The Birth of a Banner Called Akatsuki

For the next three months, Konoha, under the command of Orochimaru and Uchiha Mai, launched a counteroffensive against the Iwagakure invaders.

With the war deadlocked, the pinned-down Iwa ninja did not resist too fiercely. Wary of Uchiha Mai's overwhelming advantage against ordinary Jonin, they had been unable to organize an effective force.

Thus, Konoha steadily pushed the front beyond the Land of Fire, into the Land of Rain and the Land of Grass.

Over those three months, Roshi, the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, tried to gank Uchiha Mai several times. Unfortunately, Uchiha Mai had always been on guard against the enemy's capture tactics.

His movement was slippery, and his ability to flee was exceptional. Either he spotted Roshi and escaped successfully, or Roshi had not even arrived before Uchiha Mai slipped away. Sometimes, he even contacted Orochimaru in advance and turned the tables on Roshi.

Cunning, utterly cunning.

After several attempts, Roshi still had not given up on ganking Konoha's little redhead, but his enthusiasm was far lower than before. He had started going through the motions.

He was slacking off.

It was not just Roshi. Every Iwagakure ninja on this local battlefield was slacking off, because Iwagakure's overall strategy was to slack off.

Even with the strength of two villages combined, taking down Konoha was too difficult. Besides, Ōnoki had also launched a sneak attack on Hidden Cloud and was still fighting them now.

So Ōnoki chose to wait—for the other ninja villages to grow restless and join the war, so they could besiege Konoha together.

When that happened, Iwagakure would be much less likely to suffer a sneak attack. It would then be able to free up its hands and send more troops into the Konoha battlefield.

With the overall situation being what it was, and with him in the