"Heh heh, Minato-kun, luckily it was you who came. If it had been that idiot Jiraiya, I would've had quite the headache. I prefer dealing with smart people—it saves a lot of effort."
Orochimaru laughed in a slightly hoarse voice. He was not at all surprised that Sarutobi-sensei had sent someone to divide his authority, though he had not expected it to be Namikaze Minato.
Although Jiraiya had quite a reputation in Konoha, it was mostly reflected in his mission completion rate. Relying on his Body Flicker Technique and the Flying Thunder God Space-Time Ninjutsu, Namikaze Minato had already earned considerable renown among the Five Great Nations.
Still, that was mainly due to his personal strength. As for commanding a war, this was likely Namikaze Minato's first time serving as deputy commander.
"Orochimaru-senpai, I've mainly come to learn from you this time," Namikaze Minato answered with a smile. Even Hyuga Mirai, standing some distance away, could sense the kindness on his face.
"You're too modest, Minato-kun. Come inside first."
After saying that, Orochimaru led Namikaze Minato and the second reinforcement unit into the camp.
Once the handover was complete, they could head into the River Country to establish a defensive camp. The Land of Fire and the River Country had a vassal agreement, allowing the Land of Fire's Ninja to establish camps there during emergencies.
And as for when it counted as an emergency—it was now. Sunagakure had just suffered a surprise attack from Orochimaru and taken heavy losses. Its army could come charging over at any moment.
Konoha certainly did not want the battlefield to be within the Land of Fire. Thus, after Orochimaru discussed matters with Nara Shikaku and the others, they decided to move the defensive camp into the River Country.
However, such strategic matters had nothing