Chapter 138: A Flurry of Good News
The cheers lasted for a while, and then everyone's gaze subconsciously turned to their captain, Uchiha Ukyo.
Although everyone had some injuries, their bright eyes seemed to be telling him, "We can still fight."
Ukyo glanced at everyone's condition, pondered for a moment, and then said:
"The wounded will go for treatment. Those who are out of chakra will return to the camp to rest and be responsible for guard duty."
"The rest... follow me and hunt down the enemy. We must..."
"Wipe them all out!"
In the Land of Rain, in the Village Hidden by Rain, in Hanzo's leader's room.
Hanzo of the Salamander was sitting in his seat, listening to his subordinate's report.
"The Sand's Rasa's unit is bypassing our army and heading for the Konoha army's base. It seems they don't intend to stay in our country."
Hanzo was silent for a long time, then suddenly asked something that seemed completely unrelated. "Where have the goods traded from the bounty station been transported?"
"Uh..." The subordinate tried to recall, then said with hesitation, "They've been transported to the border, very close to... the Sand ninja's unit. Do you think we need to provide support? In case..."
"In case of what? Do you think Rasa has the guts to rob us?" Hanzo asked, his face expressionless.
"...Logically speaking, he's on a military mission, so he shouldn't cause any extra trouble. But the things we've exchanged this time are all strategic materials like kunai and explosion tags. These are what the Sand ninja are in desperate need of right now..."
He didn't continue. He knew that his leader, Hanzo, should understand his meaning.
Of course, how could Hanzo not know that these goods were at risk? Because this was exactly what he had arranged.
He wasn't afraid that Rasa wouldn't rob them; he was afraid that he wouldn't have the guts to do it. For this, Hanzo had even deliberately reduced the number of guards escorting the goods, just to tempt Rasa.
Didn't you just have an armory destroyed? Look, there's a large amount of ready-made supplies right here. All you have to do, Rasa—no, you don't even have to do it yourself—these things can be easily plundered, further strengthening your army's strength.
Putting himself in his shoes, even if it were Hanzo leading the team, he probably wouldn't be able to resist such a temptation. So now, he just had to wait patiently.
After all, if you, Rasa, don't make a move, how can I, the Rain, send troops to your Sand Village with a just cause to seek justice?
The cunning old fox, even though he had already planned to send troops to support the Southwestern Army, had to at least leave himself a way out. In case Konoha was defeated, he, Hanzo, would have an excuse to deal with the Sand.
Just as Hanzo's mind was filled with various thoughts, a subordinate suddenly rushed in.
"Not good, Lord Hanzo! Our supplies have been... have been robbed by the Sand's Rasa!"
"Hahaha," Hanzo laughed in his heart, but his face showed an expression of extreme "anger" and "disbelief."
Thump! He slammed his hand on the table, stood up, and said, "Damn you, Sand ninja! How dare you show such contempt for me, Hanzo! Someone, send my order."
"Send a unit to intercept the Sand ninja! Don't let them escape!"
"I'm going to personally seek justice!"
At this time, at the Southwestern Army's base.
"Report! News from the Land of Rain. The Sand ninja unit, due to plundering the Village Hidden by Rain's supplies, has incurred Hanzo's great wrath. Hanzo has now personally led his troops to engage Rasa's unit."
Hearing this news, Orochimaru let out a small sigh of relief. "That old fox, Hanzo. He's finally made his move."
Lately, Orochimaru, leading the three main armies, had been finding it more and more difficult to resist.
The Sand ninja were determined to take down the Southwestern Army, so their attacks came one after another.
Although Konoha had the advantage of terrain and medical care, they were gradually being overwhelmed.
The number of casualties was increasing day by day. Many seriously injured Konoha ninja, after a simple treatment at the camp, would immediately return to the battlefield.
Many who could have survived thus died at the hands of the Sand ninja, dragging their seriously injured bodies.
Even so, the Southwestern Army's resistance was still incredibly difficult.
But this was not what Orochimaru was most worried about. Rasa, Pakura, and the others, although their forces were fierce, in his opinion, they couldn't cause too much of a stir. The interception squad and Hanzo could completely take care of them.
What really worried him was the Third Kazekage's squad, whose whereabouts were still unknown.
These people were the most troublesome existence at present.
For this, Orochimaru had personally written a letter to the Third Hokage, who was far away in Konoha, to explain the situation here.
"By my calculations, the reply should be arriving soon," Orochimaru thought, silently waiting for his teacher's decision.
Just then, a communication officer rushed in.
"Report! Good news from the northern front of the Land of Rivers."
"Read it," Orochimaru said, the corner of his mouth curling up slightly.
"The interception squad has routed Pakura's unit, killing more than half of them. Pakura and the others were forced to flee and are now being vigorously pursued," the communication officer read out the intelligence in a loud voice.
Before Orochimaru could rejoice at the news, another piece of good news came.
"Report! Hanzo's Rain ninja army has defeated Rasa's unit. Their leader, Rasa, is seriously injured and unconscious, with less than a hundred survivors. They are now fleeing frantically toward the Land of Wind."
"...Well done," Orochimaru said, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He then said decisively, "Order the interception squad to return to the camp immediately and to monitor Hanzo's army's movements at all times."
"Yes, sir," the communication officers replied, preparing to return to their posts.
"Right, spread the contents of these two intelligence reports to boost morale," Orochimaru suddenly added.
"Yes, sir."
After the two communication officers had left the tent, Orochimaru couldn't help but stand up and go to the strategic map on the table, thinking to himself.
But today was destined to be a day of unrest for him.
"Report!"
Another communication officer shouted from outside the tent.
Helpless, Orochimaru had no choice but to abandon his thoughts and see what news had come this time.
However, this time, the communication officer handed over an intelligence report with the character "secret" on it and then directly retreated.
Seeing this, Orochimaru's snake-like pupils suddenly contracted.
This intelligence was the news that had been sent back from Konoha. Only he, as the commander-in-chief, had the right to view it.
"" He formed a hand seal, used a special method to open the intelligence, and then read it in silence.
After a long while, Orochimaru put down the intelligence report with a smile on his face.
"Since the biggest threat has been eliminated, all that's left is to continue to hold on."
"Third Kazekage... if you dare to come this time, I will make sure you never return!"
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