"What cooperation? What exactly do you mean?" Dodai looked at Nawaki's smug smile, alarm bells ringing in his heart. He even forgot to use an honorific.
"Heh..." Instead of answering, Nawaki asked, "Does Advisor Dodai truly think that Konoha's Anbu intelligence network would know nothing about your movements with Kirigakure? Konoha's battle lines have been stretched thin, leaving the southern forces depleted—a flaw so obvious that even an enemy like you could see it. Do you really think I, Konoha's commander-in-chief, would have made no preparations? And besides, you already used this tactic of stalling for time through negotiations once before. Did you really think you could use it twice in a row? You underestimate me far too much."
Nawaki's three consecutive questions struck directly at the heart of the matter, like three heavy hammers slamming into Dodai's chest, shattering the last trace of hope in his heart.
"Of course... How could the great Skywalker repeatedly make such low-level mistakes?" Dodai said with a pale, bitter smile. "It seems I was too full of myself! But why did Lord Nawaki use my hand to incite Kirigakure to send troops? With Konoha's current force of 250,000 on its home territory, it would be impossible to defend the long southern coastline in time! Aren't you afraid that the Land of Fire will be reduced to scorched earth, just as the Land of Earth was before?"
"Of course, because I'm confident that I can withstand Kirigakure's offensive!" Nawaki said confidently. "To be honest, I informed Konoha headquarters to prepare three days ago. Konoha has already transferred a large number of troops to the southern border! Furthermore, the Anbu sent back intelligence yesterday regarding Kirigakure's marching routes, troop deployments, landing sites, and more. Advisor Dodai, do you think Konoha will lose this battle?"
Dodai's