Over four hours had passed since Uchiha Hayashi and the others rendezvoused with the ninjas who had retreated from the battlefield. Although the team's speed was not particularly fast, running without rest for such a long time was more than enough to push them deep into the desert.
Out of the corner of his eye, Hayashi glanced at the ninjas following behind him and quickly assessed their strength.
They were not strong.
That was his honest first impression. To be blunt, this unit alone was far from enough to stop the Sand Village's forces.
If Hatake Sakumo were not leading the team, Hayashi could have confidently concluded that this mission would end in failure. Even so, it was easy to foresee that not many would survive what lay ahead.
Hayashi let out a quiet sigh. In terms of overall foundation and military strength, the Leaf Village truly stood far above the Sand Village. Even with the Sand mobilizing nearly all of its forces, they could only barely suppress the Leaf's frontline units.
That raised an unavoidable question.
Where were the rest of the Leaf Village's ninjas?
The answer was obvious.
They were still in the village.
Aside from the forces required to guard against surprise attacks from other villages, many elite shinobi were firmly held within their respective clans. This had gradually become an unspoken rule. Even in times of war, every clan insisted on keeping a considerable portion of its strongest members at home. If the village ever truly stood on the brink of destruction, their first priority would be the survival of their own bloodline, not the village itself.
From that perspective alone, the First Hokage, despite his greatness, could be considered a failure as a leader.
The Senju were a clan with a history spanning a thousand years, and under his leadership, they rose to unprecedented heights. On the surface, it was a golden age. In reality, less than ten years after the First Hokage's death, the Senju clan faded away like smoke, leaving behind only a few scattered descendants.
Meanwhile, the other great clans flourished, rooted in what remained of the Senju's legacy. The irony of it all was impossible to ignore.
Because of this, the Third Hokage learned from his predecessor's mistakes. Understanding that clan shinobi were often restrained by familial interests, he carried out three major reforms and one minor change over the years.
First, he worked to weaken the influence of the major clans. Second, he strongly cultivated and promoted civilian shinobi. Third, he instilled the Will of Fire into children from a young age, ensuring their loyalty lay with the village itself.
If there was an additional achievement worth mentioning, it was this: every Hokage who followed came from the ranks of so-called civilian shinobi.
Of course, civilian did not mean ordinary non-shinobi. It referred to ninjas who were not deeply bound by clan obligations.
From the earliest disciples like Orochimaru and Jiraiya, to Minato, Tsunade, Kakashi, and later Naruto, all of them fit this category.
Orochimaru, Jiraiya, Minato, and Naruto were orphans, which required no further explanation. As for Tsunade and Kakashi, their clans were effectively nonexistent by the time they rose to prominence.
Because of this, when such people became Hokage, the village itself became their only true home. They would naturally give everything to protect it. It seemed like a small detail, but its impact on the Leaf Village's stability and longevity was immense.
While Hayashi was still lost in thought, Sakumo, who was leading the group, suddenly came to a halt.
"This should be roughly the area."
He took out a map, studied it carefully for a moment, then walked toward a hollow formed between sand dunes. Forming a sequence of discreet hand signs, he sent out a signal. Not long after, two Leaf Village intelligence ninjas appeared and hurried over.
"Sir, I am the captain of the stationed intelligence unit. Please call me Shimada."
"Alright," Sakumo replied with a nod. "What is the current situation? Any abnormalities?"
"None for now, except…" Shimada hesitated briefly before continuing, "except that Shukaku has refused the Sand Village's sealing attempts."
"Shukaku's behavior has always been erratic," Sakumo said calmly. "It refusing their sealing efforts is nothing unusual. Where exactly is it located now?"
"Over there. If you continue in that direction, you will reach the battlefield."
Shimada pointed toward the distance.
Just as the intelligence unit had reported, Shukaku was indeed refusing to cooperate and was currently causing havoc in that area.
Even from this far away, the thunderous crashes and the shrill howl of rapidly displaced air could be heard without difficulty.
"What about enemy casualties?" Sakumo asked.
"There are none so far. The Sand Village's sealing unit is preparing a forced large-scale sealing technique at the site. The ones currently restraining Shukaku are several elite jonin."
"Understood."
Sakumo dismissed the intelligence team and turned to the shinobi behind him. "We will proceed according to the plan discussed earlier. Hayashi, you as well."
"Yes," Hayashi replied.
He stepped away from the group and headed alone in Shukaku's direction.
Hayashi's departure naturally drew the attention of the other Leaf Village shinobi. As the renowned Leaf Village Flash, his reputation was well known among them.
Since Hayashi was acting independently, it was clear that he had been assigned a critical role. When they recalled their own objectives, many of them showed looks of quiet understanding.
"Alright," Sakumo said, shifting his gaze to the two elite jonin beside him. "Each squad will act as planned. You three, come with me."
Even Sakumo lacked full confidence in this operation. Although Hayashi would draw the bulk of Shukaku's hostility, Sakumo himself would still have to face at least three elite jonin.
That was not even counting Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law, a pair infamous for their devastating coordination.
There was only one option left.
Sakumo narrowed his eyes. He had recently completed an S-rank technique, a forbidden jutsu that would inflict severe damage upon his own body once used.
After the orders were given, the squads began consuming soldier pills and antidotes. Their task was straightforward, delay and disrupt the Sand Village's sealing unit for as long as possible.
After a brief rest, the force led by Sakumo advanced toward the battlefield.
At the same time, on another front, the diversionary unit had already engaged the enemy.
Orochimaru, standing atop Manda, was locked in fierce combat with the Third Kazekage in a more remote section of the desert.
As for Tsunade, she moved through the battlefield almost unhindered. Each punch, kick, or elbow strike reduced an enemy puppet to shattered fragments.
Even so, no matter how overwhelming her strength was, it could not last forever. Under the pressure of constant combat, the overwhelming number of enemies, and Chiyo's relentless tactics, fatigue slowly began to show.
"Lady Tsunade! Another shinobi has been poisoned by the Sand Village's fast-acting toxins over here!"
Due to the disparity in numbers, the wounded were increasing at an alarming rate.
Although Tsunade possessed enormous chakra reserves, sustaining intense combat while treating so many injured shinobi was unrealistic.
Without hesitation, she formed hand seals.
"Ninjutsu, Creation Rebirth."
Violet markings spread from her forehead across her body as a vast surge of chakra erupted outward.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
A massive cloud of smoke engulfed the area. When it cleared, a giant slug stood upon the battlefield.
"I am counting on you, Katsuyu."
"Yes, Lady Tsunade."
At her command, Katsuyu split into countless smaller slugs, dispersing across the battlefield to provide support and healing wherever it was needed.
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