Uchiha Akaishi Tour

Chapter 328 Switching to Attack on the Grass Ninja

April 25, Konoha Year 38.

At the border of the Land of Grass, at the Kannabi Bridge outpost, the Konoha ninja received new instructions from headquarters.

Kato Dan also brought over the other Jonin from the base at this time.

Now it seems that everyone has recovered. Akimichi Torifu's face is round and chubby again, and Kato Dan's complexion doesn't look sickly anymore.

"Commander Orochimaru's secret order arrived this morning—" Kato Dan said, taking out the sealing scroll.

Because Akimichi Torifu has been eating excessively every day, Kato Dan, an elite Jonin, is now in charge of the base.

Hearing that it was a secret order from the commander, everyone sat up straighter, not out of respect for Orochimaru, but rather—anticipating their next move.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Kato Dan and Mokume Kōtō will definitely stay behind, mainly because Kato Dan's "Spirit Transformation Technique" is extremely useful when the enemy is not protected by sealing techniques.

As for the others, there is a possibility that they will be transferred.

However, the contents of the secret order were beyond everyone's expectations—

The secret order revealed that on May 1st, Konoha would declare war on Kusagakure, and at the same time, the Land of Fire would also declare war on the Land of Grass.

"War." Kato Dan said, his expression turning serious.

Although there is still a week to go, Orochimaru's information is definitely accurate.

Kato Dan hadn't given any specific instructions yet, but his words already surprised everyone, and they all realized that the "transfer order" they had imagined was unlikely to arrive anytime soon.

"In other words, our mission from now on will no longer just be to defend our stronghold, but also to conquer the Land of Grass!" Kato Dan said matter-of-factly.

"Strategy? Are there any more specific instructions?" Yang Yong frowned upon hearing this.

Upon hearing this, Kato Dan shook his head and said, "No, the ultimate goal is to force the Land of Grass to formally surrender to the Land of Fire, and to ensure that the Grass Flower faction of Grass Village regains power and completely eliminates the Iwagakure village's internal spies in Grass Village. As for how to do it and in what steps, we are free to decide."

They were called "insiders," but they were actually factions within Kusagakure who favored Iwagakure!

For decades, the Land of Grass has been wavering between the two great powers, but in recent years it has leaned heavily towards the Village of Iwagakure.

Clearly, Konoha's strategic goal at this time was to completely take back this "vassal"!

"There's only one big goal? That means—" Yang Yong realized something.

Seeing this, Kato Dan nodded and said, "Yes, that's right. From now on, this place will be upgraded to the headquarters of the Kusagakure Countermeasures Unit, under the jurisdiction of the Iwagakure Countermeasures Unit."

Upon hearing this, Yang Yong glanced at Kato Dan, then at Akimichi Torifu, and finally sighed.

Although he was under the Iwagakure Countermeasures Unit, being the commander of a second-level unit was a rare achievement, almost a prerequisite for promotion to "Elite Jonin".

Unfortunately, there were two "elite Jonin" here, and Yang Yong knew he had no chance.

At the same time, Yang Yong thought to himself that Orochimaru was too honest! Why was he avoiding suspicion at this time? He should have taken advantage of the fact that the war hadn't been declared yet to transfer these two troublesome guys away, and then transferred more Uchiha clansmen over. After the war was declared, he could have directly appointed me as the commander of the troops!

The Uchiha clan has more than ten Jonin, but previously there were only two elite Jonin: clan leader Kensuke and Kagami. After Kagami's sacrifice, only Kensuke remained.

In terms of strength, as a veteran Sharingan awakener, Yang Yong is qualified to be an elite Jonin, and there are many others in the Uchiha clan who are qualified as well—it's just that his resume is seriously lacking!

One more Jonin is nothing to the Uchiha clan, but an elite Jonin greatly enhances their influence and power.

but----

Kato Dan, Akimichi Torifu: ————

Do you really have to make your "disappointment" so obvious?

Seeing this, Akaishi interrupted in time, "Captain Kato—there won't be just us here from now on, will there?"

Kato Danya took the opportunity to cough twice, pretending not to see Yang Yong's regretful sigh, and looked at Akaishi and said, "No, a batch of Chunin will be sent from various places later, about sixty people, and they will report for duty in the next half month."

This was not unexpected by Akaishi.

With another sixty Chunin, plus the existing ninja at the base, there will be nearly a hundred people.

Moreover, with a lineup including two elite Jonin and four Jonin, it would be more than enough to take down a small ninja village like Kusagakure. If it weren't for the need to guard against Iwagakure's reaction, even one Jonin leading half of the Chunin would be enough!

Konoha's offensive against Kusagakure was clearly also aimed at Iwagakure. At the same time, the biggest difficulty was not in Kusagakure itself, but in Iwagakure's reaction—which is why the Kannabi Bridge base was set up as the headquarters of the "Kusagakure Countermeasures Force".

If Konoha were to launch a normal attack on the Land of Grass, it should do so from the east, specifically from the Land of Fire.

However, the countermeasures headquarters has now been placed at the "Kannabi Bridge" in the west of the Land of Grass, which is located between the Land of Grass and the Land of Earth. It is directly opposite the Land of Fire in the direction of the Land of Grass!

This is clearly intended to serve as a basis for blocking any potential interference from Iwagakure.

only--

"Captain Kato, where did these Chunin come from?" Akaishi asked a seemingly unrelated question with some trepidation.

Upon hearing this, Kato Dan looked at Akaishi with slight surprise—he had also noticed this problem when he was reading the secret order, and felt a little uneasy.

However, Kato Dan did not expect that Akaishi had already made a guess!

"That's right, forty of them were transferred directly from the rear," Kato Dan nodded.

Yang Yong was puzzled for a moment, wondering what he meant by "not wrong". Did Chi Shi say anything that required agreement?

Upon hearing that someone was coming from behind, Yang Yong nodded with satisfaction and said, "That's right, it's a Chunin who has been recuperating."

Yang Yong's only consideration was that these people should be very useful, but—

When Kato Dan saw it, and when Akaishi just saw it—it was clearly not what he was thinking!

Instead—

This means that Konoha has begun to deploy more combat power on the battlefield, and the original rotation system has begun to be disrupted!

To put it more directly, Konoha has less and less strength left to conserve in this war.

This preservation is not for "showing off skills," but a real guarantee to reduce the casualty rate!

The more redundant and capable the reserve forces are, the lower the casualty rate will be. However—

With Iwagakure joining the war, it was clear that Konoha, one of the two great ninja villages, was struggling to hold its own.

From the moment the battle between Iwagakure and Konoha began, whether we like it or not, we must realize that—

The Second Shinobi World War, even larger than the previous one, has broken out, and unlike before when everyone avoided Konoha, Konoha is now the focus of this massive war!

As a member of the Uchiha clan, Akaishi did not shy away from war; in fact, he was "happy at the mere mention of war."

However, in those two years, Akaishi witnessed far too many casualties, especially during the months he spent supervising supply units, where he also saw the helplessness of ordinary people in war.

Although this did not make Akaishi love peace, it made him averse to large-scale, protracted wars. Akaishi now prefers a small number of elite troops to fight a big, quick battle and decide the outcome!

Instead of a protracted, botched war that only increases casualties—

However, Akaishi also understood that the reason why the spearhead was suddenly pointed at Kusagakure was to avoid direct combat with Iwagakure.

Because of Nawaki's death, Konoha and Iwagakure suddenly became mortal enemies, and the subsequent "double declaration of war" was a natural consequence.

However, not only does Iwagakure not want to provoke Konoha so thoroughly, Konoha also does not have the strength to fight against two major ninja villages at the same time.

Or rather—

If the war escalates on both sides, Konoha will suffer heavy casualties!

Therefore, the "Kannabi Bridge" move, which seems to be a shift from defense to offense, is actually aimed at reducing the intensity of battles fought by Iwa ninja in the Land of Rain and controlling the combat situation.

same----

Now, going a step further, directly attacking the vassals of Iwagakure is precisely for this purpose.

If Iwagakure backs down, then Konoha will give Kusagakure a sound beating to vent their anger and regain face, while also completely taking back this vassal and seizing its benefits.

By then, we'll have both substance and face, the Hokage Building will have an explanation to all parties, and the Iwagakure Village can hold its ground and not worry about fighting a deadly battle with Konoha.

"Did Orochimaru say what to do if Iwagakure insists on protecting Kusagakure to the death?" Akimichi Torifu's round face wrinkled at this moment.

He clearly understood the strategic objectives. But—

The reaction of Iwagakure is uncontrollable, just like Konoha did not expect Iwagakure to betray them at this time!

"Ahem, Akimichi Jonin, you should still address Orochimaru as Commander," Yang Yong said with two dry coughs.

Akimichi Takefusa: ————

First of all, you've never addressed me as "Commander Orochimaru," and secondly—I hope you'll address me as Captain Akimichi next time!

Akimichi Torifu could only complain in his heart.

"If Iwagakure is going to launch a full-scale war here, what we need to do is retreat in an orderly manner." Kato Dan paused for a moment, then added, "This also means that Konoha's grand strategy towards the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth will change later."

Orochimaru had, of course, considered this situation as well.

but----

From this option, Akaishi realized that Orochimaru must have been arguing with Hiruzen Sarutobi again!

The judgment that "Iwagakure dares not act rashly" was probably made by Orochimaru. That's why Orochimaru decided to eliminate the Land of Grass and secure the benefits he could first.

However, it's conceivable that the Hokage-ryu (Hokage Building) cannot completely trust Orochimaru's judgment.

Ultimately, it seems Orochimaru's statement, "If Iwagakure is to fight Konoha, I will support the previous [main force should quickly leave the Land of Wind]," likely stemmed from his words.

The "withdrawal strategy" was used to confront Hiruzen Sarutobi!

After tasting the same flavor, Yang Yong confidently declared, "Whether Iwagakure dares to make a move depends on how well we fight. If we fight fiercely enough and take down Kusagakure quickly, that big-nosed guy is definitely just putting on an act!"

The Uchiha clan showed great enthusiasm for shifting their focus to attacking the Land of Grass.

Yang Yong hadn't figured out the strategy or the situation yet, but comparing Orochimaru Uchiha and Hiruzen Sarutobi, wasn't it obvious who he should support?