"Lady Tsunade! The frontline defensive forces can't hold on any longer!"
Standing atop a small hill and gazing at the chaotic battle not far away, Tsunade heard a voice that did not belong to the palm-sized slug on her shoulder.
Tsunade's face darkened as she gritted her teeth.
The joint surprise attack by the Sand and Rain Ninja allied forces had indeed caught her off guard.
Previously, it had not only been Konoha and the suna-nin. The iwa-nin in the Land of Waterfalls and the Kumo-nin in the Land of Hot Water had also only engaged in minor skirmishes, with the largest conflicts involving no more than ten people.
Every side had exercised restraint, unwilling to become the first to stand out and suffer Konoha's fierce retaliation.
In truth, even against a suna-nin surprise attack, Tsunade had prepared countermeasures.
She just had not expected the Rain Ninja, who had always remained on the sidelines, to be won over by the suna-nin and suddenly join the battle.
The Rain Ninja's strength was plain for all to see. Their presence could, to a great extent, influence the course of the Land of Rain battlefield.
Konoha had suffered heavy losses.
But Konoha absolutely could not retreat now.
Behind them lay the border of the Land of Fire. If the suna-nin and Rain Ninja broke through their defenses and entered the Land of Fire to burn, kill, and plunder, then even if they were driven out in the end, such losses would be unacceptable to both the Land of Fire and Konoha.
Konoha's strength rested on the fertile lands of the Land of Fire. In a contest of resource consumption, it held a considerable advantage.
This was Konoha's last remaining advantage, its final foundation for resisting the combined assault of several Great Hidden Villages.