Aoki's tone was urgent and resolute as he commanded, "Fugaku, the battlefield in Kirigakure is entrusted to you!"
"Move out!"
Standing at the forefront of the army, Fugaku nodded solemnly upon hearing this. When he had received the news just yesterday that he would be leading the troops, he had been deeply shaken by the immense responsibility. Although the Uchiha Clan had already formed an alliance with the Hokage, he had privately wondered whether the Hokage still held any lingering reservations about him. However, the thought that his son Itachi was now the Hokage's personal disciple brought him peace of mind. He firmly believed that once Itachi grew up and succeeded him as clan leader, the Uchiha Clan would truly integrate into Konoha.
Aoki's unreserved trust, combined with the recent changes within the clan, ignited a fierce sense of loyalty in Fugaku's heart. He immediately issued the order for the army to advance toward the Land of Water, first reaching the Land of Whirlpools as a forward outpost to set up camp.
For this campaign, Fugaku deliberately amplified the presence of the Uchiha Clan within the army. To demonstrate the clan's sincerity and determination, he mobilized half of its elite forces, aiming to swiftly crush the Land of Water and achieve victory in a single battle.
After the first wave of the army had set out, Aoki and the leaders of the various ninja clans returned to the Hokage's Office, where a tactical sand table had already been prepared. Aoki gestured for everyone to gather around and said in a low voice, "Next, let's examine the advance routes of the Sand Hidden Village, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure."
Minato immediately stepped forward and placed flags representing each ninja village on the sand table. The layout was clear: the Sand Hidden Village would take the path through the Land of Craftsmen, advancing toward the Land of Water by sea. Iwagakure and Kumogakure would first lead their forces to the Land of Waterfalls, then use the Land of Hot Springs as a stepping stone to invade the Land of Water.
Relying on the precise intelligence gathered by the Anbu, Aoki studied the advance routes of the ninja villages before turning to the others and asking, "What are your thoughts?"
Their eyes lit up as they recalled the previous conquests of the Lands of Rain, Grass, and Whirlpools. The prospect of subjugating smaller nations filled them with eagerness. Someone immediately suggested, "Lord Hokage, we can take advantage of this opportunity to seize the smaller nations that the other ninja villages are passing through, cutting off their armies' retreat!"
"Exactly! That way, the Land of Fire's territory can expand once again!"
"Lord Hokage, this is the way to go!"
Suggestions poured in from all sides, and Aoki chuckled softly. After two gatherings of the Chat Group, the rewards he had obtained had already elevated his strength to the level of the Six Paths. He knew that in the face of absolute power, the allied forces of the other great nations were nothing to fear.
"Your suggestions are excellent," Aoki said, shifting the topic, "but my target is not these smaller nations. It's here!"
With those words, he raised his hand and planted a Konoha flag directly on the territory of the Land of Wind. The expressions of everyone in the office changed instantly, disbelief written across their faces as they looked at Aoki and voiced their concerns.
"Lord Hokage, the Land of Wind is one of the Five Great Ninja Nations! The Sand Hidden Village's strength is nearly on par with our Konoha! Do you truly intend to make the Land of Wind our first target?"
"Precisely. After securing the surrounding smaller nations, it's time to move against the Five Great Ninja Nations."
Aoki's eyes simultaneously manifested the power of the Rinnegan and the Tenseigan, an invisible pressure sweeping through the entire office as he declared in a deep voice, "No one can stand in Konoha's way!"
Upon hearing these words, the office fell into a solemn silence. Everyone could genuinely feel the Hokage's unfathomable and formidable strength, and their fighting spirit was instantly ignited.
"Send out the troops! I am willing to lead the Hyuga clan as the vanguard!"
"Hokage-sama, the Inuzuka clan also requests to take the lead in battle!"
"Leave it to us, Hokage-sama!"
The clan heads, who had previously harbored reservations, now eagerly volunteered one after another, fearing they might miss this opportunity to achieve glory and make their mark. Seeing their high morale, Aoki promptly finalized the battle plan: Jiraiya would lead the army into the Land of Wind, with Hyuga Hiashi and his brother serving as scouts to guard against any counterattack from the Sand Hidden Village.
With the plan set, the second wave of troops quickly assembled. This expeditionary force included a large number of Taijutsu specialists proficient in the Konoha Six Styles.
As the Konoha army set out, the Sand Hidden Village's forces had already stationed themselves in the Land of Craftsmen due to strategic considerations regarding the Land of Water's geography. Leading this Sand force was the village hero, Pakura, who planned to march from the Land of Craftsmen and strike directly at the Land of Water.
"When do we advance?"
"The Daimyo keeps pressuring us to attack Kirigakure immediately!"
Listening to her subordinate's report, Pakura's brow furrowed involuntarily.
"The army has just arrived in the Land of Craftsmen to rest and recuperate. How can we rush into battle?"
"What is the village leadership's stance?"
"Do they view the lives of frontline ninja as mere weeds?"
The Sand ninja in the camp all turned their expectant gazes toward Pakura. Knowing she could not continue complaining lest it shake morale, she said firmly, "Hmph! Send word back to the village: once the army is fully rested, I will personally lead everyone in a fierce assault on Kirigakure!"
The messenger ninja, having received the reply, hurried off at once. Watching his retreating figure, Pakura felt an inexplicable sense of unease rise within her.
Was this move truly for the village, or was it merely for the sake of conquering Kirigakure? She couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen.
After a moment of stunned silence, she shook her head vigorously, suppressing all chaotic thoughts.
"Phew! Why am I thinking about this? Figuring out how to deal with Kirigakure is what matters now!"
With this in mind, she immediately summoned the captains of each squad to convene a pre-battle deployment meeting.
Not far from the Land of Water, in the Land of Hot Water, the allied forces of Iwagakure and Kumogakure had already stationed their troops. Due to the Land of Rivers' narrow, elongated terrain, the two great Hidden Villages were camped at opposite ends of the country, keeping out of each other's way.
In the Iwagakure camp, the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, was personally leading the army. As the camp was being set up, Onoki inspected the surroundings as usual. Seeing that the entire camp had been reinforced with Earth Release techniques, making it as solid as a rock, he felt somewhat reassured.
"Father, when do we launch our attack?"
"What's the hurry?"
"Let those fools from Kumogakure make the first move. The Third Raikage himself is here this time!"
"I predict Kumogakure won't last long."
Mentioning Kumogakure, a mysterious smile curled at the corner of Onoki's lips. He understood that village's nature all too well.
Sure enough, before his words had fully faded, a subordinate arrived to report that Kumogakure had already taken the initiative to attack Kirigakure.
"Hmph! Relay my orders: assemble all forces!"
"Kirigakure is nothing special. It won't take long to capture it!"
At the Third Raikage's command, the Kumogakure ninja launched a fierce assault on the Land of Water, swiftly breaching Kirigakure's first line of defense.
Following Kumogakure's move, Onoki immediately gave the order for the Iwagakure army to launch a full-scale offensive. With the simultaneous attacks from the two great Hidden Villages, the pressure on Kirigakure instantly multiplied.
"Damn it!"
"Those fools clearly know that Kirigakure had nothing to do with the Daimyo's assassination!"
In this critical moment, the Third Mizukage could only continuously dispatch troops to the front lines, fighting desperately to hold back the onslaught from the two great villages.
The fierce battle between the three great Hidden Villages intensified. At this moment, Pakura, who had been waiting for the perfect opportunity, led the Sand Hidden Village army to forcefully join the fray.
The sudden intervention of the Sand Hidden Village pushed Kirigakure's already precarious defensive line to the brink of collapse. The frontline Kirigakure forces were already exhausted and utterly incapable of withstanding the simultaneous assault from three great Hidden Villages.
Seeing that Kirigakure's defeat was inevitable, the Third Mizukage hesitated no longer and immediately ordered Yagura to be brought to the front lines.
"These damned invaders! Yagura, it's all up to you now!"
"Take the Three-Tails straight to the battlefield! The sealing squad will accompany you!"
Yagura received the order without a moment's delay, immediately leading the sealing squad and the sealed Three-Tails to rush toward the front lines.
As the battle in Kirigakure raged on, within the Land of Wind, the Konoha army had quietly advanced to the very gates of the Sand Hidden Village.
No one could have anticipated that Konoha, originally part of the alliance attacking Kirigakure, would choose to launch a surprise assault on the Sand Hidden Village at this critical juncture of the stalemated war.
By the time the Sand Hidden Village gate guards discovered the Konoha army's presence, it was already too late.
"Dammit!"
"Konoha is launching a surprise attack!"
"Hurry and report to the two elders, Ebizo and Chiyo!"
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