As the leader, Orochimaru was swamped with work and endless social obligations he couldn't dodge. After a few brief words with Aburame Tetsumaru, he hurried off.
Once Orochimaru was gone, Tetsumaru slipped away to scavenge some snacks. He sat back, sipping his sake and nibbling slowly. He found that the drinking style of his past life—treating alcohol as a companion to flavor rather than the main event—suited him best.
As the sake settled in, his thoughts began to drift. He found himself ruminating on the war.
In two lifetimes, this was his first war, and he had already been at it for over four years. On Earth, World War I would have been nearing its end by now, but here, the conflict was still a muddy, unpredictable mess.
In Tetsumaru's eyes, the Land of Wind and the Hidden Sand were on the verge of collapse, but that didn't mean the war was ending.
Konoha was effectively at war with the entire world. Toppling the Sand meant they still had two even more powerful enemies to deal with. As for the Land of Water, they were currently busy with internal "suicide", so they weren't even a factor.
The Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning had deep foundations. Their leaders were old, calculating foxes who had carefully preserved their national strength. Their current military reserves were terrifying. If those two ever joined forces against the Leaf, Konoha might truly lose. Fortunately, they were blood rivals who couldn't stand the sight of each other; there was zero chance of a partnership.
That was the standard view held by Konoha shinobi, but Tetsumaru didn't share it. In fact, he felt the Leaf was suffering from a case of selective blindness.
Do you really think the world doesn't change? he wondered. Politics is governed by interests, not grudges. Last year, the Sand and the Stone were tearing each other's throats out one day and then holding hands with the Rain to crush Konoha the next.
Sitting on the most fertile, central territory of the continent, Konoha was in a position where failing to dominate its two primary enemies simultaneously meant leaving its fate in their hands. This precarious situation was something probably only a transmigrator in all of Konoha could truly grasp.
This wasn't because Tetsumaru was a strategic genius; it was because he had the benefit of a modern historical education. He came from a civilization that had been "disguised as a country."
That great nation of his past life had split, unified, prospered, and declined. It had experienced every possible historical cycle and recorded them meticulously. If one truly understood that history, they could see through the fog of the Shinobi World at a glance.
Konoha's current plight was a symptom of its decline, and the responsibility lay squarely with the Third Hokage. Hiruzen Sarutobi had failed to resolve the internal divisions of the Leaf, resulting in an inability to unify Konoha's total strength.
Before the war, the Hokage's power wasn't an absolute majority; he maintained his position by playing opposing factions against each other. Once the war began, this became a fatal flaw. Because the Hokage's mobilized strength wasn't overwhelmingly dominant, he was hesitant to use it, fearing that excessive consumption would cost him his "relatively strongest" status.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was acting like a paranoid political warlord. He preached the "Will of Fire," the courage to sacrifice, and the protection of the "King," but his actual maneuvers involved throwing students into the meat grinder as a way to force his political opponents to contribute their own forces.
As the war intensified, and to mobilize more shinobi, the Hokage had even turned a blind eye to Shimura Danzo's "quick-fix" methods of forced mobilization.
This style of warfare—hurting your own foundation to harm the enemy—was like a double-edged sword. For every unit of strength mobilized, the village's total potential lost two units. This rapid depletion of Konoha's power was what led to today's crisis.
Fortunately, through the baptism of fire, the old guard was being pushed aside. Today, the leaders of the Land of Rivers army were the younger generation: the White Fang and the Sannin. The "Hokage Assistants" were now truly just assistants.
As the Second Shinobi World War stumbled into its sixth year, mid-tier villages like the Hidden Star and the Hidden Waterfall had withdrawn. Some, like the Hidden Grass, had been completely annihilated.
Only the six strongest villages remained in the fight, all of them exhausted. They stared at their enemies with bloodshot eyes, unable to fathom how the other side was still standing.
The foundations of these six nations differed greatly. Some had the endurance to keep going but just needed a breather; others were down to their very last breath.
The Land of Rain had been a tug-of-war for four nations. Its people were displaced, and five years of war combined with three years of total crop failure had broken the country.
After yet another clash with the Sannin, Hanzo finally felt the weight of exhaustion. He was still a powerhouse, and while the Sannin were growing rapidly, they were still no match for him solo—but the Hidden Rain practically had no ninjas left.
The stubborn "strongest ninja of the era" finally accepted his fate. After the New Year, he sent peace treaties to the Fire, Earth, Wind, and Iron nations. He retreated into the Hidden Rain, refusing to come out, essentially taking a posture of "I give up, do what you will."
The Land of Wind was also finished. On the battlefield, they maintained a facade of strength, but their ninjas were literally starving. Their lack of food self-sufficiency was a fatal blow. Having to buy grain from abroad during a total war... one didn't need a degree in economics to know how disastrous that was.
Both Konoha and the Hidden Stone exploited this weakness ruthlessly. they enforced a strict blockade to prevent grain from entering the Land of Wind and organized "Harassment Units" to prioritize attacks on the oases that produced food.
The Land of Water had attacked on all fronts, only to be blocked everywhere. They had paid a massive price in blood and treasure with zero external gains to show for it. Failure abroad only sharpened their internal contradictions. The village was cannibalizing itself, and they were one spark away from a full-blown civil war.
The only nations left with the ability to project power were Earth, Lightning, and Fire. They watched each other like hawks, each busy cleaning up their rear to prepare for the final showdown in the coming year.
The immediate goal for both Konoha and the Hidden Stone was Sunagakure. They intended to kick the Land of Wind out of the game first so they could focus entirely on each other.
In this context, victory became the supreme necessity. Coupled with the fact that Konoha's high-level leadership had performed so poorly over the years, no one was willing to let the "losers" stay in power. Orochimaru had finally reached the time for his ascent.
By now, the frontline commanders of all the warring nations were young ninjas; the older generation had retreated to the second line.
It had taken two world wars for the Shinobi World to finally complete the transfer of military command.
The primary reason for the delay was that the reigning Third Kages were all born in the Warring States period. They had learned war through small-scale clan skirmishes involving dozens or hundreds of people. The vision of a bygone era blinded them. These high-ups struggled to understand that the nature of war had changed; they habitually organized conflict in the style of the Warring States—messy, dragging, and inefficient.
It was a classic "cognitive barrier."
Besides the leadership issues, the fact that top-tier ninjas were so powerful also had an impact. When individual strength can shift a battle, it creates a massive distraction from strategic reality.
In war, the cautious survive and the reckless die. Armies are naturally conservative, which is one reason why military reform is so difficult.
Yet, there are always brilliant individuals who can see through the fog to the truth of warfare and master it.
The Second Kazekage of the Hidden Sand, Shamon, was definitely one. His tactical command was unproven, but his strategic planning and administrative talent were peerless. Under Shamon, the Sand participated in the First Shinobi World War with a "touch and go" strategy—fighting little but gaining much.
When Shamon died, the Hidden Sand was firmly the second strongest village in the world, far surpassing the Stone and the Cloud, second only to the Leaf.
Unfortunately, there was no successor. The high-ups who took over after him were too young and squandered his resources—diplomacy, time, food, and population. The foundation Shamon had painstakingly built was almost entirely gone.
The second was the White Fang, Sakumo Hatake. He was a tactical genius of the highest order. While everyone marveled at his unmatched combat power, Tetsumaru understood that Sakumo's greatest strength was his tactical intuition. Regardless of the theater, the White Fang could rampage through the enemy's rear. Despite minimal intel, he never chose the wrong target. Every strike hit a vital point, often a neglected, poorly defended one. That kind of talent was simply unfair.
The third was the Third Raikage. Despite his reputation as a "meathead," he maintained extreme caution, carefully preserving the Hidden Cloud's core strength.
The fourth was Orochimaru. A true all-around genius. He had a grasp on both operational and tactical command, developed his own "Snake Style" ninjutsu, and his combat power was firmly Kage-level.
He was the most suitable candidate for the Fourth Hokage. Beyond his combat, research, and command abilities, he possessed unparalleled administrative talent—the construction of the Hidden Sound in the future was proof enough.
Unfortunately, as Hiruzen Sarutobi aged, he seemed to develop a desire to establish a "Sarutobi Dynasty." Sakumo Hatake and Orochimaru became his targets for suppression. Whether it was because Danzo was too clumsy in the execution or Hiruzen was too cold, those two rounds of suppression resulted in one death and one defection.
Tetsumaru sat in an inconspicuous corner, looking at Sakumo Hatake, who sat in the seat of honor, silent and smiling. He felt a wave of pity.
Poor White Fang. He really died for nothing.
Sakumo was a ninja who truly believed in and practiced the Will of Fire, but he was also an open-minded, wise man with a clear sense of self-awareness.
During the Jonin council called by Orochimaru, Sakumo understood that he lacked administrative and command experience, so he threw his full support behind Orochimaru and remained silent.
With Sakumo's backing, Orochimaru's takeover of command was seamless. The purpose of this meeting was simply to communicate the next phase of the plan to the Jonin.
There were many specific directives, but they could be summarized in two words: The Decisive Battle.
The plan remained "Defend the North, Attack the South," but the goal was no longer to invade the Land of Wind. Instead, it was the total annihilation of the main Hidden Sand army.
First, they would launch an offensive to force the Sand to concentrate their forces. Then, they would feign a retreat to lure them into a counter-attack, eventually surrounding and destroying Suna's active manpower within the Land of Fire's borders. The goal was to cut the number of Sand ninjas in half.
Finally, they would strike the Hidden Sand village directly to force a surrender and end the Western front entirely.
"The Land of Wind is vast, but only the oases in the barren desert produce food. The population it can support is limited, which means the Sand's recovery capability is weak," Orochimaru explained.
"Therefore, I have decided that the objective of this campaign is not to capture a location, but to annihilate over five thousand Sand ninjas in one go."
"A loss of that scale will break the back of the Hidden Sand. They won't recover for a decade. At that point, the 'Peace Faction' in Suna will gain the upper hand, making a ceasefire inevitable."
"Once the tide turns, the greedy Daimyo of the Land of Wind will step in to push for an end to the war. We can achieve victory without ever having to occupy their country."
After finishing the briefing, Orochimaru sat down, looking weary. Taking over an army of eight thousand, reading through piles of intel, and coordinating a massive offensive... he hadn't slept in three days.
Sakumo Hatake stood up. He surveyed the 163 Jonin in the room, seeing eyes filled with hope.
Sakumo smiled. "I support Commandant Orochimaru's plan."
He sat back down immediately.
Tetsumaru was impressed. The White Fang's political phrasing was sharp. By dropping the word "Vice," he had made his support for Orochimaru as the supreme leader crystal clear.
Tsunade stood up to voice her support next, followed by the clan heads and department heads. Finally, the remaining Jonin expressed their collective support. The campaign plan was approved.
As the meeting adjourned, the Jonin dispersed to prepare for war. A dozen or so Jonin tasked with critical missions remained behind for detailed briefings.
Soon, it was Tetsumaru's turn. He entered Orochimaru's temporary tent. It contained only a table, a row of chairs, and a sand table. There wasn't even a bed.
"Heh heh heh. Tetsumaru-kun, the opportunity you've been waiting for is here."
Orochimaru leaned over the sand table, looking up to greet him. His voice was raspy, and his eyes were bloodshot.
Tetsumaru smiled broadly. "I've been waiting for this for over a year, Lord Orochimaru."
"I heard that even after transferring to the Land of Rivers, you didn't escape your 'reserve' status. You spent a whole year without a real combat mission, missing out on the victory in the Land of Rain."
"It was a bit of a shame. But leaving that rainy hell to soak up some sun in the south wasn't bad."
"Heh heh... still as slippery as ever. This time, I'll give you what you want."
Orochimaru pointed to the middle section of the Land of Rivers. "I'm concentrating my forces to destroy the main Sand army. I can't afford to commit too many people to defense, so I need you to shoulder a heavy burden."
Orochimaru's finger traced a circle around a massive area roughly 300 kilometers east-to-west and 100 kilometers north-to-south.
"I need you to control 150 kilometers of the central Land of Rivers. You will act as the anchor point for our defensive line."
"Aburame Tetsumaru, show me your full strength. Nail yourself to this spot. No matter what kind of attack you face, you are not to retreat."
"And if the Kazekage leads the army himself?" Tetsumaru's eyes narrowed. He liked defensive missions, but he wasn't about to accept a suicide mission.
"Oh? You also think the Kazekage will take this route?" Orochimaru looked up with a glint of surprise. "If the Kazekage attacks, I still require you to hold until the main force can reinforce you."
"Well? Can you do it?"
"Lord Orochimaru, please stop joking," Tetsumaru said, rolling his eyes. "Just tell me exactly how many days I have to hold out."
He had served under Orochimaru in the Rain Country and knew that one of the reasons Orochimaru despised Danzo was the latter's habit of issuing missions with vague objectives.
Orochimaru laughed. He liked smart subordinates.
"Very well. In the event the Kazekage leads the main Sand army against you, you must guarantee he does not leave the Land of Rivers for five days. Buy me enough time to respond."
To force the Hidden Sand out of the war, they didn't just need to kill half their ninjas—they had to break the spirit of Suna's leadership. The key figure in that was the Third Kazekage.
"I accept the mission."