Nara Shikahito paused after saying these words.
"Furthermore, as the commander of the Sand Ninja front appointed by the Lord Hokage, I should have had many opportunities to prevent such losses from occurring."
As he spoke, Nara Shikahito listed these opportunities one by one.
"If only I could have foreseen the Sunagakure's hidden contingency plan in time, if only I had been more cautious because of Chiyo's one-day disappearance on the Stone Ninja battlefield, and if only I hadn't rashly issued the order for a forced march just because Orochimaru's route was deserted..."
Nara Shikahito closed his eyes and said, "If I had noticed the signs of trouble in those details, I could have prevented Orochimaru's team from suffering losses."
"Then those seven hundred Konoha Ninja wouldn't have died so hastily."
Thump!
As he reviewed all the mistakes he had made in his previous decisions, Nara Shikahito felt increasingly ashamed and resentful. He slammed his hands on the round table in front of him, where the map of the Shinobi World was placed.
Seeing this, Shin'un and the others in the tent looked at each other, unsure of what to say.
"Alright, Jonin Nara, please calm down. Nobody wanted things to turn out this way."
Finally, Shin'un stepped forward and spoke.
He walked up to Nara Shikahito and said, somewhat seriously:
"Besides, now is not the time to think about these things."
" Chiyo has already led over a thousand Sand Ninja, more than five hundred puppeteers, and the remaining dozens of giant puppets toward the main Sand Ninja force."
"Once Chiyo and the remaining main force of the Sand Ninja reunite, our two thousand ninja left on the front lines will definitely not be able to stop the Sand Ninja's attack."
"If we don't find a way to make arrangements, the advantage we've painstakingly built up through our consecutive victories will vanish completely."
"Even the battlefield of Stone Ninja on the other side of the Land of Rain will be affected by what we've done here, making things even more difficult."
As he spoke, Shin'un frowned.
"In that case, the entire Konoha Village's situation in the Land of Rain will be dragged down by us."
"That's right..." Nara Shikahito closed his eyes and took a deep breath upon hearing Shin'un's words. "Past mistakes cannot be undone, but future plans must not be flawed."
After speaking, Nara Shikahito pondered for a moment and looked at Shin'un.
"The situation on the front lines is not as pessimistic as it seems."
"Didn't Orochimaru already lead the remaining ninja back to the Sand Ninja front lines?"
With Orochimaru leading the frontline ninjas, at least the defenses won't be easily breached by the Sand Ninja.
"However," Nara Shikahito, looking down at the table in front of him and gazing at the map, "We can't let our guard down. We don't know the cost and operational difficulty of those giant puppets made by the Sand Ninja."
"If they release over a hundred of those giant puppets at once, coupled with the nearly four thousand Sand Ninja currently on the front lines, Orochimaru's three thousand Konoha Ninja alone have absolutely no chance of stopping the Sand Ninja's attack."
After pondering for a moment, Shin'un looked at Nara Shikahito and tentatively said, "Since Orochimaru- sensei has already led his team back to the Sand Ninja front, the original plan must be impossible to complete now."
"How about we take these two thousand Konoha Ninja and launch a direct attack on the rear of the Sand Ninja's main force?"
"It's possible, but... not good enough!" Nara Shikahito a moment, rejecting Shin'un's idea.
" Chiyo's attack on Orochimaru this time involved not only her puppeteer unit, but also over a thousand Sand Ninja."
He turned to Shin'un and asked, "Do you know what this means?"
Before Shin'un could answer, Nara Shikahito gave the answer directly.
"This means that the defenses behind the Sand Ninja will become even more vulnerable."
Looking again at the Shinobi World map on the table, Nara Shikahito narrowed his eyes and said as if no one else was around:
"The war has lasted for four years, and the participating ninja villages have suffered heavy losses on the battlefield, with their ninja numbers declining sharply."
Even if the Sunagakure somehow produced such a massively destructive puppet, the manpower shortage problem would still remain unsolved.
"Even our Konoha, while maintaining two fronts, can only deploy the bare minimum defenses within its own territory, let alone the Sunagakure, whose ninja population is already among the lowest of all ninja villages."
"I don't believe that Chiyo's more than a thousand Sand Ninja appeared out of thin air."
"They can only..." Nara Shikahito paused, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. "They can only draw manpower from the border regions, from towns in the rear, and from various strongholds on the battlefield..."
"Therefore, not only can we not cancel our previous plan to attack the rear of the Sand Ninja's main force, but we must also expand the plan even further." After listening to Nara Shikahito's words, Shin'un's thoughts gradually became clear, and he continued.
"That's right. If my assumption is correct, the Sand Ninja's rear should be extremely weak right now." Nara Shikahito gave Shin'un an approving look.
"But we can't ignore the main Sand Ninja force led by Chiyo. If they really break through Orochimaru's defenses, even if we destroy all the strongholds behind the main Sand Ninja force, even if we break through the border of the Land of Wind and penetrate deep into the Land of Land of Wind, it can't be considered a victory."
At most, it can only be described as a lose-lose situation.
At this point, Nara Shikahito looked at Shin'un, thought for a moment, and then said:
"Therefore, I will lead 1,500 ninjas towards the Land of Wind as planned, destroying all Sand Ninja strongholds along the way and severing the connection between the Sand Ninja force Land of Wind."
"You will then lead all the remaining ninja back to the Sand Ninja front to support Orochimaru."
After speaking, Nara Shikahito's expression became slightly serious.
"Remember, once you return to the front lines, try to avoid direct combat with the Sand Ninja forces. Even if you have no choice but to clash with them, focus on stalling for time."
"As long as we maintain the front line and keep the main Sand Ninja forces pinned down in the Land of Rain, I am confident that I can lead my troops to destroy all of the Sand Ninja's rear strongholds."
"At that time, if we just stall for time, the main force of the Sand Ninja, having lost its escape route, the Land of Wind, having lost its protection, and the Sunagakure, unable to make contact with the Sand Ninja force, will naturally not be able to hold out."
Nara Shikahito's eyes lit up, and his expression gradually became excited.
"If all goes well, if all goes well, we'll soon see hope for victory on the Sand Ninja front!"
"Whoosh~ Whoosh~... Boom!!!"
"Waaah~"
Lifting the curtain that was being blown about by the wind and waves, Shin'un led the way out of the tent.
"What a heavy rain! Even in the Land of Rain, such a downpour is rare!" Shiina Kō followed Shin'un out of the tent, feeling the pain of the large raindrops lashing his face as the wind whipped around him, and shouted loudly.
Hearing Shiina Kō's words faintly, Shin'un raised his right hand to shield his forehead and looked up at the sky.
Just then, at the same moment Shin'un looked up at the sky, a thick bolt of blue-purple lightning crossed the vast distance between the dark clouds and the earth, striking the ground far beyond the horizon.
"BOOM!!!"
The deafening thunder roared throughout the heavens and earth, instilling fear in everyone.
"Sizzle~"
Seeing a violent bolt of lightning appear and disappear before his eyes, Shin'un involuntarily looked to his right.
As Shin'un moved at will, several chaotic blue-purple electric currents flashed and disappeared between the fingers of his right hand.
"Alright."
Shin'un raised his head and gazed at the cliff face where his team was stationed in the distance, lost in thought.
Let's go.