As the first village to clash directly with Konoha, Sunagakure's every move naturally drew the attention of the entire ninja world.
That attention, however, brought no honor. Other countries were merely waiting for Konoha to crush Sunagakure, so they could measure Konoha's true military strength.
The result met expectations.
Konoha remained overwhelmingly powerful, while Sunagakure was pushed into an utterly disadvantageous position.
According to intelligence reports, Sunagakure lost over two thousand ninja in a single battle, surrendered three fortresses, and had its front line forced back more than a hundred miles.
The younger generation that rose during the Second Great Ninja War, figures such as Orochimaru and Sakumo, remained terrifyingly formidable.
Among them, Uchiha Hayashi, already regarded as standing on the same level as the Sannin, shone even more brightly, achieving remarkable military accomplishments.
At the same time, the next generation of ninja, including Minato, Mikoto, and the Ino Shika Cho trio, began to display their talent and gradually enter the public eye.
Konoha truly lived up to its reputation as the overlord of the Five Great Nations and the cradle of geniuses.
This display of strength completely shattered the last hopes of the villages that had been sitting on the sidelines. If the Four Great Nations could not unite, then victory in this war would ultimately belong to Konoha.
For a time, the borders grew turbulent. Even the Hidden Cloud Village, which had been "mobilizing" for nearly three months, could no longer restrain itself and began dispatching troops toward the Land of Fire.
While other countries took action one after another, the Land of Wind battlefield, which had just experienced an intense conflict, fell into an eerie calm.
Sunagakure withdrew into its fortresses and no longer dared to engage head on. At most, they sent out small squads each day to harass Konoha's forces.
Orochimaru also refrained from launching a large scale offensive, choosing instead to let his troops recover.
During this relatively quiet period, Hayashi returned to his usual duties. He patrolled assigned zones, inspected weak points along the defensive line, monitored the movements of Sunagakure ninja, and intercepted small enemy squads attempting to infiltrate.
Amid this calm, Hayashi received a summons from Orochimaru to return.
When he arrived back at the front line camp, the first thing he saw was Jiraiya, standing there like a statue waiting for someone.
But Jiraiya was not waiting for Minato.
The moment he saw Hayashi, his eyes lit up.
After greeting Mikoto and Minato, Jiraiya immediately grabbed Hayashi's sleeve and asked excitedly, "I heard Orochimaru say you learned Sage Mode?"
During the height of the war, Jiraiya had been sent elsewhere on an S rank mission and only recently returned, missing Hayashi's earlier performance.
"Yes," Hayashi replied.
"Really?" Jiraiya's expression brightened even more. "Then show me."
"Here?" Hayashi shook his head. "Orochimaru sensei said Sage Mode still needs to remain secret."
At present, aside from Orochimaru, only the Rasa trio had witnessed Sage Mode. Using it openly now would almost certainly expose it to enemy spies.
Jiraiya laughed and nodded. "Alright then. Come to my tent tonight. We can talk about it in detail, like what methods help you enter the state faster."
Hayashi fell silent.
He had no proof, but he strongly suspected Jiraiya was saying something inappropriate.
And honestly, proof was unnecessary.
Although intelligence suggested Jiraiya's preferences were normal, combined with his history of questionable behavior and those words just now, Hayashi decided it was safer to avoid him.
With that in mind, he sighed and said, "You guys continue talking. I'll go find Orochimaru sensei."
Since Orochimaru had specifically summoned him back, there was clearly an important matter.
When Hayashi entered the central tent, only Orochimaru was inside.
After a brief greeting, Orochimaru got straight to the point.
"According to spy reports, the Third Kazekage plans to bring seventy percent of Sunagakure's ninja to the front line."
"Seventy percent?" Hayashi frowned. "That many?"
"Yes," Orochimaru replied calmly. "He intends to commit fully and tie us down in the Land of Wind."
Hayashi narrowed his eyes. "But we only have two thousand ninja here right now. There's no way we can hold against that."
"The village has already dispatched another two thousand," Orochimaru said. "They will arrive in a few days."
"That makes four thousand," Hayashi said slowly, "but that's still only half of their numbers."
"This is the limit of what the village can spare." Orochimaru sighed, then pointed at the war map laid out on the table.
"In the past six months, we have clashed with Sunagakure and the Hidden Mist. Meanwhile, Iwagakure and the Hidden Cloud remained inactive. But after this battle, reconnaissance reports confirm that Iwagakure has begun moving, and the Hidden Cloud, led by the Third Raikage's son, has dispatched two thousand ninja to the front."
"With four battlefronts demanding troops, and with forces still needed to defend the village itself, this is all the strength Konoha can muster."
As the war escalated, Konoha's weakness gradually became clear.
A shortage of manpower.
Defending four fronts simultaneously meant that even with Konoha's large population of ninja, each battlefield was stretched thin.
In simple terms, on every front, Konoha was at a numerical disadvantage.
If it were any other village, it would have collapsed already. But Konoha, as the leader of the Five Great Nations, had its own foundations.
At the very least, the overall quality of Konoha ninja far surpassed that of other villages, allowing them to hold their ground.
Even so, this situation could not be sustained for long. The Land of Wind front had to be resolved quickly.
That was the true reason Orochimaru had recalled Hayashi. In Sage Mode, Hayashi represented the strongest combat power at the outpost, surpassing even Sakumo.
"By the way," Hayashi asked, "who is commanding the front against the Hidden Cloud?"
He was familiar with the commanders on the other fronts, but since the Hidden Cloud had only just begun its advance, their opponent would have been newly appointed.
"It's Danzo," Orochimaru replied. "He was nearby negotiating a new agreement with Hanzo, so he took command directly."
"Danzo?" Hayashi frowned. "Can he really handle it?"
In Hayashi's view, Danzo was Konoha's shadow, skilled in schemes and underhanded methods. As for commanding a battlefield, that was another matter entirely.
Orochimaru shook his head. "Do not underestimate him. Anyone who survived the First Great Ninja War is not simple."
"The three advisors, including the Third Hokage, have all commanded wars. Even your aunt Koharu, when it comes to strategy, is no weaker than Nara Shikumo."
That was unexpected.
But thinking it through, it made sense. After the Second Hokage fell during the First Great Ninja War, it had been Hiruzen Sarutobi and his generation who held the village together.
"Still," Hayashi said, "I don't think Danzo alone is enough. Are you sure he can face the Third Raikage?"
"The Third Raikage will not enter the battlefield for now," Orochimaru replied. "And Danzo specializes in Wind Release, which counters Lightning Release."
Hayashi said nothing, though he remained unconvinced.
Lightning Release Chakra Mode was famously difficult to penetrate. Even Wind Release techniques struggled against it. Danzo's elemental advantage alone did not guarantee victory.
And setting aside Danzo's command ability, Hayashi could not ignore his poor combat judgment.
Age might weaken physical strength, but battle instincts did not simply disappear over time.
Danzo's later actions had already proven how questionable his combat decisions could be.
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