Provoked by the fierce provocations of the Iwa-nin, the Sand-nin—who had been locked in fierce battle with Konoha—could no longer hold back. They took the chance to ramp up their attacks on Konoha Village.
The reason was simple: Rasa, who had once been merely one of the candidates to become the next Wind Shadow, had now successfully ascended to become the Kazekage, and his authority was gradually stabilizing. This meant he had already used war to solidify his power.
Furthermore, as his status continued to rise, Rasa found himself needing to weigh and consider an increasing number of complicated matters.
At the same time, the situation within Suna itself was far from optimistic. Resources painstakingly accumulated over many years had been nearly completely drained by the previous wars, and without the continuous support from the Daimyo of the Land of Wind, the village would have already collapsed.
Meanwhile, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind—who wasn't wealthy to begin with—began constantly urging Rasa to end the war, further burdening him like an immense mountain weighing heavily on his heart.
After carefully considering the overall situation, Rasa made a decisive and significant decision: he would summon his courage and push this war forward to its ultimate climax! Whether they won or lost in the end, he believed this prolonged conflict needed to reach a definitive conclusion at this moment.
If they could achieve victory, they would have the opportunity to take a valuable prize from the powerful Konoha Village. In that case, Rasa, as the leader, would surely be remembered as one of the greatest Kazekage in history.
Even if they unfortunately suffered defeat, he could still choose decisively to withdraw from the battlefield. After all, at this crucial moment, the war reparations the Land of Wind would have to pay to Konoha might be reduced to the absolute minimum. Thus, even if they lost the war, Rasa's personal reputation wouldn't be overly damaged.
At worst, he would simply return to the village and quietly resume farming. Although the Land of Wind was relatively barren, with the current number of ninja in the village, it would no longer pose a heavy burden.
As for Kirigakure, it remained the same as always—completely unpredictable and unfathomable. After all, everyone knew, "crazy people always have the wildest plans." Plus, the real objective of Uchiha Madara—who currently controlled Kirigakure—was completely different from theirs!
This ambitious figure focused solely on cultivating a worthy successor capable of inheriting his Moon Eye Project. Fortunately, he had already found a satisfactory candidate. From that point on, Madara devoted all of his energy entirely to nurturing this heir.
As a result, the current Kirigakure was left to develop completely freely, going its own way without unified leadership.
Now let's take a look at Kumogakure's situation. The Third Raikage viewed the ongoing war with Konoha as an excellent opportunity to train his own son, hoping that after going through this intense experience, his son would mature into a competent leader worthy of carrying the title of Raikage.
At the same time, however, he faced a dilemma—whether to continue attacking Konoha or go after Iwa instead—and he hesitated to make a decision.
The underlying reason wasn't hard to figure out. After all, the Iwa-nin had always been on high alert against the Cloud-nin. Conversely, how could the Cloud-nin not maintain strict vigilance against the Iwa-nin as well?
Both sides invested tremendous effort into mutual defense, which prevented them from fully committing their forces on the battlefield against Konoha, where at most only half their manpower could be deployed.
In the Third Raikage's eyes, Iwa's Onoki was a man of extreme cunning and calculation, whose threat even surpassed that of Konoha at this moment. After suffering a major defeat during the Second Ninja War, he certainly wouldn't dare to let his guard down even slightly.
Precisely for this reason, the Third Raikage had always kept a close watch on Onoki, fearing that the moment he shifted his attention to the battlefield of Konoha, Onoki's originally defensive strategy might instantly transform into a fierce offensive.
One must understand that just as he coveted the Land of Earth's special local products, Onoki had likewise long been eyeing the unique specialties of the Land of Lightning. So, both sides remained locked in a stalemate. Neither was willing to back down, and the endless grind continued.
However, an unexpected change occurred recently when Onoki, aiming to offer sufficient and powerful support to individuals like Kitsuchi and Wen Ya, decisively redeployed a portion of the ninja forces assigned to defend against the Cloud-nin and quickly dispatched them toward the Grass Country.
During this time, a shocking piece of news reached Onoki's ears: reportedly, even the incredibly powerful Four-Tails Jinchuriki had personally headed to the Grass Country! Moreover, the confirmed intelligence brought back by spies from the Grass Country further verified this fact.
Upon learning this information, the Third Raikage believed the defenses the Iwa-nin maintained against the Cloud-nin had weakened, creating an exploitable flaw. Consequently, an irresistible impulse surged within him—he desired to personally lead a team deep into the Land of Earth to investigate and, as a bonus, pull off a little zero-yen heist.
With absolute confidence in his own strength—and especially now that his Lightning Release Chakra Mode had reached perfection—the Raikage's self-assurance had skyrocketed. He firmly believed that even if numerous hardships and obstacles arose along the way, he would definitely emerge victorious and escape unscathed.
This confidence filled him with anticipation for the upcoming adventure, as well as a deep yearning to accomplish a long-held dream. Yet, the Third Raikage had never anticipated that he had ultimately underestimated the hidden trump cards Onoki had concealed in his sleeve.
Despite possessing extraordinary strength and unparalleled confidence, during this intense confrontation, he eventually realized he was not an omnipotent deity, but merely a mortal human being of flesh and blood.
Although the outcome was less than ideal, the Third Raikage's fearless actions undeniably announced his formidable reputation across the entire Ninja World, and he had accomplished the majority of his intended goals.
Immediately afterward, the Third Raikage began planning a covert mission—quietly gathering together an elite unit. Though this mysterious force numbered only about five hundred individuals, none among them were ordinary ninja. Even the weakest among them was at least equivalent to an experienced chunin.
In fact, there were nearly two hundred jonin-level experts among them!
There isn't another fighting unit in the entire Ninja World today that can match this one in terms of elite quality — not by a long shot. These five hundred elite warriors already contain the village's core fighting strength — they are the very best the village has to offer. Although the Uchiha clan's Paramilitary Police Force is powerful, it still falls short in comparison.
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