By the time Danzo and his Root operatives reached the border of the Land of Rivers, Tsunade had already taken charge of the front lines, arriving ahead of them with dozens of jōnin. She had swiftly secured all strategic outposts, ensuring a smooth transition of command.
Reinforcements continued to arrive, bringing supplies and additional personnel.
The moment Danzo stepped into the command tent, the ongoing discussions ceased. Every shinobi inside turned to look at him.
Tsunade stood up, planting both hands firmly on the table, and spoke in a commanding tone:
"Sunagakure will likely launch a full-scale assault soon. I need you, Elder, to hold the eastern defensive line and ensure they don't break through to our rear."
All the jōnin in attendance shifted their attention to Danzo. Some looked at him with outright confusion, as if they had no idea who he was. It took whispered explanations from their peers before realization dawned on their faces.
"Rest assured, I will carry out my duty," Danzo said, stepping forward at a measured pace before taking an empty seat and closing his eyes, as if to rest.
Tsunade shot him a glance, furrowing her brows, but she didn't say anything else. Instead, she resumed outlining the battle strategy.
Danzo remained silent for the entirety of the meeting.
[System: Objective – Gain the recognition of Senju Tsunade, a key figure in the story.]
Danzo discreetly observed Tsunade.
It had been three years since he had last seen her. She had grown even more… well-rounded, like a perfectly ripe peach.
That temper of hers, though… and her attitude toward him…
She clearly despised him. That would be a problem.
In the current state of the war, she held significantly more authority than he did. Even among the jōnin, many knew of him by reputation but had never actually seen him in person. The lower-ranked chūnin and genin probably didn't even know he existed.
Danzo had no interest in direct conflict with Tsunade. In Konoha, his status as an elder gave him leverage over her, but here on the battlefield, she was the commander.
Once he arrived at the eastern defensive line with his Root operatives, he took time to survey the terrain.
To his surprise, Tsunade had actually assigned him a highly strategic location. Konoha had fortified the area over the years, making it an easily defensible position. Additionally, it wasn't too far from the main force—just an hour's travel. This meant they could coordinate attacks or fall back for reinforcements if needed.
Even if their position were to be overrun, Sunagakure wouldn't be able to push straight into the Land of Fire's interior. On the other hand, if Danzo played his cards right, he could lead his forces to threaten the entirety of the Land of Rivers.
"Shall I request additional troops?" Yakushi Nonō suggested, having sensed that Tsunade didn't particularly favor Danzo.
"No need. Aburame Ryōma's unit needs reinforcements more than we do."
Danzo had brought only ten jōnin with him. The rest were freshly trained chūnin straight out of the Root training program.
He and Tsunade may not see eye to eye, but she wouldn't deliberately set him up for failure.
Sure enough, by the third day, Tsunade had sent a supply of antidotes to their camp.
...
Meanwhile, the Land of Rivers, which had served as a buffer zone, had completely fallen under Sunagakure's control.
Without officially declaring war, Sunagakure had already begun small-scale skirmishes.
The first casualties in the camp were from poison.
Fortunately, with Tsunade overseeing the medical operations, the number of fatalities was kept in check. Without her, the losses would have multiplied exponentially.
Her reputation only grew stronger.
Danzo also noticed something else—most of the Konoha jōnin assigned to this front either had ties to the Senju Clan or owed Tsunade a personal favor.
This gave her near-absolute authority over the camp.
The eastern front experienced several skirmishes as well, with injured shinobi being sent back to the main camp. However, compared to the primary battlefield, their casualties were minimal.
With Yakushi Nonō and several Root medical-nin stabilizing the wounded, they managed to keep their forces intact.
A key reason for this was that Root operatives were stronger than the average Konoha shinobi.
Another reason was Danzo's strict operational protocols—
If a mission was deemed impossible, a squad could vote to abandon it and retreat.
If an ally's distress signal was received, the priority was rescue.
In essence, survival came first. With coordinated teamwork and superior individual capabilities, their casualty rate remained extremely low.
Sunagakure soon noticed the unusual situation on the eastern front. Their forces suffered significantly higher casualties in that sector, with few surviving encounters unscathed.
...
Inside the Sunagakure war camp,
The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, had been secretly observing the front lines for two days.
"Danzo… that old bastard is still alive?" Chiyo muttered in her raspy voice when she received the latest intelligence.
"Danzo?" Rasa raised an eyebrow.
"We crossed paths a few times in the last war. A sinister old schemer… He's probably in his fifties by now, but he's still a formidable opponent."
"He's not worth worrying about. Keep pressing Konoha's main force. Once our reinforcements arrive, we'll crush them in one decisive strike."
Rasa exuded confidence.
Ever since Sunagakure had launched its offensive, Iwagakure had already sent them two batches of supplies.
Moreover, Iwagakure was intensifying its assault on the Grass Country front, ensuring that Konoha remained stretched thin.
That was why Rasa had come to the battlefield in person.
Iwagakure had effectively drawn away Konoha's attention.
Now, all he had to do was commit Sunagakure's full might and break through the Land of Fire's defenses.
Once he set foot in Fire Country territory, even the Wind Daimyō would be forced to acknowledge his power.
And when that happened, he would become the most revered Kazekage in history.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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