After an intense round of discussion, the overall deployment plan for the upcoming war was finally set.
The dual-front strategy remained unchanged, but the operational approach had shifted: one side would take the offensive, while the other held the defensive line.
The front facing Iwagakure, being closest to Hanzo of the Salamander's main base, was designated as the offensive force. Meanwhile, the front facing Sunagakure was tasked with defense.
The offensive force was reinforced urgently with 4,000 additional shinobi, bringing the total to 7,000, to directly confront Hanzo's onslaught.
The defensive force received over 2,000 more ninja, bringing their total to 5,000, tasked with fully securing the nearby territory as a fallback point and guarding against any underhanded moves from Sunagakure.
On paper, Danzo was named supreme commander of both fronts, but he would not appear on the frontlines himself. His role was to oversee covert operations—espionage, assassination, intelligence transmission—from the relative safety of the defensive line.
The real decision-making, however, still rested with the six of them—the core of Konoha's elite
Among the six, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru led the vanguard to reinforce the offensive front. Tsunade served as the core of the medical corps, while Jiraiya and Orochimaru handled direct combat and tactical maneuvers.
On the defensive front, Sakumo Hatake and Shinku Yūhi took charge. Sakumo led long-range assaults and direct engagements, while Shinku oversaw patrols and logistical exchanges.
Once the strategy was finalized, the five of them departed immediately for the frontlines—except for Hoshiyomi Gekkō.
Although Hoshiyomi was also assigned to the offensive front, but he had an additional mission: transporting the first batch of strategic supplies.
His route would first take him to the defensive line before proceeding to the offensive front.
This mission was extremely dangerous. On the surface, it appeared that Hanzo was chasing the combined forces of the Three Great Shinobi Villages into disarray.
But beneath that surface, countless unseen skirmishes were still unfolding. With the battle lines unclear and checkpoints yet to be fully established, transporting supplies under these conditions was fraught with peril.
At any moment, they could stumble into an enemy unit, sparking a deadly encounter.
For this reason, Hoshiyomi would depart for the frontlines three days later than Tsunade and the others. During those three days, aside from packing his own gear, he spent most of his time warning Minato and the other three kids to stay off the battlefield.
He wasn't worried about Kushina. The Uzumaki Clan was currently stationed at Konoha's outer perimeter. With their protection, even if Kumogakure tried to kidnap Kushina, it wouldn't be a problem.
Minato was a textbook cautious ninja. Hoshiyomi didn't worry about him either. He simply arranged his training and tasks, planning to monitor his progress after the mission.
The real headache was Nawaki—that reckless little brat. Ever since Hoshiyomi had taught him a few techniques, Nawaki had gotten cocky, now indisputably the top student in his class.
As a sixth-year at the Academy, Nawaki had been clamoring to go to war ever since he heard about the outbreak of hostilities beyond Konoha. His face practically screamed "I'm asking for death."
Hoshiyomi spent most of the past two days drilling this kid, forbidding him from stepping onto the battlefield until he and Tsunade returned. He also arranged for Minato to personally teach Nawaki a lesson.
With Minato's reflexes and Hoshiyomi's training, the second-year Minato could now easily defeat Nawaki, even though Nawaki was four years ahead of him.
After the sparring match, Minato, following Hoshiyomi's instructions, delivered a rather soul-crushing line:
"If you can't even beat a second-year like me, what are you going to do on the battlefield? Go hand out free kills?"
Absolute brutality.
But this tactic worked far better than any gentle persuasion. Nawaki exploded on the spot, swearing on his future title as the Fifth Hokage that he would not leave the village until he could defeat Minato.
Seeing this, Hoshiyomi finally relaxed.
Given the gap in ability, Nawaki wouldn't be beating Minato anytime before his own adolescence—at least two or three years. For now, there was no need to worry about the kid doing something reckless.
If even this couldn't save Nawaki from his fate, well, as the saying goes, "A long arm can't hold back a short-lived fool."
Might as well let Princess Moka (Tsunade's Mother) create a new account in the afterlife.
...
After settling things with the three kids and the supplies prepared, Hoshiyomi set out at dawn the next day with his transport team, heading toward the Land of Rain.
The convoy consisted of four jonin and twelve chunin—a notably elite logistical squad.
The four jonin were:
Hoshiyomi Gekkō himself
Hyūga Seishō from the Hyūga Clan
Inuzuka Fuji from the Inuzuka Clan
And Hoshiyomi's old acquaintance, Uchiha Hokushin.
These four were all versatile types, skilled in both sensory and combat abilities. Even among jonin, they were considered top-tier. The twelve chunin also had specialized skills of their own, demonstrating how much Konoha valued this first round of strategic transport.
The journey from the Land of Fire to the Land of Rain started off peacefully. The team remained relaxed.
But as they approached the border of Rain Country, the atmosphere grew tense.
Not because they were scared of war, but because everyone entered full battle readiness.
Each shinobi focused on their assigned role.
There was no time for idle chatter anymore.
Hoshiyomi decided to let the team rest briefly before crossing the border.
Then he gave the final instructions:
"Everyone, from this point on, stay on high alert. Chunin—your job is to protect the supplies and your comrades.
Seishō, activate your Byakugan every three minutes. Don't forget.
Fuji, unleash your ninja dogs. I know they hate rain, but there's no helping it. Let them work with my partner Lobo for close-range sensing.
Hokushin, prepare for combat. If enemies attack, I'll immediately cloak myself and try to assassinate their leaders.
But that means you'll have to hold the line and take the brunt of their assault.
Watch your safety closely
Understood?"
"Understood!"
The team responded with enthusiasm. No one acted like the brainless characters from novels Hoshiyomi had read in his past life—no one raised pointless objections. This team trusted his leadership.
Part of it was Hoshiyomi's personal approach—he treated the chunin well, paid attention to their condition during marches, and never looked down on them for being weaker.
The other reason? His reputation.
Where there's a famous tree, there's a long shadow. Hoshiyomi's name was known throughout the ninja world. His strength left everyone convinced—no one doubted his judgment.
With that, the team crossed into the Land of Rain, heading toward the defensive line. The entire group remained on high alert. Hyūga Seishō and Inuzuka Fuji stuck strictly to the sensory rotation plan Hoshiyomi had set.
Along the way, they did encounter some enemy ninja units. But thanks to the Byakugan's superiority, they detected these threats in advance and successfully avoided confrontation.
They safely delivered their supplies to the defensive line.
However, on their way to the offensive front with the remaining supplies, their luck finally ran out.
Deep in a forest, Hyūga Seishō suddenly raised his hand—a signal to halt. His face turned pale as he turned to Hoshiyomi.
"A squad of about twenty individuals is rapidly approaching us. There's no time to avoid them."