The Aggressive Sunagakure

After reading the report, Shuichi knew that this would be one of the turning points in the war.

While the total military strength of Kumogakure is quite large, it is somewhat lacking in top-tier fighters, consisting mainly of the Third Raikage, the soon-to-be-in-command Fourth Raikage, and Killer B, who has become the Perfect Jinchuriki.

The others are far inferior to them, and they would be at a great disadvantage if they encountered Konoha's top experts.

The AB Combo had already witnessed Minato's strength; ordinary ninjas simply couldn't withstand the attack of Konoha's elite squad.

After the death of the Third Raikage, the newly appointed Fourth Raikage, was worried about the safety of his brother Killer B and was unlikely to let him participate in the war again.

Besides the fear of losing this brother, it's also because the Kumogakure's future strength hasn't matured yet. If something were to happen to either of them, they might face internal strife.

Therefore, the war between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning will become a long-term, small-scale skirmish, and it will be difficult for a major battle to break out again, unless Konoha really shows signs of weakness, or a skilled member of the village dies unexpectedly.

"So how should the village respond next?" Shuichi asked. "The Kirigakure has many internal problems, and I don't think they'll be scared off by their initial setbacks."

The Third Hokage said, "Indeed, that is what I'm worried about, so we must concentrate our efforts to completely resolve this front."

"It seems we only have two options for attacking now: the Land of Earth Land of Wind." Shuichi was assessing the situation in the Shinobi World when he continued, "Looks like we'll have to take action against Sunagakure after all?"

It's not surprising that we could guess this. Although Iwagakure has already occupied half of the Land of Grass, Konoha would pay a heavy price if they launched a full-scale attack, as the enemy is very good at defending strongholds.

Meanwhile, Sunagakure is even more aggressive, having almost reached the Land of Fire Border. They've gone too far, to the point of pushing their luck. If we don't attack them, who will we attack?

"That's roughly the plan, but the situation is changing rapidly, and we need to be absolutely certain before we act," the Third Hokage said in a deep voice. "After careful consideration, you should go to the Land of Land of Rivers front. Preparations for the major battle won't take more than a month..."

As Shuichi left the Hokage's Office, he bumped into Kakashi in the hallway. Kakashi still had those dead fish eyes beneath his white hair.

But for some reason, Shuichi felt that his chakra was a bit more active, probably because he had encountered something good.

"Kakashi, it's been a long time!"

After exchanging greetings, he asked with some curiosity, "You seem quite happy. Can you tell me what happened?"

"Oh, it's Shuichi," Kakashi replied. "I just received my Jonin appointment letter and I'm on my way to Lord Hokage."

Shuichi stopped in his tracks. It seemed like the time was really almost right. His class was about to experience the fear of being dominated by Madara.

Shuichi was powerless to do anything about it.

His mission location was in the Land of Rivers, a place that Konoha was focusing on, unlike the special infiltration mission at Kannabi Bridge and the battle against Sunagakure.

However, Kakashi, being his friend, still spoke up to remind him, "The village is currently short of manpower, and becoming Jonin could mean facing dangerous missions. You'd better be careful when using the Chidori technique; make sure your reaction speed can keep up."

"Yes, I've already figured it out," Kakashi replied.

Because of Shuichi, he mastered this technique earlier than in the original story. He must have practiced it a lot beforehand, and wouldn't be so reckless as to use it in actual combat right after developing it.

With the addition of his secret chakra condensation techniques, Kakashi's strength has indeed reached the Jonin, but it is still insignificant compared to someone of Madara's caliber.

In the eastern part of the Land of Rivers, a Sunagakure squad is advancing through complex terrain. Although they are quite vigilant, they do not appear particularly tense.

With the full support of the Land of Wind, the Sunagakure's comeback is progressing at an astonishing pace.

Third-rate villages like Valley Village were unable to put up much resistance and were easily crushed. Now, most of the Land of Land of Rivers has become their territory.

"Captain, there are no signs of ninjas passing by nearby," a teammate reported. "It seems Konoha is finished. They've been at war with four countries in a row; it's obvious they can't hold out."

"Yes, my sister was killed by Konoha Ninja," a young man nearby said angrily. "Now we finally have a chance for revenge. We'll make them pay."

"Alright, but we should still be careful." The Sunagakure captain said helplessly. Many young people in the village are easily blinded by hatred, and this atmosphere is affecting more and more people.

In addition, their recent offensives have been exceptionally successful, and they have gained the upper hand in their battles against Konoha's forces. At one point, rumors even circulated that they would invade the Land of Fire and destroy Konoha.

On a distant hillside, three figures crouched quietly behind rocks; it was Shuichi's squad, returning to the battlefield.

"There are a total of 6 enemy soldiers. The second and last ones have Signal flare on them," Hyuga Akiha reported.

"Then let's get ready to fight!"

Shuichi glanced at the enemy's formation. Each person was a few meters apart, and the whole team seemed a bit loose, but their positioning was actually quite reasonable. Even if they encountered a strong opponent, they wouldn't be wiped out in one blow.

"Use a pincer movement. My Shadow Clone and I will attack the person carrying the Signal flare, while you intercept them from both sides. Move out..."

The Sunagakure below was completely unaware of this. They now had ample manpower, and all the Konoha Ninja had dared to venture into this area before had been eliminated. They were surrounded by their own allies, so Konoha probably wouldn't dare to come again.

"Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!"

Suddenly, a loud whistling sound came from the side and front of the Sunagakure squad. Several terrifying Wind Blade easily sliced through the dense trees. The attack from this direction caught them completely off guard.

"Oh no! Get out of the way!"

The Sunagakure reacted quickly and dodged. Although the Wind Blade couldn't eliminate them all, they seemed to have eyes and chased after the team member carrying the Signal flare.

"Rip!"

The man was cleaved into four pieces like a rag doll. The captain behind him sensed something was wrong and knew he had to send a support signal immediately, as the power of this Ninjutsu was beyond their capabilities.

His movements were quite agile; he retreated immediately to dodge the attack, and in mid-air, he touched the Signal flare on his body, intending to launch it in one swift motion.

Unexpectedly, his actions were completely predicted. Shuichi, hiding underground and watching his movements, had already completed hand Hand Seals, unleashing "Earth Release: Earth Spear!"

A thick, sharp rock arched up from the ground, its top pointing directly at the Sunagakure Captain.

"What?" Hearing the noise, Sunagakure turned around quickly, only to be shocked to see a clay spear suddenly appear behind him.

Although he jumped higher, it seemed he still couldn't dodge. Using the Body Flicker Technique, he had no foothold in mid-air and could only watch himself crash straight into it...

"No... Ugh... Ahhh..."

A blood-curdling scream rang out from the woods, so loud it could have been Signal flare.

Shuichi gasped upon seeing it, "That's incredibly accurate! It fits perfectly into such a small hole!"

He had intended to stab the enemy in the back, but the enemy jumped a little too high, resulting in a death that was both unsightly and quite gruesome.

He silently mourned for him, Shuichi a bit speechless. Was his future nickname going to be "King of **"?

The remaining Sunagakure panicked upon seeing this, not understanding why the other side had instantly killed two of their teammates who possessed Signal flare. As they scattered and fled, they were intercepted by the Konoha Ninja who were prepared.

After waiting for a long time Hyuga Akiha answered their questions, "So it's the Byakugan of the Hyuga Clan..."

He had barely uttered those words when he was struck repeatedly by Gentle Fist and quickly collapsed to the ground, motionless.

On the other side, Aburame Shihei also blocked the other two, saying, "It's no use knowing. We know exactly how far away your reinforcements are."

As he spoke, his movements were swift; a swarm of insects enveloped the enemy completely, quickly devouring their chakra.

After eliminating the Sunagakure team, the three Konoha members quickly cleaned up the traces of the battle and then rushed to their next target.