Standing still and floating, Ōnoki watched Aizen and the others leave, a hint of killing intent flashing in his eyes.
He thought of taking this opportunity to kill Aizen and his group with Dust Release. Aizen and his group had really made Iwagakure lose face today, and had also lost many excellent ninjas.
However, the departing figures of Aizen and the others gave him a strange feeling. Considering Aizen's mysterious and unpredictable Genjutsu, and the consequences of a failed attack, he gave up. In the end, he simply returned to Iwagakure with Butō.
He planned to secretly gather intelligence on Aizen and his group because their uniform demon masks and black trench coats made him realize that there was a tightly organized Aizen behind them.
Furthermore, the fact that even powerful figures like Aizen and Jörmungandr willing to join such an organization further proves its extraordinary nature.
The thought that such an organization existed in the shadows of the Shinobi World made Ōnoki feel uneasy. Even with the powerful intelligence capabilities of Iwagakure, he had not received any information about this organization. If he hadn't encountered Aizen and his group today, he wouldn't have known that such an organization existed.
He suspected that this organization was hiding so deeply and must have some ulterior motive, so he had to be careful with future dealings with Aizen and his group.
With these chaotic thoughts in mind, Ōnoki returned to Iwagakure with Butō.
Meanwhile, Kōki, who was on a mission, was unaware that his clone had already made a deal with the Tsuchikage and attracted the attention of Iwagakure.
He is currently in the forest with Ino-Shika-Cho, thinking about their mission objective as they head towards it.
" Yūsuke- senpai, how far are we from our destination?" Kōki asked Nara Yūsuke, who was running ahead, with a hint of doubt in his eyes.
Their mission this time was to sabotage the Sunagakure, and their requirement was to annihilate as many Sunagakure ninja as possible within the camp.
Intelligence indicates that there are about a hundred Sand Ninja in the camp, but most of them are Genin or chuunibyou, with Jonin- level ninja.
The mission objective is located on the border of the Land of Rivers, a little inland, some distance from the main battlefield, but not far.
This place is where Sunagakure) garrisoned its troops, so that they could readily draw upon this location to replenish battlefield losses should the main battlefield suffer setbacks.
Their reasons for choosing this mission to annihilate the enemy were simple: firstly, to put pressure on the main battlefield of Sunagakure; and secondly, because the combat power of this stronghold posed no threat to their squad and could be easily dealt with.
"Almost there. Intelligence indicates the base is just a short distance away by a river. At our speed, we'll be there in half an hour," Nara Yūsuke replied to Kōki, taking out a scroll to check the directions.
"That's good." Kōki nodded, then continued, " Yūsuke, how's things on the main battlefield? We only rested for two days before starting missions again. Does that mean the main battlefield has reopened?"
Kōki realized that their mission had restarted, which meant there had been changes at the front lines. He wondered if these changes would be beneficial to Konoha.
"That's right. News came from the front lines that after their offensive faltered, the Sunagakure leadership adjusted their strategic deployment and deployed their renowned puppet troops to the front lines. It was precisely because of this elite force that the Sunagakure, which was recuperating, was able to launch a renewed attack on us. That's why we have our current mission."
Nara Yūsuke's explanation made Kōki nod. He had originally guessed that the Sunagakure might have received some support, which was why the front line had to resume operations. The current situation just proved his guess.
However, he realized that if Sunagakure reinforcements arrived, the pressure on Konoha's front lines would be immense. He wondered if Hiruzen Sarutobi had any strategies to alleviate the pressure on the front lines.
"Do we have enough manpower to support the front lines? I remember we lost quite a few men in the previous battles. Or does the Lord Hokage have other plans?"
In Kōki's view, the most suitable strategy is to also spare manpower to support the front line. Of course, Hiruzen Sarutobi might have a better strategy to repel the enemy without having to send more manpower.
"The village leadership couldn't come up with a particularly good solution either. The Lord Hokage ordered the village's ninja clans to gather 1,500 ninja to support the front lines. These 1,500 were Konoha's maximum support for the front lines. Although our village still has enough troops, they are all needed to guard other borders and protect the village, and cannot be used arbitrarily."
Nara Yūsuke spoke with a hint of helplessness. Many of the ninja clans sent to the battlefield this time were from the Nara Clan. There was no other way; Konoha simply couldn't spare any more troops. The people they could send out were all squeezed out from each ninja village.
" Yūsuke is right. This time, our Ino-Shika-Cho Clans sent quite a few people, and many of our young ninjas were selected. The clan, which used to be quite lively, is now much quieter." Akimichi Tsuyoshi's words carried a hint of sadness.
He knew that many of his kin would perish on the battlefield, but he was helpless, for he knew this was war.
"Alright, Tsuyoshi. We all know that sacrifices are inevitable, so if we want to reduce them, we need to exert our strength, thwart Sunagakure's plans as much as possible, and end the war as soon as possible."
As one of the Ino-Shika-Cho, Yamanaka Kenji could sense the sadness hidden in Akimichi Tsuyoshi's tone, and he comforted Akimichi Tsuyoshi.
Many members of his Yamanaka Clan had also gone to the battlefield, and he was powerless to help them. All he could think of was contributing to ending the war as soon as possible through their own strength.
" Kenji is right. Let's not forget that it's not just our ninja clan that's sacrificing themselves; ordinary ninjas are also dying. So we must work even harder to end the war as soon as possible so that our clansmen can be safe and the rest of the village can be kept away from the war."
Nara Yūsuke, the leader of the Ino-Shika-Cho, was saddened by his clansmen's departure to the battlefield. However, he knew that war was inevitable, especially since they, as Konoha ninja clan, had to lead from the front to live up to the respect shown to them by the villagers.
"I understand. As members of the ninja clan, we must shoulder greater responsibilities, and the war will end with us."
With the repeated explanations and encouragement from Yamanaka Kenji and Nara Yūsuke, Akimichi Tsuyoshi overcame his grief and transformed it into motivation. He resolved to work even harder to kill Sunagakure and contribute to the peace of Konoha.
Nara Yūsuke nodded as he looked at the spirited Akimichi Tsuyoshi. As members of the Anbu, they had to maintain their full strength. Akimichi Tsuyoshi's sadness might affect his performance in future missions, so he had to encourage him.
Of course, his words were not merely meant to encourage Akimichi Tsuyoshi; they also expressed his own desire to resolve the war quickly.