Chapter 48

The war came and went, endless. The sorrow condensed by the flames of war was locked in their eyes, buried in their hearts. The familiar faces that had become memories surged before their eyes on the eve of this moment, leaving only determination and strong hostility in the end.

Wars initiated by ninja villages always made the buffer zone's small countries suffer. When the Stone ninja launched this war, the Land of Ash and the Land of Grass on the map were destined to be in opposition again. In this war that had yet to erupt, these two small countries could be called cannon fodder, or they could be called vanguards. Without a doubt, the initial location of any war had always been the buffer zone's small countries.

Konoha built a vast defense line along the border, making it difficult for the Stone ninja to penetrate the territory. However, the Land of Earth, characterized by its ease of defense and difficulty of attack, possessed natural defenses, making it unnecessary to waste too much troop strength on border defenses.

"In terms of troop strength, we are at a disadvantage."

Orochimaru looked at the general distribution map of troops, his eyes cold and his expression slightly solemn. Konoha's Land of Fire had a superior geographical environment, but it was also surrounded by major powers. When engaging in war with the Stone ninja, they also needed to pay close attention to the movements of other ninja villages. Therefore, Konoha's White Fang and Jiraiya were not on the front lines this time.

If it were just a battle between one country and another, Konoha could simply win this war by committing all its elites.

The Sannin and Konoha's White Fang—just these two titles alone were enough to counter half of the Stone ninja's elites.

"Most of the Stone ninja's main forces are gathered together, and with our troop strength, it will be difficult to withstand their onslaught. If we don't shrink our defense line, there's a high probability we'll be breached," said a middle-aged man with a faint scar on his cheek with composure inside the tent. He was from the Nara Clan, named Nara Shikakumo, and was one of the Jonin on the front lines.

"Once we shrink our defense line, it will be difficult to resist the Stone ninja's covert invasions," interjected a handsome man with long, light blue hair. This man was Dan Katō, Tsunade's boyfriend.

Nara Shikakumo stroked his chin and said calmly, "Indeed, if the rear erupts in chaos, it will be very troublesome. But this can be resolved or the risks can be avoided. However, if we are defeated head-on, the front line will eventually have to be drawn into our territory."

Tsunade glanced at Dan Katō, who was deep in thought, and said in a deep voice, "Drawing the front line into our territory is not entirely unfeasible. This will give us an advantage in terms of terrain. Moreover, as long as the enemy stretches their supply lines, their logistics will become more difficult. Don't forget, this war is primarily defensive."

Nara Shikakumo looked at Tsunade and said, "Once the front line is drawn into our territory, the area of damage will also increase infinitely. If there is no better method, I do not object."

Tsunade nodded, remaining silent for a moment, her gaze constantly sweeping across the map.

Dan Katō suggested, "Why not lure the Stone ninja's main force into our territory and cut them off and devour them?"

Orochimaru, who had been silent for a moment, suddenly said, "The strength of the Stone ninja should not be underestimated. We cannot take this risk."

"I still think Shikakumo is right. Let's shrink our defense line and fight the Stone ninja head-on," said a fat man from the Akimichi Clan in a boisterous manner.

The people in the room couldn't help but feel speechless.

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "To win this war, we ultimately need to defeat the enemy. Shrinking the defense line is not impossible. As for the hidden danger of invasion, we can organize a covert unit to deal with it. There's no need for full-scale defense; we only need to deal with it at several key points."

On the other hand, discussions were also underway at the Stone ninja's stronghold in preparation for the war.

"Konoha's defense line is too long. We only need to attack at key points to gradually erode them," said a middle-aged man with a rugged face coldly. His eyes were very cold and filled with resentment, as if he harbored an unquenchable hatred for Konoha.

"Orochimaru is not that foolish, nor will he allow us to charge in recklessly. Shrinking the defense line is inevitable. And since we have a numerical advantage, we can dispatch a unit to infiltrate the enemy's territory and cut off their supply lines," suggested a man with a sinister expression.

"Konoha's supply lines have always been multi-pronged. It's basically impossible to completely cut off their supplies, but causing them some trouble is still good."

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

"Heh..." someone sneered. "I really want to see what Konoha's ninja will do when explosions erupt in their rear."

"While the Demolition Squad can certainly have a significant deterrent effect, it would be even better to pair them with the Camouflage Squad."

"That's reasonable. With the assistance of the Camouflage Squad, it won't be easy for Konoha to find the Demolition Squad."

"This time, we will let Konoha truly witness the power of the Stone ninja!"

The strategic deployments of both sides were finalized in a few words. In this conflict, both sides dispatched a considerable number of Jonin, but more were Chunin and Genin. These weaker combatants with poor self-preservation abilities were often the ones with the highest casualty rates.

Minato and Kushina were both Chunin. The Genin Ino-Shika-Cho also came to the front line. Raiya, as an Anbu, had his codename removed and was also dispatched to the front line.

This was the first war the new generation was participating in.

"War."

Ye Zi caressed the hilt of his sword, lying on the grass and looking at the moon in the night sky with a detached expression. Beside him was a large bento box wrapped in a small floral cloth. For this war, the girl who had been his primary physician multiple times had also come.