In the following days, everyone was waiting for news from the other side.
Iwagakure was waiting for news from Sunagakure.
Sunagakure was waiting for news from Konoha.
And Konoha was paying attention to the situations in Iwagakure and Sunagakure.
At the Konoha camp in the Land of Hot Water.
Jiraiya had been promoted. Well, it wasn't really a promotion. As the deputy commander, Jiraiya was now taking over the overall command in place of Orochimaru during his absence.
Orochimaru had gone on a mission.
Orochimaru had received intelligence that Fu, the jinchuriki of the eighth tailed beast who was also the commander of the Cloud ninjas in the Land of Hot Water, had gone out of control and injured many Cloud ninjas.
Now, Fu's out - of - control state had been brought under control, but her mental state was very poor and she was no longer able to command in battle. So, she was escorted back to the Cloud Hidden Village by a group of Cloud ninjas led by Ai.
Upon learning this intelligence, Orochimaru originally wanted to immediately send ninjas to attack the Cloud ninjas' camp. However, Orochimaru came up with a better idea.
An idea that could keep the Cloud Hidden Village so busy that they wouldn't have the energy to continue confronting them in the Land of Hot Water.
Actually, Orochimaru quite hated wars. Because a great deal of his time was occupied by the war, he couldn't conduct his research.
Orochimaru wanted to sneak into the Cloud Hidden Village and quietly remove the seal on Fu, the jinchuriki of the eighth tailed beast, and unleash the eighth tailed beast.
In this manner, the Cloud Hidden Village would definitely suffer a heavy blow and there would be a period of respite for them.
And Orochimaru could use this period of respite to do what he really wanted to do.
During this time when he couldn't do research, Orochimaru had a lot of ingenious ideas in his mind. It was this damned war that prevented him from putting his ideas into practice.
So, for this period of respite, Orochimaru decided to take matters into his own hands. He planned to sneak into the Cloud Hidden Village, remove the seal on the jinchuriki, and unleash the eighth tailed beast.
No one knew about this, including Jiraiya and Tsunade.
Jiraiya and Tsunade only knew that Orochimaru was leaving for a few days to go on a mission. They had no idea what Orochimaru was going to do.
If Jiraiya and Tsunade knew, they would definitely not let him go because this matter was too dangerous. If Orochimaru was discovered, then the war would start immediately.
Therefore, according to the procedure, it was necessary to report this major event to high - level officials of Konoha like Hiruzen Sarutobi first. Orochimaru could only act after they gave their consent.
But by the time this whole procedure was completed, it would be too late.
Orochimaru was not a person who followed the rules strictly, so he just got down to business. He left the camp directly and headed towards the Cloud Hidden Village.
...
And during these days, Kamishiro, who could read books at ease, was also brimming with inspiration.
With the basic technological materials that Jiraiya had given him, as he studied, inspiration kept popping up in his mind non - stop.
Kamishiro used the remaining materials from making Jiraiya into a Puppet to test the inspirations in his mind. It could be said that he lived a very fulfilling life every day.
Time flashed by.
Seven consecutive days had passed.
The Konoha camp in the Land of Hot Water presented a peaceful scene.
Since the Cloud Hidden Village hadn't sent a new commander yet and Orochimaru had told Jiraiya to maintain the status quo, there were no battles these days. Everyone ate, drank, and slept as usual.
In Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi learned that a Sunagakure ninja, representing the Third Kazekage, had come to deliver a letter. He immediately sent a ninja to invite this Sunagakure ninja to the Hokage Building.
"Lord Hokage, this letter was entrusted to me by our Kazekage to be delivered to you personally."
Hiruzen Sarutobi took the letter from the Sunagakure ninja. "Thank you for your hard work. Haruto, take our friends from Sunagakure to rest well."
"Yes, please follow me."
The ninja named 'Haruto' by Hiruzen Sarutobi led five Sunagakure ninjas to rest.
Hiruzen Sarutobi returned to his office and opened the letter to read.
After reading the content of the letter, a smile appeared on Hiruzen Sarutobi's face. "It seems that Jiraiya and Minato have succeeded. Nevertheless, this batch of supplies has to be given to Sunagakure, which is like using these supplies to exchange for Kamishiro and ensuring that Sunagakure won't cooperate with Iwagakure.
Moreover, they sent five Sunagakure ninjas to Konoha this time, which means they want to take the supplies back to Sunagakure immediately. They are really in a hurry."
Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately wrote a letter. The content of the letter was that Konoha was willing to compensate Sunagakure with a batch of military supplies to thank Sunagakure, as an ally, for not betraying the alliance and continuing to cooperate with Konoha.
After writing the letter, Hiruzen Sarutobi arranged for several ninjas to carry the military supplies to be given to Sunagakure.
After getting the supplies and the letter, the Sunagakure ninjas didn't stay in Konoha any longer. They quickly left Konoha and rushed back to Sunagakure.
One side is in high spirits while the other is down in the dumps.
Konoha was happy, and naturally, Iwagakure was unhappy.
The Iwagakure ninjas sent by Ōnoki to Sunagakure to deliver military supplies also returned.
After learning that Sunagakure had accepted the military supplies he gave but only said 'Thank you for the generous gift from the Tsuchikage', Ōnoki also understood that Sunagakure didn't want to cooperate with them and had taken their supplies.
Furious, Ōnoki cursed. "What benefits did Konoha give them that they don't want to attack Konoha with me? Clearly, as long as they cooperate with our Iwagakure to attack Konoha together, and with the help of the Cloud Hidden Village, Konoha won't be able to hold out alone. They could get a lot of benefits, and that poverty - stricken Sunagakure could also have a better life. That short - sighted bastard Kuidou! I'm so angry!"
Seeing Ōnoki so angry, Kitsuchi, his son, tried to persuade him. "Old man, calm down. Your back hasn't been feeling well lately. Don't throw your back out. The doctor said that at your age, once you throw your back out, you'll probably keep throwing your back out."
"Shut up! Ouch!"
After a "crack" sound, Ōnoki clutched his back and let out a yelp.
Kitsuchi quickly started massaging Ōnoki's back and said helplessly, "See, I told you to calm down, but you wouldn't listen. Now you're going to keep throwing your back out."
...
A few more days passed.
Inside Sunagakure.
The Third Kazekage looked at the boxes of supplies brought from Konoha in front of him and was very satisfied.
With these supplies, plus those "given away for free" by Iwagakure, the ninjas of Sunagakure could get some better equipment.
A craftsman must sharpen his tools if he is to do his job well.
If ninjas are to perform at their best, their weapons and other tools mustn't be a hindrance. They have to be top - notch.
While the Third Kazekage was in high spirits, in the basement of Sasori's house.
Sasori's Hiryūga was in the final stages of construction and was almost finished.
The entire Hiryūga had taken shape and looked extremely intimidating.
Sasori murmured to himself, "Almost... almost there. Kuidou, you're about to pay the price for your past mistakes."