—a mountain range stretching several miles across, though only a few hundred meters high. This mountain is vast enough to conceal tens of thousands of people, let alone just ten thousand.
This realization frustrated Hiruzen Sarutobi immensely.
"It seems that Sunagakure is determined to drag us down until we're exhausted!"
With that thought, he called his main commanders together to hear their opinions.
"Sunagakure is avoiding battle, clearly intending to wear us out. What do you all think we should do?"
Faced with Sarutobi's question, everyone fell silent, then all eyes turned to Orochimaru.
As one of the renowned figures from the Second Shinobi World War, Orochimaru was well respected for his evident talents and influence in the village.
Seeing their attention on Orochimaru, Hiruzen Sarutobi directed the question straight to him.
"Orochimaru, what do you think we should do?"
"Heheheh… Sensei, it's simple—have the Sarutobi clan set the mountains on fire with fire-style jutsu!"
At Sarutobi's question, Orochimaru let out a raspy laugh, a hint of cruelty flashing across his pale face.
"No one can withstand the flames and thick smoke. If they use water-style jutsu, they'll be exposed; if they don't, they'll have nowhere to go but to their deaths!"
The surrounding group gasped, and Jiraiya even stood up in shock.
"That's unacceptable! If the fire gets out of control, it won't just affect Sunagakure. Surrounding nations and even many innocent citizens of the Land of Fire could die!"
Orochimaru laughed again, seeing Jiraiya's reaction.
"Heh… Jiraiya, you're as naive as ever. Your innocence will get you killed, and you'll drag your comrades down with you. Don't forget, we're in the midst of war!"
"But even in war, there must be a line we don't cross!"
Jiraiya turned to Sarutobi instead, clearly disagreeing with Orochimaru.
"Sensei, I can't agree with Orochimaru. I'll go and scout Sunagakure's position myself! I'm sure I can locate them."
Sarutobi did not respond immediately but instead looked toward a young man with blonde hair on the other side.
"Minato, what do you think?"
The young man Sarutobi addressed was none other than Jiraiya's student, Minato Namikaze.
Upon being asked, Minato stood up right away.
"Lord Hokage, I agree with Jiraiya-sensei, but I don't think it's wise for him to go scouting alone—it's too risky, and time is against us."
"Indeed!" Sarutobi nodded approvingly.
"So, what would you suggest?"
"I'll go with Kushina," Minato replied with a slight, confident smile.
"I can use the Flying Thunder God Technique. The distance is nothing for me, and Kushina's sensory abilities will help us locate Sunagakure by morning."
"Good!"
Hearing Minato's plan, Sarutobi nodded again.
"Go with your plan, then. And remember to protect Kushina. She is essential to the village!"
"Yes, Lord Hokage!"
With his answer, Minato vanished in a flash of golden light.
Seeing this, Orochimaru chuckled again.
"Heheh… The Flying Thunder God Technique, huh? Truly enviable. Jiraiya, you've trained an excellent student."
"Of course!" Jiraiya laughed, his face beaming with pride.
"Don't forget, I am… one of the Legendary Three, the White-Haired Toad Sage—a handsome man so impressive that even crying children quiet down in awe!"
Laughter erupted in the room, and even Sarutobi couldn't help but shake his head with a smile.
"Alright, Jiraiya, stop showing off. Get everyone settled. We've got a big battle tomorrow."
"Tch… Bossy old man."
Though he pretended to be annoyed, Jiraiya obediently carried out Sarutobi's orders, setting up rotations and rest schedules for the troops.
By the time everything was organized, night had fallen.
Looking up at the blood-red moon hanging ominously in the sky, Jiraiya's expression grew serious.
"I have a bad feeling… I hope it's nothing."
Little did he know, on the other side of the Land of Rivers, someone else shared his unease.
"A blood moon!"
Awakened in the middle of the night, Hattori looked up at the red moon hanging overhead, frowning.
"This is a rare sight. In the shinobi world, it's usually a sign of bad luck. I need to find Chiyo."
With that, he left his tent and hurried to Chiyo's quarters.
Seeing her lights still on, he stepped forward and lifted the curtain.
"Sensei, may I come in?"
"Yes, come in."
Chiyo smiled softly upon seeing him at the door.
"What's the occasion? You're usually not so polite. Go on, what's on your mind?"
"Uh… I just wanted to ask how things are on the front lines. Any updates?"
"Haha!" Chiyo chuckled.
"Don't worry. Everything's going smoothly on the front. Though Ebizō may act silly at times, he's still the brains of Sunagakure, so there's no problem. Is that all you came to ask?"
"Well… not entirely."
Hattori hesitated, glancing out the window.
"I have a bad feeling… I thought I'd go check on Kikyo Mountain. It's not far, and I'll come back quickly. If anything's wrong, I'll find out immediately."
He raised his hand to reassure her.
"I promise, Sensei, I'll just observe from my summoning beast and return right away if nothing's amiss. I won't set foot on the ground, nor disrupt Ebizō's plans!"
"This…"
Chiyo hesitated, feeling concern for her younger brother Ebizō's safety, especially as their opponent was Konohagakure, a village Sunagakure had never bested.
But she was more anxious about Hattori's impulsiveness, and was about to refuse when a sound like distant thunder reached them.
*Boom…*
As it echoed, the ground beneath Chiyo's feet trembled slightly.
Hattori looked puzzled.
"What's going on? Thunder? An earthquake?"
"Neither!" Chiyo's face grew ashen.
"It's a tailed beast—someone's unleashed a tailed beast on the border!"
Hattori: "(Д*)"
*End of Chapter*