Chapter 150: Dispatch to the Kumogakure Front Line
Hoshikawa sat beside Tsunade, surveying his surroundings.
The conference room, as the site for meetings, was a perfect reflection of Konoha's power structure.
Seated at the head was the Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, addressing a group of gathered Jōnin and Special Jōnin.
Flanking him were the two Hokage Counselors, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, alongside the Hokage's Assistant, Danzō Shimura.
Tsunade sat in the front row, closest to the Hokage.
Sharing her row were Orochimaru, Hiashi Hyūga, Fugaku Uchiha, Inoichi Yamanaka, Chōza Akimichi, and Shikaku Nara.
There were a few empty seats in the front row, which Hoshikawa guessed belonged to Jiraiya, Takefu Akimichi, Sakumo Hatake, or Minato Namikaze. They were likely still on missions and hadn't returned in time for the Jōnin assembly.
Further back were the leaders of the smaller clans and other renowned Jōnin, such as Hizashi Hyūga.
"I have called everyone here today because we have received two extremely vital pieces of intelligence," Hiruzen Sarutobi said slowly. "The first piece of information is that a serious conflict has erupted between Rasa and Pakura in Sunagakure."
Hoshikawa's mind stirred, and he began to speculate.
After the Sandaime Kazekage's disappearance, Rasa became the acting Kazekage. Due to his immense strength and the Sandaime Kazekage's prolonged absence, Rasa would eventually be officially promoted to the Fourth Kazekage.
Rasa was the father of Gaara, Kankurō, and Temari.
Pakura was one of Sunagakure's foremost Jōnin, but tragically, she became a casualty of war.
During the Third Great Shinobi World War, Sunagakure was unable to continue fighting Kirigakure, so Kazekage Rasa and the village elders devised a strategy. They sent Pakura to Kirigakure for a top-secret mission. However, upon reaching the designated location, she was surrounded by Kirigakure ninja and ultimately died in an ambush.
"Why the conflict?" Homura Mitokado asked, puzzled.
"Just recently, Rasa was the target of an assassination attempt, which was later confirmed to be carried out by Pakura," Hiruzen replied. "Though Pakura denies it, relations between her and Rasa have sunk to an all-time low. Both sides are ready for a confrontation."
"Will the Sandaime Kazekage not intervene to mediate?" Koharu Utatane raised an eyebrow and asked. While both Rasa and Pakura were strong contenders for the next Kazekage, the Sandaime Kazekage had not yet retired, making an open power struggle quite unreasonable.
"The Sandaime Kazekage has not been seen for a long time," Hiruzen Sarutobi stated gravely. "I suspect he is either missing or deceased."
"What?!"
An unavoidable commotion broke out in the conference room.
Though they were all battle-hardened veterans, hearing such news still left them visibly shocked. It was like suddenly hearing that Hiruzen Sarutobi himself had gone missing or died.
It felt like a bad dream!
"An excellent opportunity!" Danzō Shimura's spirit surged. "We should immediately mobilize our ninja and launch an attack on Sunagakure! We must take them out as quickly as possible!"
As Konoha's staunch hawk, this proposal was unsurprising. Furthermore, this truly was a rare opportunity, and many of the Jōnin in the room nodded in agreement.
"Unwise." Homura Mitokado frowned. "If we know this news, then Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure all know it as well."
His meaning was clear. The world of the shinobi was volatile. If Konoha committed too many ninja, the other hidden villages would not stand idly by. Konoha might find itself surrounded and in a desperate situation.
"Konoha is the strongest hidden village! Why should we fear them?" Danzō Shimura stood up and slammed his hand on the table, asking excitedly, "Have you forgotten the glory of the strongest village?"
"Danzō!" Hiruzen Sarutobi glared at him.
Danzō Shimura let out a soft "Hmph" and sat down again.
His outburst was both genuine passion and a calculated display. After all, once war broke out, his Root ANBU would no longer be constrained and could act with impunity. Moreover, he truly didn't believe Konoha would lose. After all, Konoha had either won decisively or, at the very least, avoided being the loser in the previous two Great Shinobi World Wars.
"First, let me announce the second piece of intelligence." Hiruzen Sarutobi contemplated for a moment. "Minato discovered four hundred extra Kumogakure ninja on the border of the Land of Lightning yesterday."
"What does this mean?"
"Is Kumogakure planning to start a war?"
"But four hundred ninja isn't a large enough scale for a war!"
The Jōnin in the conference room immediately started murmuring amongst themselves.
"This is a provocation from Kumogakure!" Danzō Shimura said with clear displeasure. "We must retaliate!"
"It certainly looks like a provocation," Koharu Utatane agreed.
"Hokage-sama," Shikaku Nara stood up and asked, "could these two matters be connected?"
"Are you suggesting an alliance between Kumogakure and Sunagakure?" Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head. "Given the Sandaime Raikage's personality, that's highly unlikely."
"No matter what Kumogakure intends, we must stop them!" Danzō Shimura declared righteously. "Please entrust this to my Root. We guarantee they won't make it back alive!"
"Silence!" Hiruzen Sarutobi halted the arguments and set the baseline. "Konoha will not be the one to initiate a war."
"Hiruzen, you are too cautious!" Danzō Shimura looked disappointed. "This only causes us to miss golden opportunities!"
"I simply do not wish to incur unnecessary losses for Konoha," Hiruzen Sarutobi said calmly. "Furthermore, the situation in Sunagakure is unclear, and we cannot rule out the possibility of a trap."
"Hiruzen makes a good point," Homura Mitokado concurred. "What if the Sandaime Kazekage's disappearance was deliberate?"
"As for Sunagakure, ANBU will handle the reconnaissance," Hiruzen Sarutobi decided. "Concurrently, we will closely monitor the movements of the other villages and increase border patrols."
"Kumogakure..." Danzō Shimura was about to volunteer his forces again but was cut off.
"Tsunade, I need you to take four hundred ninja to reinforce Minato," Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Tsunade. "The priority is to stabilize the situation."
He had originally thought about sending Orochimaru, but his personality was too similar to Danzō's, making it easy to escalate the conflict.
"Hiruzen!" Danzō Shimura instinctively shouted.
"I am the Hokage!" Hiruzen Sarutobi ended the argument immediately.
Danzō Shimura was furious, his body trembling, but he had no choice but to concede.
Tsunade frowned slightly. She subconsciously glanced at Hoshikawa. She had been inclined to refuse such a troublesome task, but then she realized this was the perfect opportunity for training.
A force of four hundred ninja was neither too large nor too small. Given the current atmosphere, the Third Great Shinobi World War seemed unavoidable. Before it began, she should let Hoshikawa and his team get used to the conditions, treating it as an extended A-Rank or S-Rank mission.
"Meeting adjourned," Hiruzen Sarutobi paused. "Tsunade, stay behind."
Danzō Shimura left first, clearly displeased.
Soon, only Tsunade and Hoshikawa remained in the room.
"What further instructions do you have?" Tsunade asked first.
"It has nothing to do with Kumogakure; it's about the Akatsuki Organization," Hiruzen Sarutobi chuckled. "Jiraiya successfully established cooperation with Akatsuki a few days ago."
"What does that have to do with me?" Tsunade waved her hand. "You handle it. Don't drag me into it."
"Since the idea originated from you and Hoshikawa, it was necessary to inform you both," Hiruzen Sarutobi was long accustomed to her attitude and didn't mind.
"Who will you assign to manage the four hundred ninja?" Tsunade changed the subject.
"I will have Shikaku accompany you as your chief advisor," Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled. "You don't need to do anything; you just need to show your face."
His purpose in sending Tsunade was twofold: first, to prevent Kumogakure from causing trouble, and second, to serve as a deterrent and a check on their movements. Few Konoha ninja possessed this level of capability, aside from the Sannin and Sakumo Hatake. As for himself and the two Counselors, they would not take the field unless absolutely necessary.
"Hmph." Tsunade nodded slightly. She was pleased with this arrangement, as it made it easier to train Hoshikawa and his team.
"What is your assessment of Sunagakure?" Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly remembered. "You didn't offer any opinion earlier."
"Hoshikawa, you take this one!" Tsunade slapped Hoshikawa on the back.
"…?" Hoshikawa, who had been observing the drama, was stunned.
"Hoshikawa, if you have thoughts, speak them," Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Hoshikawa. "Your previous suggestion to support the Akatsuki was quite insightful."
"Pakura's attack on Rasa has many suspicious points," Hoshikawa thought for a moment. "It's very likely someone framed her, perhaps Kumogakure."
"Indeed." Hiruzen Sarutobi was a little surprised. "You see things very clearly."
He had always thought the plan to support Akatsuki was Tsunade's idea, with Hoshikawa just being a front. Now, it didn't seem that way.
"No matter who is behind it, their goal is to incite civil unrest in Sunagakure," Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled. "And internal strife in Sunagakure is extremely beneficial to us."
Hoshikawa thought, Sure enough, the old fox.
Not actively starting a war was likely a pretense. If there was a real advantage to be gained, Hiruzen Sarutobi certainly wouldn't miss it. However, as Danzō had noted, he was cautious; he wouldn't rashly attack without certainty.
"I'm leaving!" Seeing the discussion was over, Tsunade turned to leave.
Hoshikawa greeted Hiruzen Sarutobi and quickly followed her out.
"It looks like war is coming again," Tsunade sighed as they walked out of the Hokage Tower.
"Konoha will definitely win," Hoshikawa reassured her.
"Is there such a thing as a guaranteed win in war?" Tsunade glanced at him. "No matter who wins or loses, a price will be paid."
Hoshikawa nodded slightly. Even with his cheat ability and being Tsunade's student, he couldn't claim to be 100% safe. After all, even the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, who possessed the Flying Thunder God Jutsu, had sacrificed himself.
"Don't worry too much. You have your teacher with you," Tsunade smiled. This time, she would absolutely not allow the tragedy of Nawaki to repeat itself.
That's a warm sentiment, but please don't raise a death flag before a battle! Hoshikawa wanted to say.
"A force of four hundred ninja won't lead to any large-scale combat. It will mostly consist of skirmishes and small-squad operations," Tsunade said as they walked. "But the intensity will be far greater than regular missions, so you all need to be mentally prepared."
"I understand," Hoshikawa nodded.
"You've always been mature, so I won't say much more. You just need to remember one thing: act carefully." Tsunade cautioned him.
"Mhm." Hoshikawa couldn't help but laugh. "It's rare to see Sensei being so long-winded."
"What? Are you complaining?" Tsunade raised her hand and flicked him on the forehead.
"Of course not." Hoshikawa straightened his face. "I will engrave every word Sensei has said into my heart!"
"See that you do!" Tsunade glared at him.
The two returned home. Less than an hour later, there was a knock at the door.
"Lady Tsunade." Shikaku Nara pushed the door open and entered.
"What is the situation?" Tsunade nodded and asked.
"Here is the list of the four hundred ninja," Shikaku Nara handed over a file.
"No problems there." Tsunade briefly scanned the list. The lowest rank was Chūnin. After all, this mission was serious and involved combat with Kumogakure ninja; they couldn't afford to send weaklings.
"I will notify them shortly," Shikaku Nara paused and asked, "Lady Tsunade, when should we depart?"
"Nine o'clock tomorrow morning," Tsunade mused. "One day should be enough time."
"Understood." Shikaku Nara acknowledged, then produced another document. "This contains Minato's report on the current battlefield conditions."
Tsunade's eyes narrowed as she read it.
The main theater of operations was currently the Land of Frost, a small nation bordering the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning.
The Kumogakure forces were led by the so-called "AB Combo": A (the future Raikage) and Killer Bee.
Killer Bee was the most troublesome element. He hadn't concealed his identity as the current Eight-Tails Jinchūriki. As a Jinchūriki, he unquestionably had the power to sway the entire conflict. If he went into full Tailed Beast Transformation, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Tsunade rubbed her forehead. It was a shame she couldn't bring Kushina Uzumaki along. Konoha's security protocols for their Jinchūriki were notoriously strict compared to Kumogakure's.
"I see." Tsunade handed the documents back to Shikaku Nara.
"Lady Tsunade, then I will take my leave." Shikaku Nara stood up.
Tsunade might be able to delegate all responsibility, but he couldn't; every logistical detail required his coordination.
"You go inform Rin and Kurenai," Tsunade instructed Hoshikawa.
"Got it." Hoshikawa nodded.
Evening arrived. After making dinner for Tsunade, Hoshikawa went to Rin Nohara's house to notify her, before finally returning to Kurenai Yūhi's house.
Kurenai had no real concept of war, but Shinku Yūhi was extremely cautious. After dinner, he pulled them aside and began sharing survival tips for the battlefield—for example, faking a fight.
In a large melee, a Genjutsu user could control an enemy ninja with an illusion and stage a fake battle with them.
Hoshikawa listened with a strange expression. Your Will of Fire is seriously flawed!
But he had to admit that these techniques were indeed excellent for increasing battlefield survival rates.
A new day dawned.
Hoshikawa woke up early. He planned to check in with Tōdai before heading out to the Kumogakure front line.
"You've come at the perfect time," Tōdai greeted him as soon as he saw him. "I was just about to look for you."
"What's up?" Hoshikawa raised an eyebrow and asked.
"The intelligence regarding the Sandaime Kazekage's disappearance has been confirmed," Tōdai pulled out a scroll and said with a smile. "This is your reward from Kumogakure."
Hoshikawa's heart quickened. He quickly unrolled the scroll.
To his disappointment, it was not the Lightning Release Chakra Mode but three Lightning Release Nin-Taijutsu: Liger Bomb, Lightning Straight, and Heavy Stream Wave.
.........
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