Tactical guidance—ultimately, it was nothing more than a way to mask the reality of being unable to continue fighting and desperately seeking help.
After receiving the terrible news of the Two-Tails Jinchuriki's death and the crushing defeat of the clearing forces, A immediately realized the situation had turned dire.
Each Hidden Village regarded its Jinchuriki as one of its rare elite warriors. Whether this individual had died in battle or been captured, the loss would be an extremely heavy blow for Kumo.
In fact, the loss of combat power wasn't even the biggest concern. The critical issue was that with the death of the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, Cloud Village would become the first among the Five Great Ninja Villages in the Ninja World to have deployed—and then lost—a Jinchuriki in wartime!
Being the first to suffer such a loss was definitely no good sign!
Just like how the other villages started eyeing opportunities after Konoha's defeat in the Land of Rain, the loss of a Jinchuriki would inevitably spark increased hostility from rival villages toward Kumo—especially from their longtime mortal foe, Iwagakure!
Yet even A had not anticipated just how fierce Konoha's assault would be.
Before messenger ninja could finish relaying requests for tactical guidance and detailed battle reports back to the village via multiple channels, before the shocked upper echelons of Kumo could issue instructions for the next phase, Konoha's forces had already arrived at the outskirts of Hakone Prefecture city. They began encircling the city while repelling reinforcements, repeatedly crushing two squads of Kumo ninja who had obeyed A's command to retreat toward the city. Kumo alone lost over two hundred men directly in these battles.
This meant Hakone Prefecture city was no longer safe.
Although Kumo initially deployed as many as 3,000 ninja—an army twice the size of Konoha's forces currently setting up siege positions outside the city walls—the actual number of defenders remaining inside the city numbered fewer than 800. Most had been stationed on the outskirts of the prefecture and along various border regions. Combined with the additional losses of over a thousand ninja following the failed punitive campaign, even including scattered units still patrolling distant perimeters without daring to advance forward, the total number of organized, battle-ready ninja under A's command barely reached thirteen hundred.
The real question was this—if Konoha had the strength to kill the Two-Tails Jinchuriki and crush over a thousand Kumo soldiers, then how long could the city's defenders last, even when joined by the surrounding forces?
Although A was confident in his own abilities, he was still a Raikage heir who hadn't fully recovered from his severe wounds—one of those 'hulking invincibles' brought low by injury. At present, even making sudden movements might cause problems, let alone engaging in intense combat!
Therefore, facing Konoha's formidable and disciplined army, A felt completely uncertain inside.
Initiating a counterattack?
Launching an attack without enough strength to match Konoha's elites? That would be suicide!
Fortifying and waiting for reinforcements?
That would just drag them into a long, painful loss—no doubt about it!
Abandoning the city and fleeing?
As the Raikage heir, A could never stoop so low—he wouldn't allow himself to flee like some cowardly disgrace! Besides, would Konoha's ninja tools stationed outside permit them to withdraw peacefully? If they were chased down relentlessly during their retreat, A's already dwindling forces would be wiped out completely!
After thinking deeply about all options, A fell into an endless loop of indecision, trapped without escape.
Even the Kumo Jonin—his usually sharp and cunning tacticians—now sat clueless and powerless.
Even if their minds strained to conjure deceptive schemes like the Empty Fort Strategy, upon spotting Hyuga ninja from the Konoha forces using their Byakugan to observe their movements, such intimidation tactics never saw the light of day—they died stillborn.
Meanwhile, the Konoha forces calmly dispatched detachments to drive away Kumo squads lingering at a distance. At the same time, they rapidly established standard military setups—fortifications and communication-blocking barriers—cutting off contact between the Kumo ninja inside the city and their Hidden Village headquarters in Raimei Canyon.
Unwilling to remain disconnected, Kumo quickly released their own messenger hawks, but the moment the birds took flight, they were shot down midair by falcons sent by Konoha. Even the hawk corpses and attached messages were retrieved and brought straight back to the Konoha base.
A watched all this unfold, his heart sinking deeper.
Konoha's ambitions seemed truly vast!
Kumo's mobilization hadn't even finished yet. The three thousand weakened ninja currently deployed in the south were merely the first wave; far larger reinforcements many times their number were now assembling and advancing. But therein lay the danger—if those follow-up troops lacked elite experts for protection, then once ambushed by Konoha forces, their entire army could collapse entirely!
And when that happened, the Kumo ninja trapped in Hakone Prefecture would be utterly helpless—like calling to heaven with no reply, and crying to earth with no response—all while under tight surveillance and surrounded with no escape route!
As A remained deep in thought within the prefectural city, the encircling Konoha forces, having completed basic fortifications, used the downtime to rest and recover. They also sent updated battle reports to Konoha headquarters, demanding immediate reinforcements in preparation for a decisive confrontation with Kumo.
Although the Konoha Ninja Force appeared mighty and invincible at this moment—continuously defeating Kumo units attempting to approach their command post—in truth, these fighters were relatively weak border defense troops originally stationed in the Land of Fire by Hyuga Soushu. Their seeming strength actually stemmed mostly from the direct participation of Soushu himself and Sakumo Hatake.
As for the Konoha ninja currently building up defensive positions, most of them were reinforcement units who had followed Hatake Sakumo during his ambush missions. Having just participated in the hunt for the Two-Tails Jinchuriki and the defeat of Kumo's cleansing forces, they had then endured an arduous forced march. Now utterly exhausted, they occasionally dozed off on their feet while constructing traps and fortifications.
The problem, however, was that due to Konoha's apparent meticulous planning—including deployment of communication-blocking barriers and positioning Byakugan-wielding Hyuga ninja openly on the frontline—the Kumo forces, unsure of Konoha's true capabilities, dared not act recklessly or attempt probing attacks to test their enemy's weakness.
Thus, both sides passed through the first night of this siege filled with anxiety.
But the biggest difference came the next morning: after a night's rest, the main Konoha forces quickly recovered much of their energy thanks to secret medicinal potions. Early the next day, they appeared energized and ready in front of their defenses, openly forming into groups and arranging into formations, clearly signaling their intent to launch a full-scale assault.
The Kumonin trapped inside the city spent a sleepless night filled with anxiety. Far from getting proper rest, they stayed awake in fear of a nocturnal assault by Konoha, growing even more exhausted under the weight of their worries.
Thus, after securing a decisive psychological victory, the balance of power decisively shifted in Konoha's favor.
Hyuga Soushu and Hatake Sakumo's daring advance also won the blessing of the Goddess of the Hour of the Rabbit.
In the afternoon, two Kumo squads merged and attempted to penetrate the city through its relatively weak northern defenses, hoping to join forces with A's stationed ninja force. However, once again led by Hyuga Soushu charging headlong into battle, the Kumo ninjas were defeated mercilessly, fleeing in disarray and leaving behind not only their armor but also the corpses of their comrades scattered across the battlefield.
Witnessing the battle unfolding outside the city walls, the Kumo ninja inside could only watch helplessly. The southern front—Konoha's main stronghold—remained heavily fortified, with Konoha ninja poised for action at every moment. Despite the enemy being less than three kilometers away, they dared not launch a rescue mission, forced to observe as familiar faces fell one by one beneath Hyuga Soushu's ruthless onslaught.
"Damn it!"
A clenched his teeth so hard they nearly shattered.
Whether considering Kumo's traditional spirit of unity and the Will of Lightning or his own honor as the Raikage heir, emotionally or rationally speaking, A had no reason to allow his comrades to be slaughtered so brutally right before his eyes by their bitter rivals from Konoha.
Yet he had no choice!
He had considered every possible strategy, and the best viable option left was to hold fast and await reinforcements, then stage a coordinated attack from inside and outside once the village army arrived—thus wiping out these cold-blooded Konoha ninjas entirely!
Even if Konoha launched a full-scale assault, though the defending Kumo forces would likely fail to fully repel such a powerful enemy, they could at least leverage the layered traps laid throughout the city to exact heavy losses from Konoha. In such a dire situation, even an exchange of one life for another would count as a gain.
"Lord A, please return to your tent and take a rest."
One of his senior Jonin officers, unable to bear watching their allies' defeat, stepped forward and urged gently, "We are here to guard you. There's no way those Konoha bandits will succeed in sneaking up on us. Please, get some rest!"
"As long as our village reinforcement arrives, everything will turn around."
Other senior ninja also joined in urging him forward, and finally, letting out a long sigh, A submitted to the collective decision.
For the turbulent and unsettled Konoha, the victory news arriving from the Northern Border was like the first ray of hope following the Land of Rain disaster!
Although the Konoha F4, including Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, were reluctant in their hearts to widely praise Hatake Sakumo—revered as both the embodiment of the Will of Fire and a challenger to the Hokage's authority—they had no other choice. Right now, Konoha desperately needed a glorious tale capable of boosting the entire village's morale, encouraging common ninja to set aside personal gains and loyally serve the village, just like a powerful spiritual morale booster for the soul.
Moreover, Konoha urgently required a decisive and overwhelming victory to prove itself—to everyone, including the Daimyo of the Land of Fire—that Konoha truly deserved its title as the greatest Hidden Village among all shinobi nations. Konoha was absolutely not unworthy of its reputation!
As a result, on the very same afternoon that the good news reached Konoha, reports of Kumo's crushing defeat and the death of the Jinchuriki were delivered directly onto the desks of noble lords, courtiers, and leaders of all major Hidden Villages.
Though Konoha had partly orchestrated the spread of this good news—meant to be leaked to foreign spies hiding within the village—it still produced a clear effect.
As early as that very night, Hyuga ninjas from the eastern camp reported back to the village: ninjas who had been lurking and probing along the coastline had completely vanished.
Meanwhile, Shirakawa Namiko on the eastern front also noticed that Sunagakure ninjas, previously gathering inside the Land of Wind as if preparing for trouble, had likewise lowered their flags and retreated. They had even abandoned their border defenses entirely, pulling back directly into their walled cities.
This was the overwhelming deterrence brought about by the death of a Jinchuriki, regarded as an ultimate weapon!
Without even needing the participation of a Kage, one could already kill a Jinchuriki—at the very least, it proved that Konoha could once again crush Suna, which only possessed the One-Tail, without deploying the Nine-Tails—the so-called strongest tailed beast.
Therefore, Suna's choice wasn't hard to understand: rather than continuing head-on toward certain defeat, it made more sense to march northward and fight their longtime rivals, Iwagakure—at least they would be able to exchange blows evenly while also plundering resources to meet the needs of their hidden village.
As for the abandoned Wind Country borderlands, both the Kazekage and the Daimyo of the Land of Wind felt indifferent about them—for quite simply, the Land of Wind was just too poor! Invading Suna would certainly result in a losing proposition!
In fact, even the Third Kazekage considered secretly dispatching an envoy to Konoha to seek an opportunity for signing an alliance and ending the war.
However, after repeated deliberation, the Third Kazekage still believed he couldn't appear too desperate or humiliating. After all, it was originally Suna that had launched the invasion against Fire Country. Konoha wouldn't likely give in easily either—at the very least, Suna should wait until it expelled Iwa from Bird Country and secured some guaranteed achievements before entering negotiations.
Although overnight, the volatile border regions around the Land of Fire suddenly seemed peaceful, as if all was quiet on the western front, Konoha's F4 couldn't celebrate yet.
After all, external enemies could still be united against through righteous appeals to morale, but dealing with Hyuga Soushu and Hatake Sakumo—who were from the same village—would prove far more complicated.
It was no secret that Hiruzen Sarutobi had always intended to groom his favorite apprentice, Orochimaru, as his successor—a fact even Danzō was well aware of, despite his own long-standing desire for the Hokage title.
The problem lay here: the name "White Fang" had already become a widely recognized icon of Konoha, and those ordinary shinobi, once treated like cannon fodder, had switched sides en masse, becoming fervent supporters of both Hatake Sakumo and Hyuga Soushu. Correspondingly, the influence of the Hokage faction within the village had clearly declined.
Moreover, this decline currently seemed irreversible—unless Konoha's front in the Land of Rain—its second major battlefield—suddenly turned around dramatically and shifted from defeat to victory.
But such a scenario was nothing more than a dream. Even someone as arrogant and self-assured as Danzō would hesitate to speak such unrealistic words face-to-face with his old friend.
Therefore, they had no choice but to confront the first issue following their victory—reinforcement deployment!
This is an official document co-signed by Sakumo Hatake and Hyuga Soushu, sent back to the village. The content was simple: commit Konoha's full ninja force for a decisive showdown against Kumo. Even if they couldn't achieve a glorious victory that would wipe out the enemy village completely, they should take this opportunity to break Kumo's backbone, keeping those northern brutes from looking south for thirty years!
However, Konoha's F4 were not concerned about the battle outcome described by these two frontline commanders. What worried them more was the amount of power those already-distrusted commanders might gain after mobilizing all of Konoha's ninja forces — and what kind of impact this would have on the village's future stability.
That was the crux of the matter!
After all, the F4 understood better than anyone how easily one could gain support — even worship — during wartime, especially when you were a strong warrior who could keep bringing victories.
Their own power and status had been built through one bloody battle after another during the First Great Ninja War, though naturally they'd become somewhat complacent after reaching positions of authority.
"The Northern Front battle is inevitable!"
In the Hokage Office, the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi finally broke the long silence. "And we can only win — failure is not an option!"
If this full-scale village battle failed, Konoha would certainly find itself surrounded by wolves once again.
"Is it really appropriate to entrust all our ninja forces to them?"
Though he knew it wasn't the best timing, Homura Mitokado still voiced his concern.
"What's appropriate or not isn't for us to decide — the situation demands it."
The Third Hokage had already considered the possibility of withdrawing troops, but after weighing the pros and cons, he chose to take the risk.
"Then change the commander!"
Danzo stood tall, his eyes burning as he stared at his old rival.
"The Rain Country engagement has lost its significance now."
But this time, the Third Hokage didn't even glance at Danzo, instead turning to face his other two old friends. "Therefore, I plan to send Orochimaru and two other ninja to reinforce the Northern Front. What do you think?"
"Agreed!"
Both nodded together.
They understood their old friend perfectly well — this wasn't a consultation, it was notification, asking them to show support and identify any oversights.
"But we'll still need someone mature and steady to manage affairs in the Land of Rain."
Koharu Utatane immediately raised another point.
"That makes sense!"
Homura nodded quickly.
The Third Hokage appeared deep in thought.
Then, three pairs of eyes turned to Danzo, who stood there with his chest thrust out defiantly.
"I need 3,000 mobilized ninja!"
Danzo immediately made an outrageous demand.
"Not a single one will be given to you!"
The Third Hokage's stance was equally clear. "I won't touch the existing ninja forces either — you may command all of them exactly as they are!"
"You?!"
Danzo was practically furious!
Isn't that just throwing him under the bus?
"Just tell me whether you accept or not!"
The Third Hokage asked impatiently.
"I accept!"
Danzo agreed immediately.
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