Chapter 186: Decisive Killing! The Rain Ninjas who are hiding and defending!
On the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rivers, at a temporary ANBU Fourth Squad outpost!
After the battle concluded,
Fujiwara Tetsuya, Sakumo Hatake, and Sarutobi brought back the bodies of the fallen Anbu.
After reuniting with Hua Hu's group of seven, they temporarily rested at this location.
Through their conversation,
Fujiwara Tetsuya and the others understood why Sakumo Hatake had appeared here.
And why he had shed his Anbu attire.
Compared to Fujiwara Tetsuya, who was familiar with the subsequent storyline,
Hiruzen, Hua Hu, and the others undoubtedly felt complex emotions.
Sakumo Hatake had not led the Anbu for long; it was only a few short years.
However, within these few years,
the Anbu had grown increasingly powerful under Sakumo Hatake's leadership.
They had secretly handled countless urgent missions concerning the Land of Fire and Konoha's safety.
Sakumo Hatake's sudden departure
inevitably made everyone feel uneasy.
"Sakumo-senpai! I can call you that, right?"
Gazing at the man before him,
Fujiwara Tetsuya's calm demeanor gave way to an undisguised fervor in his eyes.
Whether it was Sakumo Hatake's Lightning Release or his swordsmanship, which could dominate the Ninja World,
Tetsuya coveted them both.
Moreover, Fujiwara Tetsuya felt
that he and Sakumo Hatake had good compatibility.
If he could receive guidance from Sakumo Hatake,
his mastery of swordsmanship would advance by leaps and bounds in a short time,
helping him break free from the constraints of Konoha-Style Swordsmanship.
"Of course!"
"From the moment Hokage-sama decided to relieve me of my position as Anbu Captain,
"I became free!"
"So there's no need for you all to be so reserved in front of me."
"Just treat me as an ordinary senior."
Although Sakumo Hatake said this,
among those present,
apart from Fujiwara Tetsuya,
everyone, including Hiruzen, would likely find it difficult to change their past mindset in the short term.
"Sakumo-senpai! Since Hokage-sama sent you to oversee matters here,
"then what do you think we should do next?"
"After this surprise attack,
"both the Land of Rivers and Sunagakure will likely accelerate their invasion of Konoha."
The question Fujiwara Tetsuya posed
was undoubtedly the most urgent, yet essential, matter facing them.
If they merely adopted a wait-and-see attitude,
the next time the Land of Rivers and the Hidden Sand Village appeared before them,
it would likely be a sea of Ninja.
"On Sunagakure's side, there are many powerful individuals. Before Sunagakure and we officially declare war,
"we cannot act rashly."
"Of course, this was also Hokage-sama's instruction before I came."
"However, while we cannot move against Sunagakure,
"we can appropriately deter the Land of Rivers."
"At the very least, we must eliminate the Land of Rivers' high-level combat power and make them understand what a foolish thing it is to provoke Konoha."
Feeling the killing intent emanating from Sakumo Hatake,
Fujiwara Tetsuya's eyes flickered.
He couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
As expected of the Anbu leader! This chilling killing intent
was a level that most powerful individuals would struggle to reach in their entire lives.
"Cap... Sakumo-senpai!"
"Although the Land of Rivers is a small country,
"there are quite a few Ninja within it. According to Anbu intelligence records,
"the Ninja of the Land of Rivers' Ninja Village number approximately 1,200.
"Among them are many Elite Jonin-level powerhouses."
"If we were to raid the Land of Rivers' Ninja Village with just us,
"it would probably be quite difficult."
Although he had absolute blind faith in Sakumo Hatake's combat power,
starting a war against a country's Ninja Village with only ten people
still made Hiruzen feel immense pressure.
"Hiruzen! I understand your concerns."
"Don't worry!"
"Before I came, Hokage-sama allocated two brigades of Ninja to my command."
"They will arrive here by tomorrow afternoon at the latest."
"With their assistance,
"as long as we plan properly, severely damaging the Land of Rivers' Ninja Village will not be a difficult task."
"What you need to do now is to recover from your injuries as quickly as possible"
"and return to your peak condition."
"Otherwise, I won't let you participate in the upcoming battle."
Hearing about the two brigades of reinforcements,
everyone's expressions softened.
If that was the case, then going on a rampage
was not out of the question.
After providing Hiruzen and the others with basic treatment using the Mystical Palm Technique,
Fujiwara Tetsuya found a relatively quiet corner.
While resting, he also began to tally the gains from last night's battle.
In last night's battle,
the Ninja from the Land of Rivers and the Hidden Sand Village who fell by his hand numbered as many as sixteen.
Among them, besides four Chunin and three Jonin,
the remaining nine were Elite Chunin.
Under the influence of the Ninja War amplification, he gained 2,430 points of killing value.
If he also included the Amegakure Ninja killed in the small-scale skirmishes a few days prior,
within these few short days,
he had obtained over 3,500 points of killing value.
It had to be said that war
was indeed one of the fastest ways to accumulate wealth.
"I wonder how that guy, Mokujin, is doing!"
Gazing at the scorching sun above,
Fujiwara Tetsuya gradually closed his eyes and drifted into a light sleep.
...Western border of the Land of Fire!
The flames of war continued to burn.
Although the Konoha Ninja also suffered many casualties,
under the relentless attacks of Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya for several consecutive days,
the Amegakure Ninja on the main battlefield
experienced the taste of defeat for the first time.
Whether it was the strength of Orochimaru's trio or the colossal summoned beasts they conjured,
they were insurmountable existences for ordinary Amegakure Ninja.
As a result, Amegakure had no choice but to deploy a large number of Jonin and Elite Jonin-level powerhouses.
"Ame-maru-sama!"
"Hiruzen Sarutobi's three disciples are truly too strong!"
"Since they arrived with reinforcements,
"we have lost over a thousand comrades, both before and after."
"If we cannot stop the three of them, I'm afraid..."
Land of Fire! Kawasaki Castle!
After their defeat,
the Amegakure Ninja invading the Land of Fire began a full-scale retreat.
Among them,
nearly seventy percent of the Amegakure Ninja gathered in Kawasaki Castle, which had relatively rugged terrain.
At this moment,
over ten Amegakure Ninja powerhouses of Elite Jonin level
were gathered in the former lord's mansion, discussing their next course of action.
"I understand what you are saying!"
"Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya are indeed very strong; they are not someone we can contend with."
"I have already sent someone back to the Village to report the situation here to Hanzo-sama."
"Within two to three days at the latest, new instructions will surely come from Hanzo-sama."
"Before then, you must keep a close eye on your subordinates!"
"Without my command, no large-scale battles are to be initiated with Konoha Ninja."
"Also, the supply transport teams must be expanded."
"If necessary, able-bodied young men within Kawasaki Castle can be conscripted."
"Try to transport all the money, valuables, and treasures plundered from the Land of Fire back to the Land of Rain in the next few days."
"As long as these things are dealt with,
"at least for the next three years,
"Hanzo-sama... will no longer have to worry about the Village's financial situation."
Pubfuture Ads