Not only during the three great ninja wars, but when the story of Chao Yanqian single-handedly defeating three thousand Kumogakure (Yunren) ninja spread throughout the ninja world, it caused every village to re-evaluate the Thousand Clan.
In a dimly lit room, Shimura Danzo gnashed his teeth and clenched his cane, silently contemplating how to deal with Chao Yanqian.
The Wrath of Kumogakure.
When the Fourth Raikage received news of the frontline defeat, his fury could no longer be contained. He immediately destroyed a large part of the Raikage's office and ordered Kumogakure's forces to assemble, preparing to go to war personally. He swore that the Thousand Clan would be exterminated.
The other ninja villages also temporarily suspended operations against Konoha, waiting to see who would emerge victorious between Konoha and Kumogakure, so they could reassess their strategies depending on Konoha's remaining strength.
Villages such as Iwagakure, Kirigakure, and Sunagakure, who had previously clashed with the Thousand Clan from the Land of Lightning, had already marked their names on their "elimination lists" and were preparing to destroy them at the first opportunity.
At the same time, the major ninja villages couldn't help but sigh in admiration: Konoha truly deserved its title as the "cradle of genius." No matter the era, extraordinary shinobi always emerged from it.
Originally, it was believed that Konoha would fall into decline after the Sannin era, the Nine-Tails' attack, and the death of the Fourth Hokage. No one expected someone like Chao Yanqian to appear and pull Konoha back from the brink of disaster.
After this incident, fear of Konoha grew among the other hidden villages. Konoha's power remained a constant threat to the nations bordering the Land of Fire. Simultaneously, they hungered for the secrets behind Konoha's ability to produce such prodigies. What secret techniques or bloodlines did they possess that allowed Konoha to birth the ultimate geniuses of every generation?
Border of the Land of Fire.
In less than four days, the main force of Kumogakure assembled at the Fire Country's border. However, due to the strong counsel of Kumogakure's elders, the Fourth Raikage did not launch an immediate attack. Instead, he established a large camp on the border and began sending scouts to gather intelligence on Konoha's forces.
In response, Konoha deployed five thousand additional shinobi to the frontline, forming a combined force of nine thousand to stand off against Kumogakure.
Over the past few days, Konoha and Kumogakure had engaged in several small-scale skirmishes, with casualties on both sides but no clear advantage gained.
Because Konoha lacked a single figure with enough prestige to lead all forces, and Chao Yanqian was still too young to command everyone, the command was handled by a central leadership unit of elite shinobi.
Though officially a headquarters, the true commander was Nara Shikaku, with Chao Yanqian occasionally offering opinions. But final decisions were made by Shikaku.
After all, Nara Shikaku's intelligence had long been recognized by all. For the sake of Konoha's victory, no one dared question his decisions.
"Chao Yanqian, there's intel that the Fourth Raikage has arrived at the front lines himself. Are you confident you can face him?" Nara Shikaku asked gravely, staring at the map on the table.
"Has the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki come?" Chao Yanqian asked.
"There's no confirmed sighting of the jinchūriki of the Eight-Tails or Two-Tails. But Kumogakure may hesitate to deploy a jinchūriki, especially since we have a Sharingan user, which can help suppress tailed beasts to some extent," Shikaku analyzed.
"Not necessarily," Chao Yanqian replied, shaking his head. "Last time we fought Kumogakure, they sent the Eight-Tails. I've heard that Killer Bee can now fully control Gyūki. If that's true, then even the Sharingan won't be enough."
"If the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki is on the front lines, this could get very tricky," Hyuga Hiashi said darkly. "The Fourth Raikage and Killer Bee fight extremely well together. Lord Third fought them in the previous war, and even he couldn't defeat them."
"Unless Lord Hiruzen himself steps onto the battlefield," Chao Yanqian noted.
"If the situation becomes dire, he will," Shikaku said. "But if we can manage this ourselves, it's better not to involve the Hokage."
"Understood," Chao Yanqian nodded, saying no more.
If Hiruzen could personally restrain the A-B combo, then Chao Yanqian could fully unleash his Yin Seal and use large-scale senjutsu to attack Kumogakure's forces. But for now, it seemed he would have to hold off the A-B combo alone while the rest of the army engaged the enemy. The resulting casualties would be immense.
"Shikaku-sensei, would a preemptive strike be feasible?" Chao Yanqian asked. "Tonight, all 9,000 of Konoha's shinobi could launch a surprise attack on Kumogakure's camp and catch them off guard."
"That would be difficult," Shikaku replied, shaking his head. "If we don't eliminate their spies first, they'll receive advance warning the moment we mobilize. But if we eliminate their spies, they'll know we're planning something major anyway."
In Chao Yanqian's memories from previous lives, night raids were common tactics. But in the world of shinobi, where abilities are diverse and unpredictable, such tactics weren't reliable.
"Then what if I raided their camp alone?" Chao Yanqian asked.
"No!" Shikaku frowned. "The reason you succeeded last time is because they had no one who could match you. But the Fourth Raikage is here now, and who knows who else might be hidden among their ranks. Going alone is too dangerous."
"Even if it's dangerous, I can teleport out instantly,," Chao Yanqian replied.
"But that will ignite full-scale war. The cost to Konoha could be more than we can afford," Shikaku warned.
"Konoha is already at war with Kumogakure. Why hesitate?" Chao Yanqian said. "With the death of the Third Raikage and the Fourth's temperament, there's no chance of peace between us."
"Let's wait for the village's decision," Shikaku said. "Kumogakure now has two jinchūriki able to use tailed beast power. Konoha's jinchūriki isn't ready yet. A full-scale war now would be unwise. Besides, after losing three thousand ninja in the last battle, Kumogakure might prefer a peace agreement rather than mutual destruction."
"Shikaku-sensei, I still believe we should act first. Waiting for the enemy to strike is too passive!" Chao Yanqian insisted.
"This is the Hokage's decision," Shikaku said firmly.
Seeing Shikaku's unwavering resolve, Chao Yanqian sighed quietly. "Fine. In that case, we'll wait for the Hokage's orders."
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