Chapter 98: To Destroy Konoha, First Destroy the Land of Fire
Yasushi didn't rashly charge into the battlefield. He circled around the perimeter, preparing to find an opportunity for a decisive strike!
Killing ordinary jonin was meaningless. If he was going to kill, he had to kill those famous, important figures.
For example, the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, or the Perverted Sage Jiraiya!
Normally, Hiruzen Sarutobi had a large group protecting him. But now the frontlines were stretched thin with insufficient combat strength. Presumably, this old man also had to personally enter the field wielding his staff, engaging in bloody battle with enemies!
Jiraiya's Sage Mode was too strong—not easy to kill. But the old man Hiruzen Sarutobi would be much easier!
As long as he found an opportunity, Yasushi could rush in and forcibly kill him!
Moreover, Yasushi felt somewhat puzzled—Konoha had actually managed to withstand the Four Nations' continuous attacks. This was unbelievable!
During the previous Konoha Collapse battle, Yasushi had personally participated. He knew exactly how many elites Konoha had lost in that battle.
Under normal circumstances, Konoha's current strength should be at most half of what it originally was.
Even if other nations couldn't possibly attack with their full national strength, and even with Konoha recalling shinobi stationed throughout the country's borders while occupying home advantage—just these factors couldn't bridge the absolute strength gap!
This made Uchiha Yasushi very confused, unable to understand how Konoha managed it. Even cheating shouldn't work like this!
Before figuring this out, Yasushi didn't plan to rashly enter the field. Otherwise, if a Reanimated Hashirama suddenly popped out, he'd have nowhere to complain!
Forbidden techniques weren't exclusively for his side to use!
Though Konoha had banned such things, it depended on circumstances. Normally, for the village's reputation, they definitely couldn't use something that toyed with the dead's souls.
But now, at this life-or-death moment with the village about to be destroyed—still worrying about this and that?
Even if not Reanimation, he couldn't let his guard down. Konoha had far too many forbidden techniques!
That madman Second Hokage researched forbidden techniques for no reason, then wouldn't let anyone use them after researching. He'd seal them in some broken book, specifically leaving them for rogue ninja to take and cause trouble for his own village.
But from another perspective, these things were precisely the foundation the Second Hokage left for Konoha!
Before Konoha's foundation disappeared, who dared guarantee they could completely destroy Konoha?
What Yasushi needed to investigate now was the foundation allowing Konoha to hold out in the Four Nations war, then remove the firewood from under the pot and cut down that foundation!
Currently, Konoha faced enemies on all sides. However, relations between villages weren't harmonious either. No one felt comfortable exposing their backs to other villages, so everyone simply occupied one direction, fighting their own battles without interfering or helping each other.
This meant Konoha also had to divide forces to respond, with someone leading defense on each side.
Just looking at that giant toad showed where Jiraiya was. Yasushi had already snuck over to look—he was fighting an intense battle with the Fourth Raikage brothers.
Sage Mode was indeed powerful. With help from numerous other shinobi, neither side could determine victory in the short term.
Hiruzen Sarutobi handled another side. His Adamantine Staff swept powerfully like tigers, various ninjutsu flowing from his hands—truly worthy of Konoha's "strongest Hokage in history" title!
Old man Ōnoki commanded from midair with composure, displaying a master's demeanor. However, his elite subordinates had been slaughtered clean by the Third Raikage. Deidara hadn't yet matured—currently understaffed. In the short term, they really couldn't take down Hiruzen Sarutobi and the group of elite ANBU behind him.
On Sunagakure's side, Kakashi led elite Konoha shinobi including the Ino-Shika-Cho trio controlling the overall situation.
The Wind Country's performance truly lived up to their title as the weakest great nation! This nickname wasn't called for nothing!
The One-Tail jinchuriki was sealed away. Scorch Release's Pakura was also sent off by her own people—methods identical to Konoha's!
No wonder Sunagakure and Konoha were staunch allies!
Though Rasa was Kazekage, with no strong subordinates and old men and women not coming, wanting to take down White Fang's son truly wasn't easy.
After complaining to himself a few times, Yasushi changed venues to observe the last direction.
What surprised Yasushi was that on this final route, Kirigakure's main resistance force was actually a group of strangers!
Years of "Bloody Mist" policy had already greatly weakened Kirigakure's combat strength.
Moreover, Yagura was still controlled by Obito's genjutsu. When striking ruthlessly, he exceeded even the previous Mizukage!
Current Kirigakure could completely compete with Sunagakure for the "weakest shinobi village" title.
They couldn't even beat monks now!
That's right—the main force resisting the Wind Country was a group of monks, plus some ordinary Konoha shinobi providing support nearby.
The lead bald donkey stood there with hands together, not even needing to move. A massive energy giant Buddha statue stood behind him, wildly throwing punches like thousand-armed Kannon, beating those Wind Country shinobi into scattering like rats.
Yasushi saw clearly—this monk obviously used the Fire Temple's secret sage technique, "Welcoming Approach: Thousand-Armed Murder"!
This was the Fire Temple's monk Chiriku!
These monks normally stayed in temples eating vegetarian food and chanting sutras—why did they join the war this time?
Looking at the group behind him, also very unfamiliar. Just watching their skills, these people weren't weaker than Chiriku at all. Working together, they also beat Yagura and others into chaos.
Yasushi's gaze swept over those strangers. None wore Konoha forehead protectors, but all uniformly wore waist sashes embroidered with a large "Fire" character!
This symbol... could it be the Daimyo's Guardian Shinobi Twelve?
The Fire Country daimyo sent reinforcements?
Uchiha Yasushi felt somewhat confused.
In his past memories, daimyo always drew personnel from Konoha to protect nobles but never dispatched their own private forces to support shinobi village wars.
The original work didn't have this segment either!
However, thinking carefully, this actually made sense.
If Konoha fell, the Fire Country would definitely be divided by other nations. Daimyo and nobles would naturally face only death.
Who knew whether these reinforcements were actively supported by the Fire Country daimyo or obtained by Hiruzen Sarutobi paying an enormous price.
But regardless of how they came, the Guardian Shinobi Twelve appearing on Konoha's defensive positions was an undeniable fact.
"Damn it!"
Uchiha Yasushi's rage suddenly soared.
"I wondered!"
"After Konoha suffered such heavy damage, how could they still resist the Four Nations' invasion!"
"So the root cause is here!"
"Looks like to destroy Konoha, I first need to destroy the entire Fire Country too!"
"Otherwise, as long as the Fire Country daimyo is willing to invest, no matter how many times Konoha is destroyed, he can rebuild it!"
Intense killing intent blazed in Uchiha Yasushi's heart. He decided that when he had free time later, he'd take a trip to the Fire Country capital and slaughter the Fire Country daimyo and those nobles!
Let daimyo and nobles also feel war's pain!
For interfering recklessly in Konoha's internal affairs!
Ah, and those bald donkeys from the Fire Temple!
Since you won't stay obediently in your temple chanting sutras, then simply never chant again!
Switch to chanting funeral rites instead!
He ran through both battlefields, carefully engraving those outsiders' appearances in his heart, then stealthily returned to the battlefield.
Matters had priority and urgency. Fire Country matters could be considered later.
What he needed to do now was first kill Hiruzen Sarutobi!
Easier said than done!
Even though Hiruzen Sarutobi was somewhat isolated now, with only some ANBU and no elite shinobi guards nearby, Hiruzen Sarutobi himself was a Kage-level shinobi. On the battlefield with highly concentrated attention, wanting to ambush him was almost impossible.
Only one chance!
Yasushi quickly formed signs, transforming into an ordinary Iwagakure shinobi. He quietly infiltrated Iwagakure's main force, under old man Ōnoki's command, bit by bit mixing toward Hiruzen Sarutobi's direction.
After wave upon wave of attacks, Yasushi's group finally moved forward.
****
70+advance chapters at patreon.com/Eatinpieces