A Cunning Rabbit Has Three Burrows

In the forests of the Land of Fire, beside a small stream, the Konoha ninja army halted to rest.

Several campfires were lit, dispelling the deep night, their glow reflecting on the faces of the surrounding ninjas and revealing their exhaustion.

Since the army set out, hundreds of ninjas had been marching day and night, crossing most of the Land of Fire in just over a day to reach the border region.

Under such high-intensity marching, even with the support of chakra and Military Ration Pills, their physical states were inevitably deteriorating.

Everyone was seizing the time to rest, knowing that further ahead lay the area infiltrated by Kumogakure; once they reached that point, they would have to wait until they secured a base before they could rest with any peace of mind.

In an area untouched by the campfire light, the commander of the army was reviewing the latest intelligence, two golden glints shining in the darkness.

"To think all 26 fortresses have been wiped out."

Orochimaru curled his lips, his gaze turning dangerous. "The Kumogakure spies have done well."

The lack of a base had little impact on small-squad skirmishes, but for an entire army, it was extremely dangerous.

Take the current situation: despite hundreds of ninjas resting, they didn't even set up tents, instead leaning against large trees in small groups, leaving enough space between them to maneuver.

Why?

They feared the enemy launching a massive strike while they slept.

In army-level combat, the original attack range of ninjutsu was not an issue; as long as one side revealed such a flaw, the other would seize the opportunity to unleash a powerful technique.

Tents? Could they withstand a Great Fireball descending from the sky? If anything, they would only shorten the already brief reaction time available during sleep.

Resting structures that couldn't block ninjutsu were nothing more than a burden.

The Fourth Raikage had played a good hand.

Orochimaru retrieved another classified map from a scroll, which depicted all the secret bases on the Konoha border, specifically marking the fortresses that had not yet been destroyed by Kumogakure.

Orochimaru scanned it and found that all the intact fortresses nearby were within the territory controlled by Kumogakure, while the others were too far away.

Fugaku Uchiha also noticed this and suggested, "Lord Orochimaru, why don't we rebuild a fortress?"

This time, the Konoha army had brought along a Sealing Team and a Barrier Team, possessing the capability to construct a qualified base.

But this suggestion was rejected by Orochimaru without hesitation.

Orochimaru glanced at Fugaku. "Building a new fortress under the enemy's nose is far more dangerous than venturing deep into the war zone to activate an existing one."

"Under the enemy's nose?" Fugaku was startled. "With the Byakugan, how could the enemy possibly discover us?"

Ninja wars were not just a contest of strength, but also of intelligence; the Hyuga clan, capable of lifting the fog of war, was naturally an essential part of the army.

Of course, those participating in this battle against Kumogakure were eight members of the Hyuga branch family, led by Hizashi Hyuga.

"Why wouldn't they be able to?" Orochimaru countered. "Clan Leader Fugaku, you haven't commanded an army in battle, but you are a ninja. You should know what exposing intelligence means to a ninja."

Fugaku froze, a thoughtful expression appearing on his face.

Ninjas are not defeated by the same ability twice.

Although this saying was somewhat biased, it revealed a truth: most abilities could be countered.

Unlike the Wood Release of the First Hokage, the wide-range vision of the Hyuga clan was not an unsolvable ability. Having fought with Konoha for decades, how could Kumogakure overlook these eyes of the ninja army?

Insects, small summoning creatures... Kumogakure had a set of methods to deal with the Byakugan.

"Once we enter the war zone, Kumogakure will pinpoint our location in at most three hours, and furthermore, it is not only us who can build fortresses."

Orochimaru's gaze looked into the distance. "If we stop here, Kumogakure will build bases along the Konoha border without any concerns."

War lies not only in the intelligence struggle before the conflict and the clash of strength during it, but also in the aftermath.

If Kumogakure built enough bases on Konoha soil to form a defensive line, then even if they were repelled, reclaiming that land would require much greater effort.

When it comes to territorial disputes, mere talk at the negotiating table after the war is useless.

After Fugaku understood this point, he couldn't help but sigh.

The battle with Kumogakure was inevitable, but he had hoped it would occur while his clansmen were in peak condition, which might have resulted in fewer casualties.

Seeing what Fugaku was thinking, Orochimaru spoke up. "Clan Leader Fugaku, there is no need to worry too much; the other side may not be without their own problems."

In less than two days, they had destroyed all the visible fortresses on the Konoha border; Orochimaru did not believe Kumogakure had paid no price for it.

With that, Orochimaru summoned Hizashi Hyuga and ordered, "At daybreak, continue the march. You are to scout in this direction first."

"Yes!"

After a crisp response, Hizashi Hyuga vanished from the spot.

At the Kumogakure army outpost, a military council had just concluded.

Unlike Konoha, meetings in Kumogakure were almost entirely dictated by the Raikage.

The only person who could influence the Raikage was a man named Dodai, an attendant to the previous Raikage, who was currently responsible for the front against the Iwagakure Ninjas to prevent them from taking advantage of the situation.

Therefore, while this was called a meeting, it was actually just the Raikage issuing orders.

Even though Yugito, the Jinchuriki of the Two-Tails, had doubts about the Raikage's orders, she dared not question him to his face, instead approaching the Fourth Raikage in private.

Having overused her Tailed Beast transformation, Yugito looked pale as she asked, "Lord Raikage, how can we allow the Konoha army to drive straight in?"

She blamed herself, "Could it be because of me?"

She knew very well that Kumogakure lacked the strength to fully encircle Konoha, so this was not a trap to lure the enemy in.

The leniency was truly a concession made by Kumogakure on the battlefield.

"It is not your problem."

The Fourth Raikage shook his head, "By scattering our Kumogakure squads, we simply cannot stop the Konoha ninja army; only by clenching our fist can we strike the enemy."

"Furthermore, do not forget our objective for this battle."

Yugito was stunned for a moment, lost in thought.

The Fourth Raikage looked toward the direction of the Land of Hot Water and said in a deep voice, "Our primary goal is to drag out the war and force the already weakened Konoha to show signs of fatigue."

"The Land of Lightning is being watched by Iwagakure Ninja, but Konoha is being watched by more than just us."

"Therefore, the construction of fortifications in the rear is of the utmost importance."

"Of course, if we can directly crush the Konoha ninja army, we naturally will not let such an opportunity slip by."

The Fourth Raikage spread the map he had just rolled up back out on the table and pointed to a dense forest, "The reason Konoha dared to dive in headfirst is also quite obvious."

"They have other hidden strongholds along the border line!"

"If we cannot find them, we will let them lead us there. Before they can successfully activate their defensive fortresses, we will deal a heavy blow to the Konoha ninja army."

The Fourth Raikage glared with his bull-like eyes, "At the very least, we must destroy these hidden strongholds. To that end, you must recover as quickly as possible."

After hearing these words, Yugito no longer felt any guilt, her face filled with eagerness to fight.

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