"Senju... this time... we are with you!"
After Sasuke determined the direction, he immediately planned to set off, but Shikamaru, standing nearby, suddenly spoke up.
Sasuke glanced at Shikamaru and the others.
Although Shikamaru's expression earlier had indeed looked unwell, the Twelve Konoha Genin were not entirely useless. Now, their faces looked much better, seemingly adjusted to the situation.
"Then let's go!"
Whether they came along or not didn't matter much to Sasuke. What he cared about more was time.
All of these enemies had to be completely wiped out without exception.
He turned and headed straight toward the next ninja force.
Shikamaru and the others quickly caught up.
As Sasuke and his group hurried off again, the Konoha frontline ninja forces exchanged glances.
"Captain, what should we do next?"
"Should we follow them?"
The Jonin squad leader thought for a moment.
Of course, they had to follow. This was such a gratifying moment; he didn't want to miss it.
Sasuke's speed was no joke. Even without activating Lightning Style: Godspeed, his current speed was astonishing, even faster than a Jonin's.
In just a few minutes, he crossed two mountain ridges and arrived at a flat area.
This was the second target the location of the Rain Village ninja force's encampment.
The slaughter began!
...
Hours later.
In Konoha, where preparations for a confrontation with Danzo were in full swing, Shikaku occasionally looked to the north.
He was genuinely worried about his son Shikamaru's current situation.
How was the assassination mission going?
Although this was a force from a minor country, it wasn't an easy target to deal with. One wrong move and they could be surrounded, making escape impossible.
"Shikamaru... Dad believes you can handle this!"
As Shikaku was deep in thought, an Anbu ninja suddenly burst in.
"Lord Shikaku, news from Konoha's rear frontline!"
News from the frontline? No, it's from the rear frontline?
"Quick, let me see it!"
The Anbu ninja quickly handed over the scroll in his hands.
Shikaku swiftly opened the scroll, thinking it might be an emergency.
However, when he saw the first line of text, he froze completely.
"Annihilated... completely annihilated?"
"The ninja forces from various countries attempting to attack Konoha from the rear have been wiped out by Shikamaru's team?"
As Shikaku read this, his voice involuntarily rose.
All the ninjas in the office, busy with their tasks, widened their eyes and turned toward Shikaku.
Had they misheard? Konoha's rear ninja forces from various countries were wiped out?
When had a ninja force been dispatched?
Wasn't Konoha currently focusing all its efforts on dealing with Danzo?
How had this suddenly happened?
None of them had any clue when such a large force was sent to eliminate these pesky enemies.
"Lord Shikaku, when did we send a ninja force?"
"Why hide it from us? There was no need for secrecy!"
The ninjas in the office were both delighted and a bit resentful.
Every one of them was loyal to Konoha; there was no need to hide such a mission from them.
Hearing this, Shikaku smiled. "We didn't hide anything. The dispatched ninja force you all know them."
Know them?
Someone started recalling.
"The only group I know of was a Genin assassination squad sent to assassinate the leaders of these minor countries' ninja forces in the rear."
"That's right! It was that assassination squad that did it!"
"Unbelievable!"
The office fell silent for a few seconds.
Suddenly, a Konoha ninja stood up abruptly.
"That assassination squad... it's just a few Genin kids, right?"
Shikaku nodded. "Correct!"
The ninja froze for a moment.
"Lord Shikaku, are you saying that a group of Konoha Genin wiped out the enemies in the rear?"
Shikaku firmly nodded.
The office fell silent again.
Shikaku smiled and said, "Spread this news quickly. Inform Lady Tsunade, who has already set off!"
"Now Konoha no longer needs to worry about the rear and can fully focus on dealing with Danzo and his rogue ninjas!"
As the Anbu ninja left, the others in the office still looked incredulous.
"Konoha... a group of Genin kids wiped out all those ninja forces?"
"How is that possible?"
"With their strength? Or are those minor countries' ninja forces that weak?"
Shikaku could imagine that the Senju kid probably played a significant role. But that wasn't the main point.
The main point was the terrifying deterrence this created.
At this moment, the countries that had sent ninja forces to invade Konoha were probably in a state of extreme fear.
They had dispatched ninja forces, only to have Konoha send a few Genin kids to utterly annihilate them.
...
Now, in the smaller ninja villages of these countries, they must be completely at a loss.
The news sent shockwaves through places like the Land of Rivers and the Land of Rain, leaving their ninja villages in turmoil.
"Our elite ninjas were defeated by the Genin of the Land of Fire."
"This is the gap between us and the Five Great Nations. Even now, we can't possibly match Konoha."
"We must not provoke Konoha. Their ninjas are monsters!"
The smaller nations could only obtain a rough idea of the events.
But the Hidden Cloud Village, which had been pressuring these small nations to act, was at a loss for words.
The Fourth Raikage, after reading the intelligence report, was utterly furious.
"Where did this Senju brat come from? So young and already capable of this level of Water Style!"
"One Water Style technique wiped out a 3,000-strong ninja force from the Land of Rain!"
"These villages' ninjas are worthless, completely useless!"
Mabui, observing the enraged Raikage, calmly spoke.
"Lord Raikage, there's no need to rush. Konoha's troubles are far from over. Although they've resolved their rear threat, the real war hasn't started yet."
"Danzo is Konoha's most challenging issue!"
Hearing this, the Fourth Raikage slowly sat back down.
"Investigate this kid named Senju how did he suddenly appear? Also, closely monitor the battle between Tsunade and Danzo!"
"The longer this war drags on, the better!"
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