"Alright, then send someone back."
At this moment, Kawakaze still couldn't figure out the connection between all these events. He could only follow the flow.
The original work never described the Second Great Ninja War in detail—it only mentioned the appearance of the important figures.
After analyzing the current situation, Kawakaze concluded that Orochimaru's strategy wasn't actually wrong.
He suspected that he himself was the butterfly whose wingbeats had altered the course of events.
"Itō-kun, take your men back to camp and bring all the supplies."
"We'll advance steadily and catch up as soon as possible."
"Any objections?"
Orochimaru didn't want to waste time. The massive army continued advancing toward the center of the Land of Rain.
"No problem, Lord Orochimaru."
Konoha jōnin Itō selected three chūnin and headed back to camp.
"Kawakaze-kun, you deserve half the credit for this battle."
Orochimaru was in an excellent mood. He had barely arrived and already won two battles in a row.
His tone carried far less gloom than usual, and his lips even curved slightly upward.
"That's an exaggeration. I only offered a few suggestions."
With Tsunade absent and with little interest in fame or prestige, Kawakaze replied humbly.
But he also thought to himself that if the Land of Rain was conquered this easily, he would later need Tsunade to help repair his reputation before the other villages—otherwise it would be difficult to become Hokage.
The two children watched quietly as the adults conversed. How much they could learn depended on their own ability.
"Let's keep moving."
"Agreed."
Orochimaru now treated Kawakaze as a partner in decision-making—he asked his opinion on everything.
"Form up! Move out!"
At the command, the Konoha shinobi who had finished cleaning the battlefield continued their advance.
Compared to their high morale, Yamaru and the surviving Ame-nin looked utterly miserable as they fled the battlefield.
As soon as they escaped, they headed straight for Konoha's abandoned camp.
"I never expected Konoha to have so many elites…"
"Jiichirō also died at the hands of that tight-suit, split-haired freak."
"We can no longer stop the Konoha forces."
"There is only one option left—we must destroy their supplies."
"Only then will the Konoha ninja be forced to halt their invasion."
"Shimon-kun, report this to Lord Hanzō."
"I, Yamaru, will not disappoint him."
After speaking, Yamaru led the several dozen shinobi he had gathered and rushed toward the Konoha camp at the border of the Land of Rain.
Each of them carried大量 explosive tags strapped to their bodies.
This was their final chance.
It was also Yamaru's last struggle against death.
Shimon watched his comrades charge off and cast them one last deep look.
Then he turned around and left—his mission, too, was of great importance.
Halfway to the camp, a Konoha ninja intercepted Yamaru.
There was no ninjutsu clash—only screams and violent explosions echoing around the camp.
The Ame-nin suicide squad quickly breached the camp.
Even though Konoha had superior numbers, the Ame-nin attacked in dispersed formations, making it impossible to stop them effectively.
After Konoha suffered hundreds of casualties, Yamaru and the remaining Ame-nin still managed to reach the supply depot.
Without hesitation, Yamaru shouted:
"Lord Hanzō, in my next life I will follow you again!"
A deafening blast followed.
Yamaru and the warehouse were blown into pieces, scattered through the air like rain.
When Itō returned with the three chūnin, he was horrified by the scene before him.
"What happened!?"
Itō stormed into the camp, shouting in fury.
"My lord, the Ame-nin launched a suicide attack. All supply depots were destroyed."
"There are over a hundred casualties."
A surviving Konoha shinobi reported the situation.
"Damn those Rain ninja… How can they be so cruel and insane…"
"You take charge of reorganizing the camp. I'll report to Lord Orochimaru."
Itō didn't even take a sip of water. He rushed off, not sparing a single thought for the chūnin who had come with him.
They had to move fast—without supplies, it was impossible to conduct deep operations behind enemy lines.
Itō felt sick with worry, unsure how angry Orochimaru would be.
Just thinking of Orochimaru's cold, emotionless snake-like eyes made Itō shiver.
An hour later, they caught up with the main force. Itō pushed through the crowd and found Orochimaru.
"Lord Orochimaru, the camp's supplies were destroyed by the Rain ninja."
"We have no food left."
"Advancing into the heart of Amegakure territory is no longer wise."
Holding his breath, Itō delivered the report.
Kawakaze clearly saw Orochimaru's smiling face freeze and turn icy cold.
"Explain exactly what happened."
Orochimaru's gaze was razor sharp. He struggled to suppress the fury boiling inside him. It was as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over his head, extinguishing all of his ambitions.
"Speak slowly. Don't panic."
Kawakaze spoke up to ease the pressure on Itō, because Orochimaru's killing intent was suffocating.
"A few dozen Ame-nin broke through the defenses. Their bodies were covered in explosive tags. They attacked the camp."
"They weren't there to kill—they went straight for the supplies. All warehouses were destroyed."
"None of them survived."
Under the crushing pressure, Itō managed to recount everything.
"How ruthless… they really intend to stop our advance."
Orochimaru could change nothing now. He calmed down and withdrew his killing intent.
"To declare war on three great nations at once… Hanzō's confidence clearly wasn't based on brute force alone."
Kawakaze refrained from reminding him that he had warned about protecting the supplies—it would only make Orochimaru uncomfortable.
"Sigh… Kawakaze-kun, I should've listened to you."
Orochimaru recalled Kawakaze's earlier warning and felt a deep pang of regret, but it was too late.
"We'll return to camp. Then send people to Konoha. Have the Third Hokage request food and fodder from the daimyō."
"Once supplies arrive, we march again."
"These Rain-nin sacrificed themselves merely to buy the Land of Rain a little more time."
Kawakaze considered it and concluded that Konoha still held the advantage, so he offered his recommendation for Orochimaru to consider.
"Very well. We'll do as Kawakaze-kun suggests."
"Send the order back to camp."
Orochimaru had accepted reality, though his tone still held clear reluctance.
A golden opportunity had slipped through their fingers. Once supplies arrived from the daimyō, the situation on the battlefield might no longer be the same.
"Let's go."
Kawakaze followed behind the two children, slowly walking back toward camp.
Although he had prepared himself mentally, when Kawakaze saw the corpses of the Konoha shinobi scattered across the ground, he still felt shaken.
It reminded him of human bomb attacks in the Middle East—far too brutal.
Even the Second Hokage only used Edo Tensei for explosive jutsu… and even he probably never imagined such techniques would cause such upheaval in the ninja world.
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