After the Kumogakure and the Iwagakure issued orders to attack Konoha, Konoha also received the news. Hiruzen Sarutobi reacted quickly, immediately issuing war deployment orders to the ninja forces guarding the respective borders. He also instructed Orochimaru to expedite the elimination of the Sunagakure Village. After dealing with the Hidden Sunagakure, he was to rush to the aid of the other two battlefields.
At that moment, Kōki was in Orochimaru's conference room. He was unaware that he had been targeted by White Zetsu, the most powerful intelligence master in the Shinobi World. He looked at Orochimaru at the head of the table with a somewhat serious expression, not at all like someone who had won a battle. Just as he was wondering about this, Orochimaru spoke.
"Everyone, Iwagakure and Kumogakure have launched an attack on us."
His words caused the expressions of the Jonin to freeze. They hadn't yet recovered from the joy of defeating Sunagakure when Orochimaru delivered such a major piece of news, leaving them somewhat at a loss.
" Lord Orochimaru, really? How could this be so sudden?"
"Yes, I never expected that."
Upon hearing this news, the surrounding Jonin immediately began to discuss it amongst themselves. The news was so sudden that they were completely unprepared. They had originally thought they could rest for a while after the war in Sunagakure and see their wives and children. Now that Iwagakure and Kumogakure had invaded, all their hopes were dashed.
"News of Wood Release spread throughout the entire Shinobi World, so the other two villages couldn't sit still any longer; otherwise, they wouldn't have launched their attack so quickly."
"This..." The surrounding Jonin were speechless, only unable to help but glance at the calm Kōki beside them. Of course, they didn't resent Kōki, but they were just a little embarrassed that they hadn't thought of such a simple truth.
Kōki was also taken aback by the news about Orochimaru. He hadn't expected that he would become the catalyst for the Third Shinobi World War, and a strange feeling welled up inside him.
At this moment, Shikaku Nara, acting as an advisor, stopped the surrounding chatter and asked, " Lord Orochimaru, what orders has the Lord Hokage given?"
Shikaku Nara knew that since the facts were as they were, there was no doubt about it. The important question now was how to deal with the situation next.
"The village's message is simple: they want us to defeat Sunagakure completely as soon as possible and then support other battlefields. I believe you all know that from the moment Sunagakure sent troops to our border until now, we have already spent half a year on Sunagakure."
This prolonged conflict has already placed considerable strain on the village's logistics, and now the simultaneous attacks from Kumogakure and Iwagakure have further exacerbated the situation. Therefore, to prevent a logistical collapse, we must act swiftly. I have thus issued a military order to Teacher Sarutobi: within a week, we must defeat Sunagakure and drive them back to the Land of Wind."
"A week? Lord Orochimaru, isn't that a bit too short?" Upon hearing this, one of the Jonin couldn't help but express his doubts. Wasn't it too fast to defeat Sunagakure within a week?
Even a broken ship has three nails left, let alone the Sunagakure, one of the Five Great Nations. Who knows if the Sunagakure will use some desperate means to turn the tide? Besides, if they really want to eliminate the Sunagakure so quickly, Konoha will have to pay a considerable price, which makes many ninjas somewhat apprehensive.
Hearing someone question his decision, Orochimaru retorted sharply, "Is a week long? I don't even think it will take a week. After these several major battles, the Sunagakure forces have been suffering heavy losses and have very few troops left. On the other hand, we in Konoha have been winning every battle, with plenty of manpower and high morale. Based on this alone, we have a very high chance of winning."
With such formidable strength, surely you can't even deal with the remnants of Sunagakure? If you can't even take down Sunagakure, I really have to question the capabilities of the Konoha Ninja. Or is some of you afraid?"
In the end, Orochimaru's eyes revealed a chilling glint that made many ninjas who were afraid of fighting dare not meet his gaze.
Fortunately, most of the ninjas possessed a fearless spirit and had no objections to Orochimaru's arrangements. After all, they knew, as Orochimaru had said, that Konoha's current strength was more than enough to deal with the heavily damaged Sunagakure.
Moreover, this is the best time to eliminate Sunagakure. If the matter is dragged out any longer, the initial advantage might turn into a disadvantage. After all, Iwagakure and Kumogakure have already launched their attacks, and the longer it drags on, the more disadvantageous it will be for Konoha.
After looking around and seeing that none of the Jonin present showed any fear, Orochimaru smiled with satisfaction. "Since everyone has no objections, it's settled then. Starting tomorrow, we will launch a fierce attack on Sunagakure. Kōki and I will both be on the battlefield, and we must bring this war between Sunagakure and Konoha to a close as soon as possible."
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru."
"Alright, you all go and prepare. Kōki Itō, stay behind."
Upon hearing Orochimaru's order, all the Jonin present left one after another, glancing curiously at Kōki's short figure as they departed. Clearly, they were all very interested in Kōki, who possessed Wood Release. If the timing hadn't been inappropriate, they would have all gone up to Kōki and struck up a conversation.
Kōki was also a little puzzled. He hadn't said a word during the meeting, so why was Orochimaru looking for him now?
After all the ninjas had left, Orochimaru looked at the young figure in front of him and said in his distinctive hoarse voice, " Kōki, do you know why I specifically asked you to stay?"
Kōki shook his head, looking at Orochimaru's enigmatic expression. He truly didn't know why Orochimaru had called him back. If it was about Wood Release, that didn't make sense, since Orochimaru already knew about Wood Release and hadn't bothered to call him back again.
Orochimaru, unfazed by Kōki's shake of the head, didn't directly reveal his purpose in seeking Kōki. Instead, he changed the subject, saying, " Kōki, you know, I used to feel powerless because I was just an ordinary person. I believed that the path to becoming strong was fraught with difficulties for ordinary people, while those with special bloodlines could easily reach levels that ordinary people could never achieve in their entire lives. Therefore, I envied those with special bloodlines. So, in order to make a breakthrough for myself, I collaborated with others to research bloodline power, attempting to recreate the miracle of my bloodline within myself. But unfortunately, I failed. It seemed as if there was a shackle deep within the power of my bloodline, preventing me from peering into it."
" Lord Orochimaru, what exactly are you trying to say?"
"Don't rush, Kōki- kun. Listen to me, and you'll understand." Orochimaru replied to Kōki's question, then continued, "So I abandoned this research and turned to other things. But I was always bothered by the failure of the experiment until the war started and I arrived on the battlefield, only then did I let go of my depression. But one day, I suddenly saw a figure. From the first glance, he felt very familiar, but I couldn't remember him. It wasn't until recently that I remembered his identity. Kōki, guess who he is?"