Orochimaru shrugged helplessly.
However, it should be noted that—
"Ryūun-kun's plan has succeeded. Sarutobi-sensei has already left the Kirigakure battlefield, and Ryūun-kun needs us to defeat Sunagakure in a short time."
…
The battlefield against Sunagakure wasn't particularly difficult.
Especially with Tsunade and Orochimaru—two of the Legendary Sannin.
It was only because Hiruzen Sarutobi kept requesting backup that things had been dragged out.
Otherwise, with Tsunade and Orochimaru working together, they could have defeated Sunagakure long ago.
"It's finally over!"
Overjoyed, Tsunade slammed her fist on the table and stood up from her chair.
Orochimaru smiled and nodded.
"I'm quite curious how Hiruzen Sarutobi will view us after we return to Konoha."
This was the matter Orochimaru was most curious about and most concerned with.
Tsunade looked rather disdainful.
"Tch! Who cares what his attitude is? If he's happy, then I'm not."
Orochimaru shrugged and didn't reply.
In any case, the cooperation with Tsunade and Aoyama Ryūun had already been established.
The faster Tsunade became Hokage, the sooner Orochimaru could begin his research.
"Let's get started! I've been wanting to see Liuyun for ages!"
More than becoming Hokage, Tsunade longed to see Aoyama Ryūun.
They hadn't seen each other for over a year.
It was impossible for her not to miss him.
"Alright."
Orochimaru didn't know much about that sort of thing, so he simply nodded.
At the urging of Orochimaru and Tsunade,
the entire Konoha camp on the Sunagakure side began to move.
Thousands of ninjas worked in tense silence.
Everyone knew that today would be the final battle against the Sand Village.
With Tsunade and Orochimaru leading the way, the Konoha shinobi felt no fear.
If anything, they were thinking about the future waiting for them after the war.
…
"Lord Raikage!"
In Kumogakure, the Third Raikage sat casually in the meeting room.
It was obvious he'd had a very good six months.
Just then, a ninja suddenly appeared before him.
"What is it?"
"It's Iwagakure! Iwagakure has been defeated!"
The Third Raikage raised an eyebrow at his subordinate's report.
Then he laughed dismissively.
"Even I am no match for that Aoyama Ryūun. That old bastard Ōnoki never stood a chance."
When Aoyama Ryūun moved to the Iwagakure battlefield…
the Third Raikage had already predicted this outcome.
So he wasn't surprised at all hearing that Iwagakure had fallen.
After all, those "green mountains and flowing clouds" had crushed the Hidden Cloud Village for an entire year.
For the other Cloud shinobi present, the news caused some surprise, but nothing more.
However, the Raikage's right-hand man quickly realized the real problem.
"Wait! Lord Raikage!"
"What now?"
"Now that Iwagakure has been defeated, won't that Golden Lion be sent to reinforce the remaining battlefields?"
"…"
The instant the assistant said that, the previously relaxed conference room froze.
Even Killer Bee stopped rapping mid-rhythm.
Ay stared blankly at his father.
Yes, Iwagakure was defeated—but the Golden Lion was still out there.
The Third Shinobi War wasn't over yet. Aoyama Ryūun wouldn't return to Konoha immediately.
He would definitely be sent to support another battlefield.
And for the Hidden Cloud Village, which had been dominated by Aoyama Ryūun for a year…
Just hearing his name was enough to make the Third Raikage tense up.
"Tell me. Where did that Golden Lion go!?"
"Well…"
Raikage's assistant suddenly felt every eye in the room pressing down on him.
He had the feeling that if he didn't explain clearly, he might get beaten to death on the spot.
Being the Raikage's assistant was a miserable job.
"A-ahem! Lord Raikage… among the three battlefields, only the one near Kirigakure is at a disadvantage. Aoyama Ryūun will most likely be sent to support the Kirigakure front."
To become the Raikage's assistant,
one couldn't possibly be a complete idiot.
"That's good."
Upon hearing this, the Third Raikage and the others let out a breath of relief.
The assistant was exasperated.
"I haven't even finished speaking! Aren't you all relaxing a little too fast!?"
"Given Kirigakure's strength, it's only a matter of time before they fall to that Golden Lion. And then—"
After that, Aoyama Ryūun would turn around…
and come to support the battlefield against the Hidden Cloud Village.
The Sunagakure front didn't need help at all—Tsunade Senju and Orochimaru were enough to overwhelm the Sand Village.
"Lord Raikage! We need to prepare immediately!"
"…"
The group who'd just calmed down instantly panicked again.
As long as this war continued, Aoyama Ryūun would remain a terror they couldn't avoid.
"Lord Raikage!"
Everyone stared at the Third Raikage.
It was a difficult spot for them.
The Third Raikage wanted to give a strategic and intelligent response…but his brain didn't allow for such things.
"BANG!"
Furious, the Third Raikage smashed his fist into the table.
"I'm so angry!"
Whenever they thought about Aoyama Ryūun, the entire Cloud Village felt hopeless about winning.
"Forget it. Let's beat up Jiraiya and the others first to vent our anger!"
The Third Raikage had already made up his mind.
With Aoyama Ryūun in this war, the Hidden Cloud Village would never win the Third Shinobi World War.
But with the Cloud's nature, surrendering outright was impossible.
Before Aoyama Ryūun arrived, they would at least give Jiraiya and Minato Namikaze a brutal beating.
At the very least, they couldn't lose face.
"Yes!"
Those who understood the Raikage's intention moved immediately.
Clearly, the coming days would be difficult for Jiraiya and Minato Namikaze.
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