Three or four days passed in this way, and the attacks of Sunagakure on Konoha became more and more frequent, while the number of injured and poisoned ninjas in the medical camp also increased day by day.
The medical-nin responsible for treatment are also under increasing pressure.
Meanwhile, the morale of the Konoha troops was also gradually declining.
Every time they encounter an attack from Sunagakure, they can't help but recall the agonizing sight of the poisoned ninjas in their camp, which makes them hesitant and timid when defending against the attack.
As a result, they found it difficult to unleash their full power when facing Sunagakure, and this also increased their risk of injury.
Under this vicious cycle, the number of people poisoned on the Konoha front has reached three to four hundred.
It's worth noting that the Sunagakure's attacks on Konoha these past few days have all been small-scale, but unexpectedly, even these small-scale battles have caused Konoha heavy losses.
The key issue is that Orochimaru sent Hiruzen Sarutobi a message a few days ago to find Tsunade, and there's still no news.
If things continue like this, Konoha will truly only face defeat.
In a specially partitioned room in the medical camp, all the high-ranking officials who were considered important on the front lines were gathered. This place was set up by Orochimaru so that he could keep abreast of the ninja's situation.
" Lord Orochimaru, is there still no news of Lady Tsunade?" Genji looked at Orochimaru with a bitter expression.
He has been doing his best these past few days to treat the poisoned ninjas and to research ways to counteract the toxin.
However, their capabilities were limited, and the number of people cured each day was far too small, not even as many as the number of injured people. They also had no clue how to counteract the poison, and could only watch as the poisoned ninjas screamed in agony and died each day.
This situation put him under immense pressure, causing his black hair to turn white and wrinkles to become more prominent, making him look like he was in his forties or fifties when he was only in his thirties.
Faced with Genji's question, Orochimaru, looking exhausted, rubbed his forehead, his hoarse voice becoming weak and feeble. "No, there's still no information about Tsunade in the village. Teacher Sarutobi told us to hold on a little longer; they've been searching very hard."
He had no choice; Tsunade had left the village to escape troubles and hadn't given him her contact information.
Although the village has a large population, finding even one person in the vast land of the Shinobi World is like finding a needle in a haystack.
"We can't hold out much longer. We already have three or four hundred injured and poisoned ninjas. If we don't come up with a solution soon, that number will only increase, and then we really won't have the fighting strength to face the Sunagakure."
Genji's face was full of worry. In less than a week, more than three hundred to nearly four hundred poisoned ninjas had appeared in the medical camp, and the frequency of attacks from Sunagakure was also very high.
In another week, the number of poisoned ninjas in their camp might double, reaching over a thousand wounded.
This number accounts for a quarter of the total number of combatants.
Their predicament will only worsen, and if Sunagakure launches a full-scale attack at that time, their forces of less than three thousand will be overwhelmed by Sunagakure's sheer numbers.
Orochimaru, as the commander, understood the meaning behind Genji's words and was fully aware of their current predicament.
He had already seen through Sunagakure's plan to use poison to wear them down, but the problem was that he was powerless against Sunagakure's overt scheme.
"Don't worry, Sunagakure's plan will not succeed." Orochimaru said with a heavy expression to Genji, Shikaku Nara, and the others beside him.
Hearing Orochimaru's words, those around him were somewhat puzzled. Did Lord Orochimaru have a solution to break the deadlock?
Only Shikaku Nara in the crowd, noticed Orochimaru's somber expression and, with a hint of something amiss, asked, "Is Lord Orochimaru preparing for a decisive battle with Sunagakure ahead of schedule?"
Shikaku Nara's words astonished everyone around him. They stared at him in surprise, then turned to Shikaku Nara. Launching a full-scale attack when their side was at a disadvantage Orochimaru? Was he insane?
" Shikaku, you're right. I do intend to launch the general offensive ahead of schedule. Given our current situation, the longer it goes on, the weaker our fighting strength will become. By then, we won't even have the strength to resist."
Therefore, if we don't want to sit idly by and wait for our demise, we must launch a full-scale offensive before our fundamental defenses are completely destroyed. Then, we can decide the outcome in one decisive battle. Otherwise, without an antidote, our only option is defeat.
Orochimaru didn't want to launch the all-out attack prematurely, but he couldn't watch Konoha's troops slowly perish. The longer it dragged on, the more dangerous their situation would become, so launching the all-out attack ahead of schedule was a last resort.
After listening to Orochimaru's explanation, the surrounding Jonin nodded in understanding and considered the feasibility of the plan in their minds.
Before they could come up with anything, Shikaku Nara continued, " Lord Orochimaru, if we really want to launch a full-scale attack, the sooner the better, ideally within the next few days. After all, the sooner we launch it, the more complete our fighting force will be, and the stronger we will be."
Shikaku Nara was at his wit's end. He knew that in this disadvantageous situation, the only way to break the deadlock was to take advantage of their relatively intact fighting force and fight against the people of Sunagakure. Otherwise, they would really be dragged down by Sunagakure.
"Yes, we do need to launch an attack as soon as possible. But our goal in launching this general offensive is to win the war, not to send people to their deaths. So please be patient. I asked the Lord Hokage a few days ago to send ninjas to the rear of Sunagakure to sabotage their logistics. Judging by the time, we should have news by now."
Orochimaru had already planned a full-scale attack the day after he discovered that Chiyo's poison was incurable. However, launching a full-scale attack did not mean sending his subordinate ninjas to their deaths; he needed to have a certain advantage before he could act.
So he reported all the intelligence from the front lines and his own thoughts to Hiruzen Sarutobi, and after receiving Hiruzen Sarutobi's approval, he waited for Hiruzen Sarutobi's news.
Three days have passed since he received Hiruzen Sarutobi's reply, so the mission to raid the rear of Sunagakure should have yielded results by now.
The high-ranking officials present were all invigorated upon hearing Orochimaru's backup plan, while also feeling a sense of relief. As expected of Lord Orochimaru, he had already prepared a way to deal with the enemy.
As he was thinking this, a small snake appeared out of nowhere and crawled onto the table in front of Orochimaru.
Under the watchful eyes of the surrounding ninjas, the little snake opened its mouth wide and spat out a scroll covered in slime from its abdomen, which fell onto the table.
Orochimaru didn't seem to mind the wet scroll on the table; he picked it up, opened it, and began to read.
The contents of the scroll brought a smile to Orochimaru's face.
Intelligence indicates that several elite ninja squads dispatched by the village have caused considerable damage to Sunagakure's rear, cutting off much of Sunagakure's logistics and resulting in significant manpower losses.