In truth, Konoha's command had been fairly accurate in its judgment of Kumogakure—and of the battles to come. It was impossible to resolve things with Kumo through a single large-scale engagement and force them out of the war.
The ten thousand Iwagakure shinobi who had once invaded the Land of Lightning were a clear precedent. If Hagoromo hadn't quietly taken out the Third Raikage, that single man alone would have been enough to make Iwa suffer dearly.
Aside from the early stage of the war, when Kumogakure had invaded the Land of Fire, most of the fighting between Konoha and Kumo had taken place in the Land of Rice Fields (border region between Fire and Lightning Countries). From a logistical standpoint, Kumo's supply lines were somewhat longer than Konoha's—but unlike Iwagakure, Kumo's land routes were numerous and flexible. There was no single fatal choke point that Konoha could sever to end the war outright.
Although Kumogakure was currently at a numerical disadvantage, they remained extraordinarily stubborn.
At this moment, the fighting in the Land of Rice Fields was extremely intense.
Which really made one thing clear—
When the Five Great Nations complained that the ninja wars had ruined them, it was mostly self-inflicted suffering.
Look at small countries like the Land of Rice Fields or the Land of Grass, caught between great powers. They hadn't provoked anyone, yet two major villages treated their homeland as a battlefield.
Who were they supposed to argue with?
Because of the situation on the front, Jiraiya decided that Minato's squad could no longer remain idle and summoned them over.
In terms of rank, Jiraiya was now effectively a member of Konoha's high command and the supreme commander of the front lines. Minato, although almost certainly confirmed as the next Hokage, had not yet officially taken office—and thus was still under Jiraiya's authority.
Besides, even setting rank aside, Minato would never ignore an order from his own teacher.
After receiving the new command, Minato's squad moved quickly. Leaving the former Iwagakure front, they followed a curved route along the borders of the Land of Grass, the Land of Waterfalls, the Land of Frost, and the Land of Fire, before finally arriving in the Land of Rice Fields.
Previously, Konoha shinobi had established defensive lines along these borders. But with Iwagakure's retreat, those defenses were no longer necessary.
With Iwa gone as a major threat, the journey was uneventful. Minato's squad encountered no surprises and arrived safely.
Upon arrival, they immediately met Jiraiya.
But he wasn't alone.
Orochimaru was there as well.
For some reason, Orochimaru seemed especially… unsettling.
Granted, he was always unsettling—but right now, he felt even more so than usual.
In fact, Orochimaru would not be staying on this front for long. His primary mission in the Third Great Ninja War had already been completed. This visit was merely to assist in resettling his former subordinates—the shinobi who had been transferred over from the Kirigakure front.
That work was already finished.
Next, he would be returning to Konoha.
Compared to remaining here, his departure was entirely justified.
First, as mentioned, his main wartime objectives had been fulfilled. War duties were not limited to frontline combat—there was still much to be done back in the village.
Second, to avoid unnecessary conflict, a battlefield could have many advisors, but only one supreme commander. On this front, that commander could only be Jiraiya.
Expecting the prodigy Orochimaru to willingly accept command from "dead-last" Jiraiya?
No matter how one looked at it, Orochimaru would never accept that.
Finally, with only one enemy remaining, Konoha could fully concentrate its forces and gain a numerical advantage. With shinobi like Minato now present, Orochimaru's continued presence here was no longer essential.
And compared to fighting, Orochimaru personally preferred quiet research.
Still, Orochimaru was an extremely high-level combat asset. The sudden summoning of Minato's squad was likely related to Orochimaru's imminent departure.
Inside Jiraiya's tent, Orochimaru's vertical pupils shifted subtly from side to side, yet he remained silent throughout. The atmosphere was strange—but Minato paid it little mind.
After exchanging greetings, he went straight to the point.
"Jiraiya-sensei, you urgently changed our route and summoned us here. What is our assignment? Or has something unexpected occurred?"
"There's no sudden emergency," Jiraiya replied.
"But Minato, calling you here is related to our next operation."
"Our next operation?" Minato asked. "What exactly is it?"
Jiraiya glanced at Orochimaru, but his old friend—self-proclaimed and temporary—showed no interest in responding. Jiraiya wasn't bothered and continued.
"In the past, our back-and-forth offensives with Kumogakure have left the front lines jagged and interlocked, with salients on both sides. But now that we hold a numerical advantage, this formation has become more harmful than beneficial."
"The imbalance in forces creates a situation where the enemy can operate covertly while we remain exposed. Under these conditions, small-scale attritional clashes actually put us at a disadvantage."
"So next, we'll straighten the front line. We'll disengage from unnecessary skirmishes and gradually eliminate the enemy's protruding positions, ensuring the two sides aren't pressed so tightly together."
Minato understood immediately.
"So our task is to participate in the elimination operations?"
But Jiraiya shook his head.
"No. Your assignment is more complicated than that."
"After these operations, some of the defeated enemy will retreat—but others will hide in place, or attempt small-scale infiltration of our lines. If Kumogakure shinobi slip through, the damage they could cause would be unpredictable."
"So your mission is to eliminate those threats as thoroughly as possible."
Now that Konoha held the advantage, their strategy had shifted to steady, methodical progress. Stability came first—because as long as the foundation held, victory was inevitable.
"I understand," Minato said.
Put simply, their role was to act as cleaners—
—or insecticide, eradicating pests.
"There's one more thing you need to be aware of," Jiraiya added.
"Kumogakure has a two-man unit known as 'A' and 'B'. Their strength is exceptional. One is the son of the Third Raikage, and the other is the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki. If you encounter them, you must be extremely cautious."
Jiraiya knew Minato's strength better than almost anyone. The fact that he still issued this warning showed just how seriously he regarded this pair.
"And Hagoromo," Jiraiya continued, "you in particular need to be careful."
"…Huh?"
Hagoromo looked completely confused.
Wasn't this supposed to be a discussion between high-ranking figures? Why had his name suddenly come up?
Then it clicked.
The son of the Third Raikage.
Hagoromo himself might not dwell on how the Third Raikage had died—
—but the other side certainly wouldn't forget.
And after all this time, with the intelligence capabilities of a major village, everything that needed to be uncovered had surely been uncovered.
Later on, Hagoromo would come to understand something very clearly.
On the Kumogakure front, he drew even more hatred than he had on the Iwagakure front—so much hatred that even the Yellow Flash's reputation couldn't suppress it.
The moment Hagoromo appeared on the battlefield, enemies would swarm toward him en masse.
In that situation, forget protecting Minato—
He was practically demonstrating what "friendly fire" looked like.
And it wasn't hard to understand why.
Iwagakure had lost the Tsuchikage's son.
Kumogakure had lost the Raikage himself.
For those who had lost a son or a father, their hatred toward Hagoromo might be equal.
But for an entire village—
The death of a Kage carried far more weight.
And once news spread that Hagoromo had appeared on the battlefield, who knew what kind of targeted action the A–B duo might take?
That—
Would be very interesting indeed.
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