Just as these explosive tags were less than a meter away from the Bridge of the Land of Waves.
A wall of water suddenly surged upward from the currents beneath the bridge, blocking the explosive tags before they could reach it.
BOOM!!
Several explosive tags detonated simultaneously with a massive roar, sending water shooting skyward like surging waves that crashed against the bridge.
But unfortunately, the force of the explosions was completely contained by the water wall, failing to cause the slightest damage to the Bridge of the Land of Waves.
"No chance now..."
Nara Yoshioka stared blankly at the scene, his voice filled with bitter reluctance as he murmured to himself.
It was only now that Nara Yoshioka saw the Kirigakure shinobi who had rushed over to cast the jutsu that blocked the explosive tags.
Clearly, the Konoha shinobi who had stayed behind to hold off these Mist shinobi were all dead.
This mission had failed!
Nara Yoshioka's face was filled with unwillingness, along with a deep sense of powerlessness. He had planned for everything, yet in the end, it still wasn't enough.
"Using your comrades' lives as a wager to destroy the bridge — not a bad idea. But from the very beginning, you were destined to fail."
Momochi Zabuza walked forward slowly, shouldering his Executioner's Blade with one hand, a cold smirk on his lips.
Nara Yoshioka jerked his head up and channeled every last drop of chakra and strength in his body.
With a furious roar, he charged at Momochi Zabuza!
"Pointless resistance."
Momochi Zabuza's gaze was ice-cold. He lowered his body slightly, then vanished from his position in an instant, like a coiled spring releasing.
Nara Yoshioka and Momochi Zabuza crossed paths in midair!
Momochi Zabuza landed smoothly on the ground. Nara Yoshioka also landed — but with a massive gash across his chest.
Blood poured forth like a gushing spring, mixed with shattered organs, spraying from the enormous wound in Nara Yoshioka's torso.
"I... may have failed... but Konoha will definitely win!"
Blood spilled from Nara Yoshioka's mouth as he murmured these words. Then all signs of life vanished from him, and he collapsed to the ground.
Momochi Zabuza glanced at Nara Yoshioka's corpse with a flat expression, then turned to look at the Kirigakure shinobi gathering around him.
"Clean up all the bodies. Extend the Bridge of the Land of Waves defense perimeter outward by another kilometer."
"Every single Mist shinobi currently stationed at the bridge is to fall back and be replaced by Third Series troops!"
"I don't want any Konoha shinobi slipping through our defenses unnoticed a second time."
Momochi Zabuza spoke in an even tone to the rows of Mist shinobi before him, but his voice carried an unmistakable chill.
If not for the fact that the Konoha shinobi near the Land of Fire border were few in number, the Bridge of the Land of Waves might very well have been destroyed.
Hearing the cold edge in Momochi Zabuza's voice, the assembled Mist shinobi lowered their heads even further.
Not long after Nara Yoshioka and the others were dealt with, the Mist shinobi who had been pursuing Hyuga Kazuo and the others also returned.
At the same time, the intelligence report had been fully compiled.
A total of twenty-two Konoha shinobi had participated in this attack, led by Hyuga Kazuo and Nara Yoshioka.
Aside from Hyuga Kazuo and two Chunin who had escaped, the remaining nineteen Konoha shinobi had all been eliminated.
Of course, the Kirigakure side had also suffered casualties during the fighting — aside from the wounded, four Genin and two Chunin had been killed.
In a certain sense, while this could be considered a major victory, it still earned the Mist shinobi a furious tongue-lashing from Momochi Zabuza.
After all, their numbers had been several times greater than the Konoha shinobi's. Yet even with that advantage, six of their own had still died!
This forced the Mist shinobi who had initially underestimated Konoha to reassess their opponents.
Konoha had long held dominion over the most resource-rich territory in the entire Shinobi World.
With such vast resources at its disposal, the quality of Konoha's shinobi in every regard was genuinely superior to those of the other Great Shinobi Villages.
There was no helping it — this was the result of decades of accumulation by Konoha. It was not a gap that could be closed in a short time.
Konoha Village.
The Hokage's Office!
Covered in wounds and wearing an expression of utter exhaustion, Hyuga Kazuo knelt on one knee and reported everything that had transpired to Tsunade.
Nara Shikaku, head of the Nara clan, felt a flicker of dimness cross his eyes upon hearing that Nara Yoshioka had been killed.
"You've been through a lot. The failure of this mission is not your fault."
"Shizune, take Hyuga Kazuo and the others to rest. Send the medical corps to treat their injuries."
Tsunade spoke softly to Hyuga Kazuo.
Shizune, standing to the side, nodded and led Hyuga Kazuo along with the other two shinobi out of the office.
As the office doors closed behind them.
"My condolences. This was my failure."
Tsunade turned to the silent Nara Shikaku, her face apologetic.
Hearing Tsunade's words, Nara Shikaku quickly shook his head.
"Hokage-sama, this is not your fault."
"Yoshioka must have considered every possibility. Moreover, with Kirigakure having just arrived at the Land of Waves, that was the optimal window to destroy the bridge."
Nara Shikaku wore a grave expression as he spoke with earnest seriousness.
War always came with sacrifice. That was an unchangeable law!
Because of Nara Yoshioka's death, Nara Shikaku's heart was now filled with resolve. He knew this was not the time to wallow in grief.
"The mission to destroy the Bridge of the Land of Waves has failed. That means Kirigakure's defenses around the bridge will only grow stronger!"
"If we want to destroy the bridge now, it's already impossible. We'll be facing three defensive lines. This will greatly disperse our forces."
Nara Shikaku's face was heavy with concern as he spoke softly, his eyes constantly flickering with thought.
As he spoke, Nara Shikaku had already walked over to the map of the Shinobi World.
He picked up a red marker and drew the positions of all three defensive lines on the map.
"Kirigakure's offensive routes consist of two lines — one is the Land of Waves defensive line, and the other is at the border between the Land of Bears and Konoha."
"Iwagakure's invasion route will likely follow the same path as in previous Shinobi World Wars — entering the Land of Fire through the border between Takigakure and the Land of Grass."
Nara Shikaku stared intently at the three positions, patiently explaining the situation to Tsunade.
At this point!
Nara Shikaku's voice paused briefly, and he looked at Tsunade with a hint of inquiry.
"Tsunade-sama, which of our allies can step in at this time?"
This was a critical question. While Konoha's overall strength was the greatest, facing simultaneous attacks from both Kirigakure and Iwagakure was still a strain.
Therefore, managing these three defensive lines was of the utmost importance. A breach at any single point could lead to the collapse of all three.
Tsunade heard Nara Shikaku's question and looked at the map, her brown eyes calm.
"Hot Springs Village will help us shoulder some of the pressure from Kirigakure."
When Nara Shikaku spoke of allies, he naturally didn't mean just Sunagakure and Kumogakure — he was referring to the smaller shinobi villages.
Given the current state of the Shinobi World, Sunagakure and Kumogakure would never willingly wade into these murky waters.
Even if they did intend to act, it would only be when the war was nearing its end.
Only the smaller villages might take the gamble and join the fighting.
Yes — it was a gamble!
Anyone with sense could see that the victor of this war would determine the future direction of the entire Shinobi World!
If they bet correctly, they might shed their status as a minor village entirely and become one of the next Five Great Shinobi Villages.
"Only the Village of Hot Springs?"
A trace of regret flashed across Nara Shikaku's face, though he wasn't particularly surprised.
The war had only just begun. Even if these smaller villages wanted to intervene, now wasn't the time.
The fact that the Village of Hot Springs had joined at all was largely due to its proximity to Konoha and the historically good relations between the two.
There was also another reason — Lord Jiraiya was closely acquainted with the leader of the Village of Hot Springs.
"Currently, the Village of Hot Springs is indeed our only ally. But there's also one non-allied village — the Land of Rice."
When Tsunade reached this point, her voice paused slightly.
The Land of Rice?
Hearing that name, Nara Shikaku couldn't help but freeze for a moment.
In his memory, the Land of Rice was not among Konoha's allies. But recalling Tsunade-sama's tone just now, it clicked.
Nara Shikaku suddenly remembered the intelligence report from a while back about Orochimaru appearing in the village.
If he wasn't mistaken, Orochimaru had gone to the Land of Rice and established a small shinobi village called Otogakure.
So the rumors were true!
"With two shinobi villages offering assistance, the pressure will be lightened somewhat. Looking at it that way, the situation isn't too bad."
Nara Shikaku looked at the map, and his eyes brightened slightly when his gaze fell on the Land of Rice.
At that moment!
A soft sound came from the Hokage's office window, and Jiraiya's figure vaulted in from outside.
Seeing Jiraiya take such an unconventional entrance, Nara Shikaku blinked in surprise.
"Yo, Shikaku. Good timing — you're here."
Jiraiya greeted the momentarily stunned Nara Shikaku with a casual wave.
Tsunade didn't bat an eye at Jiraiya climbing through the window — she was long since immune to it.
"I take it you have results?"
Tsunade sat up slightly, her expression serious as she looked at Jiraiya.
Nara Shikaku also turned around, his face equally grave.
"Currently, aside from Momochi Zabuza's unit stationed at the Land of Waves, a second Kirigakure unit has begun moving toward the Land of Bears."
"The ones leading this force are a member of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist — Hoshigaki Kisame — along with a shinobi possessing a special Kekkei Genkai, Kaguya Kimimaro."
"Furthermore, Iwagakure has also made its move. Leading the Iwagakure forces are Tokubetsu Jonin Bungi and a shinobi named Hidan."
Jiraiya delivered all the intelligence he had gathered in one breath, then let out a heavy sigh and grabbed a cup of water from the desk, gulping it down.
Tsunade and Nara Shikaku paid no attention to Jiraiya's somewhat disheveled appearance. Both of them stared at the map with grave expressions.
Nara Shikaku quickly marked the positions on the map, then turned back to discuss quietly with Tsunade.
By the time Jiraiya had drained two large cups of water and finally caught his breath, Nara Shikaku and Tsunade had already finished their discussion.
Their efficiency was remarkable!
But that was only natural — long before the war began, the Konoha strategy team led by Nara Shikaku had already run simulations and devised multiple contingency plans for various scenarios.
Now all they had to do was select from these pre-existing plans, or make minor adjustments.
"Have you decided who will lead the Konoha forces?"
Jiraiya looked at the two of them, asking with curiosity.
Nara Shikaku didn't hide anything. He walked over to the map with a respectful expression.
"Lord Jiraiya, given the current situation — as long as Uchiha Madara and First Mizukage Yuto don't intervene directly — Konoha is fully capable of handling this."
"Sarutobi Asuma and Yuhi Kurenai will lead the Konoha forces stationed at the Iwagakure front."
"Three Jonin each from the Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi clans will be dispatched to garrison the Land of Bears front."
"Aburame Torune and members of the Hyuga clan will be sent to hold the Land of Waves front."
"All other shinobi will be redeployed as the battlefield situation demands. Of course, the shinobi from the Villages of Hot Springs and Rice will be assisting us as well."
Nara Shikaku patiently briefed Jiraiya on the overall deployment.
None of the three Great Shinobi Villages had committed their full strength from the start — both sides were keeping cards up their sleeves.
In Nara Shikaku's assessment, while the overall situation was somewhat unfavorable for Konoha, the crux of the disadvantage lay at the very top tier of combat power.
Beyond that single factor, Nara Shikaku believed every other issue could be managed.
As long as none of the three fronts were breached and the fighting didn't reach into the Land of Fire proper, all losses were acceptable in his view.
In fact, if the war dragged on long enough, it would actually benefit Konoha.
However!
"Regarding Uchiha Madara and First Mizukage Yuto — Hokage-sama, Lord Jiraiya, do you have any countermeasures in mind?"
Nara Shikaku turned to look at Tsunade and Jiraiya, his expression deeply serious.
If this issue of top-tier combat power wasn't resolved first, then even if Konoha could achieve certain advantages on the battlefield...
[
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