---
The truth is, Konoha's command was pretty reliable in their assessment of Kumogakure and the upcoming battles. It was impossible to resolve the conflict with Kumogakure and force them out of the war with a single large-scale operation.
The invasion of the Land of Lightning by 10,000 Iwagakure ninjas was a precedent. If Haori hadn't secretly taken out the Third Raikage, that one person alone would have been enough to give Iwagakure a hard time.
Except for the initial Kumogakure invasion of the Land of Fire, the battles between Konoha and Kumogakure took place primarily in the Land of Rice Fields. Therefore, in terms of supply lines, Kumogakure's were longer than Konoha's, but Konoha couldn't end the conflict by cutting off their supplies like they did with Iwagakure. Kumogakure had many land-based supply options, and they didn't have a fatal weakness like Iwagakure.
Although Kumogakure was at a disadvantage in terms of manpower, they were still incredibly stubborn.
At this moment, the situation in the Land of Rice Fields was quite intense.
So, it was actually an illusion that the Five Great Nations felt like they were being completely wrecked by the Shinobi World War. It was self-inflicted. Look at the small countries sandwiched between the large nations like the Land of Grass and the Land of Rice Fields. They weren't provoking anyone, but two thugs were fighting in their homes. Who could they complain to?
In any case, due to the situation, Jiraiya decided that he couldn't keep Minato's squad idle. So, he called them in. In terms of rank, Jiraiya was a village committee member and the overall commander of the Konoha front line. Minato, although he had been practically confirmed as the next village head, hadn't reached the handover period yet. So, the latter was under the control of the former.
Furthermore, even just based on their master-student relationship, Minato couldn't ignore Jiraiya's instructions.
Therefore, after receiving the new order, Minato's squad quickly moved from the original front line against Iwagakure, following an arc along the border between the Land of Grass, the Land of Waterfall, the Land of Frost, and the Land of Fire, until they reached the Land of Rice Fields.
In reality, there were Konoha ninjas building defenses on these borders before. But now that Iwagakure had retreated, those defenses were no longer needed.
With Iwagakure, their formidable enemy, gone, there were no enemies along the way. Minato's squad reached their destination without any unexpected encounters.
After arriving, the squad immediately met Jiraiya.
But they didn't just see Jiraiya. Orochimaru was also there.
For some reason, Orochimaru seemed a bit sinister at this time. Although he was usually sinister, he seemed even more sinister than usual.
In reality, Orochimaru wouldn't stay on this front line for long. His main mission in this Shinobi World War was already complete. He was here to help with the deployment of his former subordinates, the ninjas who had been transferred from the front line against the Hidden Mist. Now that those tasks were finished, he would return to Konoha.
There were good reasons for him to leave rather than stay here.
First, as mentioned before, Orochimaru's main mission was already complete. And the tasks in war weren't just about fighting. There were many things he could do back in the village.
Second, to avoid unnecessary conflict, there could be many advisors, but there could only be one commander of a front line. Here, that commander was Jiraiya. Would the genius Orochimaru accept being commanded by the deadbeat Jiraiya? He wouldn't accept it no matter what.
Finally, with only one enemy left, Konoha's forces could be fully assembled. They had gained an advantage in terms of manpower. With a ninja like Minato, Orochimaru's presence here wasn't really necessary anymore. And Orochimaru himself preferred to quietly do research rather than fight.
However, Orochimaru was still a high-end combat force. It was possible that his imminent departure was related to the sudden summoning of Minato.
...
In Jiraiya's tent, Orochimaru's pair of vertical pupils darted back and forth, but he remained silent, which was a bit eerie. But Minato didn't mind this now. After greeting them, he asked directly, "Jiraiya-sensei, what's the mission that made you change our original schedule and summon us here? Or is there some kind of emergency?"
"There's no emergency, but Minato, we summoned you here because of our next operation."
"The next operation? What is it?" Minato didn't know about this operation beforehand.
Jiraiya first glanced at Orochimaru. Finding that his good buddy (self-proclaimed and temporary) wasn't paying attention to him, he wasn't embarrassed. He simply continued to speak to Minato. "Our previous offensive and defensive exchanges with Kumogakure have resulted in a situation where our front lines are interlocked, with protruding parts on both sides. But now that we have the advantage in terms of manpower, this formation is actually more of a disadvantage than an advantage. The strength disparity in manpower has created a situation similar to 'enemy in the dark, we're in the light.' At this time, small-scale attrition is a disadvantage for us."
"So, we're going to straighten out the front line again. We're going to avoid small-scale engagements with Kumogakure that aren't initiated by us. At the same time, we're going to gradually eliminate the protruding parts of their front line, so that the two sides aren't so close together."
Minato naturally understood Jiraiya's words. So, he continued to ask, "So, our mission is to participate in the elimination operation?"
But unexpectedly, Jiraiya gave a negative answer. He shook his head and said, "It's not like that. Your mission is a bit more complex."
"After the elimination operation, some of the scattered enemies will definitely retreat. But at the same time, some will hide in place, or even infiltrate our front line on a small scale. Once Kumogakure ninjas infiltrate, there might be a possibility of causing unpredictable damage to us…"
"So, your mission is to eliminate these enemies as much as possible."
After gaining an advantage in terms of manpower, Konoha's operations began to shift towards a steady approach. All strategies were focused on stability. As long as their foundation was stable, Konoha would win.
"I understand." Minato said.
To put it simply, their mission was basically that of cleaning staff, cleaning the room and exterminating pests.
"There's one more thing to keep in mind. Kumogakure has a two-man ninja team called 'AB.' Their strength is very strong. Their identities are the Third Raikage's son and the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki. If you encounter them on the battlefield, you need to be extra careful." Jiraiya continued to remind them.
Jiraiya knew Minato's strength very well. But even so, he still gave this reminder. This was enough to show how much he valued this two-man enemy team.
"Especially you, Haori, you need to be more careful."
"Huh?"
Haori was completely dumbfounded. Wasn't everyone just talking about important matters? Why was it suddenly about him?
Then, he understood. Jiraiya had said it clearly: the Third Raikage's son.
Although Haori didn't care much about how the Third Raikage died, the other side definitely wouldn't forget it.
And after so long, with the intelligence capabilities of a major ninja village, they would have figured out everything by now…
Facts speak louder than words. Haori later understood that he was even more hated on the Kumogakure battlefield than he was on the Iwagakure battlefield. Even the "Yellow Flash's" reputation couldn't deter this hatred. As soon as Haori appeared on the battlefield, the enemies would swarm him. In that situation, he couldn't protect Minato. He was basically demonstrating what it meant to be harmed by your own teammate.
This wasn't hard to understand. After all, Iwagakure had lost the son of the Kage, while Kumogakure had lost the Kage himself.
Although the feelings of someone who had lost their son or father might be equal, for a village, the weight of the Kage was definitely much, much heavier.
And once news of his presence on the battlefield spread, the AB team might take targeted action. That would be fun.
---
P@TREON
You get 3 Fanfics when you join.
One payment for 4 Fics
p@treon.com/ShixT9
CURRENT P@TREON CHAPTER : Chapter 272