Escape from Konoha.

It moved so fast it was like a tornado, leaving nothing but barren land and uprooting everything in its wake.

Whether it was a Jonin squad, a Chunin squad, or even a Genin squad, they were all eliminated without exception, showing no mercy.

Aside from the renowned White Fang, the Third Kazekage couldn't think of any other Konoha Jonin who could do this.

Two of his most trusted puppet troops, elites of which were annihilated by the squad led by White Fang within the Land of Fire, are still in Konoha's hands.

The Sand Village's forces are not much greater than Konoha's; the only variable lies in the Kazekage himself, and their trump card that has yet to be used—Shukaku.

The poison attack strategy devised by Sunagakure was thwarted by Tsunade, a ninja from Konoha.

He's fine in direct combat, but the overall quality of the Sand Ninja is lower than that of the Konoha Ninja. In addition, there's a shortage of medical ninjas in the camp, so the mortality rate is even higher than in Konoha.

Now, with White Fang harassing their rear, what's next for Konoha...?

Sure enough, not long after, a Jonin came in to report that there was unusual activity at the Konoha camp, with nearly a thousand ninjas setting off from the camp and heading towards this location from the front.

However, the moment they stepped into the border of the Land of Rivers, the thousand-strong force from Konoha stopped moving, as if they had only come out for a parade.

However, the Third Kazekage understood that Konoha intended to put pressure on Sunagakure on the front lines, creating an opportunity for the White Fang team to launch an attack.

If Sunagakure recklessly pursues the White Fang Squad, the main force of Konoha will press forward from the front.

"Is Fenfu still refusing to agree?"

The Third Kazekage looked at a Sand Jonin with a solemn expression.

“He disagrees. No matter how we try to persuade him, he refuses to use Shukaku’s power. He says he hopes that you, Lord Kazekage, will prioritize peace and stop the war, as that would be for the good of Sunagakure.”

The Jonin answered.

"Isn't stopping the war for the sake of Sunagakure?"

The Third Kazekage turned his gaze toward the Land of Fire.

The land there is more fertile than the Land of Wind, and Konoha produces a constant stream of genius ninjas, such as White Fang, the Legendary Sannin, and Dan Kato...

There are three main ninja clans: the Ino-Shika-Cho clan and others, as well as other prestigious ninja clans such as the Sarutobi, Shimura, Inuzuka, and Aburame clans.

Even more terrifying is that the Uchiha and Hyuga clans, the oldest and most well-preserved bloodline families in the ninja world, are also in Konoha.

The thought of such a powerful lineup weighed heavily on the Third Kazekage's mind.

If we don't seize the opportunity now, before Konoha recovers from the war with the Land of Rain, to plunder resources within the Land of Fire, it will be extremely difficult to gain any advantage once Konoha recovers.

As Konoha grows stronger, it has put considerable pressure on surrounding countries and ninja villages.

If this continues, as Konoha grows stronger, Sunagakure's space for survival will become increasingly limited.

They could only keep cutting military spending and reducing the number of ninjas, and could only watch helplessly as the number of ninjas in Konoha grew larger and larger, and military spending became more and more abundant, making it stand out in the ninja world.

At that time, Sunagakure will be completely subjugated and barely surviving under Konoha.

The Third Kazekage didn't want to see Sunagakure become like that, so even if Konoha became stronger, he had to keep fighting.

If Konoha's power can be weakened, Sunagakure can catch its breath and see hope for its resurgence.

Without war, there would be no hope at all.

Therefore, the idea of ​​"harmony is precious" in the life of the guardian of the crane is just from a personal perspective. However, between nations, there is no justice or evil, only strength and weakness, and only gains and losses.

"He's not suited for this ninja world. Although Shukaku is quite well-behaved within him and won't go berserk unless actively provoked, it also means that Sunagakure will be unable to use this weapon. The inability to use a weapon is the greatest tragedy of war. It seems we need to find a new Jinchuriki..."

Upon hearing the Third Kazekage's words, the Jonin's face showed surprise.

"Lord Kazekage, this..."

"Don't worry, I was just mentioning it casually. After all, the transfer of the tailed beasts is a matter of great importance and must be decided through a high-level meeting."

The Third Kazekage's words failed to reassure the Jonin.

"So what should we do now?"

The Jonin was quite helpless.

This is the most difficult place in Sunagakure.

Compared to Konoha, not only is there a gap in overall quality, but also in terms of top-tier ninjas, Konoha is far inferior.

The mere presence of Konoha's White Fang was enough to give them a major headache. Allowing such a dangerous ninja to wreak havoc in the rear filled the Sand Village ninja with constant fear.

Recently, many Sand Village ninjas have been hesitant to accept missions like patrolling the Land of Rivers.

Many Sand Ninja were already terrified when faced with that White Fang.

“I already have a plan. This is a private letter from Onoki of Iwagakure. He will secretly help Sunagakure.”

"That Tsuchikage? To be honest, I don't recommend that the Kazekage cooperate with that Tsuchikage."

"This is our only chance."

The Third Kazekage said.

As he spoke, he sat down at his desk and drafted two letters.

After finishing writing the letter, he handed it to a trusted Jonin next to him and said, "Send one letter to Orochimaru, the commander of Konoha, and have the patrol deliver the other letter to Sakumo Hatake of Konoha."

"This is……"

The Jonin looked at the Third Kazekage with a puzzled expression.

"Go down."

"Yes."

Despite his doubts, the Jonin went down to carry out the mission.

"All of this is for the sake of Sunagakure... Konoha..."

The Third Kazekage murmured softly, a sharp aura flashing in his eyes.

◎

The western region of the land of rivers.

It is located at the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Rivers.

The Sand Village ninjas who came from the Land of Wind to support the Land of River will pass through this road.

The four members of the Shuo Mao squad carried out their annihilation strategy here.

Annihilate every single Sand Ninja you encounter.

After wiping out a squad, they immediately disengage without hesitation, find a hidden location to hide, and then, after a period of time, continue to annihilate them.

Leaving aside Sakumo, a renowned Jonin, Ruri and Ayane are also Jonin-level, and possess special bloodline limits. The destructive power brought by the three of them is astonishing.

Shiraishi only needs to provide minor assistance from the back of the team, such as throwing poison smoke bombs or detonating tags.

When not engaged in combat, they would use readily available materials to make medicines, such as soldier pills and antidotes, since the puppeteers' weapons were all highly poisonous and could be dangerous if accidentally touched.

This increases the Sakumo Squad's ability to sustain combat.

This morning, another six-person Sand Ninja squad was wiped out.

It may not seem like much, but since accepting this mission more than a month ago, it has been a constant battle, with Sand Ninja dying one after another at the hands of their team. In total, there have been over a hundred Sand Ninja.

If they're lucky, they might even encounter a caravan entering the Land of Rivers from the Land of Wind. They'll burn the already scarce supplies in Sunagakure, then use their agility and mobility to create chaos with Ruri's wide-range fire jutsu, allowing them to escape and avoid being surrounded by the main force.

If fewer people pursue them, their squad will turn the tables and wipe them out.

If there are more pursuing ninjas, use your superior mobility to lead them in circles around the Land of Rivers.

Unless Sunagakure dispatches hundreds of ninjas at once, including more than twenty Jonin, they can forget about besieging and annihilating them in the Land of Rivers.

If the Third Kazekage truly had such resolve, taking away so many of his vital forces, Sunagakure would have no chance of defeating Konoha on the main battlefield, and would suffer even greater losses.

Shiraishi skillfully rummaged through the corpse of the dead Sand Ninja.

Scrolls containing ninjutsu and information, explosive tags for combat, and recovery pills—collect them all without leaving a trace, until your backpack is completely full.

Shiraishi couldn't help but marvel at how smoothly the missions went when he followed Sakumo.

Last time, the three of them faced groups of Sand Ninja and could only run away.

Even though they've become stronger, they still don't dare to confront the main force of Sunagakure head-on.

Now, with Shuo Mao leading the team, small units, no more than a hundred people, can go straight into battle.

For groups exceeding one hundred, a roaming strategy is adopted, leading the Sand Ninja on wanderings around.

To pursue or not to pursue, this choice must be a very difficult one for the Sand Ninja.

If they catch up, they'll likely die; if they don't, Sakumo's squad will continue to cause trouble, constantly attacking the Sand Ninja patrols of the Land of Rivers and their transport convoys.

With Ayane's Byakugan, there's no need to worry about hastily setting up battle formations. When encountering large-scale forces, you can simply break through from the weakest point.

In terms of breaking through enemy lines, with Sakumo leading the charge, they can move freely within the territory of the Land of Rivers.

"Alright, we've almost finished looting this place."

The six corpses on the white stone ground were searched clean.

There was one Jonin, three Chunin, and two Genin in total.

In the blink of an eye, before Sakumo could even make a move, he was completely wiped out by Ruri and Ayane.

Sakumo deserves the most credit, but without the assistance of the three of them, things wouldn't have gone so smoothly; at the very least, the issue of continuous supply would have been a major headache.

Sakumo nodded and set off.

The three of them followed closely behind, moving with exceptional speed.

Thus they traveled along the border between the Land of Rivers and the Land of Wind.

When you get tired, take a break, eat some dry food, drink some water, and then continue on your way.

Around 3 p.m., a four-person Sand Ninja team appeared in Ayane's Byakugan vision.

Without hesitation, Sakumo carried out the annihilation operation against the Sand Ninja squad, following his usual routine.

"strangeness."

Ayane said something.

"What's strange?"

Liuli looked at her.