After leaving the Hokage's office, Yako returned to the ANBU base and summoned White Ram.
The moment White Ram entered the Commander's office, he immediately felt a chill.
White Ram understood that this chill was not directed at him.
It meant the Commander had made some kind of decision.
He was going to kill someone.
Or clean out someone.
White Ram swept his gaze around the room. Commander Fox's assistant, Purple Cat, was not present. That proved the mission he was about to receive was extremely secret.
Yako took out a Flying Thunder God kunai. On the bandage wrapped around its handle was the trident emblem of the Church of the Three Calamities.
After the Church was made public, Yako no longer hid his connection to it. This would help Konoha accept the Church.
In the eyes of ordinary Konoha ninja, the Church of the Three Calamities was simply a strange organization established by the village leadership.
Yako handed the Flying Thunder God kunai to White Ram.
"White Ram, go to the capital of the Land of Fire alone, in secret. After entering the capital, channel chakra into the Flying Thunder God kunai. I will appear with Body Flicker Technique."
White Ram looked puzzled, then asked, "Lord Fox, are we assassinating someone in the capital?
My insect clone is extremely refined. It can infiltrate anywhere without a sound. If someone needs to be assassinated, there is no need for Lord Fox to act. I can handle it."
After a brief pause, White Ram added, "Even if it's the Sarutobi Guardian Ninja Captain!"
He had thought as far as he could, and still only assumed Lord Fox wanted to kill the Guardian Ninja Captain.
This was Konoha, after all.
Assassinating a few of their own people was not that big a deal. White Ram had long since prepared himself for such things.
Yako said, "It is not that I doubt you, nor that I do not trust you. But some sins can only be borne by me. You cannot bear them. Do as I say, White Ram."
Hearing this, White Ram understood that the assassination target was anything but simple.
Someone even more important than the Guardian Ninja Captain.
Could it be…?
He took Commander Fox's Flying Thunder God kunai, turned, and left the ANBU base.
To be safe, he used insect clones even when leaving ANBU. His entire body turned into a swarm of insects and vanished through the ventilation shaft of the ANBU base.
Only after leaving Konoha Village did the scattered insects reassemble into White Ram's body.
He rushed toward the capital of the Land of Fire.
After sending White Ram away, Yako summoned Purple Cat.
Purple Cat and White Crane would represent ANBU and be stationed with the Barrier Team.
Sarutobi Hiruzen and Yako would both leave the village. The only Kage-level ninja left in the village would be Princess Kushina. Kushina could sense malice, and if she encountered a powerful enemy, she could stall them for a while.
If Uchiha Obito and the others refused to give up and invaded Konoha again, Kushina would delay them while Purple Cat immediately notified Yako. Only then could they ensure the village was completely secure.
After sending Purple Cat and White Crane away, Yako summoned the Blossom Deer Division.
"Let's go, Blossom Deer. First to the temple, then to the front line."
When Yako arrived at the temple, he saw that Sarutobi Hiruzen and his hundred subordinates were also fully prepared to depart.
Looking at Sarutobi Hiruzen with complicated eyes, Yako said, "Lord Hokage, I will head to the Land of Grass front to deal with the Stone. You will head to the Land of Hot Water front to deal with the Cloud. I hope everything goes smoothly, and that the Third Shinobi World War ends within three months."
Sarutobi Hiruzen adjusted his wrist guards and said, "I heard Namikaze Minato has performed outstandingly on the Land of Hot Water front. With an emerging talent like Minato helping me, I am confident I can take the Land of the Moon."
Sarutobi Hiruzen led his men into the temple courtyard first.
The shrine in the courtyard lit up with sealing marks, and Sarutobi Hiruzen and his subordinates disappeared.
Yako then entered the courtyard with the Blossom Deer Division. Before long, the Uzumaki ninja completed the preparations for the Flying Shrine, and Yako and the Blossom Deer Division vanished.
His vision shifted.
Yako had already appeared inside the temple in the Land of Grass.
An Uzumaki ninja serving as a believer was responsible for the temple. This temple had a distinctly Land of Grass style.
Four tents formed a courtyard, and in the center stood an extremely tall main tent. Inside the tent were three divine statues with blurred faces.
Outside the main tent was the shrine of the Church of the Three Calamities.
The Uzumaki ninja said, "Lord Fox, the frontline command post is ten kilometers from here."
"Good. We'll head there now."
After arriving at the front line, Yako walked into the command tent.
Behind the long table at the front of the tent sat three commanders: Commander-in-chief Tsunade, and deputy commanders Orochimaru and Jiraiya.
Tsunade and the others were very surprised to see Yako. They did not know why Fox had come to the Land of Grass front.
Yako said, "Ōnoki, the Raikage, and Akatsuki launched a three-way surprise attack on Konoha Village.
Lord Third delayed them for a while. Princess Kushina and I used the Flying Shrine Technique to return to the village, then fought the enemy.
Advisor Tsunade, Ōnoki is dead. The Raikage fled.
This is our opportunity. While Ōnoki has only just died, we launch a full offensive and end the war as quickly as possible."
Tsunade stared at Fox in astonishment.
Beside her, Orochimaru was the first to stand, his eyes fixed tightly on Fox.
Yako knew what Orochimaru wanted. He took out a scroll and unsealed Ōnoki's corpse.
"The Yamanaka clan has already read Ōnoki's memories from before his death. We have obtained all the intelligence we can.
As for this body…"
Yako said, "Ōnoki was a respectable enemy. After the war ends, we will return his body to Iwagakure.
Lord Orochimaru, you may preserve Ōnoki's corpse temporarily, but you may not visibly damage it."
Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with excitement.
This was Ōnoki's corpse.
The corpse of a Kekkei Tōta user.
Yako did not tell Orochimaru that he had actually already developed Dust Release. For now, Dust Release was one of Yako's trump cards.
Tsunade said, "Since you've come to support the Land of Grass front, Fox, then we should immediately locate the Stone's main force and seek a decisive battle!"
All intelligence ninja left the frontline camp, running across the vast grasslands of the Land of Grass in search of Iwagakure's main army.
Several days later, the intelligence ninja sent back word.
They had found traces of the Stone's main force.
Every ninja in the Konoha camp gathered outside the camp, and the command staff began assigning units.
While waiting for the units to be arranged, Tsunade explained to Yako:
"Iwagakure deployed twenty thousand ninja. Their force is enormous.
They excel at using combined ninjutsu. When defending, they use Ten-Thousand-Earth-Style Wall. When attacking, they use Earth Release: Rock Cannon Technique together. Both are very difficult to handle.
They have four Kage-level ninja: Ōnoki's son, Kitsuchi; Bakura, clan leader of the Explosion Release clan; the Four-Tails Jinchūriki, Rōshi; and the Five-Tails Jinchūriki, Han.
Konoha has sent more than five thousand ninja.
My plan is this: Fox, you command twenty-five hundred ninja on your own. Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and I will command the remaining twenty-five hundred.
We split into two routes and enter the target area in a pincer formation. As we advance, we surround the Stone's main force and force them into a decisive battle."
Tsunade and the other Sannin were around ten years older than Fox. When Fox met Orochimaru and Jiraiya, he respectfully called them "Lord."
But all three Sannin understood that even if they joined forces, they might not be Fox's match.
If Fox commanded one route alone, even if he encountered multiple Kage-level ninja, he would not suffer a loss.
And with the three Sannin working together, they had no fear of Iwagakure's Kage-level ninja either.
Yako said, "Good. I will follow the command post's arrangement.
Ninja are like apex predators at the top of the food chain. Their numbers cannot be too large.
The shinobi world cannot sustain this many ninja. Iwagakure has too many, and that is why they are so warlike. That is why they are the most desperate to use war to divert internal pressure.
This Shinobi World War is the perfect chance to help them reverse that policy."