Chapter 182: The Iwa Hidden Village's Surprise Attack
The Hokage Building Conference Room.
Tsunade and Hoshikawa arrived a little late; the seats were already more than half full. However, they weren't truly late, as Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't arrived yet.
The Jōnin stood up one after another to greet Tsunade. The atmosphere was so enthusiastic it was as if they were welcoming the Hokage himself. In the current Konoha Village, it was obvious who held the most promise to be the next Hokage. Even if Tsunade didn't ultimately take the position, building a good relationship with the finest Medical Ninja in the Shinobi World had nothing but benefits.
As for Hoshikawa , with Tsunade present, he was selectively ignored. He didn't mind, as he found these scenes of small talk to be quite tedious. Tsunade found it troublesome too, but one doesn't hit a smiling face, so she could only respond to them one by one.
It was half-past eight.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado walked in together. The conference room immediately fell silent. Danzō Shimura was far away on the Kumogakure battlefield, so he did not attend this Jōnin conference. Orochimaru, Sakumo Hatake, and Minato Namikaze were absent for similar reasons.
"We just received news that last night, the Konoha Defense Force led by Mimura Hamaki was ambushed by Iwagakure's large ninja army," Hiruzen Sarutobi announced straightforwardly. "Fortunately, Minato arrived in time and managed to stabilize the situation."
Hoshikawa raised an eyebrow. This was similar to the events in the original storyline.
The Konoha Defense Force was the border unit stationed on the western edge of the Land of Fire, responsible for boundary patrols. They were small in number; in the original story, only four ninja survived the Iwagakure ambush, including Mimura Hamaki. Minato Namikaze arrived later to save them.
However, the situation was now different. Judging by Sarutobi's words, Minato had helped them fend off the Iwagakure army. Upon reflection, this counted as a butterfly effect related to Hoshikawa . Because Tsunade's reputation was so high, Danzō Shimura, unwilling to let Minato steal her thunder, assigned him to guard against Iwagakure. This placed Minato very close to the Konoha Defense Force, allowing him to arrive faster and without significant delay. In the original story, though it wasn't explicitly stated, given Konoha's concurrent battles on multiple fronts, he had most likely rushed over from another battlefield.
"Iwagakure's ninja army consists of about fifteen hundred ninja; they are the advance unit, and there will likely be reinforcements later," Sarutobi said after a brief thought. "Tsunade, take two thousand people to provide support. You must move quickly, as Minato and his team won't be able to hold out for long."
"Understood." Tsunade replied immediately. Hiruzen had already discussed this with her, so she wasn't surprised and said nothing more.
"With Iwagakure making a move, I worry that Kirigakure will not be able to sit still," Homura Mitokado reminded, suddenly thinking of something.
"That is indeed a problem," Sarutobi agreed. Konoha had captured all seven of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen's blades. Normally, Kirigakure should have sought to negotiate a trade, as those seven swords were profoundly significant. But they had remained silent, suggesting they had other plans—namely, initiating another war. It was understandable; despite their crushing defeat, Kirigakure's ninja losses were not significant, less than a thousand, meaning their overall strength was still intact.
"Kirigakure... Hiashi, the Hyūga Clan will be responsible for them," Sarutobi instructed after a brief contemplation.
"Yes, sir." Hiashi Hyūga was momentarily stunned, but despite his surprise, he agreed. Sarutobi sending them to guard against Kirigakure was clearly due to the Byakugan being the natural counter to the Hiding in Mist Jutsu. The only pity was that he couldn't go to the Iwagakure battlefield with Tsunade.
Hoshikawa 's heart stirred. Was this the engagement where Ao of Kirigakure acquired a Byakugan? It wasn't his concern, however. Even if he warned them, it might not help and would only arouse suspicion. Furthermore, he didn't have much interaction with the Hyūga Clan; they were investing in Tsunade, not him.
"No need to worry too much, everyone," Sarutobi said with a smile, seeing the heavy atmosphere. "Overall, Konoha Village is currently in a superior position."
"That's right," Homura Mitokado echoed. "And Sakumo's squad just heavily damaged the Two-Tails Jinchūriki."
"Could these two events be connected?" Tsunade suddenly asked, a thought striking her. "Why would Iwagakure attack Konoha right when Kumogakure has suffered a major setback?"
"You mean they've formed an alliance?" Sarutobi's smile instantly froze.
"I don't know," Tsunade shook her head. "But we need to prepare for the worst-case scenario."
Hoshikawa raised an eyebrow. Tsunade's guess had some merit, but this time, it was completely wrong. Iwagakure wasn't cooperating with Kumogakure; they were preparing a full-scale sneak attack using the entire village's might. Looking at the eighty thousand ninja in the Allied Shinobi Forces during the Fourth Great Ninja War in the original story, the maximum size of a single Great Village's ninja force was around fifteen thousand. Iwagakure sending ten thousand ninja to ambush Kumogakure was effectively an all-out mobilization.
"I will have the ANBU investigate further," Sarutobi said, rubbing his temples. If Tsunade's hypothesis was correct, it would spell enormous trouble for Konoha. "Today's meeting is adjourned." Sarutobi's tone became serious. "Tsunade, you will depart immediately."
Everyone stood up and filed out of the conference room.
"Teacher," Hoshikawa caught up to Tsunade, and when he saw they were alone, he said, "I believe Iwagakure's true target is Kumogakure."
"Are you suggesting that Iwagakure is feigning an attack on Konoha solely to mislead Kumogakure?" Tsunade stopped and looked at him. Her reaction was quick; one hint, and she grasped the truth.
"Yes," Hoshikawa explained. "Iwagakure's action was too swift, almost as if they were waiting for Kumogakure to suffer a setback."
"That's well observed," Tsunade said thoughtfully. "If that's the case, it works out well for Konoha Village."
Hoshikawa nodded slightly. In the original story, Konoha was the village most frequently attacked, fighting all four other Great Villages. Now, Kumogakure had replaced Konoha and was about to be attacked by three villages. However, Konoha wasn't entirely safe either. Kirigakure was still lurking, potentially leading Konoha into a three-front war like Kumogakure.
"If you were ten years older, your teacher could help you run for Hokage," Tsunade said, a regretful expression on her face. In her view, Hoshikawa already possessed the basic qualities of a Hokage. The only issue was his age.
"It's fine, you become Hokage first, then back me up," Hoshikawa said, winking. If Tsunade became Hokage, he could be the Crown Prince!
"Go notify Kurenai and Rin!" Tsunade glared at him, a bit exasperated. Why did this brat keep saying that? Anyone else, and she would have punched them senseless.
"Yes, Teacher," Hoshikawa replied with a smile.
"Rendezvous at the Konoha Village gate in two hours," Tsunade continued walking, waving her hand. "You don't need to follow me; go back and prepare."
As the commanding officer for the front lines, she had many things to do. The most crucial was selecting two thousand ninja in the span of two hours. Hoshikawa nodded and changed direction toward Rin Nohara's house.
"Happy New Year!" Rin Nohara smiled gently when she saw Hoshikawa . Since he showed up on the first day of the New Year, she thought he was visiting to pay his respects.
"Happy New Year," Hoshikawa replied, then got straight to business. "Rin, we're deploying to the Iwagakure battlefield in two hours."
"Iwagakure?" Rin was momentarily stunned, then immediately understood what was happening. Tsunade had already prepared them for this, so she wasn't too surprised. "How are Kakashi and Obito doing?" Rin quickly asked.
"They are fine," Hoshikawa reassured her. "They are both very strong; don't worry too much."
"That's good." Rin breathed a sigh of relief. "I'll be there on time." She then went back to her room to check her ninja tools.
Hoshikawa said goodbye to her and returned to Kurenai Yūhi's house.
"Ugh!" Kurenai complained with great dissatisfaction. "Even the New Year isn't peaceful!" She had planned to go shopping with Hoshikawa on the first day of the year but now had to give up.
"We'll go there and beat the snot out of them," Hoshikawa said, smiling and patting her head.
"We'll send them packing!" Kurenai snorted lightly, agreeing completely.
"Get ready, I'll be going with you," Shinku Yūhi walked in from outside. He had just received notification to join Tsunade on the Iwagakure battlefield.
Hoshikawa finished talking with Kurenai. The things he needed to prepare were not just ninja tools; he also needed cooking utensils, spices, and ingredients. He had to secretly supply Tsunade with proper food. Hoshikawa ran to the nearby market for a massive shopping trip. Luckily, he had money and could afford the Sealing Storage Scrolls. Generally, even a Jōnin would only use one or two of these scrolls. Besides the high cost, they didn't have that many items to carry—mostly tools, rations, and clothes. Hoshikawa felt like he was moving house. And in a way, he was, as the war with Iwagakure wouldn't end anytime soon.
Two hours later, Hoshikawa , Kurenai, and Shinku arrived at the Konoha Village gate. Two thousand ninja were packed together densely, creating an overwhelming sense of pressure.
"You two stick close to Lady Tsunade and be careful," Shinku instructed before returning to his own squad. Whether in war or peacetime missions, ninja operate in squads. Shinku Yūhi was no exception. However, he didn't have permanent teammates and only worked with temporary teams. The death of comrades was common. Even Naruto Uzumaki's squad was eventually reorganized in the original story.
"Shibi Aburame," Tsunade called out, surveying the area.
"Lady Tsunade." A young man wearing a white robe and carrying a gourd appeared. This was Shibi Aburame, father of Shino Aburame, one of the Konoha 11. Although the Aburame clan was best known for reconnaissance, their abilities were actually comprehensive. They were strong in combat as well as scouting.
"Due to the urgency of the situation, we will travel at maximum speed. I'll leave the reconnaissance to the Aburame clan," Tsunade ordered.
"Yes, ma'am!" Shibi Aburame replied solemnly.
"Move out! Full speed ahead! Target: The Land of Grass!" Tsunade commanded with a wave of her hand, and the two thousand ninja ran out in an orderly fashion.
The Land of Grass was situated between the Land of Earth and the Land of Fire, serving as a buffer zone between Iwagakure and Konoha. The current battle was taking place there. As for Kusagakure, they dared not protest and could only restrain themselves to avoid being caught in the crossfire.
Hoshikawa ran behind Tsunade, pondering. If he remembered correctly, Madara Uchiha was in the Land of Grass. That was how he was able to rescue Obito Uchiha in time. However, the elderly Madara's strength was greatly diminished, so there was no need to worry too much. He only had two years left, at most, before he died. After all, Sasuke Uchiha would be born soon.
Because there were two thousand ninja, no incidents occurred along the way, and the group successfully arrived in the Land of Grass the following afternoon.
"Shibi," Tsunade said after a moment's thought. "You and your team go ahead and find Minato."
"Yes, ma'am!" Shibi Aburame led three other Aburame clan ninja and quickly disappeared.
"All troops, rest where you stand!" Tsunade shouted loudly. Over the past day and a half, everyone had been traveling almost non-stop except for sleeping last night, and they were mentally and physically exhausted. Now that they were in the Land of Grass, where combat could erupt at any moment, this state of fatigue was dangerous. Hearing Tsunade's command, everyone immediately sat down to recover.
"Teacher, want some water?" Hoshikawa handed over a water bottle.
Tsunade didn't hesitate; she twisted the cap and chugged half the bottle, sounding like she was drinking soda. Hoshikawa sat beside her and closed his eyes. With nothing else to do, he began training his Sensory Jutsu. Sensory Jutsu was comparatively simpler than Wind Release Jutsu. He felt he would acquire the [Sensory Special Jōnin] trait before the [Wind Release Special Jōnin] trait. The order didn't matter, though, as both were needed to synthesize the A-Rank trait [All-Round Jōnin]. He was highly anticipating the A-Rank trait [All-Round Jōnin], as all the traits in this series had been excellent.
An hour later, the rest period ended, and Shibi Aburame and his team returned promptly.
"Lady Tsunade," Shibi reported. "We met with Minato. They just finished a fierce battle and sustained considerable losses."
"And the Iwagakure ninja?" Tsunade asked, frowning slightly.
"They have retreated," Shibi replied. "I suspect they learned of our arrival and left early for fear of being surrounded."
"That makes sense," Tsunade nodded. "Lead us to the Konoha camp."
"Yes, ma'am!" Shibi and his team led the way. The two thousand ninja headed toward the Konoha camp.
Half an hour later, a familiar figure suddenly appeared: Minato Namikaze.
"Lady Tsunade!" Minato said, his face beaming. "It's a good thing you arrived when you did!"
During the previous fierce battle, the Iwagakure ninja had gained the upper hand, but halfway through, they suddenly retreated. Minato had suspected a trick until he saw Shibi Aburame and realized what had happened.
(End of Chapter)
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