Chp-75: Satoru, Do You Want to Get a Little Closer?

The camp.

Orochimaru stood at the entrance, looking at the Sand Ninja front line with a worried expression. They had been at the battlefield for three days now. Although there hadn't been any large-scale battles, both sides had tested each other's strengths.

The Sand Village had deployed more ninjas than Konoha. Konoha had to face both the Sand and Rock Villages simultaneously, while the Sand only needed to focus on attacking Konoha. The defence of the Sand Village was aided by its harsh desert environment, making it easy to defend and hard to attack. Additionally, its location meant that only the nearby Rock Village could easily reach its core. However, the Rock and Sand Villages had apparently formed an alliance to attack Konoha together.

Orochimaru couldn't help but worry. With Tsunade unable to fight, their strength was still inferior to the Sand Ninja forces. Suddenly, he remembered something, and his eyes lit up with a raspy smile. "I almost forgot. Before we left, the old man reminded me to make good use of Minato Namikaze and Satoru Hyuga. Perhaps they could be the key."

Though he wasn't sure how much this duo could accomplish, it was their best hope.

Inside the camp.

Satoru noticed Minato Namikaze was also summoned by Orochimaru and had a hunch. Could it be that the teleporting duo was about to make their debut?

Orochimaru took a deep breath and said, "Minato, Satoru, the old man mentioned that your special jutsus, when combined, could play a crucial role in this war."

Special jutsus? Minato pondered, thinking it must be referring to his Flying Thunder God Technique. But what about Satoru's jutsu? He looked at Satoru curiously.

Satoru pondered for a moment before speaking. "I've developed a special archery jutsu with a range of about three kilometres."

Sssss!

Everyone present gasped. A jutsu with a three-kilometre range? That almost surpassed the limits of conventional jutsus. Even someone as knowledgeable as Orochimaru, a seasoned master of forbidden jutsus, had never heard of an archery jutsu with such a long range. Normally, bows and arrows could only shoot a few hundred meters at best.

Could it be... Orochimaru looked at Minato and suddenly had a lightbulb moment. The Flying Thunder God Technique, with its pre-placed marks, allowed for nearly unlimited spatial movement. Combined with such a long-range archery jutsu, these two could wreak havoc on the Sand Ninja forces.

Minato, too, was shocked upon hearing about Satoru's three-kilometre range archery jutsu. Along with his surprise came a bit of concern. He roughly understood the Hokage's intention, but wouldn't such a long-range attack lack power? Jutsus typically balanced various aspects; extending range often meant sacrificing power. Even so, the three-kilometre range was impressive. Even if they got a bit closer, Minato could always use Flying Thunder God to reposition.

Satoru, on the other hand, was indifferent. His LV4 electromagnetic power meant his "railgun" could easily reach beyond five kilometres, but he didn't want to shatter the ninja world's expectations, so he played it conservatively. As for the power... Just try dodging a headshot.

Sand Ninja camp.

In the largest tent, an intense meeting was underway.

"Currently, Konoha's forces are fewer than ours. If we engage in full-scale battle, we have the upper hand," said Rasa, his voice low as he observed the other Sand Ninjas. Although he had become the Fourth Kazekage, his position was not secure. The Sand Village's high council had many who coveted his position. Fortunately, he inherited much of the Third Kazekage's political legacy, which helped him maintain his role.

Rasa needed to use the war to eliminate internal opposition and cultivate loyalists. He gritted his teeth, still infuriated by the unknown person who had repeatedly sabotaged him. He mentally vowed to make that person pay once he found them.

"Kazekage-sama, how confident are you about this war against Konoha?" asked the Sand Village advisor Chiyo. She had little expectation from this war, believing that despite Konoha being partially distracted by the Rock Village, defeating Konoha would still be costly. However, Rasa's insistence on avenging the Third Kazekage had garnered significant support, forcing her to agree.

The disappearance of the Third Kazekage still had many unanswered questions. For such a prominent figure to vanish on home turf was unbelievable. It was like the President of the United States being ambushed near the White House. Achieving this feat would only be possible for Konoha, the leading ninja village. Rasa's persuasive arguments had managed to convince the two rival villages to join forces.

"Confidence? I'm not sure," Rasa said, meeting Chiyo's gaze before addressing all the Sand Ninjas present. "But I believe if the Sand Village unites as one, we can defeat even Konoha!"

Rasa's speech was compelling. If they were willing to fight, victory was assured. Many Sand Ninjas felt invigorated by his words.

"Yes, Kazekage-sama is right. If we unite, Konoha is nothing!"

"The Sand Village will rise again. We will win this war!"

"Victory!"

Rasa smirked subtly. They are just a bunch of pawns.

Meanwhile, three kilometres away from the Sand Ninja camp.

"Satoru, are you sure about this?" Minato asked.

"Why not here?"

"Shouldn't we get a bit closer?"

"Closer? I think we're already quite close. Any closer, and we'll be inside," Satoru replied nonchalantly.

"Oh."

Minato scratched his yellow hair in exasperation. Did Satoru really have that much confidence in his archery jutsu? Setting up at the exact three-kilometre range? What if he missed or the power was insufficient? But then again, Minato could always reposition with Flying Thunder God.

Why was Satoru so insistent? Minato couldn't understand.