Konoha's Front Line Outpost,
40 kilometers east of the Tengen Town's ruins.
Due to the confirmed presence of Kirigakure's Seven Ninja Swordsmen within their territory, the Konoha's Ninjas at this outpost had significantly heightened their alert level. Patrol frequency had increased from once every eight hours to once every two hours.
Centered around the outpost, one could frequently see Konoha's Ninjas patrolling in small teams.
At this moment,
Jiraiya, clacking in his geta, walked out of the outpost's medical room with a complex expression.
'Thankfully, Konoha's Medical-Nins were top-tier, otherwise, that Uchiha Shisui's life would likely have been lost to that mysterious Kirigakure's Ninja.'
'That person...'
'Who is he?'
Jiraiya frowned, thinking hard, but couldn't figure out when Kirigakure had produced such a monstrous Ninja.
He was completely unfamiliar!
Add to that the superb swordsmanship, the bizarre Ice Release, and the somewhat incomprehensible 'seal-less Ninjutsu'...
That's right!
Seal-less ninjutsu!
During the fight, Jiraiya had paid special attention. The opponent's Ninjutsu execution method was simply unbelievable.
Throughout the entire clash, with Ice Release and Body Flickers, he hadn't seen a single hand seal performed.
'Clap your hands, shout the name, and it happens? You call that Ninjutsu?'
Jiraiya's head was full of question marks, utterly unable to comprehend the mysterious Kirigakure's Ninja's fighting style.
'In any case...'
'We took a big loss this time!'
Jiraiya's face fell. 'Since that battle with Hanzo back in the day, I, the great Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku, haven't suffered a defeat this bad!'
Leading the team personally, the result was one dead and one severely wounded!
The dead one was the head of the Hyuga Clan's branch family, and they even lost the Byakugan. When he returned to Konoha, forget the Hokage and the other higher-ups, even getting past Hyuga Hiashi would be difficult.
'Reinforcements!'
'I need powerful reinforcements!'
Jiraiya's expression turned grave, 'A mysterious Kage-level Ninja appearing from Kirigakure is absolutely not good news for the current situation...'
'Especially since Kirigakure's main forces have also become restless recently. If a decisive battle breaks out, with my strength alone, I'm afraid it will be very difficult to suppress Kirigakure's high-end combat power.'
Having experienced the Second Great Ninja War, Jiraiya understood perfectly well that the decisive factor in wars between Ninja Villages was the clash of top-tier Ninjas, or Kage-level Ninjas.
Just like the battle that birthed the Legendary Sannin, if Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru hadn't risked their lives to hold back Amegakure's [Demi-God] Hanzo, Konoha's forces would likely have been slaughtered.
The current situation was similar to back then.
On Konoha's side, due to fighting on multiple fronts, the top-tier Ninjas were responsible for their respective battlefields, making rapid, effective reinforcement very difficult.
For example, on the Konoha vs Kirigakure front, the overall commander was Jiraiya, with the two deputy commanders being the Uchiha Clan's head, Uchiha Fugaku, and the Hyuga Clan's branch family's head, Hyuga Hizashi.
Now-
Hizashi had been cut down.
Moreover, what Jiraiya might very likely face was having to single-handedly take on Kirigakure's Third Mizukage, their Jinchuriki, the rising star Yagura from this Third Great Ninja War, and the mysterious Kirigakure's Ninja he had just encountered.
It really made his scalp tingle just thinking about it!
Reinforcements!
He needed powerful reinforcements!
Otherwise, who knows what terrible things might happen in the future!
Just then,
A Konoha's Anbu flickered into existence before Jiraiya.
"Jiraiya-sama!"
The Anbu said in a low voice.
"Elephant."
Jiraiya looked at the Anbu. "The reason I called for you is simple. Reinforcements. I need powerful reinforcements. You must notify the Hokage as quickly as possible."
"The balance of power has shifted unfavorably!"
"Minato..."
"Or Kushina. I need the top-tier Ninjas to supplement our high-end combat power."
"The top-tier ones!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Jiraiya emphasized again in a deep voice.
"Understood!"
"I will relay the message immediately."
The Konoha's Anbu's expression beneath the mask instantly turned serious upon hearing this.
He acknowledged the order and, without wasting any time, flickered away from the spot.
'If Tsunade were here, things would be much simpler...'
Jiraiya shook his head with a bitter smile. He knew, of course, that for Tsunade, who suffered from hemophobia, returning to the battlefield was an impossibility.
But,
The pressure was really immense!
There's the mysterious Kirigakure's youth, with his unforgettable handsome face and terrifying combat power!
Even worse, his deputy commander had been killed, and he still didn't even know the opponent's name.
What kind of confused battle was this!!!
It wasn't Jiraiya worrying unnecessarily!
Kage-level Ninjas were a dimensional attack against lower-level Ninjas. Especially a newly emerged Kage-level Ninja they intelligence of, even a dozen Jonin would find it hard to pin them down.
And now-
There was a Kage-level Kirigakure's Ninja, hiding within Konoha's lines, waiting for an opportunity. This undoubtedly placed immense psychological pressure on Jiraiya.
If he wasn't found, Jiraiya wouldn't be able to eat or sleep in peace!
…
After Elephant left,
He quickly used the Konoha's Anbu's unique methods to relay the intelligence to the frontline command post for the Konoha vs Iwagakure front.
"Jiraiya is actually requesting reinforcements, the top-tier ones..."
In the frontline command post, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, covered in dust, spoke with a note of surprise.
Then, he frowned.
'If even Jiraiya was feeling troubled, did it mean something troublesome had appeared on the Kirigakure front?'