Konoha, reported by the Fourth Hokage at the start.

Chapter 289 Jiraiya's Home Was Stolen

As he felt a surge of pleasure, his Fire Release clone, Fugaku, unconsciously revealed a strange smile.

The Third Hokage felt a sudden tremor upon noticing the eerie smile, but his Fire Release clone, Fugaku, quickly regained his composure and said he agreed to send players according to the battle roster.

"Alright, then I'll leave Kirigakure to you, Fugaku."

Upon hearing this, the Third Hokage smiled. It was good that Fugaku agreed. As for the discomfort caused by Fugaku's strange smile earlier, he had already put it out of his mind.

"I will certainly live up to the Hokage's expectations," Fugaku said, bowing deeply.

The two then discussed the strategic requirements of the Hidden Mist Front and the area that Fugaku, the Fire Release clone, would be responsible for after arriving there.

After finishing their conversation, the Fire Release clone, Fugaku, took his leave.

"Hiruzen, isn't what you're doing too dangerous?"

As soon as Fugaku left using Fire Release: Clone Technique and the gate closed again, Mitokado Homura said with concern.

"Have you really thought this through, Hiruzen? Let those Uchiha clansmen who are hostile to us join the war?" Koharu Utatane shared the same concern.

They were all people who had experienced the two great battles between Madara Uchiha and the First Hokage, and they knew very well how powerful the Uchiha were once they awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan.

That power is beyond human capability.

If a member of the Uchiha clan awakens the Mangekyou Sharingan this time, given the clan's twisted nature, Konoha will be in great danger.

"Don't worry, the Uchiha clan has no chance of awakening the Mangekyou Sharingan." The Third Hokage smiled confidently in the face of their concerns.

Since he specifically gave the Uchiha a battle roster, the people on the roster were naturally specially selected.

All the Uchiha who had good relationships, such as brothers and sisters, were separated by the Third Hokage, with only one going to the battlefield and the other staying in the village.

In this way, one can avoid the intense emotional shock that would occur if a loved one died in front of them.

According to the Third Hokage's research over many years on the Second Hokage's notes on the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan, simply hearing news of a loved one's death is not enough to stimulate the evolution and awakening of the Mangekyou Sharingan.

Furthermore, the Third Hokage specifically instructed the Uchiha clan members to be assigned to the Hidden Mist battlefield.

These Uchiha were to be completely dispersed, and they were not allowed to stay together while carrying out their missions.

In this way, the possibility of the Uchiha clan awakening the Mangekyou Sharingan due to the intense stimulation of a clansman's death is minimized.

The chosen Hidden Mist Battlefield can also limit the Sharingan's genjutsu counter to the greatest extent.

Not to mention Danzo was there too.

If an Uchiha were to actually awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan, the Third Hokage believed Danzo would know what to do.

Whether it's assassination or poisoning.

As the captain-general of the Hidden Mist Front, Danzo will certainly not let him down.

It could be said that although sending the Uchiha clan into battle was a last resort, it was also an opportunity to weaken the Uchiha clan.

The third generation smiled to themselves.

……

In the blink of an eye, the day after tomorrow will arrive.

Early in the morning, a large crowd gathered at the village gate, 90% of whom were children under the age of twelve, and many were even five or six years old.

Seeing the excited expressions on the children's faces, as if they were completely unaware of the cruelty of war, the Jonin felt terrible.

Many of the children are their sons and daughters.

Despite their deep concern, all they could do was repeatedly remind the children of precautions to take once they arrived on the battlefield.

The rest is up to the children themselves.

"Hey Kakashi, can we go with your father, Lord Saikumo?"

Beside the cool, white-haired Kakashi, Obito, wearing goggles, stared at the Lightning Release clone, White Fang, who also had white hair but always exuded a powerful aura, and asked with excitement in his eyes.

Others may criticize Konoha's White Fang for making a mistake in his decision to protect his comrades, which led to the mission's failure. But in Obito's eyes, the mission's failure was not questionable at all because he was trying to protect his comrades.

If it were him, he would also prioritize protecting his companions.

If Rin is in danger, Obito will definitely go to save her immediately.

Therefore, Konoha's White Fang has always been Obito's idol, and even though this idol's son is his biggest rival in love, he still admires him.

"I don't know, but I'm definitely not going to be assigned to Father's side," Kakashi said, rolling his eyes.

"Why?" Obito asked, looking puzzled.

"Because Kakashi is the son of Saikumo-senpai," Rin chimed in, standing next to Obito.

"Huh...?" Obito was still somewhat confused.

"Sigh, you're so dense, Obito." Rin turned around, her soft little face full of seriousness as she explained, "Think about it, if you were the enemy and knew that Kakashi was the son of Konoha's White Fang, wouldn't you try every means to capture Kakashi to threaten Uncle Sagumo?"

Without hesitation, Obito replied, "That's definitely not the case."

Even when facing an enemy, Obito would never kidnap someone else's son to threaten them; he would only defeat his opponent on the battlefield.

"Sigh..." Rin shook her head, seeing Obito's righteous expression, and said no more.

Kakashi rolled his eyes again, turned his head away, and couldn't be bothered with this idiot who didn't know the dangers of the battlefield.

"Brother Zuoyun!"

A shout caught Kakashi's attention; someone was calling his father. He looked in the direction of the sound.

Inside the gates of Konoha, a huge cow, almost flying off its feet, was rushing towards them, calling out Kakashi's father's name from a great distance.

"Isn't that Lady Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sannin?"

Kakashi looked puzzled; why did she seem so familiar with his father?

When Tsunade called him, the Lightning Release clone, White Fang, greeted her with a faint smile.

Tsunade reached out and pulled her Lightning Release clone, White Fang, to a corner. This scene made Kakashi's scalp tingle.

Could it be that his father...? Kakashi had a bad feeling. Being precocious, he was very sensitive to matters of love between men and women. After all, he had people like Obito and Rin around him who didn't hide their feelings. It was impossible for him to be completely ignorant.

"Brother Zuoyun, this is my special antidote. It can cure most of the poisons used by puppeteers in the Sand Village. Even if it can't cure them, it can suppress the onset of the poison."

Tsunade handed a scroll to her Lightning Release clone, White Fang, and gave him instructions.

These are the fifteen bottles of antidote she specially made for her Lightning Release clone, White Fang, yesterday and last night, and they're all in this storage scroll.

"Thank you, Tsunade."

Lightning Release clone - White Fang took the scroll from Tsunade's hand, his face showing a change of surprise followed by emotion. Then, pretending to be unable to control his emotions, he gently hugged Tsunade.

Strike when the iron is hot, and seize every opportunity.

Lightning Release Clone Technique - White Fang knows when the opportunity will come.

Tsunade froze, her pretty face turning red, but she didn't push away the Lightning Release clone, White Fang.

Clearly, this was a good opportunity, and Lightning Release Clone - White Fang seized it.

The two quietly felt the greatness of each other's hearts.

Lightning Release clone - White Fang is simply big, Tsunade is not only big, but also very soft and hot.

The two hugged each other, thinking they were hiding in a corner and no one was paying attention. Little did they know, a large group of people were shocked.

"Oh no, Jiraiya-sama's base has been raided!"

Jiraiya's unrequited love for Tsunade was a well-known fact in Konoha. Everyone knew about Jiraiya's love for Tsunade and was happy to see the two of them together.

After all, only Jiraiya, who was also a disciple of the Third Hokage and one of the Legendary Sannin, was worthy of Tsunade.

Now... seeing the two of them hugging in the corner, everyone felt sorry for Jiraiya.

While he was away fighting, he never imagined that the woman he had loved so deeply would fall into someone else's arms.

The pain of having your home robbed is something that only those who have experienced the same thing can truly understand.

"Poor Jiraiya-sama!"

"However, if the opponent is Lord Sagumo, it seems that Lord Jiraiya's defeat is not unjustified."

While feeling heartbroken, many people also felt that Konoha's White Fang's reputation was no less than that of the Sannin, having earned his formidable fame during the Second Shinobi World War.

Although Lord Zuoyun had a wife and an eldest son.

But Lord Sagumo, with his white hair, has a look and demeanor that far surpasses that of Lord Jiraiya.

It's understandable that Lady Tsunade would choose Lady Sagumo.

After all, what woman wouldn't love a man who is strong, mature, steady, and handsome?

"It's just a pity for Jiraiya-sama's years of unrequited love!"

Everyone felt sorry for Jiraiya.

"It's over, I'm no longer Father's favorite person."

Kakashi gazed wistfully at Tsunade, who was being held in his father's arms in the distance, feeling a sense of loss and knowing that his father's love for him had been taken away.

But he had no choice; he couldn't very well disagree with the two of them being together.

(End of this chapter)