Hatake Sakumo was willing to go to the frontlines not as a deputy commander, but as a regular Jonin?
Konoha also had its hierarchy.
Hatake Sakumo had served as a deputy commander on the battlefield. Any Konoha shinobi who saw him had to address him respectfully as 'Lord'.
A deputy commander on the battlefield could decide the life and death of dozens with a single order.
He could request to go to the frontlines as a regular Jonin, but the higher-ups couldn't actually allow that.
As long as he went to the frontlines, the higher-ups had to give him a deputy commander position, otherwise things would become disorderly.
Nara Rokaku said:
"Sakumo, Iwagakure is retreating steadily under the combined attacks of our Konoha and Kumogakure. The war in the Land of Earth is nearing its end.
Kumogakure is extremely belligerent. Once Kumogakure has free hands from the Land of Earth, they might launch another war against Konoha.
We must retain a certain amount of strength to deal with a potential surprise attack from Kumogakure and the possible reopening of the Land of Hot Water front.
And you, Sakumo, are the village's contingency plan prepared for Kumogakure."
Hearing Nara Rokaku's explanation, Hatake Sakumo had no choice but to sit back down.
Sarutobi Hiruzen adjusted his Hokage hat downwards slightly to prevent others from noticing the complex look in his eyes as he glanced at Hatake Sakumo.
After Hatake Sakumo killed Sunagakure's genius puppet master Togei, his prestige had been growing higher and higher.
Many shinobi who withdrew from the Land of Rivers battlefield expressed their admiration for Hatake Sakumo on various occasions.
Konoha's bathhouses, izakayas, barbecue restaurants, and parks were all filled with ANBU informants.
The ANBU compiled this admiration into scrolls and placed them on Sarutobi Hiruzen's desk.
They couldn't let Hatake Sakumo's prestige grow any further; otherwise, he would become increasingly difficult to control.
The day after the Jonin Corps meeting ended, Tsunade set off for the Land of Whirlpools with 1000 Konoha shinobi.
The Land of Whirlpools was located on a peninsula, a narrow strip of land over 300 kilometers long and 30 to 50 kilometers wide.
Kiri-nin could choose to land on any part of the coast. If they encountered Konoha resistance, they could retreat back to the sea or to the Land of Waves.
After the Uzumaki clan was wiped out, the Land of Whirlpools was annexed by the Land of Fire. The Land of Waves, which originally belonged to the Land of Whirlpools, became a vassal state of the Land of Water, managed by Kirigakure.
Near the ocean, Water Release users had a significant advantage.
Konoha was fighting an extremely difficult battle.
Unlike the smooth progress on the Land of Rivers battlefield, the Land of Whirlpools battlefield showed a tendency to devolve into a messy, protracted conflict.
Konoha not only suffered many casualties but was also unable to effectively annihilate the main force of the Kiri-nin. The initiative remained in the hands of the Kiri-nin.
When passing by the ruins of Uzushiogakure, Tsunade let the main force proceed first. She herself, along with several Senju clansmen, stopped outside Uzushiogakure.
Yellow Dog said to Yōkō: "Fox, follow Tsunade. Observe her mental state and facial expressions in detail. Assess how much of the truth she knows."
Yōkō vanished with a Body Flicker.
He arrived at the highest mountain outside Uzushiogakure. Using rocks for cover, he observed Tsunade in the distance below with a telescope.
The setting sun shone on the ruins of Uzushiogakure. On the collapsed walls on both banks of the Rasen River, one could occasionally see the tattered Uzumaki clan emblem.
The mountain peak where Yōkō stood was the very place where Danzo had led the ANBU to hide during the extermination of the Uzumaki clan.
When Uzushiogakure was breached, the ANBU did not move.
When the south bank of the Rasen River was slaughtered completely, the ANBU did not move.
It was only after the Uzumaki clan leader and the Third Mizukage killed each other that Danzo led the ANBU charging down the mountain.
In the telescope's view, Tsunade looked desolate, her eyebrows and eyes lowered.
Almost every Senju clan child had lived in Uzushiogakure for a period during their childhood.
Members of the two clans often visited each other as relatives when they were young.
In Uzushiogakure lived Tsunade's grandfather, grandmother, aunt, cousin, and many others.
Those people collectively made up Tsunade's childhood.
Within the ruins of Uzushiogakure, shrubs had reclaimed the ground between the houses, and traces of human activity grew fewer.
Perhaps in a few more decades, this place would be completely covered by forest.
Collapsed houses, pockmarked walls, everywhere bore the marks of devastation by ninjutsu.
Weeds grew between the tiles on the roofs, making the scene even more desolate.
Tsunade looked towards the streets on the south bank, where she and her cousin had once queued together to buy dango.
Tsunade looked towards the wall of the clan leader's residence on the north bank, where she and her cousin had secretly climbed over the wall to go out and play late at night.
Her cousin was so lively, but in the end, no one knew where she died.
Her cousin had once liked Senju Kashiwa and even wanted Tsunade to act as a matchmaker. Unfortunately, Senju Kashiwa also died on the Land of Grass battlefield.
There wasn't a single body left in Uzushiogakure.
Kumogakure and Kirigakure had taken the bodies of the Uzumaki shinobi as spoils of war.
Tsunade suddenly remembered the Konoha ANBU. The Konoha ANBU also possessed some Sealing Techniques.
Hmph, the Konoha ANBU weren't even bothering to pretend anymore.
The ANBU had obtained quite a few Uzumaki shinobi corpses and had researched the Uzumaki clan's Sealing Techniques.
Especially Root. She heard that Root's laboratories had rare materials and top-tier conditions, something even Orochimaru couldn't refuse.
The so-called 'rare materials' probably included Uzumaki clan corpses.
Tsunade had heard snippets about Root's laboratories from Orochimaru.
Root was truly Konoha's cesspit. They were researching the Senju clan's secret techniques, the Uzumaki clan's secret techniques, the Uchiha's Sharingan – they wanted it all.
Root suffered from a strange persecution complex, as if many people in Konoha wanted to overthrow them, desperately collecting all of Konoha's intelligence and secret techniques.
Tsunade's gaze left the ruins of Uzushiogakure and looked at the surroundings of the village.
She had once built a sand replica of Konoha for her cousin on the distant beach.
She had once been on the mountain outside the village...
Huh?
Tsunade vanished with a Body Flicker, heading straight for the mountain peak.
Over ten seconds later, she landed on the peak with a Body Flicker. The powerful impact upon landing cracked the ground, sending soil and stones flying, but she found nothing.
Such fast Body Flicker Technique...
Yōkō had long since reached the foot of the mountain, disappearing into the distance along the river using Water Body Flicker.
If she could catch up from that distance, then Yōkō's increased strength would have been for nothing.
He had no plans to make contact or reveal himself to Tsunade.
Uzumaki Yuka and the others were well-hidden in the Land of Rain, facing no immediate danger.
There was no need to expose himself before Tsunade for now.
Uzumaki Yuka was easy to fool; Tsunade was not. He wasn't a Senju clansman, nor was he an Uzumaki clansman.
Who knew if Tsunade, skilled in medical ninjutsu, might discover the anomalies in Yōkō's body.
After rushing back to Battalion Commander Yellow Dog's side, Yōkō said quietly:
"It's hard to judge how much Princess Tsunade knows. She just stood outside the village reminiscing.
Commander, I felt Princess Tsunade's strength has increased. She detected me from very far away.
The speed at which she charged over was incredibly fast, like a frenzied rhino."
"Hmm, I understand." Yellow Dog said:
"Let's set aside the matter of Tsunade for now. The aftermath of the Uzumaki clan is Root's responsibility.
Focus on gathering intelligence on the Kiri-nin as quickly as possible. Our target is the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist."
Yōkō was taken aback. The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist?
Wait, Yellow Dog, little Yellow?
I know you're eager, really want to become the ANBU Vice-Commander, but isn't provoking the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist a bit excessive?
For Yellow Dog and his two Jonin to take on the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist seemed somewhat overestimating their abilities.
***
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(End of Chapter)