Cloud Ninja Make Their Move

Upon returning to the camp, Yichen immediately contacted the village to inquire about any definite news regarding Danzo.

Soon, the village's reply arrived: Danzo should be in the Land of Wind.

Although the intelligence ninja from Iwa ninja did not see Danzo himself, they did see a number of Root ninja in the territory that Konoha had just taken over in the Land of Wind.

Yichen thought for a moment and said to Ōnoki, "Third Hokage, I'll leave this place to you for now. I'm going to the Land of Wind to talk to Danzo."

Ōnoki considered the current situation; between the Iwa ninja and the Konoha, the Iwa ninja held the upper hand.

Although the four of them failed to take down Konoha, that doesn't mean Konoha dares to launch an attack.

As for the village, Ōnoki wasn't worried. With Atsumi Akino there, the army could be quickly moved between the Two Battlefields.

After analyzing the situation, Ōnoki said, "Go and come back quickly. You are, after all, the Tsuchikage. The morale will be much lower with you here than with you."

Yichen nodded, then secretly left the Iwa ninja camp.

After Yichen left, Ōnoki had Yichen Matsutani Shinya occasionally show his face in the camp.

Yichen crossed the Land of Rain at top speed and entered the Land of Wind.

Most of the Land of Land of Wind remained desert as always. Yichen arrived at a valley in the western part of the Land of Wind, an area occupied by Konoha.

This is the place Konoha chose, where they will learn from Iwa ninja and establish their first branch.

Previously, the Hokage of Konoha was Danzo, Danzo planned to turn this territory entirely into his own private power.

Just like its Root.

Danzo then dispatched a large number of Root ninjas to this area.

That's why Shikaku Nara others were able to break through Root so easily that day.

But precisely because of this, even though the Root Base was destroyed, Danzo was still able to gather a large number of subordinates here.

Originally, Danzo was supposed to leave the western part of the Land of Wind as requested by Shikaku Nara after gathering these subordinates.

Konoha will send people back to this territory.

At the same time, Danzo also had to remove the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal of the members of the Minor Ninja Clans, who remained in the Root of Land of Wind.

Danzo's physical condition has not yet recovered, and he is unable to compete with Shikaku Nara and the others, so he is indeed already planning where to go next.

But no one expected that Yichen would react so strongly upon hearing this, mobilizing a large army on such a massive scale.

This almost completely contradicts the established strategy of Iwagakure.

As a result, Konoha was immediately plunged into a crisis of destruction, and for a time it could no longer care about Danzo.

Danzo decided to wait and see. If he had already regained his strength by the time Konoha made a move, then the Land of Wind would not allow him to leave.

If Danzo had already mastered the powerful Wood Release by then, Danzo felt that returning to Konoha to forcefully eliminate its own members would be a viable option.

Therefore, when Yichen arrived at Danzo Valley, Danzo was recuperating from his injuries in the valley.

Yichen's perception was so strong that this temporary base, which hadn't even been protected by any barriers, couldn't stop his investigation at all.

Yichen quickly located Danzo and began to sense Danzo's condition without restraint.

Danzo hadn't noticed Yichen's arrival at first, but when Yichen began to focus on sensing his state, Danzo's Kage-level experts sense of smell still kicked in.

Danzo, who was receiving treatment from Root Medical Ninja, suddenly opened his eyes and shouted, "Who goes there?"

Danzo's angry shout was full of energy and contained Chakra, which spread throughout the entire valley.

The news even reached Yichen's ears outside the valley.

Yichen smiled slightly. Danzo's bluff might fool others, but it couldn't fool himself.

Yichen could clearly sense that Danzo's body was extremely weak. This weakness was not due to injury, but rather to exhaustion.

"Hokage, it seems you've expended quite a bit to suppress the First Hokage's Cells and the Mangekyō Sharingan," Yichen's voice echoed through the valley.

Danzo recognized Yichen's voice. Although the two hadn't interacted much directly, he still remembered the Tsuchikage's voice.

Considering Yichen's renowned perception abilities, Danzo he couldn't hide his condition from Yichen.

However, Danzo was absolutely unwilling to show weakness in front of Yichen. He got out of bed, dressed properly, and then Earth Flow the ward.

Danzo stood at the door of the ward, looking up at the sky.

Yichen flew in the air and looked down at Danzo.

Ignoring the Root ninjas around them who were ready to attack at any moment, the two silently stared at each other for a few seconds.

Danzo couldn't stand Yichen's condescending attitude, but feeling guilty, he didn't dare to directly confront him.

Danzo spoke first, "Tsuchikage, what business do you have with me?"

Yichen said, "Of course we will continue to cooperate. Our cooperation has always been very pleasant, and I don't think either of us wants to end it because of a few traitors."

Danzo's eyes flashed. Cooperation? Yichen was actually willing to cooperate with him at this time?

Danzo was somewhat surprised, so he asked, "How does the Tsuchikage intend to cooperate?"

Hearing Danzo's tone soften, Yichen smiled and said, "Hokage, do you really think we can still cooperate as equals as before?"

"Although I was the one who approached you for cooperation, you need external support more urgently than I do, don't you?"

"Shouldn't the Hokage show some sincerity before cooperating?"

Upon hearing this, Danzo's calm expression vanished, replaced by a somewhat ferocious look, but he knew that the initiative was no longer in his hands.

Therefore, Danzo his teeth and said, "What does the Tsuchikage want?"

Yichen smiled slightly and said, "I don't want anything else, I want the Four Red Yang Formation."

Danzo's heart skipped a beat, then he said with a cold smile, "It seems the Tsuchikage has already experienced the power of Konoha's barrier."

"Does the Tsuchikage think I can give you something this important just because Tsuchikage say so?"

Danzo wanted to regain the initiative.

Yichen retorted, "Danzo, do you still think you're the Hokage? Don't think that just because I'm politely calling you Hokage, you truly consider Konoha your own."

"The current Hokage of Konoha is the Seventh Hokage Kakashi Hatake. I heard that the statue of Kakashi Hatake is almost finished."

Danzo his fists tightly within his loose sleeves. This time, his main concern wasn't Yichen, but rather regret for not killing Kakashi directly earlier.

Perhaps with Kakashi dead, Shikaku Nara others wouldn't dare to rebel.

"As expected, I was too soft-hearted during my time in power. I was blinded by the Hokage position, and my actions were no longer as decisive as before," Danzo himself.

Taking a deep breath, Danzo said, "Tsuchikage, the Four Red Yang Formation is the strongest barrier in the Ninja World. If you want to obtain it, you'll have to offer something tangible."

Yichen smirked and said, "I and the Iwagakure can publicly support you as the Hokage. We will deny Kakashi's legitimacy Hokage."

"At the very least, I can give you this piece of land in the Land of Wind."

Danzo, he could indeed announce to the entire village that Kakashi, Shikaku Nara, and the others were Hokage missing-nin.

However, his title is time-limited. Now that Kakashi has taken over, the longer time passes, the less useful his title of Sixth Hokage will become.

However, if the Iwa ninja can help Danzo maintain his title of Hokage and continue to deny Kakashi's legitimacy Hokage.

Once Danzo recovers, he can continue to challenge Kakashi and the others as Hokage.

Even when we launch a counterattack in the future, we will face much less resistance.

Even in his lowly position, Danzo never gave up on returning to the Hokage position and reclaiming everything that was rightfully his.

But Danzo thought for a moment and said, "I need five more Wood Style Experience."

Danzo had already experienced the effectiveness of Wood Style Experience; it was the most useful thing for him to quickly recover his strength.

Political defeat left Danzo with no choice but to resort to force.

Danzo is now placing all his hopes on Wood Release and the Mangekyō Sharingan.

Especially Wood Release; Danzo was once the Hokage, and Hokage who knows Wood Release has a special significance in Konoha.

Danzo believed that when he used Wood Release to attack Konoha, most of the ninjas would not resist.

Yichen said, "Deal."

As he spoke, Yichen took out several copies of Wood Style Experience manuals that he had prepared beforehand and tossed them to Danzo.

A Root ninja leaped and caught it, and after checking that there were no problems, handed the insights to Danzo.

After reading Danzo, Danzo nodded, then returned to the ward and wrote a scroll of the Four Red Yang Formation for Yichen.

Yichen was very satisfied with the Four Red Yang Formation, so he softened his tone and said, "Hokage, can you tell me about the process of those rebels' uprising?"

Seeing Danzo's gloomy expression, Yichen said, "I can use the latest situation in the Ninja World as an exchange."

Danzo was also concerned about the development of the situation, but he dared not send too many of his men out to scout.

After all, his own safety was the top priority. He was not in good condition, so his subordinates had to stay behind to protect him.

The information we received before was outdated and certainly not as timely or comprehensive as that of Yichen, the Tsuchikage.

Besides, since he had already been ousted from the stage by Shikaku Nara and others, there was no big deal about revealing what happened.

Danzo and Yichen then engaged in a friendly exchange of information.

After listening to Danzo's description and combining it with information from Iwagakure, Yichen finally understood roughly what had happened in Konoha that day.

Yichen asked, "Hokage, are you saying that Kakashi didn't participate in the rebellion? You actually lost to Shikaku Nara, who wasn't even a Kage Level fighter?"

"After all these years of scheming, you couldn't even find out if there were any spies among the people who performed surgery on you?"

Danzo glared fiercely at Yichen, somewhat embarrassed and angry.

After becoming Hokage, he definitely got arrogant.

He harbored the idea that all Konoha ninja should obey his orders and be willing to obey them.

Imposing the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal on his subordinates was actually a habit of his cautious approach.

After inflicting the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal on his subordinates, he relaxed his brainwashing efforts and his surveillance of them.

Previously, with Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, around, Danzo knew that Hiruzen also liked to plant people within his Root.

Therefore, Danzo acted very meticulously, but recently...

Danzo reflected on his actions and realized that he had been too comfortable during his time Hokage.

Yichen did not mention to Danzo that he had attacked Konoha in Danzo's name, as it would not do him any good to talk about it.

Finally, Yichen asked Danzo if they needed to exchange communication ninjas for future contact.

However, Danzo consideration.

Danzo is currently in a weak position, so when he sends someone to Iwagakure, it's really just to act as a liaison.

However, when Yichen sends people over, it also serves the purpose of gathering intelligence.

Seeing Danzo's resolute refusal, Yichen left the Land of Wind with some regret and returned to the Iwa Ninja Army camp.

After Yi Yichen three companions launched a probing attack and left the Konoha Camp, the Konoha High-ranking officials discussed the battle situation within the camp.

The first to speak was Shikaku Nara, the actual commander of the Konoha Army.

After this battle, Shikaku Nara's reputation in Konoha rose even higher.

"Everyone, after today's interactions, we can confirm that Iwa ninja does indeed have seven ninjas capable of Kage-level Combatant on the front lines."

"They are the Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, Kawakita, Matsutani Shinya, Han, Sokai Uchiha, Izumi Uchiha. The seven are the same as the list of people publicly announced by Iwa ninja."

"Furthermore, the Iwa Ninja Army numbers approximately 12,000. Based on intelligence gathered from other locations, it's highly unlikely that the Iwa ninja will send any more reinforcements."

"Today's battle was mainly the Tsuchikage testing the combat capabilities of our army. Therefore, the Iwa Ninja Army did not cross the border."

"Logically, the Iwa ninja, who have the advantage in both troop strength and top-tier combat power, should take the initiative to attack tomorrow."

"Today we showed the Tsuchikage many weak points; one night is enough time for the Iwa ninja to discuss and come up with targeted tactics."

"With the addition of the Iwa Ninja Army, tomorrow's battle will definitely be more difficult than today's."

"Fortunately, the Tsuchikage will definitely not use his final Sage Art - Great Five Elemental Bullet Technique- during the battle between the two armies today."

"Therefore, we are not without First Shinobi War chance against the Iwa Ninja Army tomorrow."

Hiruzen Sarutobi sensed something unsaid in Shikaku Nara's words, so he asked, "Shikaku, is there something you're trying to say?"

Shikaku Nara and then said, "I still think the Iwa ninja are bluffing."

"Whether it was deliberately revealing the existence of seven Kage Level, or the Tsuchikage's probing today, both seemed very deliberate."

"I still maintain that the Tsuchikage is deliberately putting pressure on us; their target is likely not us."

Kakashi frowned and asked, "Shikaku- senpai, do you mean we shouldn't ask the Cloud ninja for help?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi a drag of his cigarette and interjected, "But what if the Iwa ninja are deliberately trying to make us think this way, and we are their target?"

"If we fail to send timely reinforcements to the Cloud ninja, we will have to face the superior strength of the Iwa ninja alone."

"Even if, as you say, we are confident we can hold off the Shikaku Iwa Ninja Army, what if Iwa ninja bypass us?"

"What if the Iwa ninja are confronting us while simultaneously sending powerful warriors to the village?"

Putting everything else aside, only four Iwa ninja came today. If the Tsuchikage Jinchuriki to the village, what will the consequences be?

Shikaku Nara silent. He knew his guess was too idealistic, Konoha couldn't take the risk.

But for some reason, Shikaku Nara felt that the Iwa ninja seemed to have no intention of attacking Konoha from beginning to end.

Shikaku Nara knew that his idea was wrong. Logically speaking, given Yichen's personality, he would definitely not let Konoha go if Konoha was weakened.

However, as a seasoned strategist and tactician, Shikaku Nara's sixth sense kept telling him that the Iwa ninja's target was not Konoha.

In the end, Shikaku Nara sighed. There was nothing he could do; even if his guess was correct, he couldn't take the risk.

When both the Cloud ninja and Konoha need to take risks, the Cloud Ninja must be the Cloud ninja.

Thus, a piece of intelligence was sent from the Konoha Camp to the Cloud ninja camp, which had already assembled on the coast of the Land of Lightning.

The Fourth Raikage opened the intelligence report and read it carefully.

Kakashi was honest enough not to lie to the Cloud ninja by saying that the Iwa Ninja main force and the seven Kage Level were tied up by Konoha.

Kakashi simply told the Fourth Raikage that Konoha had already sent people to guard the perimeter of the branches closest to the Iwa Ninja Army.

As soon as any Iwa ninja enters these branches, Konoha will immediately notify the Cloud ninja.

This was done to dispel any concerns the Cloud ninja have.

After the last great battle, everyone guessed that the Iwa ninja possessed the ability to teleport a large army over long distances.

However, this capability can currently only be performed between different branches.

While it's possible that the Iwa ninja might set up a Teleportation Array in the temporary camp where the army is stationed, that would definitely take time.

Such a large-scale Teleportation Array cannot be set up in a short period of time.

Both Konoha, which possesses the Flying Thunder God, and Cloud ninja, who have mastered the Heavenly Transfer Technique, are aware of this.

Kakashi also stated that although no one in Konoha has mastered the complete Flying Thunder God, some people have gained some understanding of Space-Time Ninjutsu.

Konoha will extend its sensory reach to the location of the Iwa Ninja Army and constantly monitor whether there are Space-Time Ninjutsu within the Iwa Ninja Army.

Speaking of this, we should thank Obito Uchiha; his unstoppable Kamui made Great Ninja Village take Space-Time Ninjutsu very seriously.

The Cloud ninja and Konoha shared the same idea as the Iwa ninja before them: even if they couldn't break Kamui, they should at least be able to sense the Space-Time Fluctuation.

Therefore, Konoha has devoted a lot of manpower to research on Space-Time Perception.

Genma Shiranui, Tatami Iwashi, Namiashi Raidō Iwashi would take turns cooperating with the Konoha Sensory Team to monitor the Iwa Ninja Army camp 24 hours a day.

While Konoha couldn't stop the Iwa ninja from using Space-Time Ninjutsu, they could still sense abnormal fluctuations in Space-Time.

For example, when Yichen and the Iwagakure confirmed Danzo's information, they used Summoning Jutsu, and this subtle fluctuation was recorded by Genma Shiranui.

However, this subtle fluctuation did not resemble ninja teleportation, so there was no need to report it immediately.

After receiving Konoha's plea for help, the Fourth Raikage hesitated. Previously, when Rasa was helping Konoha deal with the Uchiha Clan, Iwa ninja took advantage of the situation and destroyed their stronghold.

The Sunagakure never recovered and has now even lost its position as one of the Six Great Ninja Villages.

The Fourth Raikage originally intended to send troops to the Land of Earth only after the Konoha and the Iwa ninja had officially clashed.

However, Kakashi was right about one thing: the longer the time dragged on, the greater the chance that the Iwa ninja would successfully set up the teleportation barrier.

The fact that the Iwa ninja haven't entered the Land of Fire yet is likely because they're setting up Teleportation Array.

The Fourth Raikage wanted to take advantage of the Iwa Ninja Army's absence to gain some advantage in the Land of Earth.

Instead of having the Iwa ninja return via the Teleportation Array to relieve Konoha's predicament.

By the time the Iwa Ninja Army returns, it will be too late to react. Even if we manage to evacuate in time, it will be pointless.

So the Fourth Raikage gritted his teeth, summoned the Anbu, and said, "Pass on my order: immediately dispatch troops, target: the Land of Earth!"

At the Fourth Raikage's command, approximately six thousand Cloud Ninja Army, who had been waiting in ambush, quickly but orderly boarded the ships and set off.

The Fourth Raikage and Shikaku Nara did something very similar: they both deployed a portion of their forces towards Kirigakure to guard against Mist ninja stabbing them in the back.

Therefore, the number of Cloud ninja troops dispatched was not large, only six thousand.

Compared to the number of ninjas remaining in Iwagakure, six thousand was still far too few. However, the Fourth Raikage remained calm; he had his own secret weapon.

The Cloud ninja acted swiftly, but such a large-scale mobilization could not escape the notice of the Iwagakure intelligence ninja.

When Yichen returned to the camp from the Land of Wind, Ōnoki and the others were already preparing to return to the village.

However, considering that Yichen hadn't returned yet, she was a little worried.

After hearing this, Yichen said, "Third Hokage, wait a little longer. The Cloud ninja have only just set off. If you go back now, Cloud ninja will retreat."

"I think Cloud ninja to send troops, they'll be wary of us returning to reinforce them."

"Let's wait until they're closer to the Land of Earth before making any decisions."

Ōnoki thought for a moment and said, "Okay, but will Atsumi Akino's teleportation be timely and accurate? We don't want it to go wrong at a crucial moment."

Yichen smiled and said, "Third Hokage, don't worry, her Flying Thunder God Mark is already prepared."

"I guarantee you'll be right next to the Cloud Ninja Army the moment you appear; you won't even need to travel."

Ōnoki glared at Yichen, then said, "Ikura has sent intelligence that he's preparing for a major naval battle with the Cloud ninja."

"However, since he doesn't know the Cloud ninja's Trump Card, he plans to test Cloud ninja Konoha."

"Ikura plans to use his high-end forces to overwhelm the enemy, while he, along with myself, Kawakita, Han, Roshi, Deidara, will intercept the Cloud Ninja Army."

Yichen asked, "Is Captain Kurotsuchi staying behind alone? Has the village's main force assembled?"

Ōnoki nodded and said, "Don't worry, the assembly is complete. Once Ikura and the others leave, the village will immediately enter War State."

Yichen nodded. The War State is similar to the situation in the Konoha Army camp. Once there is enemy activity, a large number of ninjas under command will be able to launch a joint attack immediately.

So even though the village is just a Kitsuchi, with the support of a large army, it won't be so easy to conquer.

Even when facing three or four Kage Level, Kitsuchi was able to hold out until Yichen and the others used the Flying Thunder God to come to his aid.

Yichen thought for a moment and said, "Ikura wants to preserve his strength, reduce casualties among ordinary ninjas, and prepare for occupying more territory after the war."

After a pause, Yichen continued, "We can use high-end combat forces to probe, but our goal is not to gather intelligence on the Cloud ninja, but to severely damage Cloud ninja."

"So we can't send just the six of you. How about this, let Kawakita lead Two Thousand Army to the rear, so they can support you if anything unexpected happens."

"And if you gain the upper hand, you can immediately turn that advantage into a victory."

"Anyway, Kawakita is a close-combat ninja, so he won't be of much help to your probing."

"Furthermore, we have a lot of recent graduates these past two years, so it's time to let them broaden their horizons."

Ōnoki thought for a moment and said, "Alright, I'll inform Ikura."