Chapter 116: Is This a Move to Undermine from Within?

"As soon as the major battle between Konoha and the Hidden Rain Village breaks out, Konoha's attention will be diverted. That will be our chance to strike."

"I've been waiting for Danzo to leave the camp, but he hasn't stepped out even once!"

Mentioning Danzo made Chiyo angry.

Can't you just step outside for once? As the commander-in-chief, you just stay in the camp without even stepping out of the gate?

Other commanders go to the battlefield to fight, but not you. You just hand over the tasks to Orochimaru and make yourself a hands-off leader.

Are you staying in the camp to stabilize the troops, or are you just afraid of dying?

Forget it, no point in talking about this frustrating man.

Chiyo suddenly asked, "What about Sakumo Hatake...?"

Ebizō's smile froze slightly as he replied, "He was injured while fighting against the Kazekage a while ago and is currently recovering at the Konoha camp in the Land of Rivers."

"Sister, we'll kill him eventually."

"I know."

Chiyo nodded, her eyes reddened as she gritted her teeth and said, "One day, I'll cut off his head."

Chiyo's hatred for Sakumo Hatake ran deep, all the way to her bones.

Unfortunately, she couldn't seek revenge on him because she had to oversee the larger situation on the battlefield in the Land of Rain.

No one expected that the Sand Village's ultimate target wouldn't be the frontlines but rather the rear camp. They planned to launch a sneak attack.

If Takuya knew that the Sand Village was preparing to attack the rear, he would definitely laugh until his stomach hurt.

Danzo, the cunning old fox, has been hiding in the camp. When the Sand Village's forces come attacking, he'll definitely be dumbfounded.

I've been hiding in the camp; who did I provoke?

Within a few hours, the group reached their destination.

Nawaki looked around at the other ninjas, swallowed nervously, and whispered, "Takuya, are we really supposed to fend off the Sand Village's attack with just this few people?"

There were two special jōnin, and the rest were all chūnin—there weren't even that many of them.

Just a few dozen people; how are we supposed to fight?

"What else did you expect? Do you think your sister is worried for no reason that you'll die on the battlefield?"

Takuya looked at him with a smirk.

It's precisely because she knows the risk is high that Tsunade is worried.

Yet Nawaki still doesn't believe Tsunade would say such a thing.

Is it too late for me to back out now?

Nawaki looked like he was about to cry.

Minato's face was tense; it was clear he was feeling the weight of the situation.

Anyone in his place would feel uneasy after arriving here.

Expecting just a few dozen people to hold off the Sand Village's forces—this isn't defense; it's just buying time.

Stalling for time, and as for how many will survive in the end, that's up to fate.

Orochimaru's command style certainly loves to take risks.

This move... it's like cutting the ground from under their feet!

Takuya was left speechless by Orochimaru's tactics.

Forget it, why think so much? Let's just stall for as long as possible.

If we can't hold out any longer, I'll just release Snowy. Takuya didn't believe the Sand Village could be so stubborn as to take down Snowy.

"Takuya-sama, Orochimaru-sama has sent me a message. Your Takuya Squad only needs to hold the position on the right. I'll assign two squads to assist you."

The special jōnin in charge of command came forward to make the arrangements.

Takuya's squad was positioned on the right flank, with two additional squads assigned to support them.

The deployment was simple: just hold a small area. If the enemy approaches and you spot them early, you sound the alarm.

If you don't spot them in time, do your best to eliminate the incoming enemies.

If you can't take them on, retreat while fighting, and buy as much time as possible.

It was easier than expected. Orochimaru still showed some humanity, only asking everyone to delay the enemy, not to hold the position at all costs.

There's a big difference between delaying and holding at all costs.

When delaying, if you can't win, you can run.

But if you are ordered to hold at all costs and run, that's desertion, and there will be consequences after the battle.

That's why wars always produce a lot of defected ninjas; this is one of the reasons.

After the Second Ninja War, the defected ninjas who were left hiding all over the Land of Rain continued to cause trouble for more than a decade.

It wasn't until the Akatsuki organization rose to power that they were gradually cleared out.

Only then did the Hidden Rain Village experience real peace.

Using all the materials they had brought, they set up a large number of traps.

Takuya and the others sat inside a hollowed-out tree to rest, while the two accompanying squads kept watch on both sides.

Takuya didn't dare place these two ordinary chūnin squads in crucial positions. Otherwise, if the enemy attacked, they might be confused and unsure where the attack came from.

Chūnin on the battlefield are just cannon fodder—this isn't an exaggeration; it's a fact.

As the war drags on, even genin will be sent to the frontlines, becoming part of the cannon fodder.

"Do you think Konoha can win?"

Nawaki seemed conflicted.

Takuya glanced at him and answered confidently, "Yes!"

No matter the outcome of this battle, Konoha will be the victor.

Because Konoha still has the chance to recover, while the Hidden Rain Village does not. Therefore, the Rain Village and Hanzo are destined to lose this war.

Hanzo's war efforts have drained the Land of Rain of decades of potential.

After this battle, the Land of Rain will never rise again.

On the frontlines, the battle broke out. The ninjas of Konoha and the Hidden Rain Village clashed fiercely on the battlefield, fighting back and forth.

Overall, Konoha had the upper hand, as the Rain Village, no matter how hard it tried, couldn't match Konoha's overall strength.

The Rain Village's strength lies solely in Hanzo.

Once the "Demi-God" falls, the Rain Village will collapse.

The battle was extremely brutal, with corpses strewn across the battlefield—some blown apart by ninjutsu, some with their throats slit by kunai, some with their hearts pierced by ninja swords. You could find all sorts of gruesome deaths on the battlefield.

The most terrifying and numerous of them all were those killed by poison.

To minimize casualties, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade dared not let anyone else fight Hanzo; they could only rely on their own strength.

Facing a Hanzo in his prime, the three of them struggled.

No matter how intense the battle on the frontlines was, Takuya had no idea.

At that moment, he was leading Minato and Nawaki in clearing out the Sand Village's scouts.

"How many does this make?"

Nawaki flicked the blood off his kunai. Minato replied, his face expressionless, "This is the fourth one in our sector. Including the others, there must be quite a few. Looks like the enemy is close."

"The big battle is probably about to begin."

***********

Note: If you're interested, you can read up to chapter 198+ at patreon.com/Emik01. Don't forget to give a power stone for many bonus chapters!