Rock Shinobi were retreating but the White Fang gave them no chance to retreat without paying a price. Afterwards, he regrouped with Minato. Then, Konoha launched a tactical attack on Cloud Shinobi swiftly concluding the war.
Minato, the commander-in-chief of the western battlefield devised this strategy. In Minato's eyes, Rock Shinobi would surely withdraw.
With a frontline force of 10,000 shinobi, the daily consumption of food, weapons, and necessities reached astronomical figures. Delaying the supplies would burden the massive army.
However, what Minato didn't anticipate was that after the destruction of the Kannabi Bridge, a crucial route from the Land of Earth to the Land of Fire, the 10,000-strong Rock Shinobi army led by Kitsuchi didn't withdraw towards the Land of Earth. Instead, they redirected their retreat toward the Cloud Shinobi army camp!
Now, the northern flank of Cloud Shinobi faced Rock Shinobi, while the southern side confronted Konoha, instantly creating a strange situation.
"Hahaha! This is interesting!" Upon learning of this, Tatsuya couldn't contain his laughter.
Recalling that the Third Raikage indeed perished under the siege of 10,000 Rock Shinobi. Tatsuya thought such a scenario would never repeat due to the ripple effect caused by his interventions.
However, it seed to be the world's balancing force. The Third Raikage was fated to endure this catastrophe once more.
Certainly, there was no cosmic force at play. Rock Shinobi pursued this course for their strategic aims. The destruction of the Kannabi Bridge, the vital military link between the Land of Earth and the Land of Fire, foiled their plan to attack the Land of Fire. Yet, they had already dispatched a full 10,000 troops.
Onoki, unwilling to return empty-handed, saw each war not only as a drain on manpower but also on the financial supplies supporting it. Not earning ant losing vital resources and he had to face the Damiyo after the war ended.
This was the reality of war.
Unable to defeat Konoha, wasn't the Raikage just a sitting duck right beside them?
Moreover, the Third Raikage led a force of less than 2,000 Shinobi.
Wasn't this a once-in-a-lifeti opportunity? Killing the formidable Third Raikage would strike a severe blow to the Kumo.
So just last night, Kitsuchi personally led a night attack with his army and surrounded the Cloud Shinobi led by Third Raikage, numbering less than 2,000.
"Though the battlefield situation is changing rapidly, I never anticipated it would escalate so quickly."
In Konoha's main camp, Jiraiya couldn't help but remark while glancing at his student and saying, "Minato circumstances have changed. What's your plan now?"
Minato rubbed his temples, displaying signs of distress. The original plan was now rendered ineffective.
"Coordinate with Rock Shinobi to hit the Kumo and besiege Cloud Shinobi."
The current head of the Inuzuka family, Inuzuka Tsu stated, "Cloud Shinobi killed many of our Konoha comrades. This is a golden opportunity."
"Woof!" A ninja dog nearby barked in agreent.
"If we do this, even if Cloud Shinobi are buried, can we ensure that Rock Shinobi will withdraw without a fight?"
Uchiha Fugaku frowned and expressed his thoughts, "I think... I'd better wait and observe, acting when the two armies are on the brink of statent we shall attack."
Minato weighed the opinions of the two ninja leaders. He considered Uchiha Fugaku's perspective to be sensible. After all, the flas shouldn't consu Konoha at the mont.
Waiting for the best mont to benefit from the war between the two factions seed reasonable.
"That won't work. I've already agreed with the daimyo to conclude the war before the year-end and conduct a eting for the new Hokage candidates."
However, just as Minato was contemplating adopting Uchiha Fugaku's approach. Tatsuya's words instantly captured the attention of everyone present.
"Just under three months remain until the end of the year; ti is of the essence, and waiting for the Kumo and Iwa to conclude their spat is not viable."
Under normal circumstances, Tatsuya wouldn't mind watching Rock Shinobi and Cloud Shinobi clash. However, he received a ssage from the daimyo the day before yesterday.
The daimyo agreed to Tatsuya's proposal to run a campaign for the new Hokage.
After all, Mist Shinobi's invasion of the border of the Land of Fire resulted in significant losses for Konoha. The daimyo was also discontent with Sarutobi Hiruzen.
He recognized that the current "The Professor" was unfit to remain in the position of Hokage. Tatsuya aid to present this matter to the daimyo, highlighting potential "business opportunities."
The daimyo stated that if Tatsuya could conclude the war before the end of the year, he would take his opinion into serious consideration. Every day the war continued ant an additional toll on Konoha's reputation and wealth.
Though aware of the daimyo's political maneuvering, Tatsuya understood that ending the war in just a few months would be no easy feat. The daimyo's condition seed designed to buy ti and set up further negotiations with the new Hokage. The prospect of dealing with the cunning old man and negotiating additional terms was far from appealing to Tatsuya.
Given these circumstances, he opted to end the conflict as swiftly as possible. As Tatsuya explained, those present were left astounded.
Indeed, he aid to replace Sarutobi Hiruzen as Hokage!
"But Tatsuya-sama considering the current situation, wouldn't it be better to wait and observe?" Minato hesitated.
Given the casualties, now might not be the opportune mont for decisive action. However, Minato was cautious not to upset Tatsuya and refrained from directly conveying various anings.
Tatsuya being capable of ousting the Third Hokage if displeased shouldn't be taken lightly.
"Do you know how much money we're getting from the Mist Shinobi?" Tatsuya asked abruptly.
Minato was caught off guard by the question and struggled to follow the direction of the conversation. After a brief pause, he shook his head.
"I can imagine it's substantial, given that Mist Shinobi's tactics are notoriously brutal compared to those of the Cloud Shinobi," Minato replied.
Tatsuya nodded thoughtfully. "While Shikaku is negotiating compensation with Kirigakure, we’re not sure how much we can extract from them. But if we also involve Rock and Cloud Shinobi, the total could be quite significant."
The idea of extorting Iwa and Kumo together took everyone by surprise.
"Tatsuya, when did you beco so concerned about Konoha?" Jiraiya asked with a smile, touching his chin.
"I didn't care about Konoha in the past, but now Konoha is mine. Naturally, I have to fight for it," Tatsuya replied with a light chuckle.
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