I founded the "Bragging Cult" in Naruto.

Chapter 495 One must do something special to leave their mark on the world.

"You're back?"

In the Land of Grass, compared to the northeastern battlefield under Tatsuma's command, the camp construction here is progressing much faster, and it is now almost complete. In addition to the larger population here, there is another important reason: there are no external enemies invading.

Not only were there no external enemies, but they also actively sent teams to raid and kill Iwa ninja, since the Konoha ninja were stationed deep in the Land of Grass, giving them a geographical advantage.

Orochimaru promised Tatsuma that he would achieve a casualty ratio of 1 to 4. Once the two armies are facing off, such a result is almost impossible to achieve. Therefore, the only option is to look for opportunities outside the main battlefield.

Harassing and assassinating the Iwa ninja who were observing was undoubtedly a good method. At this time, Minato and Kushina also returned after completing their mission.

Minato nodded and said, "After the previous operations, the internal management of Iwagakure is now much stricter. We only found four reconnaissance teams, but we still managed to complete the mission smoothly."

Jiraiya nodded, saying nothing more. Minato, seeing their reactions, found it strange and became worried, asking, "Did something happen on another battlefield?"

Jiraiya was not a man who liked silence, not to mention that Tsunade in the tent was also looking very serious, and Orochimaru had not made any plans to fleece the daimyo, which seemed very strange.

Jiraiya nodded and said, "Yes, it's Tatsuma's side."

"What happened to Tatsuma?"

Upon hearing this, Minato became nervous, and Kushina also frowned. Although she disliked Tatsuma, she also wanted Minato to replace Tatsuma as the next Hokage candidate.

However, no Konoha ninja would want anything to happen to Tatsuma.

"Don't be nervous."

Jiraiya waved his hand, but his expression remained complex. After considering for a moment, he said, "Tatsuma encountered a force of one thousand Cloud Ninja led by the Raikage's son and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki."

"A thousand Cloud Ninja shouldn't pose much of a problem for Tatsuma, after all, there are a thousand Konoha ninja over there too, aren't there?"

"Yes, that's right. The thousand Cloud Ninja troops were quickly overwhelmed by Tatsuma and his men. The problem is that the Third Raikage has also arrived."

Upon hearing this, Minato's expression instantly turned serious. After all, he had met the Third Raikage and had even participated in Tatsuma's near-death experience. He pursed his lips and asked:

"And then? How did Tatsuma get?"

"he"

Jiraiya spoke, then paused, took a deep breath, and said, "He defeated the Third Raikage and won the war."

"."

Minato's expression turned strange, while Kushina clenched her fists, her red hair fluttering. Although she didn't want Tatsuma to get into trouble, she didn't want him to achieve anything again.

Moreover, it was a feat as great as defeating the Kage of a village. What angered her even more was the attitude and tone of Jiraiya and the others. Wasn't this just plain sabotaging them?!

"Isn't this a good thing? Why are you teachers behaving so strangely?"

After letting out a sigh of relief, Minato asked in confusion. Jiraiya sighed and said, "Because the pressure is now on our side. Many ninjas in the camp are even shouting to take the initiative to attack and capture the Third Tsuchikage."

"But... it's not that I'm being self-deprecating, it's just that I truly lack that ability."

"The Third Tsuchikage?"

Minato reviewed Onoki's information in his mind. He didn't know if Tatsuma could capture the Third Tsuchikage alive, but it seemed that they really didn't have that ability.

Even if they could manage to force Onoki to fight, they lacked the means to deal with him, which truly failed to satisfy the wishes of the ninjas in the camp.

"That's not the most important thing."

Orochimaru suddenly spoke, his tone sinister and filled with deep dissatisfaction, saying, "That kid classified this mission as a B-rank mission. Even if we don't count the Third Raikage, it still means we defeated an enemy three times our size."

With him doing this, what are we commanders on other battlefields supposed to do? It's become extremely difficult to sneak in some personal missions and get more B-level and A-level missions.

If the villages and daimyo used this standard to assess mission difficulty, we'd have to reduce our mission completion rate and rewards by at least half!

Upon hearing Orochimaru's reason, Minato was somewhat amused and exasperated. He knew that Orochimaru's motives for going to the battlefield were not pure, but it wasn't appropriate to state it so bluntly.

Minato spoke up, shifting the topic away from the edge of danger, saying, "However, this isn't particularly advantageous for Konoha."

Although our defensive pressure will be greatly reduced in the short term, since all the ninja villages will be wary of Tatsuma's strength, in the long run, the ninja villages will only make more thorough preparations.

"If this drags on, and they acquire more and better supplies before the war breaks out, our defensive pressure will increase to an unprecedented level."

"Heh! You've grown quite a bit, kid. I can see that now."

Jiraiya gave Minato an approving look. Time is a double-edged sword. When they clashed with the Sand Village, Tatsuma's "killing" of the Third Kazekage was something that benefited the village.

At that time, Konoha was not yet fully prepared and needed ample time to prepare for war. But now Konoha is fully prepared, although not 100% ready, it is sufficient to cope with the war.

If this drags on any longer, Konoha's golden age will be over, and the problem of insufficient manpower will gradually become apparent and exposed. Moreover, the pressure will undoubtedly increase when facing enemies with more manpower and better equipment.

Minato nodded modestly and said, "Now, we must seize the last opportunity, or rather, make good use of the advantage that Tatsuma has brought us in this battle."

"Advantages?"

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow, looking at Minato curiously. Orochimaru and Tsunade also turned their gazes to him. Minato put himself in Tatsuma's shoes, quickly analyzing the whole situation, and then said:

"This news should not have spread widely yet. We know about it because of the intelligence from Tatsuma, but the Iwa ninja probably haven't heard about it yet."

But it shouldn't be too long, maybe three to five days, maybe one or two weeks, before they learn of this news. At that time, their desire to fight will be at its lowest.

No matter how much Konoha harasses and attacks them, they will not choose to retaliate on a large scale. They will even think that Konoha must have a reason to dare to do so.

Therefore, I believe we should seize this opportunity and launch a proactive attack on the Iwa ninja. Although we have five thousand against ten thousand, the advantage lies with us.

As Minato spoke, an extremely confident expression involuntarily appeared on his face. This was not an emotion he would normally have; he was simply unconsciously putting himself in Tatsuma's shoes and expressing himself naturally, following Tatsuma's line of thought.

Orochimaru frowned upon hearing this. This method was extremely radical. After all, Konoha's mission, or rather, its current mission, was still defense. Choosing the Land of Grass as its camp was already quite bold.

After all, the village and the daimyo both expected the battlefield to be dragged into the Land of Fire. Orochimaru's decision to expand the battlefield and lengthen the support route already demonstrated his confidence in his command abilities.

Minato's proposal was clearly not just about defense, but about counterattacks, or rather, phased counterattacks, to reduce the pressure on defense later on. It was still quite bold.

After all, if they want to attack Iwagakure, they must enter the Land of Earth. That would not only mean a longer support route, but also that their request for help might not even have a chance to be sent out.

Moreover, the disparity in numbers is a major problem. The number of ninjas stockpiled on the border of the Land of Earth is nearly three times that of the ninjas in Konoha. In a head-on confrontation, Konoha would undoubtedly lose. This gap cannot be bridged by command ability or by the efforts of any one person.

No rational person would consider adopting Minato's suggestion at this moment, but in this war, reason alone cannot guarantee Konoha's victory.

All reasonable measures, when applied to Konoha at this moment, would only lead to its slow and orderly demise. To keep Konoha alive, some extraordinary measures are necessary.

Minato's plan reminded Orochimaru of the suggestion Tatsuma had made to him more than a decade ago.

However, the difference is that Tatsuma persuaded him to give up his advantage and lure the enemy into a trap, while Minato is now in a dangerous situation, almost like throwing an egg against a rock, betting that Iwashi no Shinobu will not dare to retaliate.

Licking his lips, Orochimaru revealed a somewhat crazed smile. Back then, he had used Tatsuma's plan to gain a greater advantage for Konoha, and this time...

Can they change Konoha's passive situation?

However, if we really want to take Minato's advice, then Konoha's forces must make changes. After all, with their current configuration, even if they successfully launch an offensive, the advantage they gain will not be enough.

What method could be used to make the offensive of five thousand ninjas far more powerful than that of five thousand people?

"If necessary"

Kushina suddenly spoke up, drawing everyone's attention, and said, "Minato and I can actually get Konoha's troops into the battlefield instantly, and our retreat will also be very flexible."

"Um?"

Orochimaru looked at Kushina with curiosity. To be honest, Orochimaru didn't think Kushina could play much of a role in this war. In Orochimaru's mind, her biggest role was to keep Minato's chakra levels up.

But now it seems that Kushina has some hidden tricks up her sleeve.

Minato glanced at Kushina, and seeing the determination in her eyes, he explained, "Although it's still in the testing phase, Kushina and Kurama have the ability to connect everyone with their chakra."

"Thanks to this characteristic, my Flying Thunder God Technique can carry more than one person."

"You mean you're taking five thousand people with you on a Thunder God teleportation mission?"

Orochimaru's vertical pupils contracted, and his gaze toward Kushina held a hint of curiosity and inquiry. He had never heard of this ability before; it didn't seem like a ninja's technique, but rather more like the legendary Ninja Cult.

Kushina nodded and said, "Although the Nine-Tails chakra I can use is only a part of the Nine-Tails, it's still possible to connect everyone and coordinate with Minato's Flying Thunder God Technique."

Upon hearing Kushina's confirmation, Orochimaru's eyes lit up with joy and contemplation. He was already planning his battle strategy, but Tsunade frowned and said, "But this will completely expose Kushina's identity as a Jinchūriki."

"I've thought about it. Although ninjas are assassins who walk in the shadows, I think every ninja, as a human being, hopes to stand in the sunlight, and I believe that too, even the Nine-Tails."

Kushina touched her stomach and said, "He actually really wants everyone's approval, right? Nine-Tails?"

"Nonsense!"

Within the realm of the mind, the Nine-Tailed Fox bared its fangs and roared, "I don't need the approval of mere humans! They are not worthy of acknowledging me!"

"Your insincere manner is really cute."

In her mental world, Kushina said with a smile.

(End of this chapter)