Chapter 81: Intelligence

After a full meal, Kawaki also went back to the room with Tsunade.

Sakumo walked back to the house with Dai.

"Sigh~"

Sakumo suddenly let out a sigh, which made Dai ask.

"Aniki Sakumo, why are you sighing?"

Dai looked at the somewhat melancholy Sakumo in great confusion. He hadn't heard of any sad things happening.

"I didn't expect Kawaki's strength to have reached such a level."

"No matter how weak the Seven-Tailed Beast is, it's still a Tailed Beast."

Sakumo suddenly remembered when he was a child. His parents had passed away, and only he and Kawaki were left to depend on each other.

At that time, he was still a child himself, but he fed Kawaki. It might be a bit of an exaggeration to say that he raised Kawaki single-handedly.

But he had certainly put in a lot of effort. As they grew older, it was Kawaki who came up with the ideas, and he who took action.

But now, his younger brother had far surpassed him in terms of strength.

"Isn't this a good thing?"

Dai couldn't understand this feeling of being gradually crushed by his younger brother. Sakumo could only look up at the sky and let out another sigh.

Guys, who can understand this? I really don't want to be the older brother anymore. Whoever wants to do it can take over.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking.

Konoha's large troop had assembled and, led by Tsunade and her group, entered the territory of the Land of Rain.

Since the death of Hanzō of the Salamander, the Land of Rain had been completely undefended.

The Rain ninjas they encountered on the way all bypassed the large troop from a distance.

They could even see battles between Rain ninjas. The civil war had completely broken out.

The people of the Land of Rain were suffering. Those with a little money and influence had moved to other countries.

The rest were poor people, living in dire straits.

"Teacher, can the Land of Rain still be saved?"

Minato, always kind - hearted, was reminded of his own tragic past when he saw those orphans peeping from afar.

"Don't worry, I have a plan."

Kawaki showed a fox-like smile. He already had a plan in mind.

It would be better for him to take control of the Land of Rain rather than let others do it. It just wasn't the right time yet.

"What are you up to again?"

Tsunade looked suspiciously at this man who often had brilliant ideas.

"Haha, it's definitely a good thing. Become the Hokage first."

After getting some distance from the large troop and with no one else around, Kawaki spoke more freely.

"You're being so mysterious."

Tsunade complained. Seeing that Kawaki had no intention of explaining, she was too lazy to ask further.

He would have to tell her sooner or later. She had plenty of ways to make him talk.

After several more days of roughing it in the wild, they finally reached the border between the Land of Rain and the Land of Wind.

On the way, the Konoha Ninjas had already fought with the Sand ninjas.

They hadn't obtained any useful intelligence. The Sand ninjas they met were just underlings sent out to gather information.

At the border of the Land of Rain, the large troop stopped. They didn't know what kind of situation they would face if they rashly entered the territory of the Land of Wind.

"Hayato Yamanaka, contact your people and I need intelligence on the actions of Sunagakure."

After setting up a temporary camp, Tsunade sat upright in the tent and told Hayato Yamanaka to get to work.

The increasingly mature Tsunade had a serious expression on her face. When giving orders, she still had a bit of the air of a great general.

Kawaki looked at the woman, and before he knew it, a smile crept onto his lips.

"I've sent the message. Lady Tsunade, just wait a bit."

Hayato Yamanaka was the kind of guy who'd be popular with bosses in a company because he always got things done ahead of time.

"Okay, thanks for your hard work."

Tsunade gave him a smile. He'd handled the matter to her satisfaction.

"Kawaki, what do you think?"

Then she turned to Kawaki. She was a leader who was willing to listen to others' opinions.

"Sunagakure can't be compared to Amegakure Village. It has many powerful ninjas."

"The number of ninjas there isn't much less than in Konoha."

"It's almost impossible to break through in a single line of attack."

"Let's wait and see the intelligence before making a decision."

Kawaki voiced his opinion, and it was indeed the case. In the battle between Sunagakure and Amegakure Village, not all the top - notch ninjas had been dispatched.

They probably sent the village's top ninja, Chiyo, just to give Hanzō face. On the other hand, they might also have considered the threat of Sanshōuo to the large troop too great.

"Aniki, what's your take?"

When Tsunade saw Sakumo lost in thought, she became like a detective.

"I've carried out a mission in the Land of Wind and dealt with Chiyo."

"She's a very tricky woman."

Sakumo frowned. Back then, he wasn't a match for Chiyo.

He'd almost failed the mission because of her.

"Her Chikamatsu Collection was made by the originator of puppetry. With these ten puppets, one could capture a city."

Kawaki remembered Sasori's evaluation of Chiyo in the original plot most. This evaluation indirectly confirmed the woman's strength.

"At that time..."

Just as Dai was about to say something inspiring, Hayato interrupted him. Dai scratched his head helplessly.

There are always a few hitches in youth.

"Lady Tsunade, someone's here."

A masked Konoha ninja entered the tent. After saluting Tsunade and the others, he began to report.

"Sunagakure has learned of our plan to launch a surprise attack."

"They've set up multiple lines of defense at the border."

"This time, Chiyo is leading the team. The other powerful ninjas are unknown."

"According to the information sent from inside Sunagakure, the Kazekage and the Jinchūriki haven't moved yet."

"However, we lost contact with them a day ago. Maybe they've been discovered."

The ninja from the Intelligence Division spoke in a cold and flat tone, showing no emotion when saying that their comrades might be dead.

After finishing, he took out a map from his bosom, which marked the locations of Sunagakure's lines of defense.

Hayato Yamanaka took it, glanced at it, and then handed it to Tsunade.

Sunagakure had set up their defenses on the main roads from the Land of Rain and the neighboring two countries that could lead to an attack on the Land of Wind.

It was a strategic position that allowed for both attack and defense. Chiyo was also good at arranging troops.

"Okay, got it."

After Tsunade finished looking at the map, she said. The Konoha ninja from the Intelligence Division then bowed and left.

In the war, the role they played could be said to be even more important than that on the front - line battlefield.

"While we've got this information, it's highly likely that Chiyo also knows about us."

"There are always countless undercover agents in each village."

Sakumo was quite intelligent when seriously analyzing things, as long as someone didn't provoke him.

"In this open - card situation, we'll only know the result after a fight."

Kawaki took the defensive line map and glanced at it. In this war, we gotta fight a tough battle first.

Whether we can break through the enemy's defense is crucial.

"Right now, you're still our trump card. But once you're deployed..."

"I'm afraid Shukaku will come, and who knows about the Third Kazekage?"

Sakumo, after Kawaki's words, implied that it was Tsunade who would cause such a situation.

Once she fires a Tailed Beast Ball, no matter how great the outcome is, Shukaku will surely come.

"Then we gotta make the most of this chance."

This time, Tsunade is leading the team alone, which is also a chance for her to establish her authority.

If we win the war against the Land of Wind and she has remarkable military achievements, she'll be one step closer to becoming the Hokage.

As for the Fire Daimyō, it isn't an exaggeration to say that Tsunade has a better relationship with him than the Third Hokage.

So whether the Daimyō agrees or not is not within Tsunade's consideration.

She's called Tsunade - hime, not just because Hashirama Senju is her grandfather.

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