In reality, the Konoha high command's assessment of the Hidden Cloud and the ensuing battles was quite sound. They knew it was impossible to defeat the Hidden Cloud or force them out of the war with just one large-scale operation.
The ten thousand Hidden Stone ninjas who invaded the Land of Lightning were a prime example. If Hagoromo hadn't quietly drowned the Third Raikage, that one man alone would have been enough for the Hidden Stone to deal with.
Aside from the early stages of the war when the Hidden Cloud had pushed into the Land of Fire, the primary battlefield between Konoha and the Cloud had mostly been within the Land of Rice Paddies. Therefore, in terms of supply lines, although the Hidden Cloud's was longer than Konoha's, Konoha couldn't employ the same strategy of cutting off supplies to end the war as they did against the Hidden Stone.
The Hidden Cloud had an abundance of land supply routes, meaning they didn't possess a fatal weakness like the Hidden Stone did.
Although the Hidden Cloud was currently at a disadvantage in terms of troop numbers, they remained incredibly stubborn.
At this moment, the battle situation between the two sides in the Land of Rice Paddies was exceedingly fierce.
Therefore, the Five Great Nations feeling completely exhausted and victimized by the Great Ninja War was actually an illusion—it was entirely self-inflicted. Look at small nations caught between major powers, like the Land of Rice Paddies and the Land of Grass. They hadn't provoked anyone, yet two massive thugs had barged into their homes and started brawling. Who could they even complain to?
In short, due to the circumstances of the battle, Jiraiya decided he couldn't let Minato's squad sit idle any longer, so he summoned them. From a hierarchical standpoint, Jiraiya was currently a member of the village council and the supreme commander of the Konoha frontlines. While Minato was practically confirmed as the next village head, the transition hadn't officially occurred yet, so he was still under Jiraiya's command.
Furthermore, even purely based on their master-student relationship, Minato could never ignore Jiraiya's orders.
Therefore, upon receiving the new orders, Minato's squad moved swiftly. From their original position on the Hidden Stone frontline, they moved in an arc along the borders of the Land of Grass, Land of Waterfalls, Land of Frost, and the Land of Fire, traveling all the way to the Land of Rice Paddies.
Originally, these borders had Konoha ninjas stationed to build defensive lines. But with the Hidden Stone now retreating in defeat, those defenses were no longer necessary.
Having lost the formidable enemy that was the Hidden Stone, there were no hostiles along the way, and Minato's squad reached their destination without any unexpected encounters.
Upon arriving, the squad went directly to meet Jiraiya.
However, they didn't just meet Jiraiya; Orochimaru was also present.
For some reason, Orochimaru seemed somewhat sinister at the moment. While he was usually quite sinister, right now he seemed even more sinister than his usual sinister self.
In reality, Orochimaru wouldn't be staying on this frontline for long. His primary mission in this Great Ninja War had been completed. His purpose for being here now was simply to assist in settling his former subordinates—the ninjas who had transferred from the Hidden Mist frontline. With those tasks already finished, he would soon return to Konoha.
First, as mentioned, Orochimaru's main tasks were complete. Missions during a war aren't limited to combat; there is plenty of work to be done back in the village.
Second, to avoid unnecessary friction. There can be many advisors, but there can only be one supreme commander on a single frontline, and here, that commander had to be Jiraiya. Asking the genius Orochimaru to accept orders from the dead-last Jiraiya? Regardless of the logic, he personally wouldn't accept it.
Finally, with only one enemy remaining, Konoha's combat forces could be fully consolidated, giving them an advantage in numbers. With ninjas like Minato present, there wasn't much necessity for Orochimaru to stay here. Moreover, compared to combat, Orochimaru personally preferred conducting research in peace.
However, Orochimaru was a super-high-end combat asset after all. Urgently summoning Minato here was highly likely related to his imminent departure.
...
Inside Jiraiya's tent, Orochimaru's slit-pupils darted back and forth, yet he remained silent, which seemed somewhat eerie. However, Minato didn't pay it any mind right now. After greeting them, he asked directly:
"Jiraiya-sensei, what is the mission that required you to alter our original itinerary and urgently summon our squad here? Or has some sudden emergency occurred?"
"There's no sudden emergency. But Minato, summoning you here is related to our next operational phase."
"The next operational phase? What exactly is it?" Minato was unaware of this operation beforehand.
Jiraiya first cast a glance at Orochimaru. Seeing that his good buddy (self-proclaimed, temporarily) was ignoring him, he didn't feel embarrassed and simply continued addressing Minato: "Our previous exchanges of offense and defense with the Hidden Cloud have resulted in our frontlines becoming jagged and interwoven, with both sides having protruding salients. But now that we hold the numerical advantage, this formation actually does us more harm than good. The disparity in troop numbers creates a situation akin to 'the enemy is in the dark while we are in the open.' Right now, small-scale mutual attrition puts us at a disadvantage."
"Therefore, moving forward, we will flatten the frontline, disengaging from non-proactive, small-scale skirmishes with the Hidden Cloud. Simultaneously, we will gradually eliminate the protruding sections of the enemy's lines, ensuring the two sides aren't pressed so tightly together."
Minato understood Jiraiya's words clearly, so he asked, "So our mission is to participate in these elimination operations?"
Unexpectedly, Jiraiya gave a negative answer. He shook his head and said, "Not exactly. Your mission is a bit more complex."
"After the elimination operations, a portion of the routed enemy forces will definitely retreat. But simultaneously, a portion will hide in place, or even attempt small-scale infiltration into our lines. Once Hidden Cloud ninjas infiltrate our rear, they could potentially cause unpredictable damage to us..."
"So your mission is to eliminate such enemies to the best of your ability."
With the numerical advantage secured, Konoha's operations began to shift toward a steady and methodical approach. All strategies prioritized stability, because as long as they could maintain their foundation, Konoha was guaranteed to win.
"I understand," Minato said.
To put it plainly, their mission was to act as the cleaners sweeping the house, the insecticide exterminating the pests.
"There is one more thing you need to be aware of. The Hidden Cloud has a two-man ninja team known as the 'AB Combo.' Their strength is immense. They are the son of the Third Raikage and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki. If you encounter them on the battlefield, you must be extremely careful," Jiraiya added as a warning.
Jiraiya was perfectly clear about Minato's strength, yet he still issued this warning, proving just how seriously he took this duo.
"Hagoromo, in particular, you need to be careful."
"Huh?"
Hagoromo looked utterly bewildered. Weren't you big shots just discussing strategy? How did the topic suddenly shift to him?
Then, he immediately understood. Jiraiya had stated it clearly: the son of the Third Raikage.
While Hagoromo didn't care much about how the Third Raikage died, the opposing side absolutely would never forget.
Moreover, after so much time had passed, with the intelligence capabilities of a Great Ninja Village, whatever they needed to figure out, they had already figured out long ago...
Facts speak louder than words. Later on, Hagoromo would realize that he drew even more aggro on the Hidden Cloud battlefield than he did on the Hidden Stone battlefield. An aggro so intense that even the terrifying reputation of the "Yellow Flash" couldn't deter it.
As soon as Hagoromo appeared on the battlefield, the enemies would swarm him like a hive of bees. Under those conditions, forget about guarding Minato—it was practically a showcase of what it meant to bring harm to one's own teammates.
This wasn't incomprehensible. After all, the Hidden Stone had merely lost the son of the Tsuchikage, whereas the Hidden Cloud had lost the Raikage himself.
Although the grief might be equal for the person who lost a son or the person who lost a father, for a village as a whole, the weight of a Kage was naturally far, far heavier.
Furthermore, once news spread that he had appeared on the battlefield, the AB Combo might just launch targeted operations against him. Now that would be fun.
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