Just as Ren was still deep in thought below, Sakumo Hatake, who was in the main seat, continued in a deep voice.
"News has come from the Village; according to the latest intelligence, Hidden Cloud Village and Hidden Mist Village have simultaneously declared war on us. Furthermore, Hidden Mist Village has begun to dispatch a large number of troops towards the Land of Waves, while Hidden Cloud Village has already begun to assault the front-line troops led by Orochimaru. The forces on the Land of Water defence line are too weak, so we need to draw out a team for support. Everyone, please consider who would be suitable to lead this team."
"Hmm..."
Just as everyone was still pondering, Nara Shikaku had already finished his thoughts and looked up at Sakumo Hatake, who was sitting in the main seat.
"The Village wouldn't just have us send reinforcements, would they, Lord Sakumo?"
"Of course not. Without exception, the major clans remaining in the Village have dispatched more than half of their members, including the Uchiha Clan, Hyuga Clan, and Aburame Clan, to form another reinforcement unit. This unit will be led by the Uchiha Clan's Great Elder, Yusuke Uchiha."
Yusuke Uchiha?
Everyone's expressions were strange. What a joke! It's well-known throughout the Ninja World that the Uchiha Clan primarily practices Fire Release. Now, sending them to a damp environment near the sea? That place's suppression of Fire Release Ninja is no small matter. This is clearly targeting the Uchiha Clan.
"Sakumo-senpai, I am willing to lead the reinforcement unit to the Land of Water defence line."
Just then, Minato, who had been standing silently by, listening to the discussion, suddenly took a step forward and proactively volunteered to lead the team to Sakumo Hatake, which surprised everyone a little.
"Minato..."
Jiraiya, who was beside him, took a step forward, about to say something, but ultimately held it back. After a light sigh, he returned to his original spot, observing the situation.
"Minato, you... You are indeed much more suitable than others."
Nara Shikaku pondered for a moment, then nodded to Sakumo Hatake. After all, most of the people present were not very suitable for the Kirigakure battlefield. Jiraiya was half a Fire Release Ninja, Tsunade's taijutsu was more effective on the Iwa Ninja Battlefield, and Sakumo Hatake, as the Commander, had to remain here. So, besides Minato, there really was no one more suitable among those present.
"Then it's decided, Minato. The reinforcement unit will be assembled by the afternoon, so you can make preparations early."
"Yes!"
Just as Minato was about to leave, Ren, who was beside him, suddenly pulled him back. As Minato looked at him in confusion, Ren turned his head to look at Sakumo Hatake, who was in the main seat.
"Ahem, well, Commander, may I apply to go with Brother Minato to support the Land of Water's defence line?"
"Huh? What are you up to, you brat?"
While everyone was still confused, Tsunade had already walked over to Ren, asking with a dark expression.
Not just Tsunade, but everyone else looked at Ren with confusion, unable to understand why he suddenly made such a strange request.
"Give me a reason."
Although Sakumo Hatake was somewhat puzzled by Ren's request, he didn't refuse outright. Instead, he asked Ren to give his reason. In his opinion, Ren wouldn't make trouble for no reason.
"Well, everyone knows I'm a Water Release Ninja, right? Even my abilities are closely related to water."
As Ren spoke, he raised his palm, and under everyone's surprised gaze, an ice needle the length of a finger slowly condensed, emitting wisps of white steam.
"Your ability, that's really interesting."
Jiraiya, standing nearby, clicked his tongue in wonder. After all, it was rumoured that only the Hozuki Clan of the Land of Water possessed a Bloodline Limit related to ice, so naturally, everyone was a little curious about Ren's Ice Release.
"I think going to the Kirigakure battlefield would be more beneficial for my strength's exertion and training, right? After all, both the Sand Battlefield and the Iwagakure battlefield are too unfriendly to me. Don't you all agree?"
Ren said pitifully. Who knew how difficult his battles had been these past few months? Whether it was the desert terrain or the plains, his strength was reduced by 10 to 20 percent. It was only during the great battle in the Land of Rain two days ago that he truly got to shine. So, upon hearing that Hidden Mist Village had finally attacked, Ren was almost in tears of joy. Finally, it's my home turf!
Everyone listened to Ren for a long time, then looked at each other. What he said seemed to make sense, but why did it feel like something was off?
"Hmm?"
Sakumo Hatake tapped his fingers on the table, and after a moment, he looked up at Ren and said in a deep voice.
"Alright, I agree. Be careful once you're there."
Before Ren could nod, he turned his gaze to Minato, who was beside him.
"Minato, Ren is in your hands. Keep an eye on him and don't let him cause trouble."
"Agreed. If this brat doesn't listen to orders, you can beat him."
Tsunade also nodded repeatedly from the side, expressing her agreement.
"Hey, I'm clearly very honest..."
Ren muttered under his breath, while Minato beside him smiled.
"Everyone, please rest assured, I will definitely take good care of Ren."
"Alright, you two go prepare first. Don't waste our time here."
"Yes! X2"
Watching the two walk out of the tent, Sakumo Hatake immediately turned to Nara Shikaku, who was beside him.
"Shikaku, send a reply to the Village, inform them that the reinforcement unit has departed."
"Yes!"
Shikaku nodded and walked to a nearby desk, just about to start writing, when he suddenly seemed to remember something. He abruptly looked up at Sakumo Hatake again.
"Lord Sakumo, what about the One-Tail Jinchuriki...?"
Although Shikaku didn't explicitly say it, everyone understood his meaning. The addition of a Kage-level expert could greatly impact the battle. Not to mention that the opponent was a Jinchuriki like the Four-Tails. Everyone had witnessed the Four-Tails' power in the battle two days ago; it was simply a walking natural disaster.
"Don't worry too much. Iwagakure will be much quieter for a while."
Sakumo Hatake looked ahead with sharp eyes and slowly said.
"The death of Hir,oki coupled with the Four-Tails' ramp,age means that Iwagakure's losses in manpower from the war and the retrieval of the Tailed Beast are definitely not small. We don't need to worry for now. After all, their enemies are not just us, Konoha. With Kumogakure joining the war after a while, Iwagakure probably won't have time to entangle with us in the Land of Rain. The pressure of fighting on three fronts is not something a mere Iwagakure can bear."
"I understand."
Nara Shikaku quickly understood the intricacies of the situation after a brief thought. As the head of the Nara clan, although he lacked experience in large-scale warfare, with simple guidance, they could quickly grow. Taking on great responsibilities was only a matter of time.