Uchiha Kō helped the three of them to their feet, then thought for a moment. "We have about 1,600 troops right now. Ōnoki is leading 1,000 at the North Gate, and Chiyo has 500 at the South Gate."
"With our current strength, we can't handle this situation. Ōnoki and Chiyo are both genuine Kage-level fighters. We'd be at a disadvantage against either one."
"Lady Tsunade, Lord Orochimaru, and Lord Jiraiya could combine their strength to deal with one Kage-level fighter, but the other two aren't fools. As soon as they see us locked in battle, they'll attack."
Uchiha Kō analyzed the situation, and all three nodded. Tsunade and the others were now close to Kage level, but they were still classified as elite jonin.
Chiyo was middle-aged, while Ōnoki was young. How was it that the Sannin would lose if they fought them? He was just being generous when he said the three of them could deal with one Kage-level fighter. By "deal with," he meant keep one occupied, not defeat one.
"So the key to this war is the South Gate." Uchiha Kō's eyes lit up, and the three nodded.
"So you mean we should attack the South Gate?" Jiraiya couldn't help asking. He hated that old hag Chiyo with a passion. They'd been about to take Rainy Clearing, but then she'd launched a sneak attack. Now Rainy Clearing had hope again!
Orochimaru burst out laughing. His good friend had certainly earned his defeat. Tsunade offered no opinion, only putting on a thoughtful expression so she wouldn't look stupid.
Uchiha Kō shook his head. "If you were Salamander Hanzō, would you lead your troops against Chiyo's 500, Ōnoki's 1,000, or our 1,600?"
"Chiyo, obviously!" Jiraiya answered without a second thought. He at least knew that much.
"It's not just because of strength. We're currently at odds with Iwagakure, so neither side dares make a move. That means Salamander Hanzō will attack the South Gate," Uchiha Kō explained.
"But how do we deal with Iwagakure? If we fight them, we'll suffer heavy losses, even if it's only for a short while!" Tsunade asked. Orochimaru was also watching Uchiha Kō, waiting to hear his solution.
Uchiha Kō stretched and smiled. "Set the tiger against the wolf."
"Set the tiger against the wolf?" Tsunade murmured, puzzled. Orochimaru's eyes lit up as if he'd understood. "Could you mean Kumogakure, Kō?"
Uchiha Kō nodded. "Exactly. The Tsuchikage has appeared in the Land of Rain, which means Iwagakure has no powerful leader there right now."
"Knowing Third Raikage A's nature, he won't sit still if he hears this." Uchiha Kō smiled.
It was hard to say whether Kumogakure and Iwagakure were simply destined to clash. They fought each other in every major war. Once Kumogakure learned that Iwagakure had no Kage there, they'd surely launch a surprise attack, given their bandit-like nature. And then...
Orochimaru smiled too. "What a clever plan. Commander, your strategies are truly unrivaled. I'm impressed." He was already thinking that after the war, he'd have to get to know Uchiha Kō better.
Tsunade and Jiraiya exchanged a look that seemed to say, Are we the only two who didn't understand?
But Tsunade soon turned her gaze back to Uchiha Kō. This man seemed rather charming when he was strategizing.
Uchiha Kō didn't notice. Instead, he turned to Jiraiya. "Lord Jiraiya, your intelligence network should be quite strong, right?"
In the original story, Jiraiya was Konoha's source of information outside the village. He seemed to learn about major events almost as soon as they happened.
Jiraiya nodded. "I do have plenty of people gathering material all over the place. If you mean an intelligence network, then yes, I suppose I have one."
He thought of them as friends who shared his interests and helped him gather material. He'd never considered that they were gathering and passing along information.
Uchiha Kō smiled. "If you mobilize your people, how long would it take to get a message to Kumogakure?"
"Half a day at most!" Jiraiya thumped his chest. He had plenty of confidence in his friends.
"Good. Lord Jiraiya, please send a message right away. Just write that the Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, has appeared in the Land of Rain. Don't add anything else." Uchiha Kō smiled faintly.
"Understood!" Jiraiya immediately went to take care of it.
Uchiha Kō smiled. If this worked, Rainy Clearing would be his!
Orochimaru smiled too. "Congratulations on taking Rainy Clearing, Commander!"
"Congratulate Lady Tsunade. This was all her idea. I'm only her trusted aide." Uchiha Kō shook his head.
Orochimaru was startled. Then he thought of Uchiha Kō's name and sighed. Those old fellows were still far too wary of the Uchiha.
Tsunade frowned, but she understood the reason too. The prewar meeting ended in silence, and they all went off to attend to their own duties.
The next day, at Kumogakure.
A held a kunai. A flash of light glinted in his eyes, and he burst out laughing. He summoned the village's leaders, and they ultimately decided: "Muster 3,000 troops and march on Iwagakure!"
The Land of Rain battlefield.
At the South Gate, Chiyo and Hanzō were already fighting. Chiyo used the Puppet Technique, putting the Chikamatsu Ten Puppets' relentless attacks and airtight defense on full display.
Salamander Hanzō roared and slammed his right hand against the ground, summoning his salamander. It swallowed thirty or forty Sunagakure Ninja whole, then charged at Chiyo. He released purple poison that spread across the battlefield!
"Everyone, take the antidote pills!" Chiyo shouted. As Sunagakure's poison expert, Chiyo knew a great deal about poisons. Her antidote pills could temporarily protect them from Salamander Hanzō's poison.
Salamander Hanzō drew two swords and charged at Chiyo. She hurriedly controlled the Chikamatsu Ten Puppets to block him. For a time, the two fought to a standstill.
At the East Gate and the North Gate, both sides remained motionless, watching each other. Just then, a Konoha scout spotted someone coming from the direction of Iwagakure, to the north, heading straight for Ōnoki's camp.
He reported the news to Uchiha Kō, Tsunade, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and the others. Uchiha Kō's lips curled into a smile. "Keep scouting!"
He thought, Kumogakure's moving fast. Looks like A's a man of action!
The North Gate, Ōnoki's camp.
Ōnoki trembled with rage as he cursed, "Those bastards, those damn foot soldiers! They've ruined my great plan. Damn them!"
Akatsuchi, Ōnoki's bodyguard, stepped forward. "My lord, what should we do now?"
Ōnoki's face darkened. "What should we do? Hmph. We turn back and defend the village at once. I hear Third Raikage A can stand up to a Tailed Beast. Since none of the nations have deployed their Jinchūriki, that makes him practically invincible."
"If I don't return, Iwagakure will suffer enormous losses. Damn it, how did the news spread so fast? Was it Konoha or the Rain Ninja..." Ōnoki shook his head. Now wasn't the time to dwell on that.
"Pass down my order: the rear guard becomes the vanguard. Full speed back to the village!" Ōnoki gave the order, then used the Light-Weight Rock Technique and stood on a boulder, flying back to the village as fast as he could.
On the way, he glanced back at Rainy Clearing, reluctant to leave, and sighed.
Before you continue