Chapter 170, I Laugh at the Aged Hokage...
The Senju and Uchiha, as the two founding families of Konohagakure, had deep roots and formidable strength.
Despite the losses from the war, they had recuperated over time.
Their power was not to be underestimated.
But when facing the hidden villages, a collective of multiple families, even the combined forces of Senju and Uchiha had to fight and retreat, buying time for Konohagakure to mobilize its main forces.
And with the Grass Country, Land of Rivers, and Land of Moon having already exchanged blows,
The Village Hidden in the Rain, the main battlefield of the Second Great Ninja War in the original timeline, watched the turmoil of the ninja world as an outsider at this moment.
"Hmm hmm... Haha... Hahaha..."
In the office of the leader of the Village Hidden in the Rain, Hanzo of the Salamander couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"What are you laughing at, Hanzo-sama?"
Hanzo's assistant, upon seeing this, curiously asked Hanzo the Salamander.
"I laugh at the Hokage for being old, at the Tsuchikage for being young, and at the Raikage for not seeing the situation clearly."
Hanzo stopped the smile at the corner of his mouth and looked down at the map on the table.
"Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure, the three great hidden villages, have already made their moves against Konohagakure. If things go as expected, Kirigakure will soon take action as well," Hanzo the Salamander said while looking at the map and stroking his chin mask.
"Thank goodness the war hasn't reached our Land of Rain," the assistant said, relieved.
"Fool, this is an opportunity for us in the Amegakure," Hanzo replied with a slight purse of his lips, giving his assistant a glance. "It won't be long before these great hidden villages come knocking, seeking the power of the Hidden Rain."
Hanzo leaned back in his chair, and this would directly relate to whether the Amegakure could replace one of the Five Great Shinobi Countries and become one of the new great hidden villages.
"Then, which hidden village do you plan to cooperate with?" the assistant asked, taken aback.
"Which village do you think the Amegakure should cooperate with?" Hanzo the Salamander asked with interest.
"Among the Five Great Shinobi Countries, Konohagakure is the strongest. If we could cooperate with Konohagakure..." the assistant began, but Hanzo the Salamander cut him off before he could finish.
"Forget it, go rest for now," Hanzo said, somewhat disappointedly looking at his assistant, waving him off languidly, leaning back in his chair, and slowly closing his eyes.
Cooperate with Konohagakure?
If Konohagakure ultimately wins the war, then the Amegakure will have no future.
Even as a collaborator with Konohagakure.
Hanzo the Salamander was keenly aware that whether it was the economy, strength, or the quality of ninjas, the Amegakure Village had no comparison with Konohagakure.
Thus, cooperation between them would be unequal.
If they were to win the war alongside Konohagakure, then post-war Konohagakure would undergo even more barbaric development.
The shinobi world would no longer have the Five Great Shinobi Countries but would enter an era dominated solely by Konohagakure.
At that time, what could the Amegakure use to compete with Konohagakure?
Rely on its inexhaustible freshwater resources?
Therefore, what the Amegakure should do now is concentrate resources, gather strength, and at the right moment, strike decisively.
Then, using the spoils plundered from Konohagakure, allow the Amegakure to grow and eventually become one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
Konohagakure, like a towering tree, even when attacked, the few fallen leaves can nourish many weeds.
And Hanzo the Salamander's definition of the Amegakure was quite accurate; it was a weed living beside this towering tree.
At the right moment, to become the last straw that breaks Konohagakure, while also making moves against the neighboring Land of Grass and Land of Birds, to leap into the ranks of the Five Great Shinobi Countries.
...
In the Land of Waves.
Amidst the thick night, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Jiraiya stood atop a tree trunk.
Watching Hozuki Takuya, who seemed to be moving unintentionally but overall heading northwest, a slight smile emerged on the corner of Sarutobi Hiruzen's mouth.
Good, Hozuki Takuya had received the wrong intelligence.
The support from Kirigakure Village would land on the east side of the Land of Waves, but the intelligence processed by Raijin indicated a landing in the northwest.
Moreover, there was a two-day discrepancy in the timing.
In two days' time, Hozuki Takuya will not be met with support from Kirigakure, but rather an ambush meticulously set by Team 7.
"Success!"
Jiraiya suppressed his excitement and whispered softly.
"Yes, now it depends on whether Raijin and the others can take out Kirigakure's reinforcements," Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded, confident in Raijin's abilities.
With nearly three-quarters of Kirigakure Anbu's forces, only Raijin, Tsunade, and Orochimaru were there.
Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head with a mix of pride and melancholy, his once struggling students against two Jonin from Kumogakure's defector unit had grown to such a level.
"They'll definitely manage. It's been too boring these past few days!" Jiraiya's face was filled with excitement, eager for a decisive battle with Hozuki Takuya.
"Save your strength, be ready for battle at any moment," Sarutobi Hiruzen advised Jiraiya, who nodded without hesitation.
...
"It's strange, why would the village land from the northwest? The east is much closer," Hozuki Kazuma questioned Hozuki Takuya's decision.
"Do you think something that you know, Uchiha Raijin and his team wouldn't be aware of?" Hozuki Takuya glanced at Hozuki Kazuma, implying that the east side of Land of Waves might already be filled with traps.
"Why wait two days then?" Hozuki Kazuma pondered and continued to inquire.
"Why don't you ask Mizukage-sama?" Hozuki Takuya replied somewhat helplessly, realizing that Hozuki Kazuma's words had indeed given him a wake-up call.
For now, there was no better plan than to wait at the location marked in the intelligence report and take things one step at a time. ...
On the east side of Land of Waves, Raijin's team was setting traps.
Orochimaru placed three Explosive Tags into a dug pit.
About to bury them, he paused, took out three more Explosive Tags, and added them in. Considering they were up against nearly three-quarters of Kirigakure Anbu's forces, it was better to have more Explosive Tags.
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