I am the new Hokage of Konoha.

However, since the usually cunning Onoki had abandoned his old ways for the sake of the bigger picture and set an example by leading the Iwa ninja to demonstrate their firm stance in this ninja war, the situation was different.

As fellow Kage, Rasa and Mei Terumi would not yield to anyone.

The Land of Wind.

Having assembled his army, the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, announced to the group of high-ranking Iwa ninja inside the main tent, including the long-retired advisors Chiyo and Ebizo:

"The Tsuchikage has been very generous this time, not only personally commanding the Iwa ninja army to launch a fierce attack on Konoha, but also sending us a large amount of supplies after learning of the attack on Kazama Castle. As allies, the Sand ninja can no longer sit idly by. Therefore, I have decided! Tomorrow we will launch a general offensive against the Land of Rivers!"

Because the battle was brought forward and most of the supplies for Kazama Castle were destroyed, the Sand Ninja spent the first day gathering their ninja army and coordinating more supplies with the Daimyo of the Land of Wind.

As for the Konoha ninjas who had already appeared in the Land of Rivers, only a small number of Sand ninjas launched a few probing attacks throughout the day to test the waters.

Now that the army has been assembled and with the assistance of the Iwa ninja, Rasa no longer chooses to wait any longer.

He, too, would launch a full-scale, decisive attack, just like Onoki.

This is not only due to the exemplary role played by Onoki.

Furthermore, after learning from a day's battle reports that the Iron Country army had suffered a crushing defeat, with all its ships destroyed and the Mist Ninja trapped in the country, while the Cloud Ninja had still not sent back any news, Rasa clearly realized that Konoha had gained a significant advantage and had no other choice but to take this action.

If they continue to sit and wait for death, all that awaits them is for Konoha to defeat their allies one by one. Even if the Sand Village retains a large amount of strength, they will only face annihilation.

Therefore, as soon as Rasa finished speaking, Ebizo, who, although retired, still wielded considerable influence in Sunagakure, immediately nodded and said, "I agree with the Kazekage's opinion. We can no longer give Konoha time to delay; it's time for the Sand Village to launch a full-scale attack."

Having fought against Konoha many times, the experienced Ebizo was well aware of the profound foundation of this ninja village, which was based in the world's number one ninja nation.

Especially now, under the influence of the Fourth Hokage's reforms, Konoha has become integrated with the Land of Fire, and its support far surpasses that of the past, making it even stronger.

If it's a protracted war, they will definitely be the ones to lose in the end.

Therefore, if we are to fight, we must go all out in order to achieve the greatest results in the shortest amount of time.

"You think so too, right, sister?"

After explaining his thoughts, Ebizo habitually asked Chiyo, who was standing next to him.

However, the latter did not respond, and his head drooped down, remaining motionless.

"Sister? Sister? There's a meeting that's incredibly important for the Sand Village right now. You absolutely can't fall asleep at a time like this."

Thinking that his older sister was sleeping as usual, Ebi whispered in her ear to wake her up.

No matter how much he shouted, Chiyo didn't budge.

Just as Ebizo's heart leaped into his throat and his voice involuntarily rose, Rasa, who also noticed this scene, couldn't help but tense up as well.

No way!

Elder Chiyo wouldn't have passed away at this time, would she?

If that's the case, it would be a significant blow to the Sand Ninja who are about to set off on their expedition.

Luo Sha's face underwent a series of changes in an instant.

Especially when you think about how Elder Chiyo is now in her sixties or seventies, which is considered very old in this day and age, it would be quite normal for her to pass away now.

Unable to sit still any longer, he immediately got up and went to investigate himself.

However, just as Rasa reached out to Chiyo, suddenly...

Chiyo Takeshi, who had been keeping her head down, looked up, her wrinkled face breaking into a bright smile as she said:

"Surprised?"

Luo Sha: "......"

If the person before him hadn't been a highly respected advisor and elder, he would have wanted to scatter the other man with gold dust right now.

At the same time, Ebizo, who witnessed this scene, breathed a sigh of relief and then complained, "Sister, you can't make jokes like that anymore."

"Don't worry, don't worry." Chiyo casually shook her head, clearly not taking her brother's words to heart.

Then, looking at Rasa, whose face was full of black lines, and the other Sand Ninja who had just breathed a sigh of relief, she said in a good mood, "I also saw that the atmosphere was too tense, and everyone here looked very serious and nervous, so I wanted to make a joke to ease the tension. How are you now? Are you feeling more relaxed?"

"Relax...relax." Influenced by Chiyo's personal reputation, the others could only wipe away their cold sweat and force a smile that didn't reflect their true feelings.

Only Rasa could offer some words of advice: "Elder Chiyo, you can't keep making jokes like this. You must know how important you are to Sunagakure."

"Lord Kazekage, there's no need for such flattery. I'm just an old woman who's been living longer than my contemporaries and is acting like a senior citizen." Chiyo shook her head, then looked at everyone, "However, as an old woman who has dealt with Konoha for decades, I still want to tell you all to keep a calm mind from now on."

"Isn't it just dealing with Konoha? In terms of experience, we Sand Villagers are the most experienced. So don't overthink it, just follow me and charge. If we win, there's nothing to say. If we lose, then it's better to die sooner rather than later, at least we won't have to watch the Sand Village, which we've protected for so many years, be destroyed right under our noses."

Amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, Chiyo spoke in an extremely calm tone about her own future and that of Sunagakure.

"Elder Chiyo, are you going to make a move too?" Rasa asked in surprise.

He hadn't received any prior notice about this.

“Of course.” Chiyo nodded. “Even I, who live in seclusion, can see that if we lose this battle, Konoha will not spare Sunagakure as it has in the past. In that case, rather than sitting in the village waiting to die, we might as well go to the front line and contribute our last bit of strength. In this way, we can do justice to the ancestors of Sunagakure.”

Upon hearing this, Rasa wanted to say something, but Chiyo interrupted him, saying:

"Lord Kazekage has undoubtedly tried to persuade me again, but my mind is made up."

"So, everyone here, please allow this old woman, who is very likely to die in battle, to make a joke. Who says that war must be taken seriously? As long as you have done everything you can and made up your mind, then a joke is fine."

As she finished speaking, recalling how nervous everyone had been when she tricked them, Chiyo couldn't help but chuckle like a playful old man.

Seeing this, the Sand Ninja felt a complex mix of emotions.

Although Chiyo didn't say anything grand or ambitious, her calm words revealed her determination to die for Sunagakure.

This was unprecedented in previous Shinobi World Wars.

So, has the situation in Sunagakure really gotten this bad?

If some people were still confused before, then after Chiyo's explanation, everyone present realized the seriousness of the matter.

However, perhaps it was influenced by Chiyo's example just now.

If a respected retired elder can disregard life and death, how can his descendants possibly lag behind?

"Since we're going to fight, let's fight with all our might."

"Give Konoha a lesson they won't forget, and let them know that the Sand Village is not to be trifled with."

"Lord Kazekage, please make arrangements quickly."

"..."

Soon, unlike the previous heaviness and tension, under Chiyo's influence, all the Sand Ninja, who clearly realized that they had nowhere left to retreat, either freely or resolutely agreed to Rasa's proposal.

Thus, with everyone united, the Sand Ninja army swiftly set off the next day, charging towards the Konoha army with the same ferocity as the Iwa Ninja.

......

On the other hand, compared to the Sand Ninja's swift actions, the Mist Ninja under Mei Terumi's leadership, even if they wanted to, were powerless for the time being.

However, after understanding the current war situation, in addition to urging the Land of Water to speed up the reconstruction of the fleet, Mei Terumi also chose a very risky plan.

"Next, once we find the location of Konoha's aircraft carrier, I'll have to trouble you, Fourth Hokage, to join me in the operation." At the former Fourth Mizukage's secluded residence, the Fifth Mizukage, Mei Terumi, revealed her plan.

"Will it be too risky?"

Upon hearing Mei Terumi's proposal that she would personally lead a group of top Kirigakure ninja, including the Six-Tails Jinchuriki, to launch a surprise attack on the aircraft carrier, Karatachi Shikura, despite his baby-faced appearance, already had offspring and was quite old, frowned slightly.

We must remember the lesson of the Third Raikage leading the elite Cloud Ninja forces deep into enemy territory.

For the Mist Ninja, who were desperately short of ships, chasing after the Konoha aircraft carrier in the vast ocean was no different.

Although the chances of success are high, the consequences of failure would be unimaginable.

It's perfectly normal to have such concerns about losing positions.

"Given the current situation, we have no choice but to take this risk."

Mei Terumi didn't want to take such a risk, but the current unfavorable situation for the five-nation alliance forced her to do so.

Seeing this, Shikura sighed slightly and chose to trust the current leader of Kirigakure, saying, "Then let's follow the Fifth Mizukage's idea."

From then on, the Mist Ninja continued to carry out their own plans without pause.

Furthermore, having successfully escaped and returned to the Land of Iron, Mifune spared no effort in order to secure more samurai to defend the sacred land against the invasion of Konoha.

The clashes between Konoha and the Five Nations Alliance continued unabated.

Chapter 269 Tsunade and Chiyo

Boom! Boom! Boom!

On the battlefield of the Land of Rivers, shrouded in smoke, the roar of chakra cannons, the brilliance of ninjutsu, and the constant sparks from the collision of numerous ninja tools resounded continuously.

Since the Sand Ninja arrived with their large army on the second day of the war, the fierce battle has continued for three days.

Due to the influence of national strength, the overall strength of Sunagakure is much weaker than that of Iwagakure.

Adding to the pressure of logistical support, only 12,000 Sand Ninja were ultimately able to fight on the front lines.

Even so, compared to the eight thousand Konoha ninja led by Tsunade in the Land of Rivers, the Sand Village still held a military advantage.

This is normal.

After all, although Konoha has developed rapidly, it still lags far behind the combined number of the other four major ninja villages in terms of the number of ninjas.

It's important to understand that a qualified ninja cannot be trained in just a few years.

Konoha's current strength of over 30,000 active ninjas is a result of the Land of Fire's relentless and substantial investment and its own deep-rooted resources.

Of course, Konoha's full strength is not limited to these.

For example, the Steel Chariot Legion, the Artillery Legion, the Flying Legion, and the Aircraft Carrier Squadron are not included in the ninja squadrons.

This combined strength is the source of Konoha's confidence in waging war against the five nations.

If the five nations could afford to wait a few more years, then the reformed Konoha Ninja Academy would have a much larger number of students graduating, such as those in Rock Lee and Naruto's cohorts, than in the original story.

At that time, the number of Konoha's ninjas will explode, and their overall strength will be much greater than it is now.

But the five countries are not fools.

Knowing full well the formidable potential of Konoha, they wouldn't grant the former's wish and would choose to launch an attack prematurely.

Just like now, while our side still has a slight advantage, we should expand our gains early on.

The idea was good, but the execution was not as satisfactory as expected.