Chapter 182: The Battle of the Three Ninjas Begins! The Conspiracy between Sand Village and River Country!
After Hiruzen Sarutobi made his decision, and the heads of the various Shinobi Clans and many high-ranking Konoha officials successively seconded it,
Konoha, this massive war machine,
began to operate at an extremely fast pace!
Batch after batch of wartime supplies continuously gathered!
The various Shinobi Clans, as well as Konoha Ninja on missions outside, were being rapidly organized into squads at a speed beyond normal comprehension!
However, it's worth noting one important point:
Due to Tsunade,
this time, the Senju Clan also sent out a large number of elites and strong individuals!
But in contrast,
major Shinobi Clans like Uchiha and Hyuga, as well as their affiliated Shinobi Clans,
only symbolically sent a few people.
Two days later,
under the expectant gaze of countless Konoha Villagers,
Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya, leading three thousand Ninja, left Konoha and quickly headed towards the western border!
...Western border!
When the Fourth Squad arrived at the designated location, they dispersed and fell silent,
lying in ambush,
monitoring the areas where the Land of Fire, the Land of Rain, and the Land of Rivers converged.
Compared to the direct battlefield between the Land of Rain and the Land of Fire,
the temporary station of Fujiwara Tetsuya and his squad
was extremely peaceful.
Whether it was the support from the two Anbu Squads,
or after Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya arrived with the main force,
in the western region of the Land of Fire,
hundreds of battles broke out within just a few days!
Countless villages and towns were affected,
and a large number of civilians and Ninja perished,
staining the land in the western Land of Fire with an eerie blood-red.
However,
what was gratifying was that
Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya did not disappoint Hiruzen Sarutobi's earnest expectations.
After forcefully clashing with the main force of the Rain Ninja,
they quickly established a solid defensive line.
"Hikari!"
"News just came from the Squad Leader!"
"Some unfamiliar figures have appeared in the southwest direction!"
"The Squad Leader wants us to go investigate!"
"Southwest direction? Could it be Sunagakure?"
Because of the western campaign,
Rain Ninja infiltrating from their direction were either killed by members of the Fourth Squad
or were gathering towards the main battlefield.
"Yori! Hua Hu! Hikari!"
"It seems our leisure time is over!"
"Get your equipment ready! We depart in five minutes!"
Although they had been at the border for several days,
due to insufficient intelligence ahead,
Fujiwara Tetsuya and his squad had not ventured deep into the Land of Rain or the Land of Rivers.
Strictly speaking,
it was Fujiwara Tetsuya's first time setting foot in the Land of Rivers.
In the Ninja World, the names of each country, or the names of the Ninja Villages,
were all established based on the country's human geography.
Just like the Land of Rivers before them,
from north to south, all the way to the southern sea,
across this vast land, countless mountains and rivers stretched.
This was also one of the reasons why, during the Second Great Ninja War,
the war between Sunagakure and Konoha chose to take place in the Land of Rain,
and not the Land of Rivers.
Facing complex and steep terrain,
if it were elite squads, it would be fine; they could advance lightly and simply.
But if it were a large number of elites,
it would not only be time-consuming and laborious but also consume a large amount of supplies.
Of course, this is also why the Land of Rivers, sandwiched between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind,
could still remain so peaceful.
The two great nations viewing the Land of Rivers as a buffer zone was one reason.
The most important thing was that,
in the eyes of the two great nations, the barren Land of Rivers
had no economic value whatsoever,
and did not catch the attention of the high-ranking officials of the two great nations.
Due to unfamiliarity with the terrain, the Night Squad's search was not smooth.
In the complex terrain, they went around in circles, getting lost countless times.
It took a full day's effort
to track down the mission target.
"These people are quite vigilant!"
"They don't look like rogue Ninja!"
"We'll act late at night! Everyone be ready for battle at any time!"
Since it was still early, Fujiwara Tetsuya and his four companions could clearly see the scene not far away.
Less than two hundred meters directly in front of them,
there was a natural cave.
However, what made Fujiwara Tetsuya hesitate was that
they could clearly determine the situation of the external patrols and the surrounding sentries of the other party,
but they could not ascertain the situation inside the cave.
However, what Fujiwara Tetsuya did not know at this moment was that
it was precisely his current hesitation
that led him to uncover a conspiracy detrimental to the Land of Fire.
Late at night, dark clouds covered the moon.
Under Fujiwara Tetsuya's cold gaze,
more than ten figures suddenly appeared in the southwest direction.
After dozens of leaps, they landed steadily in front of the cave.
"Hikari! The strength of those people is probably not weak!"
"What should we do? Should we change the plan?"
Although they hadn't engaged in combat,
judging from the speed of those people just now, they were all at least Chunin level.
"No!"
"These people meeting at this time, in this place,
"must be plotting something in secret!"
"If among these people, there are indeed individuals from Sunagakure, or other forces hostile to the Land of Fire or Konoha,
"choosing to retreat temporarily
"will only miss the best opportunity to thwart their conspiracy!"
"Yori! Hua Hu! Hikari!"
"The three of you stay here and be ready to support me at any time!"
"I'll use the Transformation Technique to sneak in and take a look!"
As the captain and the strongest member of the Night Squad,
Fujiwara Tetsuya held absolute authority within the Night Squad.
It was far from when he was in the Thirteenth Squad,
where Uchiha Mikoto and Torune Ryoui would constantly give him 'love taps'
and protest.
After Fujiwara Tetsuya transformed into a fly the size of a fingernail,
he followed the edge of a rock crevice,
successfully avoided the Ninja guarding the cave entrance, and entered the cave through a narrow passage.
There were more enemies in the cave than Fujiwara Tetsuya had imagined.
Basically, every few meters,
he could see two unfamiliar Ninja dressed in strange clothing.
"No! We cannot agree to your terms, sir!"
"This is too far from what you promised us earlier!"
"Is this the credibility of one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, Sunagakure?"
Following the flickering firelight,
Fujiwara Tetsuya finally landed on the rock wall to the left.
He quietly watched the several dark figures in front of him.
The spy's information was correct!
Sunagakure had indeed considered going to war with the Land of Fire and Konoha.
Their direct involvement was only a matter of time.
"Heh heh..."
"Indeed! What I just mentioned is quite different from what Lord Kazekage promised earlier!"
"As for why there's such a big difference, don't you know the reason, sir?"
"Effort and reward are always proportional!"
"If the Land of Rivers wants to gain sufficient benefits from the war against the Land of Fire,
"then it must pay a sufficient price!"
"Don't think of using those three hundred cannon fodder to make up the numbers!"
"If you want to gain higher benefits, then bring out the full strength of the Land of Rivers!"
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