Chapter 131

Urgent information from Sunagakure?

There was no doubt this intel came from the spies Iwagakure had planted in the Land of Wind.

Spies were a crucial tool for ninja villages to gather intelligence on rival nations. While it was relatively easy to place a spy within an enemy country, infiltrating an enemy's ninja village was nearly impossible.

Iwagakure was no exception. Unlike Konoha, which had highly skilled spies like Nono, Iwa could only manage to plant low-level informants. Getting this much information back was already a challenge.

Because of this, the news arrived a bit late.

Onoki unrolled the scroll and scanned its contents, his eyes widening in shock.

"Over a hundred Sand Ninja sacrificed without explanation? What's going on?"

Before he could process the implications, another report came in.

"Report!"

"Lord Tsuchikage, an urgent battle report from the front lines!"

Onoki's frown deepened. "Another emergency report?"

He took the document and began reading, only to freeze once again.

"Konoha has developed a special weapon? Capable of killing from nearly a thousand meters away? Almost a hundred of our shinobi have been killed?!" His voice trembled with disbelief. "Are you serious?"

"It's absolutely true, Lord Tsuchikage!" the Iwa-nin who brought the report gritted his teeth, hatred evident in his eyes.

Onoki could see the pain in his subordinate's expression, but there was no time to dwell on it. He couldn't believe this. There had been no prior intelligence about such a weapon from Konoha.

"Dammit! Those Konoha shinobi never cease to amaze me!" Onoki slammed the report down. "Prepare to move out! We're heading to the front lines!"

Onoki couldn't sit idly by any longer. The situation was too extraordinary. He needed to witness this weapon for himself to make an informed decision.

Little did Onoki know, the Third Kazekage of Sunagakure had found himself in a similar situation not long before.

As Kage, a title reserved for the most powerful and respected leaders of the great ninja villages, they typically refrained from entering the battlefield personally unless absolutely necessary. It was similar to how the Third Hokage rarely left Konoha, preferring to oversee matters from a distance.

But now, faced with Konoha's mysterious new tactics, both the Tsuchikage and the Kazekage found themselves forced to take action.

---

Meanwhile, on the battlefield, Orochimaru watched his forces clean up the aftermath of the recent skirmish. He couldn't help but be a little surprised.

"It seems Iwagakure overestimated their ability to gather intelligence," Orochimaru muttered to himself.

After defeating the Sand Ninja, Orochimaru had taken care to retrieve the sniper rifles used in battle. He had been concerned that Iwa might figure out the new technology and find a way to counter it.

But when they engaged the Iwa forces, it became clear that they were completely unaware of the weapon's existence.

The Iwa ninjas' tactics hadn't changed, and they wore no special protective gear.

It was both expected and unexpected. Orochimaru had hoped they'd be less prepared, but he had also been ready for the possibility that they would have adjusted their strategy.

Since they were caught off guard, Orochimaru felt no hesitation in ordering the snipers to engage again.

Soon, Iwa's forces began to fall, just as the Sand Ninja had before them.

However, the Iwa ninja were tougher opponents. Their defense techniques were more advanced, and after a few initial casualties, they began covering their bodies with a thin layer of chakra-infused rock. This made it harder for the snipers to deal fatal blows.

As a result, Iwa's casualties were significantly lower than Sunagakure's had been.

"This is still a good outcome," Jiraiya said, standing beside Orochimaru. "Just eight weapons were enough to force two villages to retreat."

Jiraiya had seen the sniper rifles in action and wasn't surprised by their effectiveness.

"Retreat?" Orochimaru said, shaking his head. "It's only temporary. Once they understand the limitations of these weapons, they'll come back."

Temporary?

Indeed, the ingenuity of ninjas meant they adapted to new threats quickly. Both the Sand and Rock ninja would soon find a way to counter the rifles.

Sure enough, after barely a month of rest, the combined forces of Sunagakure and Iwagakure were back on the battlefield in the Land of Rain.

First came the Sand Ninja, followed closely by the Rock Ninja.

For a skilled ninja, a sniper rifle was just a tool. Once they understood its range and firing patterns, they could adjust their tactics or even their terrain to neutralize the threat.

---

In the command tent of Konoha's base, tension was mounting.

"These guys just don't give up, do they?" one ninja grumbled.

"Yeah, they're like flies, no matter how many you swat, they just keep coming back!" another replied.

"So, what's the plan this time?"

"I think we should ask Lord Orochimaru to deploy the sniper rifles again. It worked before, right? We can just pick them off from a distance."

"No, that won't work this time," a third ninja interjected. "The enemy has changed their routes. They're moving through dense jungle areas, which won't give us the range we need for an ambush."

"Exactly," another agreed. "We'll have to fight them head-on this time."

"Ugh, but if we're fighting head-on, those Sand Ninja puppet masters are going to be a real problem!"

"Leave the puppet masters to us," a familiar voice said from the entrance.

The ninjas turned to see Jiraiya standing with his arms crossed.

"Lord Jiraiya!" one of them exclaimed.

Jiraiya smirked. "With the three of us here, I doubt the puppet masters will be much of a problem. As long as the enemy isn't too large, we can handle it."

"But what about their poison?" one of the younger strategists asked nervously.

"I've got that covered," Tsunade said confidently, stepping forward. "I've already developed an antidote that can counter all the toxins currently used by the Sand Ninja puppet masters, unless they've come up with something new, we'll be fine."

Her words left the entire room momentarily stunned.

"That's incredible!" one ninja exclaimed.

"As expected of Lady Tsunade, Lord Orochimaru's partner!" another added.

"Yeah, those two are really something!"

"Only someone like Tsunade could keep up with Lord Orochimaru!"

"Haha, thanks, thanks," Tsunade said, her serious demeanor quickly melting into a pleased smile as the praise rolled in.

Watching Tsunade's cheerful reaction, Jiraiya couldn't help but feel a bit helpless. But he wasn't upset.

Ever since that night, when he had confessed his feelings to Tsunade and made his peace with her decision, he had stopped thinking about her in that way.

In truth, Orochimaru was probably a better match for her. He wasn't just strong, he had the mind of a scientist, constantly innovating and coming up with new ways to improve their world.

Especially with the strange, yet incredibly effective inventions he'd developed.

Even Jiraiya had benefited greatly from Orochimaru's creations.

And if these inventions could be mass-produced and distributed throughout the ninja world, it would undoubtedly change everything.

Change the ninja world…?

As that thought crossed Jiraiya's mind, a sudden realization hit him like a bolt of lightning. He turned to look at Orochimaru, standing beside him, dumbfounded.

"Could Orochimaru be the prophesied child that the Great Toad Sage spoke of?"

The man who could reshape the entire ninja world…