"This one's name is Aburame Shibi—a prodigy of Konoha's Aburame clan, master of the Insect Jutsu. Kundun, you know him, right?"
In the heart of the command tent, Jinghang pointed to the projection of a boy in a white windbreaker and sunglasses.
Down below, a brown-haired youth with a beehive strapped to his back grinned.
"Know him? Of course. The Aburame and Kamizuru clans have been rivals for over a century. Leave him to me, Kazekage-sama."
"That's the plan. I don't expect you to take him out in one go, but you must keep him contained. Once his Insect Jutsu gets going, it's no joke."
"Don't worry. I won't let a single bug of his lay a finger on Sunagakure's forces."
Kundun replied with unwavering confidence.
Jinghang nodded and flipped to the next slide—a burly man filled the screen.
"This is Akimichi Chōza from Konoha's Akimichi clan. He specializes in the Multi-Size Technique—a powerhouse type. Chifenruo, he's yours."
"Yes, sir!"
A stocky ninja responded, voice deep and steady.
"Pay close attention."
Jinghang switched the slide again, showing Akimichi Chōza alongside Nara Shikaku and Yamanaka Inoichi.
"These two are Nara Shikaku of the Nara clan and Yamanaka Inoichi of the Yamanaka clan. Their families have been allies for generations, their jutsu perfectly synchronized. Together, they're known as the Ino-Shika-Chō trio. Xiéqià! Dàyuānxiàn!"
"Here!" "Here!"
Two ninja stood up—one as thin as a reed, the other round as a boar.
"You three have trained your Tailao combination for years. To be blunt, when I designed your joint techniques, it was specifically to counter them. Work together—I'm confident you won't lose. I'll send you a tactical analysis on the Ino-Shika-Chō formation—our Intelligence Division put a lot of sweat into it. Study it, find their weaknesses!"
He moved on to the next slide.
"This is Might Duy. I'm sure you all know him—he taught taijutsu at the Academy for a while. You know his strength. Shètígé!"
"Here!"
Hidan stood at once. As a member of the Twelve Earthly Branches, his codename was Shètígé, representing the Tiger.
"He's yours. One condition: don't use... that. Don't expose yourself."
"Understood. I'll beat him fair and square, taijutsu only."
Hidan replied, resolute.
Jinghang nodded and switched the slide.
"Here are the Hyūga brothers. Their Byakugan and Gentle Fist are famous across the ninja world. Dàhuāngluò, Dùnzāng!"
"Here!"
"You two will handle them."
"Yes!"
Next, the screen showed a female ninja riding a giant dog—Inuzuka Tsume.
"This is Inuzuka Tsume from Konoha's Inuzuka clan, renowned for her teamwork with ninja dogs and ferocious attack power. I have a tactical report for her as well. Yānmào, she's yours!"
A short-haired ninja with black markings stood up and answered crisply,
"Kazekage-sama, don't worry. She's a dog, I'm a mastiff—she won't get past me."
The strategy meeting ran all day. Jinghang assigned each of Konoha's elites to a specific counter, relying on the intelligence gathered by his operatives. Thankfully, several members of the Twelve Earthly Branches had arrived yesterday; otherwise, Sunagakure would be short-handed at the top, just like during the Iwa-Suna war.
This was why Jinghang had poured so much energy into supporting the Earthly Branches over the years. Without them, facing Konoha's deep bench of talent, Sunagakure would be hopelessly outmatched.
He continued matching Sunagakure's best to Konoha's top one by one. Finally, the slide landed on a photo of Hiruzen Sarutobi and Minato Namikaze together.
"Zhíxū!"
"Here!"
Sasori stood up, his codename in the Twelve Earthly Branches: Zhíxū, the Dragon.
"You're with me."
Jinghang pointed at himself.
"When the time comes, I'll likely face Hiruzen Sarutobi. Your old rival, Minato Namikaze, is yours."
"Yes!"
A fierce light blazed in Sasori's eyes.
There's no first in literature, no second in martial arts. Back at the Second World Shinobi Tournament, Sasori had lost to Minato by half a move, missing out on the Golden Kunai Cup—a regret he'd never shaken. Now, finally, he had a chance to settle the score on the battlefield.
"Don't get cocky. Minato Namikaze has mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique—he's stronger and trickier than ever."
"Don't worry, Kazekage-sama."
In public, Sasori never called Jinghang godfather.
"I haven't been slacking off. I've crafted a special set of puppets just for him. I promise, he'll get the VIP treatment."
Sasori said, brimming with confidence.
Jinghang's face darkened—he didn't want Sasori underestimating the enemy. Suddenly, he used the Flying Thunder God Technique, appearing right in front of Sasori.
"I mean the Flying Thunder God!"
"I know."
Sasori smiled. The skin on the face of the Sasori in front of them cracked and fell away—just a puppet.
The real Sasori materialized behind Jinghang.
"Well done, kid. Not bad at all."
Jinghang grinned, giving Sasori a thumbs-up.
Returning to his seat, Jinghang addressed the room, his tone solemn.
"Everyone, a loud drum needs no heavy hammer, but I still have to remind you: according to our inside sources, Konoha's Eastern Army has already set out from the Land of Rivers. In as little as two days, three at most, they'll be right on top of us. In front of Lishi Fortress lies endless desert—no natural defenses. We don't have the advantage of terrain, and we can't control the weather. So, this first battle will come down to people—our unity."
He had the slides taken away and replaced with a massive map.
"This first battle won't be fancy—just a head-on clash, steel against steel. I have only one demand: show Konoha the spirit of Sunagakure! Let them know we're not an easy bone to chew. Every step they take will cost them blood!"
His voice wasn't loud, but every word was firm. The Earthly Branches ninja below were fired up, battle-ready.
"The desert is vast, but behind us is Sunagakure. We have no way to retreat! The entire ninja world is watching, counting on you to be the ones who drive back Konoha's invaders.
The sacred duty of defending our home falls on your shoulders. This is a just war, and you must be worthy of your mission!
Let these endless sands become the final resting place for Konoha's ninja. Let this boundless desert become the graveyard of every invader.
This battle—we'll make them hurt, make them fear us, so that for the rest of their lives, the very sight of sand will make them tremble!"
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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