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"Then it's him. We have to find a new container for the Rinnegan as soon as possible. It's a pity that it's still too early, otherwise there wouldn't be so much trouble," Madara decided decisively.
"Yes! I'll arrange it as soon as possible."
Madara nodded with satisfaction. Although White Zetsu was somewhat foolish, he remained deeply loyal.
…
"Bang!"
"Who spread this news? It's pure slander against Konohagakure. We in Konohagakure have always abided by our covenants, and our political credibility remains strong. Do not allow others to manipulate you, Hanzō-dono!"
Danzō looked at Hanzō, who had come to him aggressively with accusations, and muttered inwardly, 'Wasn't Hanzō seriously injured? How has he recovered so quickly!?'
Danzō could sense Hanzō's murderous intent directed at him, but he remained completely unfazed.
More than four months had passed since Hanzō's return. Although Hanzō had led the Rain Ninja in resisting the invasion of the Sand Ninja, even personally attacking the Sand Ninja's front-line base and engaging in a fierce battle with Ebizō and Chiyo who had come as reinforcements, the Land of Rain had still largely fallen a month prior.
When they were on the verge of seeking a temporary truce with the Sand Ninja, Danzō had led Konohagakure troops across the border and into the Land of Rain, beginning to fulfill the obligations of an ally to help the Rain Country resist the Sand Ninja invasion. Thus, Danzō felt no fear at this time.
"Humph! It is better that someone is spreading rumors. Otherwise…" Hanzō was not surprised that Danzō refused to admit any wrongdoing.
He had come here merely to leverage this incident to gain some concessions for the Land of Rain. After all, the Rain Country still needed Konohagakure to resist the Sand Ninja's attacks.
Watching Hanzō depart, Danzō's face darkened.
"Didn't you say the operation was secret? How has it spread throughout the ninja world now?"
Looking at his silent subordinates below, Danzō's anger flared, but he then waved his hand helplessly, dismissing them.
He suspected that someone was orchestrating this leak; otherwise, given Root's usual methods, there would have been no survivors to spread the information.
Reflecting on how he had been forced to concede to Hanzō's demand for more Konohagakure troops to fight on the front lines in both the Land of Rain and the Land of Wind, Danzō begrudgingly accepted his losses, resolving to find an opportunity for retribution in the future.
…
The intensification of the Second Ninja World War plunged the entire continent into even greater turmoil.
On the front lines, the Third Hokage had dispatched Hatake Sakumo to lead Konohagakure's ninja forces against Iwagakure in the heart of the Land of Grass, inflicting significant losses upon the Stone Village.
In the Land of Hot Springs, Konohagakure's advisor Koharu also led troops to confront the Cloud Ninja, engaging in occasional small-scale battles.
However, Kumogakure continued to exert pressure on Konohagakure, preventing the Leaf Village from freely transferring troops from this front to support other battlefields.
Fortunately, Kumogakure and Iwagakure had clashed not long ago, and both nations were primarily focused on each other.
Otherwise, if either the Raikage or the Tsuchikage had concentrated their forces, Konohagakure's defenses would have been severely jeopardized.
Waging war against three ninja villages simultaneously presented a formidable challenge for Konohagakure, regardless of its overall strength.
At this time, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade had not yet earned the title of the "Three Sannin" following their battle with Hanzō, and it would still be some time before they became independent, benchmark-level ninja.
Due to trust concerns, Yuta had been instructed by the Third Hokage to remain in Konohagakure to deter direct enemy attacks on the village itself.
Consequently, Konohagakure was no longer able to send significant ninja support to the battles against the other three ninja villages.
The situations on the Iwagakure and Kumogakure fronts were manageable. Although those villages were powerful and their respective Kage were ambitious, their ongoing conflict with each other prevented them from concentrating their strength against Konohagakure, thus maintaining a relative balance on those two battlefields.
However, the situation in the Land of Rain was more problematic. Based on the recent rumors, Hanzō had been persistently demanding that Konohagakure send more reinforcements to help them resist the Sand Ninja invasion.
The Rain Ninja had begun to withdraw the majority of their forces to the second line to regroup and recover. This placed Konohagakure under considerable pressure in the Land of Rain.
In short, the current situation was highly complex, perilous, and delicate.
Each ninja village was under immense strain, but they were also reaping significant benefits from the war.
The Land of Lightning had invaded the Land of Hot Springs, the Land of Earth had not only occupied most of the Land of Grass but had also seized a substantial portion of the Land of Rain.
The Land of Fire had used the opportunity to weaken the Land of Rain and the Land of Wind. The Land of Wind had also occupied a large area of the Land of Rain.
It was foreseeable that this precarious balance would prevent the war from ending in the near future unless a force suddenly emerged capable of dramatically shifting the balance of power.
Konohagakure, the most powerful but also the most vulnerable, was essentially surviving by disrupting the strategies of others.
Otherwise, regardless of its inherent strength, facing a simultaneous assault from four ninja villages would quickly lead to its destruction.
Thus, the Konohagakure high council could only continue to seek ways to intensify the conflicts between the other four ninja villages, particularly between the Rain Ninja and the Sand Ninja, in order to ensure their own survival.
The mighty Konohagakure Village seemed to be in a precarious position. The attrition of troops on the front lines was rapidly depleting Konohagakure's accumulated resources and foundation.
The day when Yuta would be deployed to the front lines was drawing ever closer.
…
The front-line battlefield of the Land of Rain.
"Captain! We've spotted a Sand Ninja transport unit ahead. There are 27 of them!"
"Halt, Tenchi, go ahead and scout the Sand Ninja's deployment."
The red-haired Akano had been promoted to Jōnin, and his personality had matured considerably with age.
As the captain of this operation, he had been tasked with attacking the Sand Ninja's supply lines.
He ordered everyone to stop and sent a team member to assess the Sand Ninja's situation.
Akano had a good understanding of Tenchi's abilities.
Tenchi had consistently been Akano's teammate since Suzuki's squad had disbanded several years prior, and Tenchi had since mastered sensory ninjutsu, becoming a valuable sensor ninja.
Tenchi returned quickly.
"Captain! The Sand Ninja ahead appear to be resting. There are five Jōnin in the group, and the leader is also a Jōnin. The others should all be at least Chūnin level."
Akano mentally compared the enemy's strength to their own. Five Jōnin, including the leader, was a significant force.
However, if they could execute a surprise attack effectively, the possibility of destroying this supply team remained high.
"Everyone, listen carefully. We've located a Sand Ninja supply team ahead. Maintain stealth and follow my lead to eliminate this team."
After assigning roles, Akano took the lead and moved towards the location where the Sand Ninja were resting.
With Tenchi's sensory capabilities, Akano and his team positioned themselves in several blind spots, hidden from direct observation. Akano moved ahead alone, waiting for the Sand Ninja to enter their carefully prepared ambush zone.
Not long after Akano and his team had taken their concealed positions, the Sand Ninja appeared.
This Sand Ninja supply team clearly also included sensor ninja. Akano employed a secret technique to mask his chakra signature. This technique had been given to him by Yuta before he was deployed, in the hope of increasing his chances of survival on the battlefield.
This was the first time Akano had used this secret technique in a real combat situation after practicing it extensively. After testing its effectiveness with Tenchi, he was confident that it could evade detection by sensor ninja.
True to his expectations, the Sand Ninja's sensor ninja failed to detect him. Once the Sand Ninja had relaxed their vigilance, Akano drew a knife with his left hand, entered a state of near-perfect stealth, and silently appeared behind the Sand Ninja supply team's sensor ninja, swiftly cutting the sensor's throat with a single, precise movement.
Several individuals guarding the sensory ninja in the Sand Ninja supply team immediately noticed the attack and launched ninjutsu, kunai, and shuriken at Akano simultaneously.
The surrounding Sand Ninja quickly scattered as their comrades attacked Akano. Facing the barrage, Akano vanished in an instant.
From the moment Akano appeared to the instant he eliminated the sensor ninja and disappeared, no more than three seconds had elapsed.
The ninja outside the immediate vicinity of the Sand Ninja Team didn't even have time to react. The attacks from the few ninja responsible for protecting the sensory ninja caused Akano no harm.
Akano's swift and decisive action not only threw the Sand Ninja Team into a state of panic but also left his own teammates stunned by his skill.
However, unnoticed by anyone in the immediate vicinity, a Zetsu spore was also observing Akano from a nearby pitcher plant. After witnessing Akano's performance, it thought, "Wow! Truly impressive! It seems we must exercise caution in the future."