Although Konoha's Chunin Exams were affected to some extent, the village later announced that they had caught a spy, so no one looked into it any further.
As soon as the Chunin Exams ended, under Minato's orders, both Konoha and the Hidden Stone began openly gathering ninja.
Konoha only sent elites, all of them Chunin rank or above.
The Hidden Stone, on the other hand, mobilized only Chunin and lower-ranked ninja.
Konoha gathered just five hundred people, while the Hidden Stone assembled two thousand for the first group.
The Hidden Stone forces had already left first and were heading to Sandthorn City.
Konoha also set out in full view, making its way toward Sandthorn City.
It was clear they planned to use Sandthorn City as a forward base to attack the Hidden Sand.
The movements of Konoha and the Hidden Stone quickly became known throughout the ninja world.
The Hidden Sand was under great pressure. Although the forces from Konoha and the Hidden Stone were not large, it was obvious this was only the first group, sent ahead to scout.
Konoha clearly had no intention of taking a little territory and leaving.
The Hidden Sand also held a meeting to discuss the matter.
———
[Hidden Sand Village]
[Meeting Room]
"Rasa has completely disappeared. There's no point counting on him anymore."
"This time, Konoha has joined forces with the Hidden Stone. It's obvious they aren't just here to gain a small advantage and leave."
"The forces from Konoha and the Hidden Stone have already gathered at Sandthorn City. Elders, think about how we're going to fight this battle."
After Pakura spoke, the elders either looked around or stayed silent in thought.
Not one of them spoke.
Pakura was worried sick, but at this critical moment, every one of the elders had pulled back.
That made Pakura furious.
BANG!
She slammed her hand on the table.
The loud sound startled all the elders.
"Konoha is about to attack us, and every one of you expects me to handle it alone?"
As Pakura shouted at them, an elder named Kazuaki spoke at an unhurried pace.
"Lord Kazekage, there's no need to worry so much. Our Hidden Sand is too poor. Even if they conquer it, they'll lose more than they gain."
"If Konoha and the Hidden Stone attack the village directly, we'll evacuate the whole village."
"They won't be able to stay here for long."
Kazuaki pointed at the sky.
"The weather in the Land of Wind over the coming days isn't something Konoha's people can handle."
Pakura understood what Elder Kazuaki meant. It was the height of summer.
During the day, the desert here could reach temperatures above fifty degrees Celsius.
It was also extremely dry, with almost no water.
At night, the temperature could fall to minus ten degrees.
A difference of sixty degrees between day and night was more than even ninja could endure.
Even the people of the Hidden Sand avoided moving around in this weather. They only traveled at night and stayed sheltered from the heat the rest of the time.
"What if Konoha advances little by little?", Pakura was very unhappy with the elders' defeatist attitude.
No wonder the Hidden Sand had become poorer and poorer over the years. It was one thing to have no ambition.
Even when the village was about to be attacked, they only thought about avoiding the fight. It would have been strange if the Hidden Sand had prospered.
Kazuaki gave an awkward laugh, "It took them a full five years just to build Sandthorn City."
"The distance from Sandthorn City to our Hidden Sand Village is much greater than the land they took before."
"If they advance step by step, they might not reach our village even after twenty years."
Kazuaki's hair had already turned completely white. He was sixty-seven years old.
If Konoha truly wanted to swallow the Land of Wind, it wouldn't happen before he died.
So he wasn't worried at all.
"Hmph! Even if Elder Kazuaki plans to deal with this so passively, our Hidden Sand still has to think about the village and the next generation."
At that moment, the only elder standing on the same side as Pakura spoke.
It was Elder Fuji.
He was an elder who truly cared about the Hidden Sand. Over the years, he had made many good decisions for the village and was well respected by its people.
Aside from Pakura, he was the only elder with real authority who actually got things done.
Seeing Elder Fuji oppose him, Kazuaki only laughed awkwardly again and said nothing.
Although Elder Fuji was just as troubled by Konoha's invasion, at least he wasn't completely without ideas.
"Lord Kazekage, there's no need to panic yet. Elder Kazuaki's words do make some sense."
"The weather has been far too hot lately. Neither Konoha nor the Hidden Sand can launch a large-scale invasion."
"In the early stage, they'll definitely focus on gathering information and testing us."
"During this time, we should avoid battles as much as possible and preserve our strength. Don't engage them directly."
"We should use the Demon Desert surrounding us as our defensive line. If they send a large force across the border, we'll gather our troops and attack."
"If they send only a small force, we can use the desert terrain to keep them tied down."
"Konoha invited the Hidden Stone to attack us. We can ask the Hidden Cloud to help us."
After hearing Elder Fuji, Pakura hesitated, "Will the Hidden Cloud really come? Our Hidden Sand doesn't have anything to offer them."
Fuji shook his head, "Lord Kazekage, you're looking at it the wrong way. After Konoha took one-fifth of the Land of Wind last time, they've developed it into a very livable place."
"Now that the Land of Fire has expanded, and with Konoha's series of reforms, their overall national strength has become the greatest in the ninja world."
"You could say the village that least wants them to keep growing stronger is the Hidden Cloud."
"They're only watching the situation for now."
"If we take the initiative to ask for help, I'm sure the Hidden Cloud understands that when the lips are gone, the teeth grow cold."
Pakura couldn't think of a better solution at the moment, "Then I'll leave the negotiations with the Hidden Cloud to Elder Fuji."
"Also, send out all of our scouting teams to keep watch on Konoha's and the Hidden Stone's movements."
———
[Konoha Village, Orochimaru's Laboratory]
Inside a medical pod, a busty blonde woman slowly opened her eyes.
Beep!
A green light immediately came on, and the lid opened by itself.
Tsunade pushed herself up into a sitting position.
She had only just woken up, and her mind was still a little foggy, but her body didn't feel weak at all.
"Tsunade, you're awake?", A gentle voice sounded as Dan Kato walked in quickly.
Tsunade had been about to jump out of bed, but when she saw Dan come in, she sat on the edge of the bed instead.
"Yeah. How long have I been asleep?"
Dan walked over and helped her up.
"You've been asleep for almost two months. How do you feel now?"
Tsunade naturally placed her hand in Dan's as she stood up, then took a couple of steps.
"I feel fine. I don't feel weak at all."
As she spoke, she threw a punch through the air, and it made a sharp rushing sound.
"While you were asleep, Nawaki woke up. A lot has also happened in Konoha."
Dan then told Tsunade everything about how Rasa had joined forces with the Sky Ninja to attack Konoha.
"Konoha has now declared war on the Hidden Sand. The first group of five hundred ninja has already gathered at Sandthorn City and is waiting for orders."
Tsunade clenched her fist, "Perfect. I've been wanting to get moving. I'll go take a look."
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