49. Analyzing The Situation

Sora followed Orochimaru to the Land of Hot Water (Yu no Kuni).

After several days of trekking, the two finally arrived at the Konoha shinobi camp situated on the border between the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Fire.

Rows of tents stood across the area, with Konoha shinobi patrolling diligently. Every ninja they passed respectfully greeted Orochimaru with a bow and a "Orochimaru-sama."

Without delay, Orochimaru led Sora directly to the largest and most secure tent at the centre of the camp.

Inside the tent, Jiraiya and Namikaze Minato were already present.

The moment Jiraiya saw Orochimaru, his expression lit up with relief. "Orochimaru, you're finally here. The old man said you'd be coming to support us in the Land of Hot Water, and it's a huge relief to have you here."

Orochimaru, however, didn't engage in pleasantries. He went straight to business. "What's the current situation?"

Jiraiya's face grew serious. "It's not good. Our frontlines have been pushed back repeatedly. At this point, we've almost run out of ground to retreat to."

Orochimaru stepped up to the sand table, studying the map of the battlefield spread across it. Jiraiya began explaining the details of their predicament.

Meanwhile, as Sora entered the tent, his gaze immediately landed on Namikaze Minato.

It had been years since they had last seen each other, and Minato had changed noticeably. He had grown taller, his features were more defined and mature, and his demeanour carried a sharp and determined aura that hadn't been there before.

Minato, in turn, observed Sora. From his perspective, Sora had also undergone significant changes.

Breaking their silent exchange, Sora refocused his attention and walked to Orochimaru's side to get a clearer view of the sand table.

Jiraiya continued briefing Orochimaru. "It seems the shinobi of Kumogakure have forged an alliance with Yugakure, the Hidden Village of the Land of Hot Water. Large numbers of Cloud shinobi have been gathering in Yugakure.

The border between the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Fire is extensive. With the limited number of shinobi we have here, it's nearly impossible to cover the entire front. All we can do is try to hold them at the border of the Land of Fire as best we can.

To make matters worse, Kumogakure has stationed a substantial number of reinforcements in the Land of the Moon. Once their forces here are depleted, they can resupply and send reinforcements from the Moon Country.

If this situation persists, we'll be forced to completely withdraw from the Land of Hot Water and fall back into the Land of Fire."

Orochimaru studied the sand table with a sharp frown. He had anticipated that the situation would be dire, but not this dire.

Jiraiya, on the other hand, felt a wave of relief. Ever since arriving in the Land of Hot Water, he had been burdened with the logistical side of the war—managing formations, assigning missions, and coordinating the defence.

It wasn't the fighting that bothered him. It was the endless administrative tasks that made his head spin. But now that Orochimaru had arrived, Jiraiya could finally offload these responsibilities onto him. After all, Orochimaru excelled at such strategic and tactical planning.

As Orochimaru analyzed the battlefield map in deep thought, Jiraiya turned his attention to Chiba.

"Hey, kid," Jiraiya said with a grin. "It's been a long time. I didn't expect you'd end up as Orochimaru's disciple. He's not exactly easy to impress when it comes to taking on students!"

Sora bowed respectfully toward Jiraiya and said, "Long time no see, Lord Jiraiya."

After greeting him, Sora turned his attention back to the sand table alongside Orochimaru, seemingly uninterested in further conversation.

Jiraiya, noticing the coldness, curled his lips in annoyance and muttered, "Like master, like a disciple. Both of you are as cold as ice."

Sora, meanwhile, examined the flags representing Konoha on the sand table with a frown. The situation was grim—the frontlines were fully on the border of the Land of Fire. If they were forced to retreat any further, the border would collapse, and they would have no choice but to fall back directly into the Land of Fire itself.

Orochimaru glanced at Chiba and suddenly asked, "Sora, what do you think we should do to change this situation?"

Jiraiya and Namikaze Minato both looked at Orochimaru in surprise. They hadn't expected him to ask such a critical question of Sora, a younger and less experienced shinobi.

Orochimaru, noticing their reactions, explained casually, "Just say what's on your mind, Sora. This is the battlefield, after all."

The message in Orochimaru's words was clear: the battlefield was a stage for proving oneself. If Sora wanted to make a name for himself and step into Konoha's inner circle, he needed to seize every opportunity to demonstrate his worth. Orochimaru was giving him that chance.

Sora furrowed his brow, deep in thought.

Jiraiya leaned closer to Orochimaru and whispered, "Orochimaru, isn't this a bit much? You're asking a kid to weigh in on such a critical issue."

Orochimaru smirked faintly. "Jiraiya, don't underestimate my student. He's sharper than you think—smarter than me, even."

Jiraiya glanced sceptically at Sora, who was still lost in thought. "Smarter than you? Is that for real?"

After a few moments, Sora finally emerged from his thoughts.

Orochimaru pressed, "Sora, have you come up with something?"

"I have an idea," Sora replied cautiously. "But it might not be entirely foolproof."

"As promised, I'll evaluate whether your idea is feasible. Speak freely."

Sora nodded but paused to address Jiraiya first. "Before I explain, I have a question for you, Lord Jiraiya. Is the reason why our forces have held their position on the border instead of retreating further into the Land of Fire because of your presence here? My analysis depends on this answer. Please confirm."

Jiraiya stroked his chin, considering the question. "Well, I hate to sound full of myself, but... yeah, you're right. My presence here as one of the Sannins is a big factor. It shows Cloud that Konoha is serious about defending the border. Losing me would force Konoha to send even more reinforcements, which is something they don't want to deal with right now."

Sora nodded thoughtfully, then began his analysis.

"In my view, Kumogakure doesn't currently intend to start a full-scale war with Konoha.

If that were their goal, they would have already mobilized their forces to overwhelm us. Considering the disparity in combat strength between our forces here and theirs, they could easily push us back into the Land of Fire.

However, your presence, Lord Jiraiya, has acted as a significant deterrent. It signals Konoha's determination to defend the border. If you were to fall here, Konoha would be forced to escalate by sending more reinforcements, which wouldn't be in Kumogakure's interests.

Additionally, we know that Kumogakure has an alliance with Iwagakure. While they're working together, it's unlikely that Kumogakure wants to bear the full brunt of Konoha's retaliation alone. If Konoha were to send reinforcements here, it would also increase the pressure on Kumogakure, leaving Iwagakure in a much more favourable position.

Because of this, I believe Kumogakure is content with maintaining the current stalemate. By keeping things as they are, they can preserve their strength and wait for the right moment to act.

Once a full-scale war begins, they'll exploit this stalemate to easily break through the border and invade the Land of Fire directly."

Jiraiya's expression turned serious as he listened to Sora's explanation.

The more he thought about it, the more Sora's analysis made sense. Indeed, the number of Konoha shinobi stationed in the Land of Hot Water was significantly smaller than the forces Kumogakure had amassed. If Kumogakure truly wanted to, they could easily launch a full assault and force Konoha into a retreat.

But ever since Konoha's forces had fallen back to the border, Kumogakure's attacks had become noticeably less aggressive, as though they were deliberately avoiding a major escalation.

Sora's assessment was correct—Kumogakure seemed intent on maintaining the current situation.

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