Chapter 48

Wars came and went without end. The sorrow gathered by the flames of war was locked in their eyes and buried in their hearts. Familiar faces that had become memories surged before them on the eve of this moment, leaving behind only determination and deep hostility.

Wars launched between shinobi villages always brought suffering to the small countries in the buffer zones. When the Stone ninja launched this war, the Land of Ash and the Land of Grass on the map were destined to oppose each other once again. In this war that had yet to erupt, these two small countries could be called cannon fodder, or they could be called the vanguard. Without a doubt, the first battlefields of war had always been the small countries in the buffer zones.

Konoha had built a vast line of defense along the border, enough to make it difficult for the Stone ninja to invade. However, the Land of Earth, known for being easy to defend and hard to attack, possessed a natural defensive line and had no need to waste too many troops building fortifications along the border.

"Our forces are at a disadvantage."

Orochimaru looked at the rough distribution map of the troops. His eyes were cold, and his expression was slightly solemn. The Land of Fire, where Konoha was located, had a superior geographical environment, but it was also surrounded by the other great nations. While waging war against the Stone ninja, they still needed to keep a close eye on the movements of the other shinobi villages. That was why Konoha's White Fang and Jiraiya had not come to the front lines this time.

If they only needed to consider a battle between two countries, Konoha could simply throw all its elites into the fight and easily win the war.

The Sannin and Konoha's White Fang—those two titles alone carried enough weight to match half of the Stone ninja's elite forces.

"Most of the Stone ninja's main forces have gathered together. With our strength, it will be difficult to withstand their edge. If we don't contract the defensive line, there's a strong possibility that it will be breached." Inside the tent, a middle-aged man with a faint scar on his cheek spoke calmly. He was a member of the Nara Clan named Nara Shikakumo, and one of the Jonin stationed at the front this time.

"Once we contract the defensive line, it will be difficult to stop the Stone ninja's covert incursions." A handsome man with light-blue hair picked up the conversation. This man was Dan Katō, Tsunade's boyfriend.

Nara Shikakumo stroked his chin and said calmly, "Indeed. If unrest breaks out in the rear, it will be very troublesome. But we can find a way to deal with it or avoid the risk. If we're defeated head-on, however, the battle line will eventually still be forced into our territory."

Tsunade glanced at the pensive Dan Katō and said in a deep voice, "Bringing the battle line into our territory isn't necessarily a bad idea. That way, we'll have the advantage of terrain. Moreover, as long as they stretch out their battle line, their supplies will become more difficult to maintain. Don't forget, our main objective in this war is defense."

Nara Shikakumo looked at Tsunade and said, "Once the battle line is drawn into our territory, the area suffering damage will also increase without limit. If there's no better method, I won't object."

Tsunade nodded. For a moment, she said nothing, her gaze constantly wandering across the map.

Dan Katō suggested, "Why not lure the Stone ninja's main forces into our territory, isolate them, and swallow them up?"

After a moment of silence, Orochimaru suddenly said, "The Stone ninja's strength must not be underestimated. We can't take that risk."

"I still think Shikakumo is right. We should contract the defensive line and fight the Stone ninja head-on." A fat man from the Akimichi Clan spoke bluntly.

The people present were rendered speechless by his words.

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "To win this war, we must ultimately crush the enemy. Contracting the defensive line is not impossible. As for the danger of infiltration, we can organize a covert force to deal with it. There's no need to defend the entire line; we only need to respond at several key points."

Meanwhile, at a Stone ninja stronghold, they were also discussing the eve of the war.

"Konoha's defensive line is stretched too far. We only need to attack at key points to gradually devour them." A middle-aged man with heavy-set features spoke coldly. His eyes were icy and filled with resentment, as though he harbored a deep-seated hatred for Konoha.

"Orochimaru isn't that stupid, and he won't let us charge straight through. Contracting the defensive line is inevitable. Since we have the advantage in numbers, we can send a force into enemy territory to cut off their supply routes," suggested a sinister-looking man.

"Konoha has always relied on multiple supply routes. Completely cutting off their supplies is practically impossible, but causing them some trouble would still be worthwhile."

"That's right. This matter can be handed to the Demolition Squad."

"Heh..." Someone sneered and said, "I'd really like to see how Konoha's shinobi react when flames erupt in the rear."

"The Demolition Squad can certainly have a powerful deterrent effect, but they would work even better with the Camouflage Squad."

"True. With the Camouflage Squad supporting them, it won't be so easy for Konoha to find the Demolition Squad."

"This time, we'll show Konoha the true strength of the Stone ninja!"

The two sides finalized their strategic deployments through one exchange after another. In this dispute, both sides sent considerable numbers of Jonin, but most were Chunin and Genin. Those with relatively weaker combat strength and poor self-preservation abilities were often the ones with the highest casualty rates.

Minato and Kushina were both Chunin. Ino-Shika-Cho, who were Genin, had also come to the front lines, while Raiya, an Anbu member, had been sent to the front after setting aside his codename.

This was the first war the new generation had ever taken part in.

"War."

Ye Zi stroked the hilt of his sword, lying on the grass and gazing at the moon in the night sky with an indifferent expression. Beside him sat a large lunch box wrapped in a small floral cloth. The girl who had served as his primary doctor many times had come to this war as well.