Iwagakure Joins the War, His Reputation Begins to Rise
The Land of Rivers is located on the side closest to the Land of Wind, and its weather is influenced by the Land of Wind, resulting in a scarcity of waterways.
Taiichi's Shadow Clone, carrying the White Zetsu, found a cliff near a water source. Using Earth Style, he created a vast space on the cliff and then carried the White Zetsu inside.
After settling the unruly White Zetsu, the Shadow Clone Taiichi set up Concealment Barrier at the cave entrance, then automatically dispelled the Shadow Clone, leaving only a Flying Thunder God Kunai behind.
A short while later, Taiichi reappeared, but this time it was not his Shadow Clone, but his true form.
I initially used Flying Thunder God Technique and Shadow Clone simply to make it easier for me to go out and carry out missions; I never expected it to be used in other ways so quickly.
Taiichi had only conceived of this method of establishing a branch base outside of Konoha, but it had already been put into practice on the very second day.
People! Once you cross the line once, you'll never have a line again. Just like now, Taiichi, who has tasted the benefits of opening branch bases, is already thinking about whether to open more branch bases.
Looking at this base, which can now only be described as a cave, Taiichi was thinking about what research equipment to add. After all, this place was to be used to study White Zetsu, and some equipment was essential.
This mission was quite flexible, giving Taiichi the perfect opportunity to gather all the necessary experimental materials.
When Taiichi's main body left again, only a Shadow Clone and the living White Zetsu remained in the empty cave.
Looking at the White Zetsu who was still babbling on and on, Taichi felt for the Taiichi time that he still didn't know enough Sealing Jutsu. He had heard that Konoha's Interrogation Department had Sealing Jutsu that could make people lose consciousness, but unfortunately he didn't know them yet.
Left with no other choice, he created a Soundproof Barrier and threw the talkative White Zetsu inside. Now the world was finally quiet.
Now, he is further modifying and expanding the cave to better meet the requirements of a secret laboratory: safe, hidden, and sturdy.
Meanwhile, Taiichi, who had returned using the Flying Thunder God Technique, had already set foot on the territory of the Land of Wind.
Last time Taiichi came to the Land of Wind, he accidentally brought back the Kazekage's body, which was a great service to Konoha. Now that he's here again, who knows what special gains he will have.
Taiichi transformed into a Sand Village Ninja in his thirties, the same one he had seen on his last visit. He wondered if the Sand Village Ninja was still alive.
Wearing this disguise, he swaggered around the Land of Wind. He wasn't afraid of being questioned by the Sunagakure Ninja; in fact, he hoped so, as it would save him the trouble of searching for them everywhere.
Meanwhile, the battle summary sent by Jiraiya to the village finally reached Konoha and came into the hands of Hiruzen Sarutobi.
He first looked at the beginning of the report, and after confirming that it was good news, a long-lost smile appeared on his face. He had simply heard too much bad news lately.
Not only on the Land of Wind front, but also on the Land of Earth and Land of Lightning front, the reports coming in recently have all been about battle losses.
Now that he has finally received good news, how could he not be happy?
Then, Hiruzen Sarutobi flipped the report to the last page, the one recording the losses on both sides in this battle.
When he saw that Sunagakure had lost 19 Jonin and over Chunin, while our side had only lost 23 Chunin, he could no longer suppress his smile, slammed his hand on the table, and exclaimed, "Well done!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi down the report in his hand, picked up the pipe beside him, skillfully filled it with tobacco, lit it, took a satisfying puff, and exhaled swirling blue smoke.
The battle report, accompanied by the exquisite tobacco, brought a rare moment of relaxation to Hiruzen Sarutobi the pent-up frustration that had been building up inside him. Even the noticeable age lines on his face seemed to smooth out considerably.
After finishing his pipe, Hiruzen Sarutobi it down and picked up the report again to read it carefully.
When he saw that Taiichi's Medical Ninjutsu greatly enhanced the combat power of the Konoha Ninja, he couldn't help but think of Tsunade. She was once the Konoha Ninja' strongest support, but now she was no longer in Konoha.
When Hiruzen Sarutobi saw that Taiichi had Taiichi -handedly held off the Fourth Kazekage, allowing the ambush to be completed successfully without causing too many casualties, his expression turned serious for the first time.
Taiichi is so young, yet he already possesses such strength. He'll definitely be a pillar of Konoha in the future. Moreover, he's a disciple of both Jiraiya and Tsunade, making him a staunch Hokage supporter.
Thinking of this, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but feel happy. At this stage, he hoped that Konoha would have as many talented people as possible, and that their strength would be as great as possible.
The external crisis facing Konoha is simply too great right now; the slightest misstep could lead to utter destruction.
Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi was still savoring the afterglow of his happiness, the office door was suddenly pushed open, and a gloomy voice came from afar.
"Hiruzen, I heard there are battle reports from the front lines. Has there been another defeat somewhere?"
Danzo, leaning on his cane, Earth Flow step by step into the Hokage's Office, his expression showing a hint of urgency. Upon entering, he immediately noticed the scroll still lying open on the table, his eyes flashing with a sharp light, but he still looked up at Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Although Hiruzen Sarutobi was somewhat annoyed that Danzo had barged in so casually, he wouldn't let such a small matter cause a rift with Danzo. He reached for the scroll, smiled, and handed it to Danzo, "Take a look, it's a report of good news from Jiraiya's side, a great victory!"
Upon hearing Hiruzen's words, Danzo's lips twitched slightly, as if he wanted to force a smile, but the smile on Danzo's face looked strange, even a little terrifying.
However, as Danzo read on, his inner feelings were not as joyful as he appeared.
Aside from the battle results, the entire report revolves around one person: Taichi Matsushita.
If it were anyone else, even Minato Namikaze, Danzo might have been pleased. But this Taichi Matsushita was simply provoking Danzo's Danzo, making him utterly detestable.
The mere thought of Taichi Matsushita running off to Hiruzen Sarutobi's side right under his nose caused an unnamed fire to rise quietly in Danzo's chest.
This incident, further highlighted by Taiichi's several outstanding performances, connected Danzo with the scene when Danzo was choosing the Third Hokage Teacher Tobirama.
Therefore, every time Danzo saw Taiichi's outstanding performance, it would instantly break down his defenses. Over time, the seed of hatred had already quietly sprouted, and now it was just waiting for it to blossom and bear fruit.
But Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't know if he had noticed any of this, or if he had, he would have pretended not to know, since the more Danzo hated Taiichi, the more firmly Taiichi would stand by his side.
As long as Danzo doesn't do anything foolish and try to harm Taiichi, Hiruzen Sarutobi won't interfere with the infighting among the ninja below him; this is his way of balancing things as Hokage.
"With this great victory, Jiraiya will definitely press their advantage. If they can maintain this lead, then Sunagakure might be able to end the war sooner."
Hiruzen Sarutobi expectantly, though he knew the chances were slim. The battlefield was ever-changing, and the war had only just begun; neither side would end it so quickly.
"Hiruzen, tell the front lines to keep an eye on Iwagakure and Cloud Village, especially Iwagakure. If I'm not mistaken, Iwagakure is about to make a move." Danzo the scroll in his hand, suppressing his anger and trying to keep his tone calm.
Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at Danzo with surprise, but being a seasoned politician, he immediately understood why Danzo had said that.
Now that Konoha and Sunagakure have officially gone to war, and Konoha has achieved such great results in such a short time, this is not what the other ninja villages that also have designs on the Land of Fire wanted to see.
They certainly didn't want Sunagakure to be defeated by Konoha so quickly, especially Iwagakure, who had specifically made peace with Sunagakure for this battle.
If they learn that the Sunagakure's front is under strain, the Iwagakure is highly likely to engage in war with the Konoha to alleviate the Sunagakure's burden, thereby plunging the Konoha into a prolonged war of attrition.
"Sigh!" Danzo's reminder had suddenly Danzo his spirits, and thinking about the even more intense battle that was about to erupt, Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up his pipe again and began to puff away.
The transmission of news in the Ninja World can indeed be incredibly slow at times. But when it's fast, a message can travel from one end of the Ninja World to the other in just one or two days.
However, if you have a special Summoning Animal or a special Ninjutsu, then instantaneous teleportation is not impossible.
A day after Miyo received Jiraiya's battle report, news spread from who-knows-where, and the various ninja villages gradually received the specific results of the battle.
--
The fact that Sunagakure was once again defeated by Konoha was both expected and unexpected.
The major ninja villages all knew that Sunagakure was no match for Konoha, and defeat was inevitable. But no one expected Sunagakure to be defeated so quickly.
Iwagakure, Tsuchikage Office.
After reading the battle intelligence report about Sunagakure and Konoha, Ōnoki remained silent for a long time.
"Father, what should we do next?" Kitsuchi's honest face was now filled with excitement, and his eager expression made Ōnoki see through his thoughts at a glance.
"Call me Lord Tsuchikage!" Ōnoki slammed his hand on the table and shouted angrily at the Kitsuchi.
"Yes, yes, Lord Tsuchikage, what should we do next?" Kitsuchi's expression froze for a moment, but he still obediently changed his form of address.
Ōnoki floated up and arrived in front of a huge map of the Ninja World. He stared at the area of Sunagakure and Konoha on the map and pondered for a long time.
Honestly, he really didn't want to take the lead now. According to his previous plan, he wanted to wait until the Cloud Village and the Konoha started fighting before getting involved in this great battle.
But things didn't go as planned. Sunagakure's defeat came too quickly, and Ōnoki could imagine the chaos that Sunagakure must be in right now.
If they see no hope of victory in their battle against Konoha, Ōnoki can't guarantee that the Sunagakure Village won't cooperate with Konoha again to attack their Iwagakure.
Without a doubt, Sunagakure is absolutely capable of doing something like this. Moreover, in the Land of Birds, Iwagakure and Sunagakure only have a tacit ceasefire; they haven't signed any formal ceasefire agreement. If they want to start another war, they don't even need to find an excuse.
"Issue the order to convene a top-level meeting to discuss the matter of waging war against Konoha!"
"Yes, Lord Tsuchikage!" Kitsuchi, his face beaming with excitement, turned around quickly to relay the Tsuchikage's orders.
As the most militarized ninja village, Iwagakure also had a very high efficiency in internal communication; in less than half an hour, all the people who were supposed to attend the meeting had arrived.
This meeting was less of a negotiation and more of a notification. The majority of the village's Militant Faction had always been clamoring to attack Konoha, and it was only because Ōnoki opposed it that this momentum was suppressed. Now that Ōnoki himself had agreed, the decision was passed in the blink of an eye.
On that very day, Iwagakure quickly assembled a 1,000-strong Shinobi Army and marched towards their camp in the Land of Grass. At the same time, a declaration of war spread throughout the Ninja World in the shortest possible time, letting everyone know that Iwagakure had declared war on Konoha.
On the Konoha side, the response speed was equally impressive. The well-prepared leadership immediately assembled a 500-strong Shinobi Army upon receiving the declaration of war from Iwagakure and sent it to the front lines to provide support.
In this newly formed Shinobi Army, Nonō was also selected as a Medical Ninja. Taiichi's worries had indeed come true.
As the war progresses, everyone in Konoha has the potential to go to the battlefield. Right now it's Nonō, and in the end, even the students who haven't graduated from the Ninja Academy will be among them.
At this time, Taiichi was unaware of this news. Recently, he had been spending his days wandering along the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Rivers, and his nights resting at the Camp using the Flying Thunder God. He was living a very comfortable life.
But don't mistake this for a sign of his slackness; in fact, as time went on, his behavior at the border became increasingly arrogant.
At first, he only attacked small teams from Sunagakure. Later, as he became more skilled, he shifted his targets to Sunagakure's companies, and recently, even large battalions of a hundred men have become his targets.
Taiichi wasn't aiming to wipe out all the teams in one go, which was impossible anyway. He would simply lie in ambush or use his Shadow Clone to launch a surprise attack, killing as many as he could, and then use the brief chaos to escape using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Simple, efficient, and most importantly, safe.
Using this method, Taiichi roamed freely across the vast desert, and Sunagakure was unable to do anything about him for a time.
All the high-ranking officials of Sunagakure were also having a headache. It wasn't that they hadn't organized elite teams to search for Taiichi; even the Fourth Kazekage Rasa, had personally participated in the pursuit.
--
But Taiichi is just too slippery! No! It's not slippery! It's just that he's too well-rounded!
He could handle all the functions that other teams needed to work together to achieve—sensing, healing, offensive, and defensive—all by himself. In addition, the Flying Thunder God Technique allowed him to come and go freely, so the Sunagakure decisively gave up after pursuing him for a while.
Instead of wasting manpower chasing down this one person who will never catch up, it would be better to put them all into the battle against Konoha. This way, human resources would be used more effectively.