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Chapter 138: News Spreads Back [15]
Chapter 138: News Spreads Back [15]
In the heart of the Konoha encampment, within the central tent, Orochimaru stood before a sand table map, fiddling with the flags placed upon it. Each small flag represented a squad of Iwagakure ninjas, while the larger ones signified platoons. The colors of the flags indicated the nature of the teams—recon, assassination, or combat units.
The atmosphere in the tent was oppressive. Danzo, seated not far from Orochimaru, studied the sand table map, his brow furrowed in thought. Several elite jonin stood beside him, their faces somber.
"The activities of the Sunagakure ninjas are putting a lot of pressure on our flanks," Orochimaru said in a hoarse voice as he placed a few flags on the map.
The situation was dire. They were already stretched thin dealing with the Iwagakure and Amegakure ninjas, and now, just two days ago, the Sunagakure ninjas had started operating along the southern border.
Led by the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, this group of Sunagakure ninjas had a peculiar mission—not solely focused on war, but also on eliminating dissenters.
In the previous battle, Chiyo had been slain by Feng Ye, and Ebizo's prestige had taken a severe blow. Rasa, who had initially been forced to ascend to the position of Kazekage, had now firmly established himself as the Fourth Kazekage.
But even after solidifying his position, Rasa didn't stop consolidating his power. He employed a combination of bribery, coercion, and intimidation to gain control over most of Sunagakure in a short period.
Those who resisted his control and formed factions, similar to Konoha's Uchiha clan, were sent out to invade Fire Country's territories.
The Sunagakure ninjas had not completely torn up the previously signed contract. This group was merely operating along the borders, making moves in areas with unclear affiliations. They hadn't yet clashed with Konoha ninjas or initiated any attacks.
However, the mere presence of several hundred Sunagakure ninjas along the border posed a significant challenge for Konoha. They couldn't just ignore it.
To counter this development, Orochimaru had to divert a portion of their forces, making the direct conflict with the Iwagakure ninjas even more challenging.
The Tsuchikage, Onoki, was exceptionally cunning and treacherous. Ever since Naruto and Kakashi had risen to prominence, he had avoided launching large-scale attacks, opting instead for dispersed battles.
Thousands of Iwagakure ninjas were split into hundreds of units, operating along the borders and even infiltrating deep into Fire Country.
The purpose of this strategy was clear—to guard against Naruto Uzumaki and Kakashi Hatake.
Even if Naruto and Kakashi were present on the battlefield, the most they could do was take out one unit before the Iwagakure ninjas retreated, minimizing their losses.
With Konoha engaged on three fronts, they could only spare seven to eight thousand ninjas to fight against Iwagakure. After sustaining casualties over time, their effective combat strength had dwindled to less than six thousand.
In contrast, Iwagakure still had nearly ten thousand ninjas waiting in the wings.
The shortage of manpower made it difficult for Konoha to launch a decisive frontal assault. After all, with the enemy outnumbering them, it was impossible to attempt a counter-encirclement strategy if the opponent chose not to engage directly.
As a result, Konoha had no choice but to respond to Iwagakure's small-scale warfare tactics. Both Orochimaru and Danzo had led teams out on missions, but the outcomes had been less than ideal, as Tsuchikage Onoki also frequently commanded elite units to launch surprise attacks.
"We must indeed be vigilant against Sunagakure's actions," Danzo said in a low voice, his eyes fixed on the sand table map. "They haven't made a move yet, but they could resume hostilities at any time."
Everyone present understood one crucial point: aside from Fire Country, the other four great nations would no longer attack each other. If they did, the remaining two countries would be unable to withstand Konoha's might and would inevitably be crushed one by one.
If it were any other small ninja village, they wouldn't pose a threat to Konoha, and a batch of ninjas could easily wipe them out.
But the Rain Ninja Village was different. They had a substantial number of ninjas, totaling around two to three thousand. More importantly, their leader, the toad Hanzo, was not like the leaders of other small ninja villages in terms of strength. He was an extremely powerful ninja! Even the Five Kage found it challenging to deal with him.
In this situation, the Rain Ninjas became an incredibly troublesome existence.
Usually, Konoha wouldn't be too concerned, but now, facing the Rock Ninjas head-on and having to guard against the Sand Ninjas, the actions of the Rain Ninjas could be deadly.
"Any news from Feng Ye yet?" Orochimaru turned to Danzo.
Danzo had been in charge of the battle situation in the Rain Country, and many of his Root ninjas were scattered throughout the country, gathering intelligence and keeping an eye on the Rain Ninjas.
Danzo shook his head. "We've lost contact with Feng Ye, but my men have scouted the Rain Ninjas' movements. They arrived at a town not far from the Rain Ninja Village a day ago and should be back in the village by now."
"That toad, Hanzo..." Orochimaru muttered, his face grim.
Hanzo the toad was too cautious. His caution made it hard to find an opportunity to eliminate the threat of the Rain Ninjas. In the current situation, the only option was to wait for Feng Ye to return and then have him deal with some of the Rock Ninjas' squads.
By wiping out a few squads and making the Rock Ninjas aware that the Silver Flash was active on this battlefield, they could significantly reduce the enemy's activity and scale of operations.
That would ease the pressure on the frontlines considerably.
If Hanzo the toad launched a sudden flank attack, that would be the time to have Feng Ye lead a team to engage him. For now, this was the most suitable strategy.
"Lord Danzo," a Root ninja suddenly entered and bowed to Danzo as he handed him a sealed scroll. "This is the latest intelligence from the Rain Ninja Village."
"Hmm..." Danzo took the scroll and slowly unsealed it. His eyes immediately fell on the first line, which described how Hanzo the toad had led the Rain Ninjas back to their village.
Danzo glanced at Orochimaru and said, "Hanzo has returned to the Rain Ninja Village. We don't know Feng Ye's exact location. Do you have any information, Orochimaru? I'll send someone to contact him..."
"No," Orochimaru shook his head. "Feng Ye hasn't learned the Summoning Jutsu from me yet, so I can't contact him through my summoned beasts..." His voice trailed off as he noticed Danzo's expression change. Danzo was staring intently at the scroll in his hand, his face frozen as if he had just seen something unbelievable.
"What is it?" Orochimaru asked, his eyebrows furrowed.
Danzo stared at the scroll for several seconds before he seemed to snap out of his disbelief. Slowly lowering the scroll, he looked at Orochimaru and took a breath before saying, "Hanzo is dead. The Rain Ninja Village has collapsed."
(End of Chapter)
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