"It seems Chiyo has led the remaining Suna ninja to retreat to the border between the Land of Rain and the Land of Wind. They're probably planning to return to the Land of Wind."
Inside a cave, several leaders of Konoha were assessing the current battlefield situation. They looked fairly relaxed.
After all, they had finally cleared out all their rivals in the Land of Rain—both Iwa and Suna forces had been driven away one after another.
"Croak croak!"
A light green toad quickly hopped inside and landed directly in Jiraiya's hands.
Skillfully, he pulled out a scroll from the toad's mouth before placing it back on the ground, where it promptly hopped off.
Jiraiya unfurled the scroll, scanned it briefly, then slightly frowned with concern.
"What's wrong?" Seeing his unusual expression, others looked at him with curiosity.
Without hesitation, Jiraiya tossed the scroll directly to Sakumo Hatake in front of him. "You guys read it yourselves."
The group passed the scroll around until everyone had read it. About a minute later, when Tsunade finished reading, her beautiful face turned pale with fury and she gritted her teeth tightly.
CRASH!
Her fist smashed into a nearby rock about the size of a human body, instantly shattering it into rubble.
Everyone else also looked visibly displeased. For a moment, the atmosphere grew quiet.
"The Third (Hiruzen) did this out of necessity. If we really dig deep, it might shake the very foundation of the village."
Kai Uchiha spoke first. In the Third's message, though he mentioned that he would look into the intelligence leak, he didn't specify any timeline for the investigation.
What he really meant between the lines was... he wouldn't truly pursue it at all.
Because this involves the upper echelons of Konoha. Investigating them could easily destabilize the entire village.
They were different from ordinary ninja or civilian clans within the village...
As the head of a clan, Kai clearly understood how deeply intertwined everything was.
Especially during this period of the Second Great Ninja War, internal conflict behind the frontline must absolutely be avoided.
Hiruzen had no choice but to make such a decision.
"But if we don't find this person and stop them from leaking our intelligence, how can we continue fighting this war?"
Tsunade said furiously. She understood the reasoning, but by nature, she despised being attacked unexpectedly from behind—especially by an ally.
"Our current situation is already a significant victory. If we pull back now, the Suna and Iwa forces won't have the strength to retaliate anytime soon," Orochimaru added.
After their last battle, the Iwa ninja were already weakened, and with the Land of Lightning watching closely nearby, they couldn't afford to act recklessly.
As for the Land of Wind and Sunagakure, they've always been the weakest among the five great nations. After this loss, they won't dare challenge Konoha again.
"Still… perhaps Konoha has remained too quiet for too long, causing other hidden villages to underestimate us. In fact, the final order stated in the Third's scroll is actually the key point!"
Kai Uchiha let out a sigh, eyes locked on the last line scrawled across the scroll.
["All units shall rest for fifteen days, then assemble with forces dispatched by the village and launch an invasion into the Land of Wind!"]
["Battle plans will be announced separately when the time comes."]
This final order clearly revealed the Third Hokage's stance.
Don't strike unless struck first!
Since Sunagakure had repeatedly attempted to destroy Konoha's ninja, there was no need to hold back anymore.
"He finally made a decisive move," Tsunade murmured. The Third's command actually brought her considerable satisfaction. She clenched both fists so hard they cracked — clearly eager for a fight.
The Third generally maintained a gentle disposition. Normally, under circumstances like these, he would most likely consolidate their current position rather than advance further.
Pressing forward with a full-scale invasion into another country was an incredibly risky move.
After all, Sunagakure was one of the Five Great Hidden Villages in the world today. Launching a direct assault onto their territory meant even Konoha couldn't guarantee complete success.
But what pushed the Third to make this decision wasn't only due to Sunagakure's actions.
It was because he had been truly enraged!
And the source of that fury mainly stemmed from internal matters within the village itself — matters where the many constraints placed upon him prevented drastic action. Therefore, the outlet for his anger naturally shifted toward the other party responsible: Sunagakure.
"Just not being able to identify the traitor leaves a bitter taste in my mouth!"
Tsunade scoffed coldly, but there was worry in her tone too. After all, during their upcoming operations inside the Land of Wind, if intelligence were leaked once more, the Konoha forces would face catastrophic consequences.
Nevertheless, everyone present fully understood that after this incident, although the Third might not directly act against certain high-ranking officials within Konoha, he would surely implement some form of oversight and precautions.
Otherwise, he wouldn't dare issue such an aggressive order.
"The situation here in the Land of Rain has mostly stabilized, though we'll still need to station part of our forces here until the Second Great Ninja World War concludes completely," Kai Uchiha stated. Konoha's presence in the Land of Rain had been paid for with the blood and sacrifice of countless ninja — they wouldn't just walk away from that.
Driving back the enemy didn't really end a Great Ninja War. The war could only be considered over when both sides signed a formal ceasefire treaty.
Before the outbreak of the Second Great Ninja War, all great ninja nations had abandoned the peace agreements signed after the previous conflict.
Though treaties were merely pieces of paper, they still carried certain binding power for the Five Great Ninja Nations.
Yet before such restraint could take effect, the wars wouldn't stop.
Tsunade and the others certainly didn't believe that just because Sunagakure had lost two or three hundred men, they'd abandon the larger conflict altogether.
"Let me make this clear first — I absolutely refuse to remain stuck in this cursed place where it rains nonstop! Besides, I must teach that old hag Chiyo a proper lesson!"
Tsunade looked around at the four others present, her expression revealing her eagerness so plainly that she appeared ready to charge into the Land of Wind immediately.
"Even without you saying so, your presence is definitely guaranteed for our expedition to the Land of Wind."
Jiraiya chuckled. "Besides her Puppet Technique, what makes Chiyo truly unpredictable is her mastery of poison."
"In all of Konoha," he continued, "only Tsunade can counteract her poison."
"If possible," Hatake Sakumo said, his eyes gleaming with intent, "I'd rather pay a visit to the Land of Lightning instead."
The others understood what he meant. Before the Second Great Ninja War, Kumogakure had actively supported Tachiyama Shinsaburo, a rogue ninja from Konoha, in staging a coup d'état in the Land of Hot Springs, which bordered the Land of Fire. Their ruthless ambition was evident—surpassing even that of the Suna Ninja.
More importantly, Tobirama Senju, The Second, had died right after the alliance ceremony between Konoha and Kumogakure during the previous ninja war.
The culprits were none other than Kinkaku and Ginkaku—two of Kumogakure's most notorious criminals in history.
Konoha and Kumogakure shared a deeply rooted hatred and blood feud that ran far deeper than those with any other hidden villages.
Likewise, similar enmity existed with Iwagakure and Kirigakure, whose Kages had perished together during the last great war.
This cycle of retribution had sparked the current conflict. Compared to national interests alone, these festering grudges ran deeper through every hidden village.
Hatred — it was the real spark that set the war ablaze.
...
...(To be continued.)
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>