Mount Fengzui Region

Concentrate superior forces.

Personally leading nearly four hundred Kumo Ninja, Dodai bypassed the Hot Springs Mountain Outpost and launched a surprise assault on Konoha's rear logistics supply points. It was not for a decisive battle, nor was it meant to isolate the Konoha forces within the Hot Springs Mountain Outpost. The goal was to deplete Konoha's strategic supplies as much as possible and disrupt its defensive plans.

This was a special kind of war.

From the very beginning.

Both Konoha and Kumogakure understood this perfectly well.

The conflict would remain confined to a limited area.

Neither of the two great nations would commit too much strength, much less push deep into each other's territory, because that would constitute a genuine act of provocation. Sarutobi Hiruzen aside, the Fourth Raikage A had never prepared for an all-out war. If Konoha had not proactively dispatched reinforcements to strengthen its border defenses,

the Fourth Raikage A might not even have sent another batch of reinforcements.

Of course, had Sarutobi Hiruzen known this, he might have considered matters more carefully. But given the previous situation, with the Kumo Ninja advancing aggressively at every step and appearing fully intent on invading the Land of Fire to the south, Sarutobi Hiruzen could not afford the slightest carelessness. Coupled with the Uchiha Clan volunteering for the mission, the Third naturally went with the flow, hoping to kill two birds with one stone.

But fundamentally,

everything still had to be restrained to the lowest possible level.

Before Dodai led the Kumo reinforcements out, the Fourth Raikage A had given similar instructions.

So long as Kumogakure's prestige was not tarnished

and the Land of Lightning's core interests were not harmed,

Dodai could make the remaining decisions as he saw fit.

Much like Suzaku, Dodai believed that offense was the best defense. Especially since Kumogakure had been the attacking side to begin with and had now suffered such a major setback, there was no reason not to retaliate.

He directly altered the mode and tempo of attack.

Rather than advancing on the Hot Springs Mountain Outpost, he deliberately took a longer route, risking a deep push into the southern region toward Konoha's logistics supply points, nearly at the Land of Fire's border. Nara Suzaku was indeed misled by Dodai's actions at first.

Instinctively, he reinforced the defenses around Mount Hot Spring.

He had assumed the enemy intended to do the opposite.

To make the Hot Springs Mountain Outpost their primary target.

That also fit the Kumo Ninja's usual habits.

And Dodai had exploited precisely that point.

Fortunately, Suzaku was still Suzaku. Though his ability to adapt on the fly was slightly inferior to Nara Shikaku's, his reactions were truly not slow. When the Kumo main force still had not attacked after a short while longer, Suzaku realized what was happening.

He immediately used a special channel

to send a warning to the rear supply outposts.

At the same time,

Konoha's reconnaissance ninja relayed news of the Kumo main force taking a detour southward back to the headquarters at the Hot Springs Mountain Outpost.

Furious and alarmed,

Suzaku immediately redeployed his forces in response.

In this contest of wits between the two commanders,

Dodai had admittedly gained a slight edge.

He had secured a small advantage, but Suzaku's swift response saved the situation.

At most, they lost some additional supplies and had several outposts destroyed. Casualties remained within controllable limits.

Dodai was also exceedingly cunning.

When his gains fell short of expectations, he realized that Konoha's commander must have reacted in advance. Silently praising him, Dodai decisively chose to withdraw, following the established plan and successfully retreating to his village's sphere of influence.

In this clash, the Kumo Ninja gained a slight advantage.

It swept away a portion of the gloom left by their earlier crushing defeat.

Suzaku also rearranged his defensive line and deployed reconnaissance and guard personnel to several key areas.

Then, after discussions at the frontline conference,

he formally incorporated several people, including Uchiha Shōji, into raiding squads.

They would serve as dedicated mobile response forces.

From then on, Kumogakure and Konoha began a protracted war of attrition in the Land of Hot Springs. Ninja villages from other nations also sent personnel to infiltrate the surrounding regions and gather intelligence. Some wished to join forces with Kumogakure to suppress Konoha, some wanted to see both sides grievously wounded, and others wanted the Fourth Shinobi World War to break out outright.

Yet not a single person cared about the people of the Land of Hot Springs caught in the flames of war.

That included the Daimyo of the Land of Hot Springs and the high-ranking nobles and officials. Every last one of them hid away in the capital, utterly unconcerned with how fiercely Konoha and Kumogakure fought.

They did not care which places were affected today.

They did not care how many civilians were innocently dragged into it today.

None of them cared about any of it.

They cared only about themselves.

Konoha was no exception.

Though Suzaku had ordered his ninja to avoid involving ordinary people of the Land of Hot Springs whenever possible, and though they had not plundered supplies from the country's authorities or civilians as recklessly as the Kumo Ninja, the Kumo Ninja would sometimes disguise themselves as ordinary civilians to attack Konoha Ninja.

It was manageable when sensory-type companions were present.

But when they were not,

if they were not ruthless enough, they themselves would be the ones caught off guard.

Thus, even though it was not their intention, many civilians still died at Konoha's hands.

It was not that these civilians were unwilling to relocate and leave. They simply lacked the means to do so.

Even the Five Great Nations had people living in extreme poverty.

Let alone the people of these small countries.

Shōji had witnessed every one of those tragic scenes.

It could not be said that he felt nothing at all. He could only say that Shōji was powerless to help. When he could not even look after himself, any excess compassion seemed laughably foolish.

What mattered most at present,

Shōji understood better than anyone.

War was this brutal!

In the southwestern Land of Hot Springs lay the Mount Fengzui region. This mountain range was the largest and broadest, with the smoothest route leading toward the Land of Fire's border. Ordinarily, people from the western regions of the Land of Hot Springs who wished to travel south into the Land of Fire

would mostly choose this road.

There had once been a thriving number of inns here for passing travelers.

Later, however, they were gradually abandoned due to high costs and frequent problems. Many ruins of wooden buildings still remained on Mount Fengzui, available to those less particular about accommodations when caught in rain or darkness.

As a result, there were still quite a few travelers on this road.

But during this period,

ordinary people rarely passed through this region. The reason was simple: it had been designated as a battlefield for Konoha Ninja and Kumo Ninja. Over the past few months, squads of Kumo Ninja had often attempted to cross Mount Fengzui and head south to invade Konoha's rear logistics supply points.

Whenever Konoha detected them,

corresponding squads would inevitably be sent to intercept them.

Shōji was one of them!

This was one of the main areas where Shōji had carried out interception and raiding missions over the past half year.