A perfectly good clear-simmered salamander stew ended up becoming something closer to burnt barbecue.
According to Sakumo, Hayashi's cooking was truly terrible.
After forcing down a few more mouthfuls, Sakumo grew a little sentimental.
Just a month ago, the two of them had been running all over the Land of Fire without rest. Ever since Hanzō's defeat, everything suddenly felt calmer.
Of course, that was only on the surface.
As commanders, both of them still had plenty of responsibilities, but their confidence had clearly increased.
No one had expected the war to progress this smoothly.
After all, the title "Demi-God" carried immense weight. Even the legendary Sannin earned their names after facing Hanzō during the Second Shinobi World War, barely managing to survive against him.
Yet now, years later, a younger generation had defeated that same man who once stood at the peak of the ninja world.
Originally, Konoha's plan had been simple, overwhelm Hanzō with numbers.
It was similar to how the Third Raikage once fought ten thousand enemies alone and eventually fell after being surrounded and exhausted.
That was the worst-case scenario, assuming that both Sakumo and Hayashi would be unable to defeat Hanzō in a direct battle.
Under such circumstances, Konoha would have suffered heavy casualties, and there was no guarantee they could even capture him.
The second plan had been a rotation strategy.
Sakumo had been stationed at the border of the Land of Fire, ready to ambush Hanzō after Hayashi engaged him.
He had waited there for a long time, only to receive news that Hanzō had already been captured.
"By the way, Sakumo aniki, what's our next operation?" Hayashi asked as he picked up a peanut with his chopsticks.
He had skipped the daytime strategy meeting and instead went to check on Hanzō.
Sakumo thought for a moment before answering concisely.
"Now that Hanzō has been captured, there are still a large number of Amegakure shinobi inside the Land of Fire."
"So next, we will reorganize the battle lines and carry out a second sweep to eliminate all remaining Ame forces within our borders."
Hayashi raised a brow.
"You are not planning to accept their surrender?"
With Hanzō in their custody, Konoha could easily pressure Amegakure into withdrawing its forces.
Sakumo shook his head.
"The village has issued a strict order. Every Ame shinobi who entered the Land of Fire must be eliminated."
The Third Hokage's intentions were clear.
Konoha's next step would be to move into Amegakure and use it as a forward base for further operations.
Amegakure needed to be fully secured.
Whether Hanzō would surrender was still uncertain, and even if he did, there was no guarantee he would remain loyal.
In the ninja world, promises were fragile.
To avoid future risks, Amegakure's military strength had to be reduced significantly.
The Ame shinobi currently trapped in the Land of Fire were already cornered.
If Konoha moved to eliminate them, they would resist, and casualties would occur. However, that was still preferable to being betrayed later.
Officially, the mission was framed as avenging the civilians whose homes had been destroyed.
In reality, the outcome remained the same.
They all had to be wiped out.
"By the way, how is Hanzō?" Sakumo asked. "Is he willing to surrender?"
Hayashi shook his head.
"He is still refusing."
Keeping Hanzō alive was part of a larger plan.
Konoha intended to use Amegakure as a route to advance into the Land of Wind or the Land of Earth. For that, they needed someone to secure the supply line.
If Hanzō agreed to cooperate, it would make things far easier.
For now, Hayashi's task was to persuade him.
But Hanzō remained unyielding.
"If it does not work, we might have to install a new leader," Sakumo said after some thought.
Amegakure's internal situation was complex, and Konoha already had operatives embedded within it. If necessary, they could support a proxy to take control.
However, such a plan would take time, and time was something Konoha did not have.
After considering it, Hayashi shook his head.
"Let's wait a little longer. I want to try again."
Sakumo nodded.
"Understood."
…
…
At the same time, inside Iwagakure's conference room.
The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, slammed the intelligence report onto the table, his anger erupting.
"Hanzō is completely useless. What a disgrace."
The elders around him remained silent, not daring to speak.
Only one man, a red-haired shinobi with his arms crossed, broke the tension.
"What is the point of getting angry? The priority now is figuring out how to deal with Konoha."
Roshi had returned to the village not long ago.
Although he and Ōnoki belonged to the same generation, their relationship had never been smooth. He rarely stayed in the village, preferring to wander.
When the war began, he had returned to the battlefield, only to be recalled soon after when news arrived of the attack on Kirigakure.
Even now, his dissatisfaction with Ōnoki was obvious.
During meetings, he often challenged him openly.
This time, however, Ōnoki did not argue.
He suppressed his anger and remained silent.
Roshi smirked slightly and pointed at the map.
"Konoha has captured Hanzō. Their next move will definitely be to enter Amegakure."
"The Third Kazekage chose to fight within his own territory and still cannot deal with Orochimaru. I said long ago that Sunagakure would not achieve much."
"So Konoha's next target will most likely be us."
He tapped the map again.
"If Konoha's Lightning Flash and the White Fang enter the Land of Earth, they have two main options. One, attack Kusagakure from both sides. Two, advance directly toward Iwagakure."
"Either way, it puts us at a disadvantage. So we need to intercept them in Amegakure."
An elder frowned.
"But that would divide our forces."
Roshi let out a short laugh.
"And Konoha is not dividing theirs? They are already fighting on multiple fronts. If you are afraid, you might as well surrender now."
Ōnoki still said nothing.
In truth, Roshi's analysis was not wrong.
There was also another critical factor.
The Land of Earth was filled with mountains, and its transportation routes were limited. That made it easy for enemies to cut off supply lines.
If Konoha invaded, the forces stationed outside the village could easily be isolated.
The best solution was to contain the war within Amegakure, just like during the previous war.
But doing so required splitting their forces and pulling shinobi away from the village.
And if Konoha's Lightning Flash suddenly appeared at their doorstep again, the consequences would be disastrous.
Ōnoki hesitated.
At that moment, Roshi suddenly stood up and slammed his hand on the table.
"Give me two thousand shinobi."
His eyes burned with confidence.
"I will personally crush the forces led by Konoha's Lightning Flash and the White Fang."
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