Both Sides' Responses

"Everyone, please report your current status," Namikaze Minato said in a deep voice. "My chakra is running low; I can only last for one more small battle at most."

"I'm almost at my physical limit. If I continue fighting, I can only use Taijutsu to support myself." Shuichi said that he could no longer use large-scale Ninjutsu, as he had already exhausted too much energy.

The others also reported their remaining combat strength. The Aburame Clan's insects had suffered heavy losses, and Akimichi Choza's chakra reserves were almost depleted, resulting in a significant drop in the team's overall combat strength.

Fortunately, the two Sensory Ninja in the team can still maintain their reconnaissance state. There are very few people in the Sunagakure Village with sensory abilities like Hazuki's, so as long as they are careful, they can evacuate safely.

"Akiha, I'm counting on you! Let's bypass the Sunagakure's forces and retreat, trying our best to avoid any battle."

With the help of the Byakugan, the Konoha group zigzagged through the Sunagakure Village's encirclement, at one point being only a few hundred meters apart. Fortunately, the opposing scout ninjas were not particularly skilled and failed to notice the Konoha Squad slipping away right under their noses.

Several hours later, the exhausted Konoha crew finally made it back to the border of the Land of Rivers, and everyone was finally able to relax.

Fearing retaliation from Sunagakure if they discovered Hazuki's death, they dared not rest in potential battle zones and could only relax when they ran to a safe area.

"Now Minato and I are both on Sunagakure's kill list." Shuichi some regret. That Puppeteer, Shashi, escaped very quickly, and it seemed that the outcome of this battle could not be kept secret.

"My Chidori wasn't exposed; I only used standard Ninjutsu. I can still ambush and kill quite a few people in the future. Minato will definitely be under close surveillance by Sunagakure. I wonder if he became famous so early in the original story."

If they hadn't encountered such a strong Sunagakure Squad this time, Minato, with his strength, would never have let anyone go, but he also wouldn't have achieved such a significant victory at the very beginning of the Third Shinobi War.

In the center of Konoha's base in Aoba City, Namikaze Minato and Shuichi reported the results of their mission to Orochimaru in the main camp.

"... That's the situation. We brought back Hazuki's body, but we didn't have time to collect the others' bodies because of the time constraints." Minato took out Scroll and handed it to Orochimaru.

"Well done, this is really good news." Orochimaru truly hadn't expected such a significant victory so early in the war. "However, one enemy Jonin escaped, so the news can't be kept secret any longer."

"Sunagakure won't publicize your information widely, but internal notifications are certain. In that case, as Konoha's commander, I need to maximize the value of this victory. Be prepared."

Minato replied calmly, "I was already prepared for this."

Shuichi understood Orochimaru's meaning. When he returned, he saw a significant increase in the number of small and medium-sized camps nearby, which meant that the main force of Konoha had arrived and was about to officially advance into the Land of Rivers.

Releasing the results of their team's killing of high-ranking Sunagakure officials now can immediately boost the morale of Konoha Ninja while simultaneously damaging the Sunagakure faction's reputation.

The Konoha High Command will even go to great lengths to let the other major villages know that this is the price to pay for starting a war, and that anyone wanting to fight Konoha should consider whether they can afford it.

The next day, at the Konoha Ninja encampment in Aoba City, everyone heard the news that Namikaze Minato and Takeda Shuichi's team had achieved a major victory in the Land of Rivers, killing several enemy Jonin and Chunin, including Hazuki, a high-ranking Hazuki of Sunagakure.

"Is it true? Namikaze Minato is only in his early twenties, right? And Takeda Shuichi is not even 11 years old yet. The disciples of the Sannin are all so strong!" a Jonin exclaimed in amazement.

"That's right, I saw Hazuki's body at the Medical Unit. She was stabbed through the heart and died instantly." Konoha Ninja with bandages on his hand replied, "Two of our team members died, and I almost didn't make it back myself. These young people these days are not to be underestimated!"

With the testimony and confirmation of some Jonin, Minato and Shuichi's Daimyo spread throughout the front-line base, along with news of Konoha's great victory over Sunagakure in the early stages of the war.

In reality, excluding the two elite teams led by Shuichi and Minato, the two sides were evenly matched in the early stages. The Sunagakure's aggressive advance caught many Konoha Squad, while the Konoha Ninja' superior combat power turned the tide in some areas.

However, Orochimaru would definitely not release the number of casualties. Now that the news of their great victory has been publicized, the lower-ranking ninjas are indeed in high spirits, just waiting to go to the battlefield, kill the Sunagakure, and earn merit for promotion.

While Konoha was gearing up for its advance, the atmosphere in Sunagakure was far from pleasant.

"Bang!" An elder angrily slammed his fist on the stone table in the Meeting Room. "Shashi, how did you become the captain? Why did Hazuki die like that, while you ran back to the village unharmed?"

"I've already made myself very clear in my report." Shashi's expression remained unchanged.

Hazuki held her ground to minimize the risk of her team being ambushed by Namikaze Minato, but she didn't expect that the enemy's only Ninjutsu master was also so powerful.

"The enemy is powerful. Namikaze Minato's Body Flicker Technique is terrifying. Even if we fight and retreat, we must be wary of his sneak attacks at all times. In addition, there's Takeda Shuichi and several elite members of Konoha clans. There's a possibility that we could be completely wiped out."

"You..."

"Stop arguing!" Another elder, seated near the head of the table, immediately stopped him. "According to Shashi's report, the situation is indeed very tricky. Now, the more important thing is to plan for the upcoming Total War. What are your thoughts?"

"Iwagakure is making quite a fuss, but Ōnoki is a cunning old fox. He won't get involved so quickly. They probably hope we and Konoha fight to the death."

"Gentlemen, engaging Konoha one-on-one is indeed quite difficult," said Rasa, who sat in the main seat. "I think we should focus on defense for now. We've already occupied more than half of the resource-rich lands of the Land of Rivers. If Konoha wants to launch a strong attack, we have the advantage of terrain and are not afraid. It's best not to be too greedy."

While the Second Great Ninja War wasn't immediately apparent, now that they've gone to war with Konoha alone, even the high-ranking officials of Sunagakure have had to acknowledge Konoha's strength, and Rasa's opinions have been largely adopted.

The longer you hold onto the territory you've captured, the greater your profits will be.

At the same time, because Konoha is too wealthy, it needs to pay attention to invasions from other major powers and cannot devote all its strength to the battlefront in the Land of Land of Rivers. The Sunagakure can be said to have nothing to lose and nothing to fear.

"Have Shashi compile detailed information on Namikaze Minato Iwagakure Takeda Shuichi and distribute it to the other Jonin," the Sunagakure elder said in a deep voice. "Be careful internally; we can't let other villages find out. If they suffer a great loss Cloud, it will actually be a good thing for us."

I second that!

I second that!