Within the southeastern territory of the Land of Fire.
Tenfu Gorge.
Kirigakure's Frontline Position.
"Leader, the Konoha's Ninjas have been getting more and more rampant these past few days. Shouldn't we think of a way to teach them a lesson? For example…"
"Capture a few famous Ninjas, chop them up, and sink them into the sea to feed the fish?"
Inside a sentry post outside the position, a Ninja wearing gray Ninja Armor, with a face as ugly as a shark's and a ghastly pale complexion, spoke with a strange look in his eyes.
As soon as the words fell, this shark-like ugly Ninja once again subtly cast a greedy gaze upon the Ninja standing before him.
Burly, tall, with a face full of bullying features, and a body as burly as a small hill… this was the leader of Kirigakure's Intelligence Department, Suikazan Fuguki.
And opposite Suikazan Fuguki, that ugly, shark-like Ninja was his number one confidant, Hoshigaki Kisame!
"Heh…"
Fuguki, however, responded with a cold laugh: "That's just probing from Konoha's side. Konoha's forces are probably almost assembled by now. However, without probing out our true strength and weaknesses, the Konoha's commander probably doesn't have the confidence to launch an offensive actively."
"Probing?"
Kisame's hoarse voice sounded again: "Seven or eight days have passed. What exactly is the Konoha's commander trying to probe?"
"Probe what?"
Fuguki, carrying the heavy Samehada on his back, looked coldly at his puzzled subordinate. After pondering for a long moment, a chilling smile finally appeared on his lips: "Naturally, they are probing to see if our Kirigakure's trump card, Yuki Sora, is here or not. Hehehehe…"
"Without clarifying this matter, the commander on Konoha's side probably can't sleep or eat peacefully."
Kisame took a deep breath, his expression somewhat skeptical: "Is that Yuki guy really as powerful as the legends say? I always thought he was just a puppet created by Mizukage-sama for this war."
"A puppet?"
Fuguki smiled strangely: "Such words should only be spoken here, Kisame. If you go outside and still dare to slander our Commander with such words, you'll probably be torn to pieces alive by Yuki's followers."
"Yuki's reputation does have Mizukage-sama fanning the flames behind it, but ultimately, it's only because his combat power has far exceeded the limits of the so-called Seven Ninja Swordsmen, reaching the true Kage-level…"
"He possesses the talent to crush a Ninja Village single-handedly. Kisame, perhaps by the time this war ends, you will lose the courage to even look up to Yuki."
"Hiss… Leader, is Yuki Sora a stronger Ninja than you?"
As the saying goes, 'reputation often exceeds reality'. Kisame always held a skeptical attitude towards rumors, because Sora in the rumors seemed powerful to the point of being almost inhuman.
"Kisame, Yuki is no ordinary Ninja."
Suikazan Fuguki said meaningfully.
"Then…"
"Just how strong is he?"
Seeing the Intelligence Department's leader's solemn expression, Kisame finally changed color.
"If I had to make a comparison, probably all the living Seven Ninja Swordsmen, plus a Yagura, would have just enough qualification to fight Yuki Sora?"
Fuguki's voice was quiet.
"Huh!????"
Kisame was greatly shocked and changed color, looking at his superior with an incredulous expression.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen represented the strongest combat power in Kirigakure, second only to the Mizukage! If they hadn't encountered that Eight Gates User, such a force would probably have been capable of surrounding and killing the Third Hokage!
Adding a Kage-level figure like Yagura to that… such a terrifying combat power was only just enough to have the qualification to fight that youth named Yuki Sora?
"Kage!"
"There are distinctions even among Kage!"
Fuguki looked deeply at Kisame Hoshigaki and said slowly: "The Second was a Kage, the Third is also a Kage… Senju Hashirama was also a Kage…"
"Even among Kage-level Ninjas, not every Kage is the God of Ninja, Senju Hashirama!"
As Kisame looked on in incredulous horror, Fuguki continued slowly: "For you, the Kage-level might be a distant shore you may never reach in your lifetime. But for Yuki Sora, the so-called Kage-level is probably just an insignificant scenery on his journey!"
Fuguki then fell silent.
"…"
Kisame also fell silent, because he was too shocked to speak.
'The rumors…'
'Were actually true!?'
…
Kirigakure's Main Camp.
Before the sand table, Sora stood still for a long time, silent.
The Jonin in the command tent couldn't grasp Sora's thoughts and could only follow suit in silence, not daring to speak rashly.
"Sora, what are your thoughts?"
After a long silence, Yagura finally couldn't suppress his curiosity and asked.
"Thoughts?"
Hearing this, Sora nodded: "I have some, roughly."
"And that is…"
"Compared to Konoha, the village's casualty ratio is too high."
"Too high?"
Yagura showed a puzzled expression.
Sora looked up, his tone light: "Compared to Konoha with its well-developed medical system, the village's Medical-Nins are far inferior in both quality and quantity."
"This leads to light injured recovering much slower than in Konoha. As for the seriously injured…"
Sora sneered: "According to the style of our Village of the Bloody Mist, they are probably quietly executed by some unknown comrade before the battle is even over, right?"
"What truly trustworthy comrades!"
Instantly, the atmosphere in the large tent dropped to freezing point. Everyone present felt an extremely cold and severe pressure from Sora.
Their pupils constricted, and they held their breath nervously.
The Jonin standing in the main command tent were no fools with poor hearing. They could naturally hear that Sora's words clearly expressed his dissatisfaction with the policies of the Village of the Bloody Mist… strong dissatisfaction.
Although everyone knows the principle that 'there are no factions without internal divisions, a thousand strange and wonderful things happen', since the Third Mizukage, who established the Bloody Mist policy, came to power, he had no intention of accepting constraints from other individuals or forces. He always firmly and ruthlessly swept away those who tried to restrain him.
Many people disliked the cruel Village of the Bloody Mist, but few could truly resist the Third Mizukage's will.
To put it bluntly, if Sora's somewhat sarcastic words today reached the Third Mizukage's ears, no one knew what horrible things might happen.
Therefore,
At this moment,
Many were as silent as cicadas in winter. They sensed danger and dared not easily get involved in the vortex.
However, Yagura acted as if he hadn't understood anything and shook his head, saying: "The village's atmosphere hasn't always been so bloody. During the Second's administration, the village's atmosphere was very open-minded. At that time, the Second also drew upon the experience of Konoha's Senju Tobirama, establishing crucial things like the Anbu, the Ninja Academy, the Medical-Nin System…"
"It was only after the Third came to power that he attempted to use cruel killing to stimulate the potential and will of the village's Ninjas. Every Ninja, including Medical-Nins, had to constantly step on the lives of their comrades to cautiously survive. And Medical-Nins, naturally unsuited for combat, naturally became stepping stones for their comrades."
"Slowly…"
"This cruel system caused fewer and fewer Ninjas in the village to delve into the medical field. Accumulated over a long time, it formed the current situation."
"In short, this isn't something that can be simply changed by one war!"
Sora nodded, his expression calm: "Precisely because this cannot be resolved in a short time, this war must absolutely not be dragged into a protracted war by Konoha."
"We must decide it quickly!"
"If it drags on, Kirigakure will surely lose."
'Kirigakure…'
'Will surely lose?'
As soon as these words were spoken, not only Yagura, but even Mei, Meigetsu, Ao, Yuzuki, and others also cast astonished and shocked gazes upon Sora.
'Lose?'
'Will we lose?'
Some felt fearful and uneasy, while others had their minds racing, understanding the meaning behind Sora's words.
"Yes…"
Yagura's breath hitched, his face showing horror: "If this war is dragged into a protracted war by Konoha, the first to collapse will definitely be our medical system. By then, the village's Ninjas will die faster than Konoha's. With one side waning and the other waxing, the balance of manpower will eventually undergo an overwhelming change."
"By that time…"
"The village will be completely finished!"
This wasn't some unfounded fear delusion, but a reality that would most likely happen in the future.
"Speed up the progress!"
Sora looked at the strategic sand table before him and said slowly: "Time is running out for Kirigakure. So…"
"Issue the order!"
"Three hours from now, we take Tenfu Gorge. Use death to tell Konoha that the war…"
"Has begun!"
Sora's tone was light and slow, as if he were talking about some insignificant trifle. But that making difficult tasks seem easy demeanor inexplicably ignited the fire of battle in everyone's eyes.
"Understood, sir!"
"Yes, Sora-sama!"
"Understood!"
One Jonin after another, their fighting spirit boiling, charged out of the tent in high spirits to organize and assemble the Kirigakure's Ninjas in the camp.
Five minutes later, fifteen Ninja Squads were assembled. Unlike small-scale scouting missions, the organization of Ninja Ninja changes in large-scale battles.
The basic composition shifts from the four-man cell (one Jonin leading three Ninjas) to a company model (one Jonin leading one hundred Ninjas).
A company consists of one hundred and one Ninjas. Besides the Jonin Captain, there are five deputy captains below, each responsible for commanding twenty other Ninjas.
Often more than half are Genin. The most elite Ninja Squads are composed of over seventy percent Chunin and about thirty percent Jonin.
Such elite companies often play the role of the final decisive blow on the battlefield, responsible for delivering the fatal blow at the most critical moment of a battle.
Of course, the highest command authority still rests with the Commander, Sora.
Below him are the Squad Commanders: First Squad Commander Yagura, Second Squad Commander Meigetsu, Third Squad Commander Fuguki, Fourth Squad Commander Ao, Fifth Squad Commander Yuzuki, and others.
The subordinate squad commanders are basically Sora's staunch supporters or confidants. This ensures that Sora's orders can be executed accurately.
Additionally, in the chaos of the battlefield, Sora cannot possibly manage every detail. He can't be expected, during a major battle, to command a specific Jonin to advance the kunai in his right hand by 13 centimeters or such things.
Therefore, squad commanders must also be seasoned elites with the ability to act independently.
When those famous, renowned Jonin of Kirigakure appeared before everyone, the Kirigakure's Ninjas also became excited and passionate.
Furthermore, when Sora, draped in his white haori, stood on the high platform overlooking the columns of Ninjas, the atmosphere in the Kirigakure's camp naturally reached its most boiling point.
"Sora-sama!"
"Yuki-sama!"
"Long live the Commander!"
"Long live Sora-sama!"
'Ah ah ah ah, victory, victory, victory!"
Mountain-toppling, sea-roaring shouts pierced the sky. The sound waves were so violent they seemed to make the very earth tremble.
…
Land of Fire.
The clear and pure sky was suddenly covered with heavy black clouds.
After a slightly cool wind swept across the land, dense raindrops began to fall from the sky.
Heavy rain fall, and raindrops that seemed to radiate cold air howled as they pounded the earth, causing the air temperature to drop. Many Konoha's Ninjas felt the chill.
Three kilometers west of Tenfu Gorge.
Konoha's Camp.
"Such cold rain!"
Kushina, wearing a white raincoat, stood on the camp's watchtower, letting the sky-full of icy raindrops fall on her.
"Kushina…"
Choza suddenly ran over from not far away. Waving an intelligence scroll in his hand through the rain, he shouted loudly: "News from the forward scouts! The Kirigakure main camp is on the move! Over a thousand Ninjas have left the camp! We don't know which battlefield they're heading to!"
"No follow-up intelligence?"
Kushina suddenly turned her head.
"Not yet."
Choza said with a suppressed expression: "The movement on Kirigakure's side is huge. I suspect it's very possible the village's planted agents have been discovered."
"Yes."
Kushina said softly: "The current Kirigakure also has the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan. Even…"
"More than one!"
"And…"
"I have a feeling there's something wrong with this rain. It came inexplicably. And from my Mind's Eye of the Kagura perception, I feel there's an oppressive aura in the rainwater."