A Dire Situation

"This is bad, the situation is not good."

"Yeah, there are far fewer young women going to the public bathhouse lately."

Jiraiya sighed heavily, his face filled with sorrow.

"Jiraiya, shut your mouth!!" Tsunade roared like thunder, shaking down fine stone dust from the cave ceiling, which landed on the table.

Jiraiya shrank back, avoiding a direct confrontation with Tsunade.

Dan shook his head with a wry smile. Jiraiya and Tsunade's performances like this happened three to five times a day.

The narrow cave, only a dozen square meters in size, served as a meeting room where the high-ranking officials who remained at Black Tail Mountain gathered to discuss countermeasures.

Makita Kiyotaka, Jonin, was the supreme commander of Black Tail Mountain. Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade, the now renowned Sannin, along with Dan, who, despite his relatively low seniority, repeatedly achieved merit on the battlefield thanks to his Spirit Transformation Technique, formed the newest command structure of Black Tail Mountain.

In most cases, a ninja's status is linked to their strength.

"Orochimaru, when do you predict the One-Tail Jinchuriki will return to the battlefield?"

Makita Kiyotaka had just celebrated his fortieth birthday not long ago. At this age, his physical strength had not declined too much, and his experience was even richer and more refined. It could be said that he was in the prime of his ninja career. However, the continuous battles had taken a toll on this commander. Dark circles appeared on his face, and his stubble beard, which had not been groomed for several days, grew wildly.

Despite his sore eyes, he fixed his sharp gaze on Orochimaru.

"It won't last long." Orochimaru shook his head, his hoarse voice echoing in the cave. "Although I'm very confident in my Snake Venom, the Sand Village ninja are also experts in using poison. This is the limit of what we can do. I'm afraid that by the time we attack again, that raccoon dog will reappear."

"The Puppet Master of the Sand Village are basically all experts in using and detoxifying poison. I've seen Orochimaru's snake Snake Venom; it's not that complicated," Tsunade added. The authority of the strongest medical-nin is more resounding than the title of the Sannin, and her words are the strongest evidence to support the theory about Orochimaru.

"Next time... does that mean it could happen at any time? Damn it!!"

Makita rubbed his sore eyes and stretched his numb neck, but he couldn't stop the wave of exhaustion that kept washing over him.

The Sand and Stone Ninja launched a fierce offensive. As the commander of thousands of men on Black Tail Mountain, Makita was under immense pressure. After all, the victory or defeat of Black Tail Mountain not only involved the life and death of thousands of his men, but also the fate of their stored provisions.

"One-Tail Beast... Hey, will the Stone Ninja also send in Jinchuriki?" Dan suddenly asked.

"Possibly. The Stone Ninja's attacks have been rather lukewarm these past two days. If I were the commander of the Stone Ninja, I would definitely send Jinchuriki into the battlefield whenever possible. This would not only greatly reduce casualties, but also allow us to confront the Sand ninja after the victory and divide the spoils of war." Orochimaru licked his lips.

Makita's face grew increasingly ashen; these were truly the most irritating words he had ever heard.

"Stone Ninja? The Four-Tails Jinchuriki or the Five-Tails Jinchuriki? Could they be coming at the same time?" Jiraiya muttered, stroking his chin.

"Jiraiya, you jinx, shut your mouth! Don't force me to take action." Tsunade's fair skin was marred by bulging blue veins, and her fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

Makita's face was completely drained of color; the immense pressure caused his stomach to spasm and convulse.

"... What countermeasures do you have? Tsunade, how is the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki? Can she restrain the enemy's Jinchuriki? How are the injured Jonin? How much strength can they exert when they go into battle?" Questions came out one after another like a machine gun. Makita Kiyotaka forced himself to stay alert. In this situation, he, as the commander, could not afford to waver in the slightest.

"There are nine injured Jonin. Five of them have minor injuries and should be able to return to the battlefield without much trouble; their strength should still be sufficient. Two others are still under observation, as forcing them into battle carries a significant risk. The remaining two are seriously injured: one has a broken rib piercing his lung, and the other has a shattered shinbone, with virtually no hope of recovery in the short term, especially the one with the shattered shinbone... He'll have no choice but to retire once he returns to the village."

The document in front of Tsunade was not laid out; she already knew every word on it by heart.

Among the Sannin, Jiraiya was shrewd despite his seemingly carefree and idiotic appearance. However, he was reliable in crucial moments. Orochimaru, as the Third Hokage's most beloved disciple, possessed first-rate talent and ability. There was almost nothing he couldn't do, whether it was Ninjutsu training or battle command.

As the only one of the Sannin, Tsunade, besides her formidable strength and Medical Ninjutsu, is also most adept at handling various affairs. Jiraiya lacked patience in this area, and Orochimaru had no interest in it, so only Tsunade could participate in the daily management work. This is evidenced by the fact that Jiraiya later declined the position of Fifth Hokage and instead recommended Tsunade.

While part of the reason was that Jiraiya wasn't interested in the Hokage position, it doesn't mean he lacked affection for the village. It was precisely because of his feelings for Konoha that he recommended the most suitable candidate in his mind.

"As for the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki... he's in good condition, but the Nine-Tails' power is too violent and unruly. Putting him into the battlefield to fight the Jinchuriki from the very beginning... Makita, forgive my bluntness, but the risk is too great. It's very likely that we won't be able to restrain the enemy, but will instead become a burden to ourselves!" Tsunade said calmly.

"That's really strict!"

Jiraiya muttered something under his breath, then was silenced by a sharp glare from Tsunade.

Duan sat to the side, forcing a bitter smile; he felt his face was about to cramp up.

"Sigh!! The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki... is he useless?" Makita felt that every sigh he let out drained away a portion of his energy.

"Looks like this is going to be a tough battle!"

The deep night outside the grotto gradually receded, and although the morning light was powerless to pierce through the dark clouds in the sky, it did manage to dispel the darkness of the night.

"It's dawn, everyone go and prepare... We'll act according to the circumstances, and you must..." Makita paused for a moment, "You must... you must... do your best!"

As the soft sigh subsided, everyone rose and went outside. Dawn was breaking, and the Sand and Stone Ninja should be arriving soon!

After several days of fierce fighting, the Konoha Ninja were exhausted. They were not afraid of the Sand Ninja's attacks, but the Stone Ninja were skilled in Earth Release techniques, caused great trouble. Fortunately, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, Dan, and others were highly proficient in Earth Release, which prevented the Stone Ninja's earth rats from breaking through their defenses.

However, all of this is based on the premise that the One-Tail Jinchuriki was defeated by the Sannin and infected with Snake Venom, making him unable to fight. If the One-Tail Jinchuriki were to return to the battlefield, the Sand Village ninja, who were already on guard, would certainly be fully prepared, not to mention that the Stone Ninja might also send in Jinchuriki.

This is Makita's biggest source of pressure.