The Will of Fire Burns Anew

Seeing this, Shiraishi Yoshijo smiled from the viewing stands.

He had never thought highly of Orochimaru's plan to destroy Konoha. The Daimyo of Konoha City's ninja forces, combined with Konoha's elite ninja, numbered at least five thousand, while Orochimaru and Sunagakure's combined force numbered only three thousand. They might gain the upper hand for a time, but once Konoha began to counterattack, that so-called combined force would be utterly incapable of withstanding it.

And if Konoha were truly destroyed, once the Daimyo of the Land of Fire came to his senses, he would probably rage himself sick. The Daimyo might not like Konoha, but he still relied on it to maintain high-end combat strength. Otherwise, if he fell behind in military power, their alliance would immediately change in nature, and Peach Country would come to dominate it.

Though Shiraishi Yoshijo very much wanted that outcome, now was not the time. Peach Country had many unresolved issues, and taking the lead in the alliance was too large a step. It would very likely provoke a backlash from the Land of Fire.

This outcome was just right. It weakened Konoha while further hastening the decline of the Land of Fire, laying the foundation for taking the lead in the alliance later. Even carving meat with a dull knife required skill—otherwise, getting splattered with blood would be far too unsightly.

After having Hayaka wake the Daimyos, Shiraishi Yoshijo watched the guard ninja being berated like dogs by the Daimyos and curled his lip. Ninja really had no future after all.

After Sasuke left Konoha, he tracked Gaara all the way.

Kakashi had also ordered Naruto and the others to pursue Sasuke.

However, Sasuke was beaten so badly by Gaara's Jinchuriki power that he could not fight back at all. Even after unleashing