Developments from All Sides

The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, stared at the intelligence report before him, his brow furrowing. "As expected of Konoha, they always have genius ninja popping up. This Li Yi, a disciple of Kagami Uchiha, is actually capable of killing elite jonin from Kumogakure, and even a perfect jinchuriki. Now that the Third Raikage has mobilized personally, I wonder if he will be able to take Li Yi down."

An elder at his side also reviewed the report and remarked, "Having Kumogakure as a powerful enemy for Konoha serves our interests. Besides, with the Third Raikage acting personally, I imagine that Li Yi won't survive."

Ōnoki nodded. Regardless of anything else, the Third Raikage was indeed formidable, especially with Kumogakure's secret technique, the Lightning Style: Chakra Mode, which earned him the reputation of possessing the strongest spear and the strongest shield.

For them, it was undoubtedly best if Kumogakure and Konoha continued to grind each other down.

Having settled this thought, Ōnoki set the papers aside and asked, "How is the encirclement of the remaining Kirigakure ninja going?"

"The perimeter has been narrowed down to the southern town of the Land of Rain. If Kirigakure provides no reinforcements, we should be able to finish them off in about a month!" the elder replied with full confidence.

Ōnoki nodded, glanced at the map, and said, "Reinforcements from Kirigakure won't be so easy to come by. After all, they are isolated overseas. Unless they form an alliance with Konoha, the route to the Land of Rain is far too long. This time, we must make Kirigakure feel the pain."

Indeed, Ōnoki's analysis was spot on. Kirigakure was currently in a state of deep distress; they had three potential routes, but in the end, only two were viable.

The first was to pass through the Land of Fire, which was clearly out of the question—Konoha would never agree to it, and if they were backstabbed, they would have nowhere to turn.

The second was to enter the Land of Grass via the Land of Hot Water, the Land of Fields, and the Land of Frost, then reach the Land of Rain from there. While this route was shorter, it required passing through too many nations, and Konoha and Kumogakure were still locked in battle within the Land of Hot Water.

The third was to bypass the Land of Whirlpools and the Land of Tea to enter the Land of Rivers, from which they could reach the Land of Rain.

However, in the Land of Rivers, the Hidden Sand Village and Konoha were currently at war, leaving Kirigakure in an incredibly awkward and difficult position.

They had intercepted Konoha forces not long ago, so asking them for a favor now was a blow to their pride. Yet, if they didn't negotiate, the Kirigakure forces trapped in the Land of Rain would be doomed.

Among them were their most vital assets: the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

As for the news regarding Li Yi, the people of Kirigakure glanced at it and tossed it aside; it had absolutely nothing to do with them.

The Hidden Sand Village, upon receiving the news, recognized that Li Yi was a nuisance. However, since Li Yi was busy wreaking havoc in Kumogakure, they were safe for the moment, though they still had to be cautious. The Second Kazekage ordered scouts to the Land of Hot Water to gather as much intelligence as possible.

Back in the Konoha Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen stared at the intelligence report, completely stunned. Had Li Yi truly grown to such a level?

He knew full well what a perfect jinchuriki represented; even he would find it difficult to take down such a powerhouse.

At the same time, seeing that the Third Raikage had personally joined the hunt for Li Yi, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt a wave of melancholy. He wondered if Li Yi would be able to make it back alive.

After all, Li Yi's current combat strength was something Konoha could not afford to lose.

"Someone, send a message to Danzō. Tell him to dispatch men to assist Li Yi and do everything possible to bring him back," Sarutobi Hiruzen ordered immediately.

Soon, an Anbu operative vanished from the office.

On the border of the Land of Fire, Danzō had already engaged in several major battles with Kumogakure, with neither side gaining the upper hand. Of course, Li Yi deserved some credit for this; by killing many Kumogakure ninja in the Land of Hot Water—including several experts—Li Yi had significantly eased the pressure on Danzō.

Otherwise, fighting on two fronts would not have been so manageable for Konoha.

"Lord Danzō, the Third Raikage is hunting Li Yi. Lord Hokage has sent word for you to dispatch men to assist Li Yi and try to bring him back!" one of the ninja reported to Shimura Danzō.

Danzō frowned and waved his hand dismissively. He was already struggling to deal with Kumogakure; where would he find the spare manpower to support Li Yi?

If Konoha weren't at war with the Hidden Sand Village, he wouldn't hesitate to lead a rescue mission himself. But with the two-front war, he didn't have enough ninja to spare, as he had to defend against Kumogakure's offensives. He simply lacked the resources to help Li Yi.

"My Lord, are we not going to provide support?" asked a ninja with a gravity-defying pineapple hairstyle at his side.

Danzō gave a bitter laugh. "Lufeng, do you think we have any strength to spare right now?"

If anyone understood the current situation, it was Nara Lufeng, who had been fighting alongside him all this time.

Lufeng sighed. They had once had a surplus of strength, but after the crisis in the Land of Rivers flared up, a batch of ninja had been pulled away from their sector. If not for the fact that Li Yi had killed so many Kumogakure experts recently, it would be uncertain whether they could even hold their current position.

"I believe the Hokage does not want to lose Jonin Li Yi. Our high-end combat strength is already thin. If Jonin Li Yi, who can independently kill Yotsuki Hayate, Kujokawa, and Takahashi, were sent to the Land of Wind front, he would play a more critical role, especially since the Kazekage has already joined the fray," Lufeng explained.

Danzō knew this was true. With the Second Kazekage on the battlefield, Homura and Utatane Koharu were no match for him. Even if the fat man Akimichi Kufū went, he could only barely stall him. Unless the Hokage himself took to the field, no one could rival the Kazekage.

If Li Yi went, it would greatly relieve Konoha's burden. If Li Yi could even kill the Kazekage, it might allow Konoha to free up the majority of their forces and crush Kumogakure in one fell swoop, ending the war.

Konoha's high-end combat strength was truly limited. Kagami Uchiha had been one, but he was dead. Now, only Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzō himself could rival the Second Kazekage. Of course, there was also the First Hokage's wife, Mito Uzumaki, but such a force could not be deployed lightly.

Since Sarutobi Hiruzen needed to hold down Konoha and Danzō was tied up with Kumogakure, the battlefield in the Land of Rivers naturally required Li Yi.

"Sigh, tell Yamanaka Ao to take his squad and search for Li Yi. Tell him to return with all haste!" Danzō thought for a moment before settling on this arrangement. He would send a reconnaissance squad to find Li Yi; as for snatching him out of the hands of the Third Raikage, that was something he truly could not do.

Nara Lufeng nodded. This was the only option for now. By sending a squad skilled in tracking, perhaps they could find Li Yi before the Third Raikage did.