Naruto: Starting with Creating a Genius Persona

Chapter 156 My subordinates are here to offer our condolences and congratulations to Lord Fengying.

Meanwhile, just as Yekura's squad was chasing "Shinichi Higashino" all the way, they were finally led to the headquarters and encountered that earth-shattering "visit".

The Battle of Jiegeng Mountain was the largest and most intense frontal battle on the southwestern front since the outbreak of the war.

After a day of frenzied fighting and heavy losses, the battle finally came to an end.

Eight thousand men attacked the mountain, while more than six thousand defended it.

The Sand Village launched a fierce offensive, wave after wave, seemingly tireless. Puppet troops, large summoning beasts, poison jutsu troops, wind-style ninjutsu, earth-style ninjutsu... all sorts of forces took turns trying to tear apart Konoha's defenses.

But Konoha held it firmly.

Both sides suffered heavy casualties.

At the foot of Mount Kikyo, corpses lay piled upon piles, blood soaking every inch of the ground. Broken swords, shattered puppets, and charred limbs were scattered everywhere.

The Sand Village was never able to break through Konoha's defenses.

"Order! All units at the front, provide alternating cover, gradually disengage... and retreat."

As evening fell, Luo Sha finally ordered a retreat.

The Sand Village's offensive gradually subsided like the receding tide. The surviving Sand Village ninjas began to cover each other, carrying the wounded, and like a pack of injured wolves, slowly withdrew from the battlefield that had devoured countless lives.

Eight thousand elite Sunagakure soldiers, who had stormed the mountain with great momentum, were reduced to less than five thousand when they retreated. More than three thousand lives were lost at the foot of Mount Kikyo, and the number of wounded was countless.

The stronghold of Sunagakure.

When Luo Sha, covered in gunpowder and exhausted, led his remaining troops back to the main camp, what greeted his eyes was not an orderly camp and a welcoming force, but a shocking ruin.

He froze, his steps halting at the camp entrance, almost thinking he had gone to the wrong place.

Ye Cang took a deep breath, stepped forward, knelt on one knee, lowered his head and said, "Fourth Kazekage, it is my incompetence that has caused the failure of the mission to hunt down Shinichi Higashino. Not only did I fail to complete the mission, but he also broke into the camp and caused such damage. Please punish me, Kazekage."

Punishment?

Yekura?

Now?

Luo Sha stood there, gazing at the ruins and then at Ye Cang kneeling before him.

He wanted to get angry.

I want to question Ye Cang: how could three hundred elite troops chasing a ten-year-old boy let him escape? How could he turn around and smash up the headquarters? How could he steal the command post's flag?

But he knew even better that now was not the time to lose his temper.

"What exactly happened? Explain yourself from beginning to end!" Luo Sha said, trying to keep his expression calm.

Upon hearing this, Yekura began to give a concise and clear report on the pursuit. After listening to Yekura's account, Rasa fell silent.

"How did it disappear? Was it Konoha's Flying Thunder God Technique? Or...?"

'

Luo Sha glanced at Ye Cang, who was still kneeling on one knee, and didn't think about it any further.

Unity! Unity!

Luo Sha silently repeated to himself that although he really wanted to punish Ye Cang and make her pay the price for this failure.

But he was even more aware of Yekura's current importance to the village.

In the Battle of Kikyo Mountain, Sunagakure suffered heavy losses and its morale plummeted. If Pakura were punished at this time, she would be a top fighter in the village, a genius Jonin with extremely high prestige among the village's ninjas.

Internal conflicts will intensify.

People's morale will be further eroded.

The battles that follow will be even more difficult.

Thinking of this, Luo Sha slowly spoke.

"This incident is not entirely your fault."

"Shinichi Higashino has indeed exceeded our expectations."

Luo Sha's gaze swept over the surrounding ruins, over his exhausted subordinates, and finally landed on Ye Cang.

"Get up. The battles to come will need you. You must redeem yourself through meritorious service."

Ye Cang was silent for a moment, then stood up.

"Yes, Lord Kazekage."

Luo Sha stopped looking at her, turned around, and strode to a simple tent that had just been hastily set up to temporarily replace the command function. He lifted the curtain and went inside, then waved his hand to signal his subordinates to leave.

Chiyo stood by the tent flap, glanced at him, and seemed about to say something, but in the end she said nothing. She simply sighed softly, turned around, and walked out.

Only Luo Sha remained in the tent.

The overhead light cast a flickering, dim yellow glow, casting shifting shadows on his face.

It shouldn't be like this...

Luo Sha didn't look at the various battle reports scattered on the table. He just sat there blankly, his usually calm and steady eyes now unfocused, staring empty in a certain direction.

He, Rasa, with the Magnet Release bloodline limit, stepped forward when the village was in dire straits, having lost its Third Kazekage, was leaderless, and beset by internal and external troubles. He was recommended by the two elders, Chiyo and Ebizo, and after many twists and turns, he finally took the position of the Fourth Kazekage.

He was ambitious and determined to prove to everyone that he, Rasa, was no less capable than the previous Kazekage, and that he could lead Sunagakure out of poverty and into prosperity!

This war against Konoha was a crucial step in his plan.

Taking advantage of the mystery surrounding the disappearance of the Third Kazekage to incite a united front against a common enemy, he launched a swift and unexpected attack. Relying on Elder Chiyo's unsolvable poison techniques and Pakura's sharp blade, he opened up the situation, seized the rich border lands and resources of the Land of Fire, and demonstrated the power of Sunagakure in one battle, thus solidifying Rasa's unparalleled prestige and authority within the village.

However... since the start of the war, the overwhelming momentum he had envisioned has not materialized. Instead, there has been a stalemate, attrition, and even setbacks and humiliation.

Sunagakure was already impoverished, and its national strength could not sustain a long-term stalemate with Konoha. Every war of attrition that failed to achieve a decisive victory was depleting Sunagakure's already weak foundation. Every Sunagakure ninja who died in battle was a loss that the village could hardly bear.

As the Kazekage, the initiator and supreme commander of the war, he must take responsibility for all of this.

Prestige? Can his newly secured position withstand the impact of such repeated defeats and massive casualties? What will those forces that already harbored doubts about his rise to power, or those who admired Ye Cang more, think? How much more of these battle reports can the village's public opinion withstand?

Will the daimyo continue to firmly support them? You know, they didn't even inform the daimyo about this war, and it's said that the daimyo was furious afterward.

"The Fourth Kazekage? Nothing special..."

"6

"Lord Rasa is too hasty..."

'

"If Lady Yekura is the fourth generation..."

""

"This battle should never have been fought..."

""

A heavy sense of powerlessness welled up in Luo Sha's heart. He could almost hear the whispers behind him and see the disgruntled gazes falling on him, whether overt or covert.

Just as Luo Sha was feeling a bit suffocated, footsteps sounded outside the tent.

"Lord Kazekage, I request an audience."

Luo Sha opened his eyes. The voice was familiar. The person who came was named Wen Zhong Su Xun Yu, a Jonin in the staff department and one of his trusted subordinates.

This person is capable, meticulous, and, most importantly, extremely loyal.

For Luo Sha, who had just taken office, loyalty was the rarest and most precious quality.

"Come in," Luo Sha said, his expression returning to its usual calm.

The curtain was gently lifted, and the jade in the text stepped in. He was of medium height and had an ordinary face, the kind of person who would be hard to spot in a crowd.

After entering the tent, he subtly and swiftly glanced at Luo Sha's expression and posture out of the corner of his eye, then bowed respectfully and said, "Your subordinate is here to express both sorrow for Lord Fengying and to offer my congratulations."

Luo Sha raised an eyebrow and said calmly, "Xun Yu, what nonsense are you spouting? Our side is suffering setbacks, and as the Wind Shadow, I am extremely worried. What is there to be happy about?"

Wen Zhongxun met Luo Sha's gaze and slowly said, "Lord Fengying, fortune and misfortune are intertwined; great things are on the horizon."

Luo Sha's brows furrowed even more.

Explain yourself.

"Lord Kazekage, please take a look."

Wen Zhongsuo nodded, took out an intelligence scroll from his pocket, and presented it with both hands.

"According to intelligence, the Hidden Cloud Village has been making frequent moves. There are even rumors that the Third Raikage has completed a large-scale troop mobilization, with a total number of more than 10,000 people. The mobilization of various war supplies has also been completed. All signs indicate that the Hidden Cloud Village is about to launch an attack on the Hidden Leaf Village."

"Over there in Kirigakure, a large number of ships have been gathering at the ports along the coast of the Land of Water recently. It seems that the ninjas who have been shrouded in blood mist for many years are also unable to hold back."

"On the Iwagakure side, the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, is outwardly maintaining a wait-and-see attitude, but in secret, his preparations have begun to accelerate, and he may intervene at any time."

"Once the Hidden Cloud Village starts fighting in the northeast of the Land of Fire, Iwagakure and Kirigakure will definitely not let this opportunity pass."

"At that time..."

"7

At this point, Wen Zhongxunyu paused, then continued with a hint of excitement in his voice, "Konoha will face pressure from four directions simultaneously."

"And we Sunagakure can take this opportunity to rest and recuperate, and sit back and watch the tigers fight."

"We'll launch a new offensive once they've fought to the bitter end and Konoha is exhausted from fighting on multiple fronts."

.

"By then..."

"6

He raised his head and looked at Luo Sha.

"Great things are expected."

"Searching for jade..."

""

After a long silence, Luo Sha slowly spoke, his voice regaining its usual composure. He looked at the jade in the text with a hint of admiration: "You're right, fortune and misfortune are intertwined, and there is fortune within misfortune. It seems that this setback may not be all bad."

He stood up, walked to the simple map, and slowly traced the long border of the Land of Fire with his finger, finally stopping at the southwest region.

"Order all units to adopt a defensive posture starting tomorrow. Rely on existing positions, reinforce fortifications, and use small elite units to conduct continuous harassment, sabotage, and reconnaissance to avoid large-scale frontal combat."

"Order the logistics department to expedite the transfer of supplies from the country, especially medicines, puppet materials, and a new batch of ninjas."

"Notify the intelligence department to intensify monitoring of the movements of Kumogakure, Kirigakure, and Iwagakure, especially Kumogakure. I need to know the exact time and scale of their operation as soon as possible!"

"Yes, Lord Kazekage!" Wen Zhongxun Yu bowed and accepted the order, then turned and left.