To Repay My Debts, I'll Become Hokage!

"Lord Hanzo, it is the same as usual today."

The Amegakure Anbu reported to Salamander Hanzo.

"They are lowering their attack frequency to create the illusion of a supply shortage, hoping to lure us into a breakout and trap us."

Salamander Hanzo let out a cold snort: "To think they would try such a trick again!"

A while ago, the extravagant, money-burning attacks from Konoha had decreased, and Salamander Hanzo had estimated that the enemy must be suffering from insufficient ordnance and a lack of supplies.

Even if the Land of Fire were wealthy, they could not possibly afford to burn money like this for long.

He immediately led his Amegakure ninja forces to launch an all-out breakout.

And then, he was met with a head-on blow, a sudden, crushing ambush.

The Land of Fire was truly that rich—richer than the impoverished Salamander Hanzo could ever imagine!

In that battle, the Amegakure ninja forces suffered heavy losses, and Salamander Hanzo himself was slashed by Hatake Sakumo; had the blade not missed its mark, he likely would have died on the spot.

Feeling the pain radiating from his wound, Salamander Hanzo wanted to curse out loud.

He, Salamander Hanzo, would never fall into the same trap twice!

"Ignore them and maintain the usual defense."

The Amegakure Anbu nodded and left.

Salamander Hanzo's expression was grim as he slammed his fist onto the table in front of him, creating a loud thud.

"So wealthy, it makes one covetous."

But a wealthy nation has abundant resources and the strongest military power to protect them.

Trying to snatch food from the tiger's mouth was truly difficult.

Salamander Hanzo turned his head to look in the direction of the Land of Rain.

Staying here indefinitely was not a solution; he wondered if it was time to retreat back to the Land of Rain.

The goal of inciting war between Sunagakure and Konoha had been achieved, and there was still a surplus from the resources previously plundered from the Land of Fire.

It was no longer possible to take another bite, so considering a retreat now was a viable option.

"The war between the two great nations is more important; the Land of Rain should be able to keep itself out of harm's way..."

Wearing his gas mask, Salamander Hanzo exhaled purple smoke, his eyes flickering with deep thought.

"Just as you predicted, Kano, Salamander Hanzo has taken the bait."

Hearing his friend's words, Kano Nara shook his head and smiled: "Salamander Hanzo is a cautious man; one can tell just by the fact that he assigns 24-hour rotating guards to himself."

"Once he has been burned, he will never be burned again."

His friend teased: "It is a pity, then, that our ordnance supply actually did have problems this time; Salamander Hanzo's suspicion and caution have caused him to miss a golden opportunity."

Kano Nara looked at his friend helplessly: "Whose side are you on? Why are you feeling sorry for the enemy?"

Kano Nara stroked his goatee, his eyes flashing with sharp light.

Salamander Hanzo's intelligence gathering was not very good; their ordnance supplies had indeed run into trouble.

The problem lay with the wandering Sunagakure ninjas who were causing trouble; they had ambushed the supply routes and caused losses, leading to a shortage of ordnance for several days.

Because they could not engage in large-scale close-quarters combat due to the Salamander's poison, they had chosen a long-range, money-burning strategy, consuming a massive amount of ordnance almost every day.

When supplies were cut off for several days, it created a gap where consumption continued but replenishment failed.

It was true that their attack frequency had decreased, and it was true that their ordnance supply had run into problems.

It was also true that Salamander Hanzo was cautious and suspicious.

Kano Nara let out a sigh of relief: "Salamander Hanzo has held his ground; now, everything depends on Sakumo."

If this dragged on, even the suspicious Salamander Hanzo would eventually realize something was wrong.

Kano Nara walked out of the tent and looked toward the south, hoping that Sakumo's mission would be a success.

"Lord Orochimaru, Sunagakure is attacking again!"

The Sensor Ninja relayed the information, and Orochimaru did not dare to delay, quickly assembling the ninja forces to go and fight Sunagakure.

The Konoha ninjas inside the camp looked indifferent; such battles happened almost every day, so it was nothing strange.

"Eh? Where is Lord Chonhua?"

Makoto Yamagami followed the troops as they set out, but as he scanned his surroundings, he suddenly felt something was wrong.

Where was the Uchiha Chonhua he respected so much? They had been chatting happily just yesterday.

Another ninja who also wanted to follow Uchiha Chonhua remarked with emotion: "Lord Chonhua is different from us; although we are all Chunin, his strength is on a completely different dimension."

"With Lord Chonhua's strength, he will surely be entrusted with important responsibilities; he must be carrying out some secret mission."

A great talent should not be used for menial tasks; a person like Lord Chonhua must be doing something pivotal behind the scenes!

The ninja glanced at Makoto Yamagami. "You'd better focus on yourself; I have no desire to see your name on the Memorial Stone."

"Likewise," Makoto Yamagami replied, then continued, "I don't intend to die here. I still have to follow Lord Chonhua and serve him!"

"Same here!"

The two exchanged a look and then shared a laugh.

"For Lord Chonhua!"

Their eyes were resolute as they spoke in unison.

At this moment, Uchiha Chonhua was following Hatake Sakumo, moving stealthily through the dense forest.

Everyone was dressed in Anbu attire, animal masks covering their faces and hoods obscuring their figures and hair, hiding them within the shadows.

"The enemy has a Sensor Ninja as well. Quande, keep a sharp watch."

Hatake Sakumo gave the order, and Hyuga Quande nodded in acknowledgment.

Beneath his mask, a pair of Byakugan scanned the surroundings.

They were already in territory occupied by Sunagakure; they had to be constantly wary of enemy presence.

Hyuga Quande suddenly turned his head toward the west.

"Captain, the battle has begun."

Hatake Sakumo nodded. The main forces of Sunagakure and Konoha were engaged, drawing all attention away and significantly lowering the chance of being discovered, though it was not impossible.

The Sunagakure squads patrolling the rear could not be ignored.

"Lord Sakumo, there is a Sunagakure squad in the northwest."

Uchiha Chonhua spoke up suddenly, drawing everyone's gaze.

Upon hearing this, Hyuga Quande quickly looked toward the northwest, but within the vision of his Byakugan, he found no sign of a Sunagakure squad.

He retorted with annoyance, "Uchiha Chonhua, there is no Sunagakure squad there as you claim. Please do not cause a disturbance by speaking out of turn!"

Someone scoffed, "That gave me a start. Is the Uchiha clan so arrogant that they dare to boast in front of someone from the Hyuga Clan?"

Uchiha Chonhua ignored the mockery and looked at Hatake Sakumo.

Hatake Sakumo was thoughtful. Having interacted with Uchiha Chonhua many times, he knew the man was not one to spout nonsense; on the contrary, he was steady and confident.

Hatake Sakumo took a long look at Uchiha Chonhua.

"Continue forward."

With the Captain's word, the brief interlude ended, and they pressed on.

"Hm!?"

After traveling a short distance, Hyuga Quande suddenly stopped, his face beneath the mask etched with disbelief.

He looked at Uchiha Chonhua with suspicion and shock.

Seeing Hyuga Quande stop, the others looked at him in confusion.

Hatake Sakumo realized something and said in a low voice, "Quande, what did you find?"

Hyuga Quande swallowed hard. "In the northwest... there is indeed a Sunagakure squad."

Chapter 66: Yeah, the Mission Failed

The ninja who had previously mocked Uchiha Chonhua asked in surprise, "Quande, are you serious?!"

Hyuga Quande nodded, confirming, "It's true. A Sunagakure squad has indeed appeared in the northwest."

"Uchiha Chonhua was right."

There really was a Sunagakure squad there, but... Hyuga Quande could not fathom how.

Even his Byakugan hadn't detected them, so how could Uchiha Chonhua have known they were there?

Hizashi had told him that Uchiha Chonhua's sensory abilities were strong, but strong enough to surpass the Byakugan? That was impossible, right!?

Uchiha Chonhua could feel the others' astonishment, but he offered no explanation, instead looking at Hatake Sakumo. "Senior Sakumo, what's the plan? Shall we take them out?"

Hatake Sakumo suppressed his own surprise and nodded. "Chonhua, Quande, you two keep a constant watch on the Sunagakure squad. We will bypass them."

Hatake Sakumo's voice was low. "Our mission requires silence and secrecy."

They set off once more.

Uchiha Chonhua guided Hatake Sakumo and the others to circumvent the Sunagakure squad.

During this time, the others would glance at Hyuga Quande after every direction Uchiha Chonhua gave.

They were clearly trying to verify if Uchiha Chonhua was correct, as they still doubted his sensory capabilities.

It couldn't be helped; a sensory ability that surpassed the Byakugan... anyone would be skeptical of such a claim.

But Hyuga Quande proved that Uchiha Chonhua was entirely correct, down to the last detail.

The group exchanged glances, looking at one another in silence.

The gazes directed at Uchiha Chonhua were heavy with gravity; this child of the Uchiha Clan was no simple matter.

Previously, they had harbored complaints about Captain Hatake Sakumo allowing Uchiha Chonhua to participate in this classified mission.

Now, seeing this sensory ability that surpassed the Byakugan, they understood—as expected of Captain Hatake Sakumo.

They knew all too well what the presence of an excellent and formidable Sensor Ninja meant for a classified mission.

If Hatake Sakumo knew their thoughts, he would be left speechless.

He had invited Uchiha Chonhua solely because of his immense strength.

Hatake Sakumo could be certain that in this squad, apart from himself, no one could defeat Uchiha Chonhua.

However... Hatake Sakumo glanced sideways, surprise stirring in his heart.

Possessing such powerful sensory capabilities was an unexpected bonus.

"Wait!"

At this moment, Hyuga Quande stopped the group, and the others turned their puzzled gazes toward him.

Hyuga Quande frowned as he looked ahead: "Captain, there is an ambush up ahead."

Hyuga Quande pointed to the spot: "Those wires are connected to kunai and shuriken, and there are some Explosive Tags buried there as well."

"Over there, puppet mechanisms are hidden, along with some unknown liquid... it must be highly toxic!"

Upon hearing this, Hatake Sakumo signaled with his hands, and the group moved forward slowly, bypassing the area where the ambush was laid.

As they passed by, thanks to Hyuga Quande's warning, they saw the nearly invisible wires and the cold, glinting kunai and shuriken hidden in the blind spots of the treetops.

They did not see the Explosive Tags or the puppets, but with these examples before them, it went without saying.

They quietly skirted around the area.

Once they reached a safe location, they turned their eyes toward Uchiha Chonhua.