319.The Prelude to War

Thank you for being my patron.

The List of The "ANBU" Member:

-Miguel razo

-Korron Hightower

-YoungPhxntom

-Z3kChrome

-Ask hgssdd sad an n

-Paolo Garcia

-Abel Yapura

-Hugegreenpickle

-Auzzo

-EaterOfTheDead

-sighduck

-Cirex123

-PandaSho

-LOUIS fontus

-Grimmoze

-Red Rabbit

-Mohammed Alshamsi

-Mikolaj Zwolak

-ThegamertagsPs ps

-Salah Mohamed

-Raganos

-Robert Thompson

-Lluis

-Anil Singh

-Itz black Wolf

-Davis Nguyen

-jake doe

-Glizzy

You can read 40 chapters ahead of everyone on p@treon.

P@TREON - p@treon.com/lessaservantofcosmos

(just replace the "@" with "a")

ps: Please support me on P@treon. I can really use your help!

-------------------------------------------------------------

The sunlight was very bright.

Through the projection of sunlight, looking down from the clouds, one would find a distinct boundary line naturally formed on the ground.

This is the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth.

On one side is a lush forest, home to many hidden beasts and birds, full of vitality.

On the other side is desolate, silent land, uninhabited, with occasional gusts of cold wind, like the wails of lost souls who perished here, making the place appear lonely and bleak.

As time passed, the ninja forces of the Rock Village and the Sand Village gradually formed an alliance against Konoha.

Both sides were adjusting to each other, but since the Rock and Sand had an existing alliance, their ninjas were getting along fairly well.

At this time, their forces were dispersed near the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth.

This was also the battlefield commanded by Aizen during the Second Ninja World War.

Back then, Aizen single-handedly blocked a terrifying jutsu released by numerous Rock ninjas, not only buying precious evacuation time for Konoha but also deeply shocking the thousand-plus Rock ninjas at the time.

So, for the Rock ninjas, this location left a lasting impression on them.

Now, within the Land of Earth, at this boundary line, there was a concealed Rock ninja base inside a rocky mountain.

A ninja squad of dozens was stationed here, constantly observing the distant Land of Fire, vigilant for any movement from Konoha.

"Lord Nanli, while we have some leisure time, could you tell us about the battle back then?"

At this moment, a few young, newly-promoted Rock ninjas inside the base excitedly asked a middle-aged Rock ninja.

Hearing their request, the middle-aged Rock ninja glanced at them and said sternly, "Stay vigilant. If we miss anything happening over there, the punishment from the village is not something you lower-rank ninjas can bear."

The young, somewhat inexperienced faces showed a hint of worry upon hearing this, but one of them, bold and smiling, said, "Don't worry, Lord Nanli, I'll keep a close eye on things over there."

"Tell us about the battle back then so we can mentally prepare for future combat!"

Hearing this ninja's words, the others chimed in enthusiastically.

The middle-aged Rock ninja, addressed as Lord Nanli, looked at them helplessly. His eyes showed a mix of nostalgia and fear as he began to speak.

"You should know, this war was initiated by the Tsuchikage and the Kazekage of the Sand Village."

The young Rock ninjas nodded like pecking chicks, listening intently.

Nanli continued, "Actually, you should consider yourselves lucky. This battle might not be as harsh for you."

His words puzzled the young ninjas. Seeing their confused expressions, Nanli explained, "Because Konoha has lost that man."

Hearing this, everyone was stunned. A young female Rock ninja asked, "That man? Do you mean 'Konoha's White Fang'? I heard from the Sand ninjas that they were relieved 'Konoha's White Fang' had retired."

Her words made the other Rock ninjas realize something.

Nanli gave each of them a light smack on the head, saying sternly, "Of course not 'Konoha's White Fang'! Though I've heard of his name, I've never seen him. Besides, he was on the Sand ninja battlefield, not ours. Perhaps the Sand ninjas exaggerated his power because they were weaker."

The young ninjas found his reasoning plausible. Then, the curious female Rock ninja quickly asked, "So, Lord Nanli, who is the man you're talking about?"

Nanli scanned the curious young faces and said exasperatedly, "Were you all playing in ninja school? Don't you know any intelligence about the enemy villages?"

One young ninja suddenly exclaimed, "Are you talking about 'Child of Konoha' Sōsuke!?"

Some Rock ninjas were puzzled, not knowing who he was, while others realized he must be the one Nanli referred to.

However, seeing their nonchalant expressions, Nanli's face darkened, and he said sternly, "Don't be so indifferent!"

"You have no idea how terrifying that man was. If he were still in Konoha, the Tsuchikage would never have started this war!"

"So, you should be grateful that there isn't such a despair-inducing presence among your opponents!"

Seeing Nanli's anger, the young Rock ninjas looked ashamed.

They couldn't help but be curious about what Sōsuke had done to make even the Tsuchikage wary of him.

Could a person's reputation alone influence the decisions of an enemy village?

The female Rock ninja, despite fearing Nanli's sternness, cautiously asked, "Lord Nanli, what exactly did that man do to make the village and the Tsuchikage so cautious?"

Nanli's face softened slightly as he recalled the shocking event, saying, "That man... single-handedly resisted the attacks of nearly a thousand Rock ninjas."

The young Rock ninjas were stunned, trying to comprehend the concept of facing a thousand ninja attacks.

After a while, they responded, stammering, "Impossible..."

"Lord Nanli, could you be mistaken?"

"How could anyone withstand the simultaneous attacks of a thousand ninjas? Even the Tsuchikage couldn't do that."

Nanli remained silent, as he himself struggled to believe someone could achieve such a feat. Facing a thousand ninjas alone surpassed the concept of a ninja.

Even the Tsuchikage couldn't do this, as he was still just a ninja.

After a moment of silence, Nanli decided to warn the young ninjas, saying, "Don't doubt my words. That man named Sōsuke was indeed that powerful. During that battle, he bought Konoha time and resisted our attack. It was only because of the Cloud Village's simultaneous assault on our village that the plan to invade Konoha was canceled."

"Later, that man defected from Konoha as the Fourth Hokage. But according to some comrades, the reason our previous plans to conquer Konoha failed was also because of him."

As Nanli spoke, the young Rock ninjas were left in shock.

Single-handedly resisting a thousand ninjas, repeatedly thwarting the Rock Village's invasion plans, and defecting from his village as the Fourth Hokage.

What kind of terrifying man was he?