Bad News, An Early Decisive Battle!

In the Konoha main camp, inside a large tent.

Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Shikaku Nara sat together, an unshakeable sadness lingering on their faces.

The death of Sakumo Hatake had cast a shadow over the entire Konoha main camp.

Tsunade couldn't keep this matter a secret, as Sakumo Hatake's body was still in the hands of Sunagakure.

They had to get Sakumo Hatake's body back, no matter the cost!

Sakumo Hatake was Konoha's hero, Konoha's bloody White Fang!

He should be buried in the Hero's Mound, his name inscribed on the memorial monument.

"Lord Jiraiya, Lady Tsunade, now is not the time for sadness," Shikaku Nara said after a moment of silence.

Jiraiya stared at the table with a blank expression, while Tsunade rested her chin on her hand, gazing out the window.

It was as if neither of them had heard Shikaku Nara, their expressions unchanged.

"Lady Tsunade, there's something I don't know if I should say," Shikaku Nara's voice turned serious as he spoke.

"What is it?" Tsunade asked impatiently, frowning.

"The supply point for Sand Ninja's food and provisions was obtained by Lord Sakumo at the underground exchange. This operation should have been top secret, so why..." Shikaku Nara voiced his confusion.

In other words, very few people in the Konoha main camp knew about this, let alone the enemy, Sunagakure.

Shikaku Nara suspected... a mole!!

"Are you saying?" Tsunade snapped back to attention, recalling what Sakumo Hatake had told her.

"If we eliminate possibilities, it's likely only that person..." Shikaku Nara sighed, feeling a sense of helplessness.

Tsunade and Jiraiya were both stunned, looking at Shikaku Nara in shock.

Now... it was wartime!

"How certain are you?"

"Do you have any evidence?"

Tsunade and Jiraiya spoke simultaneously, their words different but their meaning the same.

Shikaku Nara pursed his lips in silence. He had no evidence, but his deduction had a ninety percent certainty.

Tsunade and Jiraiya exchanged a look; Shikaku Nara's silence was the answer.

BANG!

"That bastard!" Tsunade exclaimed in anger, slamming her fist down. The teacup on the table trembled violently, splashing tea onto the surface.

Just as Jiraiya and Shikaku Nara wondered why the table hadn't shattered.

CRACK!

A crisp sound rang out, and visible cracks split the tabletop in two.

BOOM! The round table between the three of them shattered and fell to the ground.

"There's also another piece of news..." Shikaku Nara muttered to himself, deeming it troublesome and deciding to reveal all the troubles while they were at it.

"Speak!" Tsunade sat back in her chair, her chest rising and falling dramatically, making Jiraiya's mouth water.

"Iwagakure and Kirigakure have officially declared war on us," Shikaku Nara said, regaining his composure, his voice grave.

A simple sentence, barely a dozen words, landed like a heavy bomb on a calm lake.

Jiraiya and Tsunade's expressions changed drastically; they were extremely shocked.

"This way, Konoha will face a three-front war," Shikaku Nara's words were self-evident.

Even for Konohagakure, the foremost of the Five Great Nations, a three-front war would be incredibly taxing, especially when the three opponents were not weak.

Furthermore, there was the militarily powerful Kumogakure, watching Konoha with covetous eyes!

"What did the old man say?" Tsunade gnawed on her fingernail, a hint of worry in her eyes.

"The Third Hokage's intention is here!" Shikaku Nara pointed a finger at the map behind Tsunade.

"What about Sakumo?" Tsunade asked, her voice unnaturally high.

Retrieving the hero's body was the most important thing right now!

"The Third Hokage's intention is to have Sunagakure send him back after the war," Shikaku Nara explained.

Tsunade's tightly furrowed brow gradually relaxed. Perhaps it was a good choice.

Let the hero witness firsthand that his sacrifice had been worthwhile.

"Alright, that's settled!" Tsunade declared decisively. "When will Orochimaru arrive?"

"At the earliest tomorrow morning, at the latest tomorrow night," Shikaku Nara replied.

Two days passed, and the Konoha main camp remained immersed in a faint sorrow.

Sakumo Hatake's body had not yet been retrieved, and the ninjas in the camp were becoming restless.

"What is Princess Tsunade thinking? Why hasn't she exchanged Lord Hatake's body yet?"

"Lord Hatake died fighting for everyone. His body absolutely cannot remain in the hands of the Sand Ninja!"

"That's right, let's go together and get Lord Hatake back!"

"Destroy the Sand Ninja, annihilate Sunagakure!"

"Let's go find Princess Tsunade!"

For a moment, the ninjas in the Konoha camp were all stirred up, and they swarmed towards the central tent.

Currently, Tsunade has been newly appointed as the supreme commander of the Land of Wind battlefield.

At this moment, Tsunade was in the tent secretly researching with Shikaku Nara, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya.

Suddenly!

A noisy commotion came from outside the tent, and faint words like "Princess Tsunade" and "Lord Hatake" could be heard.

The four looked at each other, stopped their discussion, and turned to walk outside.

Outside the tent, Orochimaru stood on the left, Jiraiya on the right, and Tsunade in the center, standing side by side. Shikaku Nara took a step back and stood behind them.

Looking at the dense crowd, the noisy commotion, Tsunade felt a surge of anger.

"What do you think you're doing?"

A roar, comparable to a lioness's shriek, instantly silenced the noisy camp.

The Konoha ninjas, who were arrogant just a moment ago, now cowered like quails, afraid of being seen by Tsunade.

Tsunade was someone who didn't even give the Third Hokage face, and even dared to take direct action against the elders.

But these were not the main points. As ninjas, who hadn't been beaten before?

It's just that Tsunade's fists...

Gulp! Everyone subconsciously swallowed, their faces pale.

Tsunade stood with her hands on her hips, her sharp gaze sweeping over everyone.

"Seven days from now, the decisive battle at Kikyo Mountain!"

Silence, a deathly silence.

Everyone looked at Tsunade, who uttered these words, as if they were dumbfounded.

"Heh heh... Isn't this what you wanted?" Orochimaru's hoarse and seductive voice rang out.

Only then did everyone snap back to their senses, looking at each other and confirming that their ears had not misheard.

"Go back and rest up, and we'll annihilate all the Sand Ninja in seven days!!" Tsunade shouted, raising her arm.

"Annihilate all the Sand Ninja!"

"Annihilate all the Sand Ninja!"

"Avenge Lord Hatake!"

"Get Lord Hatake back!"

In an instant, the crowd was stirred up, everyone shouting and roaring in anger, like fierce tigers about to be released from their cages.

The lifeless Konoha camp instantly became lively.

The morale had returned.

Tsunade and the others exchanged smiles. The first step of the battle plan was successful!

It was night. The twilight spread like a gray net, quietly casting its shadow over the entire Konoha camp.

The night breeze was a bit cool, and the dark woods exuded a chill.

A thin figure moved through the dim camp.

There were no patrolling ninjas nearby. Perhaps the coolness in the air made everyone unwilling to come to this area.

However, no one would need to worry about the safety of this area.

"Tōka, I didn't expect you to come find me so late." In the shadow of a large tree, a slender figure emerged.

"Snake Uncle, it seems you were waiting for someone!" Tōka asked meaningfully.

"Heh heh... Tōka, you're quite humorous!" Orochimaru licked his lips, his long tongue making one's skin crawl.

Tōka looked at Orochimaru expressionlessly and decided not to continue bickering with this guy.

Organizing his words, Tōka took something out of his pocket.

"I want to make a deal with Snake Uncle."

"A deal?" Orochimaru raised an eyebrow, glancing at the box in Tōka's hand, but didn't reach out to take it directly.

He didn't think that Tōka, a Genin, had anything worth trading with him.

Tōka kept his hand holding the box steady, while his other hand extended, a small amount of Chakra gathering at his fingertips.

With a bang, a finger bone shot out.

It embedded itself directly into the large tree behind Orochimaru, and the spot where the bone entered began to crumble at a visible rate.

Before long, a tree that would take several people to encircle turned into a pile of shredded paper.

"Oh? Is this Tōka's Kekkei Genkai? I've heard of it, but seeing it is much more interesting!"

Orochimaru licked his lips in his signature fashion, his eyes revealing a deep interest.

Kekkei Genkai? Tōka smiled faintly and remained silent, neither confirming nor denying. If he wants to figure it out...

He can guess.

Orochimaru, skilled in research, naturally had a sharper eye than Ebizo.

Merely by witnessing Tōka use his ability once, he had a rough idea of All-Killing Ash Bones' capabilities.

"Anything with life that is hit by it will turn to dust. Terrifying destructive power," Orochimaru murmured, stroking his chin.

Naturally, Orochimaru's analysis included the intel gathered by the Third Hokage.

During his year and a half in Konohagakure, the Anbu had been tailing Tōka, monitoring him, though he remained unaware.

While he couldn't sense the Anbu's presence, Tōka understood the Third Hokage's personality.

However, he didn't care about the leakage of his All-Killing Ash Bones ability.

Who was to say All-Killing Ash Bones was Tōka's final trump card?

"Uncle Snake, is this bargaining chip enough?" Tōka opened a plain box, inside which lay three finger bones.

"Heh heh, interesting," Orochimaru habitually licked his lips and chuckled hoarsely.

As long as Tōka didn't deliberately withdraw his ability, the gray bones wouldn't disappear easily.

They were like mutated bones, and how long they could be preserved depended on Orochimaru's abilities.

The atmosphere turned strange. One moment it was calm, the next it felt tense, like swords were drawn.

The air was filled with a murderous aura, a bone-chilling coldness that repeatedly stimulated Tōka's nerves.

It was precisely at times like these that he couldn't back down.

Tōka knew this was Orochimaru's test. Someone like Uncle Snake didn't like weaklings.

Orochimaru stood silently. Even without doing anything, he exuded a heart-stopping presence.

Especially those pair of green snake eyes; when staring directly at someone, one felt an urge to turn and flee immediately.

Tōka stared back at Orochimaru expressionlessly, feigning indifference to his gaze, though his heart was pounding wildly.

"Uncle Snake, you're staring at me like this, I'm a little scared!~"

Tōka said with a half-joking tone. He truly felt uncomfortable being stared at by Orochimaru.

Orochimaru: "..."

After a brief silence, Orochimaru broke the quiet, "Tōka, what do you hope to gain?"

Hearing this, Tōka secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Orochimaru saying this meant he had agreed to the trade.

"My Chakra is only at the Genin level, so I can't use All-Killing Ash Bones continuously at high intensity." Tōka's gaze was fixed on Orochimaru.

If there were problems with his Ninjutsu, his first thought would be to consult the Third Hokage.

But when the normal path was blocked, Orochimaru was the best choice.

"Tōka's Kekkei Genkai is called All-Killing Ash Bones!" Orochimaru savored Tōka's words, naturally understanding what Tōka wanted.

There were two ways to solve Tōka's problem: treating the symptoms or treating the root cause.

The method of treating the symptoms was very simple. Couldn't use the ability continuously at high intensity?

Use Sealing Scrolls. Store some jutsu within them during peacetime, and release them during battle.

This method was called treating the symptoms; it solved the need but didn't fundamentally change anything.

As for treating the root cause...

Orochimaru pondered, and Tōka waited quietly.

"Tōka, are you worried about the battle at Kikyo Mountain?" Orochimaru suddenly asked.

"A little. After all, I'm just a Genin!" Tōka nodded and said honestly.

"Tōka, you are quite unusual." Orochimaru flipped his palm and tucked the box containing the gray bones into his sleeve.

Then, his throat seemed to be blocked by something foreign, expanding significantly.

"Gack~~"

Three sticky scrolls were spat out from Orochimaru's mouth.

Tōka, though expressionless, couldn't help but twitch the corner of his eye. This is so disgusting!

Orochimaru, however, seemed completely oblivious and tossed the scrolls to Tōka.

"Seven days. Three Sealing Scrolls should be enough." Orochimaru turned his body without looking back and walked towards the tent.

The voice drifted over, "As for how to deal with insufficient chakra, I'll find a way for you, Tōka."

Tōka used his sleeve to cover his palm as he caught the three scrolls, wiping them with a look of disgust and grumbling, "Another jacket wasted!"

Even though he only received three Sealing Scrolls, Orochimaru's integrity in business dealings was still trustworthy.

Since "Snake Uncle" had said he'd find a way, he would definitely get Tōka something satisfactory.

With a shift in thought, Tōka, holding the dried scrolls, walked towards his own tent.

Seven days was indeed enough with three Sealing Scrolls.

Land of Wind, Sand Ninja Military Fortress.

"This is a declaration of war from Konoha." Rasa placed the letter on the table, gesturing for everyone to see.

Ebizo picked up the letter; the contents were simple.

"Location: Kikyo Mountain, time: seven days from now."

The reason for the decisive battle, everyone had guessed some of it: Iwagakure had declared war on Konoha, and Kirigakure had declared war on Konoha.

To avoid a three-front war, Konoha hoped to end the Land of Wind battlefield quickly.

"Iwagakure is very strong; Ōnoki will likely lead the army personally."

Ebizo paused, then continued, "As for Kirigakure, they're probably just opportunistic raiders."

Kirigakure was in a period of civil war, yet they still sent the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist to attack Konoha's supply lines.

However, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were all captured in one fell swoop. More importantly, the seven ninja swords fell into Konoha's hands.

Kirigakure didn't want to show weakness and exchange the swords for negotiation; instead, they decided to demand the return of the seven ninja swords as victors.

But Kirigakure's civil war doomed them to not be able to deploy many ninja.

"Should we accept the challenge?" Rasa was conflicted and hesitant.

"Fight!!" Ebizo and Chiyo said in unison.

"Hm?" Rasa raised an eyebrow, looking at them in confusion.

Although Chiyo and Ebizo were siblings, it was rare for them to speak in such unison.

"Even if we stall, if we can't achieve victory within a year, we lose," Ebizo explained.

The biggest problem for the Sand Ninja was supplies. Once the four great nations went to war, food would become increasingly scarce.

Normally, not only the Land of Wind but also the Land of Earth had to purchase grain from the Land of Fire.

When Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Konohagakure were at war, how could the Land of Fire possibly sell grain to the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth?

There were indeed merchants smuggling goods in secret, but the quantity was small, and the price had doubled.

Rasa gritted his teeth. How could he not know the situation of Sunagakure!

It's just... he wasn't reconciled!!

"Furthermore, not daring to accept the challenge will greatly affect morale," Chiyo added.

Rasa's strategic mind couldn't compare to Ebizo's, but he wasn't foolish and understood with a little prompting.

With a sigh, Rasa released his clenched fist.

The final decision...

"Fight!" (To be continued)