Just as Rinjin made up his mind to "persuade" (no, coerce) Dog Bro into returning to Amegakure, the battlefield situation shifted once again.
The Sunagakure assault force, which had initially halted due to the chaos, now charged toward Konohagakure with a frenzied determination.
However, Dog Bro, with no time to rest, delivered a harsh lesson:
Never underestimate the resolve of a Kage-level ninja protecting their village.
Under Rinjin's all-encompassing, shameless "face armor" support, Dog Bro unleashed his wrath. In a swift and brutal strike, he took down Ryuhi, the wife of Hiruko and the mother of Sasori of the Red Sand.
What followed was a catastrophic collapse of the Sunagakure assault force, akin to an avalanche.
It had to be said, Dog Bro's skill set was particularly effective against most of Sunagakure's ninjas. This village, known for its love of puppets and mastery of wind-based techniques, was unafraid of large-scale battles, attrition warfare, or massive ninjutsu. However, they were utterly vulnerable against someone like Dog Bro—a melee assassin with triple dash abilities.
Fortunately for Sunagakure, the Land of Earth separated them from the Land of Lightning. Otherwise, they would have been relentlessly crushed by Kumogakure's ninja, renowned for their taijutsu prowess.
Of course, the delicate balance of the shinobi world meant one thing: Konoha was always the punching bag.
Whenever anyone was unhappy, it was only natural to take it out on Konoha.
Back when you sold us the Tailed Beasts, you were so arrogant. Now, the harder you sold, the harder we hit back.
Unable to hold back any longer, the Third Raikage, upon realizing that Rinjin was absent from the main battlefield, decisively launched an attack on Konoha.
In the north, Kumogakure forces swiftly traversed the Land of the Moon and the Land of Iron, launching a blitzkrieg assault on Konoha.
Meanwhile, adhering to their principle of bullying the weak to the bitter end, the Third Raikage once again sent troops to raid the Land of Earth.
The last time, they had captured the Four-Tails, Son Goku, and discovered to their delight that he was far easier to subdue than the Eight-Tails.
And so began the endless cycle:
"Do you submit?"
"Are you submitting yet?"
"You've submitted? No, that's unacceptable! I'm not done having fun yet. You can't submit!"
After persuading the Four-Tails with his fists, the Third Raikage resolved to continue his efforts by targeting the Five-Tails, Kokuō.
In short, anyone unlucky enough to share a border with the Third Raikage was destined for misery.
To counter this rogue powerhouse, Konoha urgently dispatched a large contingent of rested ninja from the village, sending them northward at full speed to reinforce the emergency units.
At the same time, orders were sent to the western front, instructing Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade to hold off the Iwagakure forces at all costs.
However, Onoki of Iwagakure had the same idea as Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The intensity of the western front escalated dramatically.
It had to be said, both Hiruzen Sarutobi and Onoki were equally cunning, their deviousness second to none. If not for the misfortune of having the Third Raikage as a neighbor, either one of them would have led their village to unprecedented prosperity.
Perhaps this was the so-called survival of the fittest—no pressure, no drive.
Another week passed.
During this time, Rinjin joined Sakumo Hatake's squad, chasing down the remnants of Sunagakure's assault forces across various locations.
One afternoon, beneath the dense shade of a tree, the other members of Sakumo's squad were either resting or keeping watch.
Rinjin and Sakumo were huddled behind a massive tree trunk, heads close together, engaged in something suspicious.
A closer look revealed the two of them grinning mischievously, engrossed in a book without a cover.
"Dog Bro, I still think the Forbidden Love series is better than Tales of Konoha. At least the descriptions are more detailed!" Rinjin commented.
Squatting beside Rinjin like a toad, Sakumo Hatake—his previously noble and upright image completely shattered—retorted with the sly demeanor of a middle-aged man:
"Tsk, tsk, tsk... Rinjin, you're still too young.
The Forbidden Love series? Who's the target audience? Fujoshi! It's all blush-inducing fluff with no depth. It completely lacks the grandeur of emotional and career conflicts that make for an epic tale.
Think about it: Lord Hashirama and... Uchiha Madara, battling amidst a devastated battlefield, their fierce combat reflecting the intensity of their clash.
Then, Hashirama suddenly says, 'Madara, my marriage to Mito was a political alliance, not my choice! Listen to me, come back with me!'
Madara, with a pouty face, turns away, but his knuckles gripping his weapon whiten, revealing his inner turmoil.
Add a line of Madara's inner monologue: 'Clearly, being with me is the true union of our clans!'
This kind of love-torn anguish!
Combine that with the tension of the village's founding, surrounded by enemies on all sides!
Throw in the pressure from the other clans urging Hashirama to abandon Madara!
And finally, the author's antiquated, poetic writing style!
Now, savor it! Truly savor it!"
Hearing Sakumo's impassioned analysis, Rinjin's brow furrowed, his eyes widening in disbelief.
He never imagined that, as a soul from another world, he would be utterly outclassed by a native in the realm of BL literature!
Dog Bro, you're just too much!
Could it be that your son won't find a wife in the future because he stumbled upon your secret stash of books?!
Damn it! So you're the true master of bromance! I'm floored!
With this realization, Rinjin became even more determined to recruit Sakumo to Amegakure.
Upper Line: Gold is easy to come by, but a kindred spirit is rare!
Lower Line: Konoha's loyal dog, come with me!
Horizontal Inscription: Top Tier Brother!
...
And so, this unconventional pair spent their days fighting Sunagakure ninjas and their downtime discussing literature. Three more days passed.
On the third day at noon, members of the Anbu found Sakumo's squad, ordering them to return to Konoha immediately for rest and preparation to reinforce the northern battlefield.
As for Rinjin, he was left to his own devices.
Thus, with a single conscription order, Hiruzen Sarutobi dismantled this duo who treated war as if it were a joke.
Bidding farewell to Dog Bro, Rinjin returned to the western front.
By this time, the war had reached a fever pitch.
In Sunagakure, Chiyo was so enraged upon learning that both her son and daughter-in-law had been killed by the rising star, the White Fang of Konoha, that she coughed up blood and vowed vengeance.
Meanwhile, Iwagakure forces were fighting with reckless abandon.
On the northern battlefield of the Wind-Earth-Fire conflict, Kumogakure's delayed strike had already penetrated the Land of Earth's borders.
At this point, Iwagakure faced two choices:
Completely crush Konoha and then return to defend their homeland.
Abandon nearly a year's worth of effort and retreat to save their territory.
This was an excruciating dilemma, constantly testing the balance between Onoki's greed and rationality.
Konoha, on the other hand, was faring no better.
The Third Raikage was impartial in his treatment of neighbors—he hit Iwagakure just as hard as he hit Konoha.
The emergency units on Konoha's northern front were clearly struggling to hold the line.
In summary, apart from the vengeful Chiyo, both Iwagakure and Konoha were beginning to waver.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
The story isn't over...
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