Chiyo's furious roar could not stop Orochimaru from leading the Konoha Ninja on their escape.
Especially when all the Konoha Ninja heard the booming sound of the explosion from behind and turned around to see the One-Tail wreaking havoc in the center of the Sand Ninja ranks.
Without Orochimaru needing to remind them, everyone, with their exceptional comprehension, silently quickened their pace.
The next day, after a night of high-speed travel, Orochimaru and Shin'un successfully returned to the camp where they started.
Most of the thousands of Konoha Ninja involved in this mission left on their own along the way, returning to their respective strongholds on the Sand Ninja front.
In the end, when Orochimaru led Shin'un back to the camp, only three hundred or so Konoha Ninja remained behind him.
Standing in the open space north of the camp, Orochimaru turned around and looked at the hundreds of exhausted Konoha Ninja behind him.
Orochimaru waved his hand, signaling everyone to disperse.
"Smack~"
"Whoosh~"
"..."
The sound of numerous Konoha Ninja footsteps echoed as they left the spot.
Those with injuries sought medical-nin, those running out of supplies headed to the logistics department for resupply, and a small group of ninjas had a tougher time; they couldn't rest and had to immediately begin the next mission after being dismissed.
Just a few minutes later, only Orochimaru, Shin'un, Yūichi, and Shiina Kō Kyou remained on the open ground.
"Phew~"
Orochimaru exhaled, looked at Shin'un and the others one by one, and said:
"Alright, this mission was a complete success."
"The fortress-like golem has been successfully destroyed."
"Without its wide-range Wind Release Ninjutsu bombardment, we have absolutely no fear of engaging in direct combat with the Sand Ninja."
"This makes it possible to end the battle within two months and achieve victory."
"Especially the One-Tail of the Sand Ninja..."
Orochimaru was speaking when he suddenly frowned, turned his head, and looked towards the center of the Konoha camp behind him.
Shin'un, who was opposite Orochimaru, also noticed the commotion and turned to look in the same direction as Orochimaru.
Only Yūichi and Shiina Kō, who hadn't noticed anything amiss, stood there looking puzzled, wondering why Orochimaru- sensei had suddenly stopped speaking halfway through.
" Lord Orochimaru!"
After a short while, a ninja calling out Orochimaru came running from a distance.
As the ninja ran, he waved a letter held in his right palm.
" Lord Orochimaru, this is a letter from Nara Shikahito!"
Upon hearing this, Orochimaru immediately frowned.
"A letter from Nara- senpai?"
Orochimaru stepped forward, took the letter from the messenger ninja, and quickly unfolded and read it.
In a short time, Orochimaru's furrowed brows relaxed quickly, and he lowered his head to ponder.
Seeing Orochimaru's appearance, Shin'un stepped forward and asked, "What did the letter from the Jonin Nara say?"
Orochimaru looked up at Shin'un.
" The Jonin Nara led his team directly into the heart of the Land of Wind, ready to cut off all supplies to the Sand Ninja at the front lines at any time."
Upon hearing this, Shin'un raised an eyebrow.
"That's a good thing."
Nodding, Orochimaru continued, "That's right, it's a good thing."
" Chiyo has taken the last remaining garrison ninja of Sunagakure to the battlefield, Land of Wind's defenses extremely weak."
"If the Jonin Nara can hold out a little longer, we can achieve victory on the Sand Ninja front with minimal effort."
"However, the Jonin Nara proposed a plan..."
At this point, Orochimaru paused and handed the letter in his hand to Shin'un.
After receiving the letter, Shin'un quickly glanced at it and roughly understood what Nara Shikahito wanted to do.
"I understand. The Jonin Nara is using the thousands of Sand Ninja on the Land of Rain battlefield as leverage to force Sand Ninja to surrender."
"He wants to work with us to cut off all of the Sand Ninja's retreat routes, leaving thousands of Sand Ninja trapped in the Land of Rain without logistical support."
"By threatening the lives of all the Sand Ninja on the battlefield, we forced the Third Kazekage to surrender."
"But..."
Shin'un frowned, looking at the letter in his hand.
"Because the Jonin Nara ranks do not have a powerful ninja capable of countering the Third Kazekage's Magnet Release, we need you and Konoha White Fang to travel to the Land of Wind to ensure the plan's success."
"Furthermore, the Jonin Nara has already sent a letter to Konoha, requesting the Third Hokage's approval of this plan."
After reading the letter from Nara Shikahito, Shin'un lowered his head in deep thought.
It must be said that Nara Shikahito's plan, though bold, had a high success rate upon closer examination.
After all, the Sunagakure, now extremely depleted, only has the Third Kazekage worth noting.
The number of Sand Ninja who remained in the Land of Wind might not even be as large as the number of Konoha Ninja led by Nara Shikahito.
If they can trap the thousands of Sand Ninja led by Chiyo on the battlefield and hold off the Third Kazekage who will inevitably take action, the Sunagakure will have no choice but to surrender.
It's important to understand that as the war progresses, more and more ninjas are being deployed to the battlefield, and the Sand Ninja on the Land of Rain battlefield now represent the entirety of the Sunagakure's resources.
Without these ninjas, it's questionable whether the remaining number of ninjas in Sunagakure will even reach two thousand.
At that time, Sunagakure will probably be kicked out of the ranks of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
"The plan to Jonin Nara seems feasible."
After thinking for a while, Shin'un looked at Orochimaru and said:
"However, we only have two months to achieve victory, and this plan cannot guarantee that."
"Also, will the Lord Hokage agree?"
Orochimaru shook his head and said:
"During war, once the ninja army loses its logistical support, its combat effectiveness will plummet after a period of time."
"If the Third Kazekage doesn't want all the thousands of Sand Ninja on the battlefield to die, he must surrender within two months."
As for the teacher? He will definitely agree.
"After all, if the plan succeeds, we can simply threaten Sunagakure with thousands of Sand Ninja from the Land of Rain. What Sand Ninja wouldn't give us?"
"For Konoha, this is also the most profitable option."
After much deliberation, Orochimaru, with a serious expression, spoke:
"That's right. Even if we successfully defeat the Sunagakure in the Land of Rain, we'll at most receive a few billion in war funds, some insignificant Ninjutsu compensation, rare mineral veins throughout the Shinobi World, and a significant increase in future mission quotas..."
"But if we can use the thousands of Sand Ninja on the battlefield as leverage to negotiate with the Sunagakure..."
Thinking of this, Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, turned around, and walked straight towards the center of the camp.
"There's no time to think it over. The longer Nara- senpai stays in the Land of Wind, the greater the chance of being discovered. I'll take several ninja squads and head straight to the Land of Wind."
"I believe that Hatake- senpai on the other side of the battlefield in the Land of Rain will make the same choice as me."
As he spoke, Orochimaru stopped and turned to look at Shin'un.
"You stay behind; all the Konoha Ninja on the Sand Ninja front are under your command."
"Remember, Chiyo is currently trapped inside the One-Tail Beast. All the Sand Ninja on the battlefield have lost unified command, and things must be in complete chaos."
"This is a golden opportunity."
"We must trap all the Sand Ninja on the Land of Rain battlefield before they can react!"