Jiraiya: Enter the City!

"What? The frontline forces suffered devastating losses?!"

Jiraiya looked at the ninja before him, his expression darkening to the extreme.

"Yes. In just two days, nearly a hundred of our ninja have already died."

"Most of them were Chunin and Genin. We also lost one Jonin."

The Konoha ninja who had come to report answered with a grave expression.

Before this war began, no one had imagined that Konoha, hailed as the strongest nation in the ninja world, would suffer such enormous losses right from the start.

"That's impossible. Amegakure's forces are severely limited. How could they have deployed everything from the very beginning?"

As the commander, Jiraiya immediately raised the question.

The Konoha ninja below showed a bitter expression and explained, "Poison gas."

"Those despicable Amegakure Ninja turned Ibuse's poison gas into Poison Gas Bombs."

"They also developed a new type of artillery launcher. Combined with cavalry charges, it can spread those Poison Gas Bombs across an entire position at incredible speed."

"Nearly all of our fallen comrades died from poisoning..."

Hearing his subordinate's explanation, Jiraiya froze for a moment before clenching his fists.

"Poison gas again!"

He had thought that after Hanzo's death, Konoha's forces would no longer have to worry about poison gas.

Yet that Jingū Kiraku had actually developed something even more troublesome!

The combination of Poison Gas Bombs and cavalry had indeed caught Konoha completely off guard.

Who would have thought that an ancient profession like cavalry could still shine in this era...?

Jiraiya's expression gradually turned serious. He raised his eyes and asked, "What about the enemy's losses?"

"The enemy's losses aren't small either, but..."

"Those cavalrymen are basically ordinary people or weak Genin..."

The Konoha ninja's voice faltered, but Jiraiya understood exactly what he meant—

Trading their scarce and precious ninja for the lives of ordinary people was undoubtedly a terrible bargain.

"That damned Jingū Kiraku actually dragged ordinary people into the battlefield too?"

Jiraiya gritted his teeth, seeming deeply disdainful of such a thing.

This was clearly a war between ninja!

"Jiraiya, calm down. This is a battlefield."

Tsunade could not help reminding him.

On the battlefield, victory was the only objective.

"Sorry. I lost my composure for a moment."

Jiraiya let out a deep breath, then quickly pulled himself together and refocused on the current situation.

The truth was, Jiraiya did possess a certain talent for commanding in war.

In response to Amegakure's poison cavalry raids, he quickly came up with a countermeasure.

"Though Amegakure's poison cavalry is fast and troublesome, they aren't without weaknesses."

"As long as we detect their movements in advance, our ninjutsu can destroy them with ease!"

Jiraiya was not boasting. He was simply stating a fact.

The gap between ninja and ordinary people was like a vast chasm. As long as they were not caught in a surprise attack, a single wave of ninjutsu could easily determine the outcome.

Having figured this out, Jiraiya swiftly gave his orders.

"Split all frontline units into small squads and have them operate independently. They should form a mutual support network and cover one another."

"Also, deploy the reconnaissance teams and scout teams. Make sure we discover the enemy's movements immediately."

Tsunade nodded slightly at Jiraiya's response.

Though this guy was usually careless, naive, and lecherous, he really did have some skill when it came to commanding battles.

As long as they were not struck first, they would hold an absolute advantage as ninja!

"Also, request reinforcements from the village. Have them send more Sensory Ninja, preferably from the Hyuga Clan!"

"And Tsunade, see whether you can develop an antidote for Ibuse's poison gas."

Jiraiya's orders came one after another in an orderly fashion, and his gaze gradually became resolute.

He had to end this damned war as soon as possible!

"I understand."

With the lives and deaths of so many comrades at stake, Tsunade did not dare to be careless either.

"Oh? As expected of one of the Three Legendary Ninja. They adapted so quickly?"

Jingū Kiraku did not seem surprised by Konoha's adjustments.

After all, they were one of the Five Great Ninja Villages. They would not lack even this most basic ability to adapt.

With their forces spread out and large numbers of sensory teams sent ahead to scout, it was no longer possible for the Poison Cavalry to wipe them out in a single charge as they had before.

However, Konoha seemed to have overlooked one issue—

Jingū Kiraku was a naturally gifted player—one who had cheats enabled!

Every movement Konoha made was laid out clearly before his eyes.

And forcing them to deploy large numbers of Sensory Ninja for reconnaissance had been one of his goals from the start.

As long as those Sensory Ninja could be dealt with, it would be equivalent to blinding Konoha.

That would have a crucial impact on the war to come.

"However..."

"The time has not yet come."

Jingū Kiraku did not act rashly. Instead, he stared at the map of the Land of Rain before him.

By then, Konoha's forces had pushed twenty kilometers into the core region and were about to reach a small town called Graystone Town.

After Konoha changed its tactics, Amegakure's Poison Cavalry charged several more times.

But they did not inflict much damage on Konoha, immediately lifting the troops' spirits.

Sure enough, Amegakure was nothing special. They only had those same three tricks.

With only a slight adjustment from Konoha, they could do nothing but flee like stray dogs.

That optimistic atmosphere eased the tension among the Konoha ninja fighting in a foreign land, and their marching speed increased significantly.

Seeing this, Jiraiya let out a breath of relief.

"Graystone Town is up ahead."

Tsunade suddenly came over and spoke as she looked at the dilapidated town emerging in the distance.

Due to years of war, this town in the middle of the Land of Rain had become a vast expanse of ruins.

Only a few buildings still stood in the center, looking as though they might collapse at any moment.

"Graystone Town?"

Jiraiya glanced at the map.

According to the plan, they would turn this town into an important logistics transit point, using it to transport more supplies to the front lines...

"Has the situation in Graystone Town been fully scouted?"

Jiraiya looked toward a Hyuga ninja beside him, the captain of the reconnaissance unit for this operation—Hyuga Mae.

Hearing Jiraiya's question, he replied, "Under the orders of that Amegakure Leader, the town's young people and children have already evacuated in advance."

"Those remaining here are all elderly people with little to no combat ability."

"For the time being, there are no signs of an Amegakure ambush."

After hearing Hyuga Mae's report, Jiraiya nodded.

"Then let's enter the town!"