Grandma Chiyo

The vast army surged forward as one, charging toward the Sand Shinobi Stronghold.

They were as fired up as if they had been injected with stimulants, carrying a sky-high killing intent.

Soon, the force of more than three thousand split into three groups, surrounding the Sand Shinobi Position like a net.

Jiraiya ran at the very front of the formation in the classic Ninja style.

He turned his head and looked at Kazan's youthful face.

He had always felt that Kazan was even less suited to leadership than he was.

With that reckless personality, Kazan clearly did not have what it took to be a leader.

But that speech just now had changed Jiraiya's opinion.

He had no chance of becoming the Fourth Hokage, but the Fifth Hokage might well be his.

Kazan possessed the ability to unite everyone into a single force. That quality was extremely valuable.

Of course, this was not the time to think so far ahead. He had to focus on the present.

Jiraiya gathered his thoughts and led the main force forward in a killing charge.

More than three thousand people advancing at once created too much commotion to go unnoticed.

Soon, the Sand Shinobi scouts discovered that Konoha had mobilized its entire force.

Rasa and the Sand Shinobi higher-ups had prepared long ago.

Konoha was not the only side with its own sources of intelligence. The Sand Shinobi had theirs as well.

Reinforcements had been arriving in Konoha one after another these past few days. No matter how naive the Sand Shinobi were, they would not think those people had come for a sightseeing trip.

The alarm bells rang throughout the Sand Shinobi Camp. Banners snapped wildly amid the rolling yellow sand as Rasa stood atop a high cliff and gazed into the distance.