The main leaders of this ninja force were Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo Shimura, Kagami Uchiha, and Torifu Akimichi. The lineup was incredibly luxurious; even during the Second Shinobi World War, no single battlefield required four people to go together. Only the Hidden Mist battlefield was simultaneously overseen by Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura.
Fumori Masaki did not personally lead the troops because, given the current situation, it was best for him to stay in the village to be ready for any sudden developments.
Although other countries might not act rashly due to the collective defense declaration of the Southern Alliance, they couldn't completely let their guard down, especially since there were no allied nations of the Southern Alliance blocking the direction of the Land of Lightning.
As for Uchiha Kokuya from the Daimyo's mansion, he was a troublesome enemy whom Fumori Masaki believed he should personally deal with.
However, due to Kokuya's inexplicable actions and the inability to pinpoint his exact location, the Hokage's inner council decided it was better for Masaki not to lead the troops into battle, as that might lead to unnecessary expenditure of power.
As Hiruzen Sarutobi put it, the enemies from the Daimyo's mansion could be handled by their current forces.
If it really came down to confronting Uchiha Kokuya, Fumori Masaki could wait until Kokuya's location was confirmed, then use a space-time ninjutsu to transfer there directly—which was exactly what Fumori Masaki and the others had planned.
So, Fumori Masaki stayed in the village, waiting for the right moment. As soon as Uchiha Kokuya appeared on the battlefield, it would be his time to act; until then, he would leave the stage to others.
After Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others led their troops out of the village, they immediately headed towards their target.
Intelligence gathered by the intelligence ninjas reached them, stating that the enemy was advancing in three routes from different directions towards Konoha Village, seemingly intending to surround it.
"Heh, are they planning a long-term war with us?" Hiruzen Sarutobi sneered, saying, "However, we are planning a quick victory."
"The middle route should be the enemy's main force, with the most chakra samurai. I'll leave that to you, Hiruzen, Torifu," Kagami Uchiha said, looking at the enemy's advance route map in the intelligence report.
"No problem, then the other two routes are yours," Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded slightly, smiling, "The middle route is wide and suitable for our troops to operate, while the other two routes are suitable for ninja ambushes, which are your strengths."
The roles of Hiruzen Sarutobi's four-man team were all different.
Hiruzen Sarutobi himself primarily led long-to-medium-range combat ninja units, assisted by a large number of new ninja tool combat units.
Torifu Akimichi led close-range combat units, providing support to Hiruzen Sarutobi's unit; if the enemy broke through the long-range attacks and entered close quarters, it would be his time to act.
Danzo Shimura and Kagami Uchiha were responsible for intelligence units, personnel using genjutsu and other special combat techniques, as well as a small portion of combat units, providing both intelligence support and facilitating feints, ambushes, and other operations.
The enemy's current advance routes perfectly suited the capabilities of each unit.
The central route force was the main force of the Daimyo's mansion, consisting of the most chakra samurai and ordinary samurai, and there were no particularly suitable places for ambushes on the central route, meaning a frontal confrontation was inevitable. Therefore, it was most appropriate for Hiruzen Sarutobi's unit and Torifu Akimichi's unit to meet them.
As for the other two routes, as Hiruzen Sarutobi said, the terrain was somewhat complex, not as open as the central route, which had some impact on the advance of large-scale samurai units.
Moreover, there were many suitable places for ambushes nearby, which were the strengths of Danzo Shimura's unit and Kagami Uchiha's unit.
"There aren't many chakra samurai on the other two routes; ordinary samurai make up the majority," Kagami Uchiha had another idea, "In other words, the deterrent power of chakra samurai isn't as great on those routes as it is on the central route."
"You have a point. On the central route, no matter what, ordinary samurai will be forced to fight by chakra samurai, and we will definitely have to launch a large-scale attack." Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, drawing on the map with his finger, "But on the other two routes, first, the nearby terrain can be well utilized for segmented combat.
I think if all the chakra samurai are killed or unable to supervise internally, we can completely persuade those ordinary samurai to surrender."
Hiruzen Sarutobi said this with confidence, because due to Konoha Village's public relations, public opinion within the Land of Fire was basically on Konoha's side.
Even among the lord's armed forces who were forced to fight, there must have been many who were dissatisfied with the Daimyo's mansion.
It's worth noting that to facilitate control over the lord's armed forces, chakra samurai could eliminate many officers who showed insubordination.
In this era, officers had a very high influence over their subordinates. The samurai within local lords were not highly ideologically aware and were relatively rigid, primarily trusting their officers.
After the Daimyo's chakra samurai eliminated the officers, although they suppressed the samurai under their command with their powerful strength, dissatisfaction had already accumulated, just waiting for a chance to vent.
The others agreed with this. While ensuring a quick victory, they also wanted to minimize their own losses. There was no need to annihilate these ordinary samurai who could be won over; stirring up internal conflicts and bringing them to their side was the more correct approach.
"Then that's what we'll do. But you all on the central route need to be careful; it will definitely be a relentless, hard-fought battle," Kagami Uchiha reminded them.
"Don't worry, we also have our trump cards," Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled, pointing to the troops behind them who were transporting new ninja tools.
This time, in addition to traditional explosive cannons, the new ninja tools also included flying combat units and other new ninja tools, completely surpassing those of the Daimyo's mansion.
"Besides, no matter how powerful these people are, can they be stronger than a jinchuriki?" Hiruzen Sarutobi was referring to how he and Danzo Shimura had jointly resisted and repelled an enemy jinchuriki during the Second Shinobi World War.
Everyone else laughed. Indeed, no matter how powerful chakra samurai were, they couldn't be stronger than a jinchuriki. Although there was a numerical advantage, new ninja tools were designed to counter numerical advantages!
"And our secret techniques. Although getting bigger makes us targets, it's still very easy to clear them out," Torifu Akimichi gripped the iron staff in his hand and swung it hard.
"Maybe you won't even need to make an appearance," Hiruzen Sarutobi patted Torifu Akimichi's shoulder, smiling.
"Then you all better work hard, so I don't actually have to lead troops to stop them," Torifu Akimichi chuckled softly. "I also don't want to make an appearance; it's quite satisfying to blow them all up from a distance, isn't it?"
"Indeed," Hiruzen Sarutobi laughed heartily.
"Then we'll be going first; we'll come to support you later," Kagami Uchiha and Danzo Shimura greeted the other two, then led their troops away first.
They didn't have new ninja tools dragging them down, allowing for fast movement, and they could get to the other two routes early to set up ambushes.
"Goodbye," Hiruzen Sarutobi and Torifu Akimichi replied, ordering their troops to advance.
With the Daimyo's side advancing in three routes, Konoha Village chose to meet them on all three routes.
As for the outcome, Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others had abundant confidence.