As a seasoned politician, the Third Hokage's understanding of the shinobi world far surpassed that of Uchiha Hayashi.
Hayashi trusted his judgment completely.
In simple terms, Sunagakure was entangled in internal conflict. Kirigakure had stumbled at the start of its campaign. Kumogakure preferred to wait patiently for the right moment. Iwagakure trusted no one and prepared for betrayal at every turn. Each of the four great villages involved in this looming war had its own complications.
However, complications always come with solutions.
As the Third Hokage had said, war could redirect any internal contradiction. And the focus of that redirection was Konoha, increasingly portrayed by the other nations as the common enemy.
Konoha was powerful, a dominant force among the Five Great Nations. Yet no matter how confident the village appeared, one truth remained undeniable. The Leaf could not casually fight four enemies at once, much less five.
Only the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, had once stood against overwhelming opposition and prevailed. But that era had passed. Legends could not be summoned from the grave.
The core principle of warfare was simple, concentrate superior force and eliminate enemies one by one.
That was precisely the Third Hokage's strategy.
Although the number of shinobi deployed to the Land of Wind would not greatly exceed Sunagakure's forces, in Hiruzen's eyes it was still a decisive advantage. After all, Konoha had already defeated Sunagakure twice before.
Fresh from training at Ryuchi Cave, Hayashi had little time to rest. At dawn the next day, he brought Mikoto with him and headed toward Konoha's main gate.
The number of Uchiha accompanying them was surprisingly small. To be precise, it was only Hayashi and Mikoto.
Aside from the Military Police Force remaining within the village, most of the Uchiha clan had already been deployed to counter Kirigakure.
In terms of direct battlefield compatibility, the Hyuga clan would have been the ideal counter to Kirigakure due to the Byakugan's superior perception. However, the strategic value of the Byakugan made it too precious to concentrate on a single front. Every battlefield requested Hyuga support, and there simply were not enough to satisfy all demands.
As a result, the Sharingan bearing Uchiha were assigned to the Mist front instead. Their visual prowess granted them perception and combat adaptability far beyond the average shinobi.
At the gate, a disciplined unit of shinobi had already assembled. Jiraiya stood at the front, prepared to depart.
Years had passed, and Hayashi was not the only one who had grown stronger. Jiraiya's chakra presence was deeper and heavier than before. Yet the carefree air about him had not changed in the slightest.
"Haha, long time no see!" Jiraiya greeted them with a booming laugh before Hayashi could speak.
"Mikoto, you've grown into quite the young lady. Next time you visit the Konoha hot springs, remember to invite me."
Some habits clearly refused to fade with age.
Standing slightly behind Hayashi, Mikoto remained composed. "Of course. I will make sure to invite Lady Tsunade as well."
Jiraiya froze, then forced a laugh. "Let us leave Tsunade out of it. I would prefer to keep my life intact."
He rubbed his chest unconsciously, recalling the painful consequences of his past mischief.
"Has Tsunade returned to the village?" Hayashi asked once the banter ended.
"Not yet," Jiraiya replied, shaking his head. "But she should be back soon."
"Your teacher Orochimaru has already departed for the Wind Country front. My students Minato and Sakumo are with him."
Nawaki was not among them. Proficient in Water Release, he had been dispatched earlier to reinforce the Mist battlefield.
"You already know the broad situation from the Third Hokage," Jiraiya continued. "Our immediate task is to escort these intelligence teams and scatter them along key borders."
"Once that is complete, we will take the remaining forces and reinforce the Wind front from another direction."
After a brief exchange, Jiraiya stepped forward and addressed the assembled intelligence unit.
"The Third Hokage has already explained your mission. As your escort, I will not ask about your specific objectives or the information you gather."
"No one else is permitted to ask either. Trust only the reports you personally send back to Konoha. Even comrades can be misled in times of war."
"Is that understood?"
"Understood!"
With that unified response, the group departed from the gates of Konoha.
Most of the intelligence shinobi were not elite fighters. Only a few had reached Special Jonin rank. However, in terms of mobility and reconnaissance skill, they were comparable to standard jonin.
As they advanced at high speed, Mikoto gradually slowed her pace and moved beside Hayashi near the rear of the formation.
"Why not let them travel alone?" she asked quietly. "Detouring through the Land of Grass increases our travel time."
"Do you remember our first mission in the Land of Rain?" Hayashi replied.
Mikoto nodded immediately. They had been sent for reconnaissance and nearly lost their entire team after encountering Gari of Iwagakure.
"Effective intelligence is not determined by sensory skill alone," Hayashi said calmly. "Raw combat strength matters just as much."
He lowered his voice further.
"Look closely at this unit. Most of them are only at Chunin level, perhaps slightly stronger than we were back then. Even if they detect danger early, without sufficient strength the outcome will not change."
Mikoto understood instantly.
Without an escort, many of these shinobi would die before even reaching their assigned borders. Even after arrival, survival would remain uncertain.
Those who endured would eventually become elites. Those who fell would simply be recorded as casualties.
She did not return to her original position. Instead, she continued running beside Hayashi, matching his pace as the unit raced toward the frontier of the Land of Fire.
The journey was tense yet strangely uneventful. After three days, they reached the border near the Land of Grass.
There, Hayashi and Jiraiya divided the forces. The intelligence shinobi were dispatched in small groups toward their respective territories.
Hayashi led the remaining troops to a border town for a brief night of rest. The following day, they rendezvoused with Jiraiya's detachment once more.
Without further delay, the combined forces advanced into the Land of Wind.
The desert horizon stretched endlessly ahead.
Hayashi's gaze hardened.