The Deeper the Love, the Sharper the Reproach

Land of Rivers, Konoha Camp.

A figure appeared out of thin air in the tent; it was Taiichi, who had returned from the Land of Wind.

As soon as he appeared, without even pausing to catch his breath, he lifted the tent flap and headed towards the Central Command Tent, naturally encountering Minato who was coming from the other side.

The two nodded to each other without saying much, and walked together toward the Central Army Tent.

After being notified, the two were quickly granted entry.

At this moment, Jiraiya and his three advisors were in the tent. When they saw Taiichi and Minato arrive together, the four of them were surprised, because the two of them usually carried out their own tasks and rarely overlapped.

But then, their expressions turned serious. None of them were stupid; they could naturally imagine how important it must be for something to bring Taiichi and Minato together.

Moreover, judging from Taiichi's tattered clothes, he had obviously been through a fierce battle and suffered considerable losses, which makes his situation even more remarkable.

"Minato, Taiichi, what happened to you two?" Jiraiya asked, trying to lighten the mood.

Minato nodded to Taiichi, indicating that it was up to him to explain, since Taiichi had discovered the matter and he had only provided assistance.

Upon seeing this, Taiichi didn't hesitate and dropped a bombshell. "We've discovered that Sunagakure is transferring Jinchuriki to the front lines!"

Just one sentence was enough to energize everyone. That was Jinchuriki! The secret weapon of every village, the ultimate weapon on the battlefield, the trump card of each village. Sunagakure was actually going to deploy them to the battlefield!

"Are you sure that's Jinchuriki? How did you recognize it?" one of the staff officers asked anxiously, his previous composure completely gone.

It's not surprising that he took it so seriously. For ordinary ninjas, Tailed Beast are natural disasters. Whenever they appear on the battlefield, they often have the power to make a decisive move. As a strategist, it's no wonder he valued them so much.

Therefore, Taiichi didn't take his distrust to heart. "Of course I can confirm it. My eyes can see his true nature. Besides, someone who's been suppressed by Sealing Barrier can't be an ordinary person."

Taiichi held back some details, but Jiraiya did understand. The Spirit Transformation Technique allows one to see through the soul. Taiichi didn't explain it explicitly because he didn't want others to know about his abilities.

"Alright, I've confirmed that. Now, let's talk about what to do next."

The staff officer glanced at Jiraiya but said nothing more, clearly understanding the situation.

Next, Taiichi recounted how he discovered the situation, and then, realizing he was outmatched, he enlisted Minato's help to attack the Sunagakure team. However, they still gained nothing and had to return to report the incident.

Clearly, neither Taiichi nor Minato mentioned the few Sunagakure Chunin they killed during their attack; such a result was practically meaningless to them.

But all of this sounded quite different to Jiraiya and the three Advisor.

"You two dared to charge into a hundred-strong Ninja Formation, including the Fourth Kazekage and fifteen Jonin!" Jiraiya was furious. These two were simply audacious and reckless.

"Minato, Taiichi doesn't understand, and neither do you. You participated in Second Shinobi World War; don't you know the power of a ninja formation? How dare you two charge in like that?"

Jiraiya grew angrier and angrier, his finger almost poking Minato's forehead as he cursed. This was a perfect example of how deep one's love can lead to harsh criticism.

Taiichi felt really bad watching from the sidelines. After all, he was the one who started this whole thing, and Minato could only be considered an accomplice at most. But now Jiraiya's firepower was mainly focused on Minato, giving Taiichi the illusion that he was using Minato as a scapegoat.

"Jiraiya- sensei, don't be angry. We have the Flying Thunder God, right? If we really can't beat them, we can always run away," Taiichi weakly interjected, hoping Jiraiya could calm down.

But mentioning it only made things worse; Jiraiya fueled Jiraiya's anger. "Flying Thunder God! How dare you even mention it? The Second Hokage died, didn't he also know how to use the Flying Thunder God? He was still tricked and killed."

Still not satisfied, he pointed at Taiichi and Minato and said, "You two remember this: no Ninjutsu is omnipotent. Never be too confident in your own power, or you will only become slaves to it."

"Yes, Jiraiya- sensei!"

Taiichi and Minato humbly accepted the lesson. This is the life experience of a mature ninja. If someone doesn't truly care about you, why would they tell you these things? They only care about what benefits you can bring them.

After venting his anger, Jiraiya finally felt much better. He was really annoyed by those two guys; they were such a handful.

"Lord Jiraiya, the Tailed Beast!" Shikaku saw that Jiraiya had calmed down enough and quietly reminded him not to forget the important matter.

Actually, he was quite satisfied with Taiichi and Minato. Not only were they strong, but they also had high execution ability and knew how to retreat in time if they couldn't win.

Of course, this was his perspective as a strategist. If it had been his junior who did this, he would probably be Jiraiya, thinking they were simply courting death!

"Yes, a Tailed Beast Jinchuriki." Jiraiya walked up to a map, gestured on it, and finally pointed to a location on the border of the Land of Wind. "According to what you said, that group should be here."

Taiichi and Minato also came to the edge of the map, looked in the direction Jiraiya was pointing, pondered for a moment, and nodded. It was indeed this place.

"It's too late. We're already behind them. If we go with too few people, it'll be useless. If we go with too many people, they'll definitely spot us. It's better to have a head-on battle."

Shikaku looked at the map and nodded in agreement with Jiraiya's point of view.

"What a pity. If we could have intercepted them on the way, whether we killed the Jinchuriki or made him go berserk, it would have dealt a heavy blow to Sunagakure." Taiichi was still unwilling to give up and muttered to himself.

Jiraiya rolled his eyes at him and ignored him, instructing Shikaku, "Recall all unnecessary personnel. They can't allow an unstable Jinchuriki to stay on the front lines for too long, so they will definitely use this trump card as soon as possible. Pay attention to their movements and don't get caught off guard."

"Yes, Lord Jiraiya!"

"Taiichi, you don't need to go to the Land of Wind anymore. Go and monitor the movements of the Sunagakure. It will be easier for you to handle this mission!"

"I promise to complete the mission, Jiraiya- sensei!"

"Alright, you two can get out of here. Just seeing you guys annoys me!" Jiraiya waved his hand dismissively, telling the two to leave quickly.

Taiichi and Minato didn't dare to stay any longer. They had messed up this time, and although no one was seriously injured, Jiraiya was clearly angry, so they naturally didn't want to stay and get in the way.

After leaving the Central Command Tent, they hadn't gone far Taiichi spoke first, "Senior Disciple Brother Minato, I'm so sorry, I've made you get scolded by Master Jiraiya."

"Hey, it's nothing. It's my own fault. I forgot to remind you of something so important. Jiraiya- sensei is right, we did get a little carried away." Minato looked ashamed. Jiraiya's scolding had indeed brought him to his senses.

"Senior Disciple Brother Minato, what is this Ninja Formation? I've never heard of it before." Taiichi asked curiously. Indeed, not only in this life, but even in his previous life, he had never heard of the concept of Ninja Formation. It was a term commonly used in Samurai battles, but this was the first time he had heard it used in the context of ninjas.

"Because it's not used often. Ninja battles are mainly based on small teams, and people like you and me are better at one-on-one combat. But in large-scale battles, Ninja Formation are still used. Iwagakure is the best at this; their Legion Ninjutsu is famous throughout the Ninja World."

After hearing Minato's explanation, Taiichi finally understood. The Ninja Formation was meant to make ninjas obey orders like an army.

Think about today's battle, the overwhelming Ninjutsu attacks, wave after wave, seemingly without end. Even my next move was planned in advance, with Ninjutsu waiting for me to run into it. This was something no individual could resist.

At least not now!

Each lost in their own thoughts, they remained silent the entire way until Minato mentioned that he needed to return to monitor the Sunagakure Resupply team he had discovered beforehand, to see if there was an opportunity to make a move. Only then did the two part ways.

On the other side, the Fourth Kazekage Rasa, watched Taiichi and Minato disappear from their spot, a slight, unconscious smirk playing on his lips. "They really overestimated themselves. Two of them trying to attack a team I personally oversee? They simply don't know the meaning of death."

Just as the Fourth Kazekage was feeling smug, an anxious shout interrupted his thoughts.

"Lord Kazekage, Ryosuke's condition is very unstable; he seems to be on the verge of going berserk?"

Rasa's expression changed upon hearing this. Damn it, those two Konoha brats didn't succeed, but the Jinchuriki himself was affected and was about to collapse.

He flashed to the middle of the group. At that moment, the four sealing ninjas around Jinchuriki were pouring Chakra into the chains in their hands to fight against the increasingly violent Tailed Beast inside the Jinchuriki.

Ryosuke's face was now contorted in a ferocious expression, his eyes had transformed into Shukaku's beastly pupils, and sand was constantly accumulating on him, as if he were about to enter a half- Tailed Beast state.

Seeing this, Rasa did not dare to be negligent. His hands began to form hand Hand Seals rapidly. The surrounding Magnet Release Gold Dust seemed to have received a command and quickly gathered towards the Jinchuriki, completely enveloping him in the blink of an eye.

As Rasa completed the last seal, the encasing Magnet Release Gold Dust suddenly solidified, transforming into a small pyramid that sealed the Jinchuriki within.

This technique is the Magnet Release: Magnet Release Gold Dust Burial Seal, which Rasa specifically developed to suppress Shukaku.

With the combined efforts of Rasa and the four sealing ninjas, the pyramid, which had been trembling continuously, gradually calmed down, and the Jinchuriki 'Ryosuke condition returned to normal.

When Rasa withdrew his Ninjutsu, the pyramid slowly crumbled, revealing a weary Ryosuke inside.

"Lord Kazekage— " Ryosuke gasped for breath, struggling to lift his head, his eyes now devoid of life, "I can't hold on much longer. Please arrange an opportunity as soon as possible; I can only act one last time for the village."

After speaking, as if he had used up all his strength, he lowered his head again.

Rasa's heart sank. The thing he least wanted to happen had happened; the Jinchuriki was in trouble again.

"Ryosuke, you should get some rest. Don't worry about anything else, I'll take care of it and won't let you down."

Rasa comforted Ryosuke, saying that at this crucial moment, no more accidents could happen.

Then he turned to the four sealing ninjas and asked in a heavy tone, "How much time do you have left?"

Although the question was phrased subtly, the four sealing ninjas understood the Kazekage's meaning. The eldest Kazekage said, "At most a week, but it might be shorter if they are provoked."

Rasa's heart sank further. Time was running out, and he didn't have many opportunities to maneuver for them. He summoned one of his subordinates and instructed him, "Go to the Camp immediately and inform Chiyo and Ebizo about the Jinchuriki. Tell them to make arrangements in advance."

"Yes, Lord Kazekage." Seeing that the Kazekage had no further instructions, the ninja immediately turned around and ran towards the front-line Camp at top speed.

While the war in the Land of Rivers became increasingly unpredictable, things were not entirely peaceful within Konoha either.

If Jiraiya dominating the Sunagakure on the Southern Front, maintaining an advantage from beginning to end, then on the Western Front, Mimura Hamaki's battle against the Iwagakure Ninja was in a rather unfavorable situation.

Although there were no major defeats, the overall battle was steadily losing blood. Every day, battle reports sent back to Konoha were either about how many people had been lost that day or about requesting new reinforcements from the village.

The Third Hokage Tenten these battle reports every day. If he weren't needed to stay in the village, he would have already rushed to the front lines with his Adamantine Staff.

In fact, this situation is the result of Iwagakure holding back. They don't want to start a full-scale war with Konoha right now. In order to relieve the pressure on Sunagakure, they had to start the war with Konoha in advance, but they don't want to be the first to take the lead.

If they really hurt Konoha and make him focus all his attention on Iwagakure, then it will be Ōnoki will have a headache.

Iwagakure does not wish to possess the virtue of sacrificing oneself for the sake of others.

As for the Northern Battlefield, there has been no formal war between Konoha and Cloud Village, but minor skirmishes have been constant. With Orochimaru overseeing things there, Konoha is not at a disadvantage and even seems to have the upper hand.

However, in order not to provoke Cloud Village too much, and at the request of Konoha High Command, Orochimaru fought with considerable restraint, aiming to maintain the existing situation.

Konoha, the Civilian continued their lives much the same as usual. The war hadn't brought them any major changes. If there was any difference, it was that prices were continuing to rise.

For most Civilian in Konoha, the price is still within an acceptable range. They only occasionally chat and talk about the cruelty of war, or how the Aso family lost a son today, or the Fujiwara family lost a husband yesterday.

However, the most significant impact comes from the various ninja clans of Konoha. Konoha is now fighting on three fronts, and all the ninja clans have sent their members to the various battlefields at the village's request.

Since they had gone to the battlefield, death in battle was inevitable. Therefore, since the start of the war, there have been many families in these settlements who have hung white banners in front of their doors.

And it's conceivable that as time goes on, this situation will only increase, and it's not impossible that every household in the family will be like this.

This is war: the strong survive, the weak are eliminated, and everyone who goes to the battlefield is treated equally.