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"Even if that's the case, how will Jiraiya, one of the Sannin, handle it?"
The Third Raikage also knew the risks of cooperating with the Land of Earth, but now he has no choice but to suffer in silence.
The AB combination of the Hidden Cloud Village can restrain two of the three people among Hatake Akira, Kakashi, and Namikaze Minato, and the remaining one, the Third Raikage, can also come on the field to restrain them.
But Jiraiya became a free man in the war. Although his ability to cut grass was not as good as that of Hatake Akira and the other two, he could still have a great impact on the outcome of the battle between the two armies.
Even though the ninja troops of the Hidden Cloud Village now have an absolute advantage in terms of military strength, the imbalance in top combat power and the unrest in the Land of Hot Springs still cause them a lot of trouble.
"This..." The powerful elder of the Hidden Cloud Village was speechless, but he was still a little worried about the Tsuchikage Ōnoki.
Seeing that he still wanted to persuade him, the Sandaime Raikage simply took out his decision-making power as the Raikage and with a wave of his hand, completely finalized the next steps of cooperation with the Land of Earth.
"There's no need to discuss this matter. Tomorrow I'm leaving to discuss cooperation with Ōnoki to attack the Land of Fire."
Chapter 135: Will the past grudges be resolved soon?
Land of Earth,
Iwagakure Village,
Tsuchikage Building.
Oonoki, who was short in stature and had a red nose, was not even as tall as the table when he stood, forming a sharp contrast with the tall Iwashi ninjas who stood respectfully in front of him.
This scene may be a little funny, but anyone who is familiar with it will understand that this old man, Ohnoki, is not only extremely prestigious, but his temper is also as violent as his strength!
"How's the cleaning of the spies in the village going?!"
"Basically already..."
Snapped!
A document was slammed onto the desk by Ohnoki, scaring the Iwagakure who was reporting on the progress of his work so much that he shrank his neck and stopped talking.
"Basically? What do you mean by basically?" Ohnoki's eyes looked like he wanted to kill someone. "The order I gave at that time was all, all spies!!!"
He pointed at the document he had thrown on the table and said, "Take a look at this report on how Hatake Kakashi mastered the power of blood elimination. So far, I have not received a clear answer. Is this your attitude towards my orders?"
"Sandaime Tsuchikage-sama...we have tried our best...to collect information as much as possible."
"I know you tried your best." Ohnoki's voice lowered, but then suddenly rose again, "Does trying your best work? Does it work?! What I want is the result!"
His breathing sounded heavy. Oonoki, who was at the end of his peak period, was getting worse and worse. He was so angry that his face turned red and his neck became thick.
"A bunch of good-for-nothings!" Ohnoki knew his men had done their best, so he cursed them a few times and decided to give up. "Wait until I get to the front lines and personally weigh that Hatake Kakashi, and everything will become clear."
After a pause, Oonoki looked around, then took out another document and placed it on the desk.
"The Sandaime Raikage, that reckless man, has already agreed to negotiate an alliance with us. Do you have any opinions on this matter?"
"Sandaime Tsuchikage-sama, I think it would be best if we just stick to our original plan."
"Sandaime Tsuchikage-sama, I agree with Elder Shuichi. We can't just let our feud with the Land of Lightning go."
"Sandaime Tsuchikage-sama, my opinion is basically the same as theirs, but I think the original plan can be delayed for a while. It won't be too late to implement it after strangling Hatake Akira, Hatake Kakashi, and Namikaze Minato."
"Well, I agree with your idea." Ohnoki nodded to the third elder who spoke, "But we can't focus all our attention on the front line. Konoha, which is empty inside, is also a good breakthrough point."
As he spoke, Ohnoki spread out the map that had been placed on his desk and pointed in the direction of the Hidden Leaf Village.
"How is the Earthquake Core Team preparing?"
"I have been waiting in the village under your orders."
"Then urgently contact the spy planted inside Konoha and ask him to cooperate with our plan to raid Konoha Village." Ohnoki stretched out his hand and slapped the map. "There is a fire in the rear. I don't believe that the front-line troops of the Fire Country can still hold steady!"
"Lord Sandaime Tsuchikage, your plan is really perfect." The elder of the Iwagakure Village, Shuyi, offered a timely flattery.
"But there are still loopholes." Ohnoki waved his hands, not being blown away by the flattery. "During the previous two wars, the Hidden Leaf Village suffered sneak attacks from us and other hidden villages. This time they will definitely be prepared."
"Sandaki Tsuchikage-sama, even if they are prepared, they still need someone to be prepared." The elder Shuyi of the Hidden Rock Village smiled, "As long as our army approaches, the defense line of the Land of Fire will be shaky, and then Konoha will inevitably send more troops."
"Tell me what you think." Oonoki glanced at the elder of Iwagakure Village, Shuyi.
"Sir, my idea is very simple." Shu pointed at the map and drew a few routes on it. "I suggest that after you complete the cooperation negotiations with the Third Raikage, you should lead our army to attack the Land of Fire!"
Hey.
The location that the elder Shu of the Iwagakure Village pointed to was exactly the northwest defense line of the Land of Fire, which was under the charge of Danzo Shimura.
"According to intelligence, the troops defending this place are those under Shimura Danzo. Although Shimura Danzo is quite capable, the Konoha troops he leads do not include top-notch Konoha ninjas."
"This will be a breakthrough point for us. As long as we defeat Shimura Danzo's troops in a short period of time, the Hidden Leaf Village will send troops to support us again."
"At the same time, Orochimaru's troops, which have temporarily defeated the Wind Country, will definitely be dispatched to provide support, and the defense of this place will be left empty."
"In this way, our Earthquake Core Team will be able to sneak into the Hidden Leaf Village in the safest way and implement our planned sneak attack plan."
"With both of our efforts in hand, our wish to divide up the Fire Nation will be fulfilled soon!"
"Very good, let's do as you say." Ohnoki nodded, agreeing with the tactical idea proposed by the elder Shuichi. "You guys discuss the specific details. I'll go and prepare to discuss cooperation with the Third Raikage."
"Yes, Sandaime Tsuchikage-sama!"
……
Fire Country Northeastern Defense Force,
In Jiraiya's tent.
"Ming, I'm back!"
"I'm back, Master."
Hatake Akira nodded and walked over to hug Jiraiya.
"I've heard about your achievements in battle. The fact that you killed the tailed beasts is really amazing!" Jiraiya exclaimed in amazement, "The Kingdom of Wind has suffered a big setback this time. It won't be able to make any waves for a while!"
"It's just a trick." Hatake knew how weak he was in the battle against Shukaku. "It's just that the One-tail Jinchuriki Bonfuku is old, otherwise I might not be able to do all this."
"Even if it's a trick, it's something that most ninjas can't do in their lifetime, nor dare to think about."
Jiraiya patted Hatake Akira's shoulder and said, "I guess by now, the village's commendation message for you is already on the way."
"Oh? That's pretty fast."
"You little brat, do you know what this award means?!" Hatake Akira's indifference made Zai Lai laugh. "This is the youngest jonin in the history of Konoha since the founding of the village. This award is extremely important!"
"Jonin is just a title..." Although Hatake Akira said this, he was already secretly happy in his heart.
"Without that ability, do you think anyone can get a title?" Jiraiya blew his nose and glared, "I think you are being sarcastic, aren't you?!"
"You found out?" Hatake Akira patted Jiraiya's shoulder without any respect, "Master, please call me Hatake Akira Jonin from now on."
"I can go to you!"
Jiraiya kicked Hatake Akira with a flying kick, and after a round of jokes, the atmosphere in the general's tent suddenly became much more harmonious.
Just when Hatake Akira and Jiraiya were chatting happily, Namikaze Minato and Kakashi walked in side by side.
"Teacher." Namikaze Minato greeted Jiraiya first, then looked at Hatake Akira tenderly, "Akira is back too?"
"came back."
Hatake Akira nodded, then stretched out his hand and hooked Kakashi's neck, who had come to his side as soon as possible, "Kakashi, did you miss your brother during the time I was away?"
"Yes..." Kakashi answered softly, and his face turned slightly red after he finished speaking.
"Hahaha..." Jiraiya laughed unscrupulously when he saw this scene, "You two brothers have such a good relationship. Kakashi's face is blushing!"
But then, Jiraiya, threatened by Kakashi's dead eyes, put away the smile on his face, became serious and looked at Minato Namikaze.
"Minato, you're coming here at this time. Did you encounter any emergency?"
"Teacher, there is no special emergency, it's just that the behavior of the Hidden Cloud Village ninja troops today is a little abnormal." Namikaze Minato frowned and reported to Jiraiya some abnormal things he found.
"Today, the Cloud Village Ninja Force did not continue to fight a war of attrition with us as usual. Instead, they retreated 10 kilometers across the board and set up a tight defense."
"This... is indeed a problem."
Jiraiya stroked his chin and thought, but after thinking for a long time, he still couldn't guess the specific purpose of the Cloud Village Ninja Army's actions.
"Minato, tell me your guess." Since he couldn't figure it out himself, Jiraiya simply asked Minato Namikaze.
"I think there are two possibilities." Namikaze Minato said solemnly, "One is that the Cloud Village ninja troops are preparing to gather their strength and launch a decisive offensive against us when the time is right."
"The second possibility is that there are huge unknown changes in the heart of the Land of Lightning or in the Hidden Cloud Village. It may be good or bad."
"But considering the slow and steady progress of the Hidden Cloud Village Ninja Force, I am more inclined to believe that this unknown change is a better one."
Minato Namikaze's analysis was not only well-reasoned but also clearly organized, which made Jiraiya think more and more that there were two possibilities.
"In that case, which possibility do you prefer, Minato?"
"The second one." Minato Namikaze gave his answer and then explained the reason for his choice.
"If they want to launch a decisive battle, the Hidden Cloud Village Ninja Army has an absolute advantage in manpower. They can launch the battle at any time. There is no need to put on such a posture. Give us time to prepare."
"Indeed." Jiraiya nodded, then patted Minato Namikaze's shoulder, "I will give you the power to handle this matter. You will solve this potential crisis according to your ideas."
"is teacher!"
Minato Namikaze was very happy. The signal sent by Jiraiya's move was very clear, which was that he wanted to focus on training Minato Namikaze.
This kind of training is multifaceted, but the most direct and most profitable way is to give Minato Namikaze enough power.
It can be said that after Jiraiya said this, Namikaze Minato became the second-in-command of Konoha's northeastern defense line, which was beneficial to his accumulation of reputation and power.
In the world of Naruto, the friendship and bonds between old subordinates are accumulated through war.
Moreover, the more a commander serves as a front-line troop, the more friendships and ties he will have with his old subordinates. When the war is over, these friendships and ties will become a potential political resource.
"Do your best and don't let me down."
Jiraiya gave Minato Namikaze an instruction, and then the seriousness on his face disappeared, replaced by a flattering look.
Pulling Hatake Akira to the corner of the tent, Jiraiya leaned over to his ear and whispered something.
"Ming, you've been away for so long, you didn't forget to help me with my training, did you?"
So that's why!
Akira Hatake rolled his eyes, he thought Jiraiya was up to something big.
"I haven't forgotten, but you have to let me rest for a while, right?" Hatake Akira complained, "I just came back from a long journey!"