"Good!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded firmly.
"But I only heard some guesses from Nanaya."
"He said the Rock Shinobi army retreated due to unknown reasons and that there are less than 500 shinobi left in their camp."
"He also speculated that Cloud Shinobi attacked the Land of Earth's hinterland."
"How much of this information have you confirmed? Which parts are true?"
Danzo crossed his arms.
"The scouts haven't returned yet."
"Let's wait together—it shouldn't take long."
Hiruzen Nodded.
Less than ten minutes later, several Root ninjas returned.
They hesitated for a brief moment when they saw the Third Hokage, but quickly bowed.
"Danzo-sama! Hokage-sama!"
Hiruzen waved a hand.
"No need for formalities. Just report the situation."
"Yes!"
The lead Root ninja glanced at Danzo, who gave a slight nod.
The Report Began.
"We have confirmed that there are indeed fewer than 500 Rock Shinobi left in the camp."
"A large number of empty tents and supplies were found, and the camp was in disarray."
"It is clear they retreated in a hurry, with no time to properly pack up."
"Furthermore, we used insect-based reconnaissance to survey a 30-kilometer radius around the camp."
"There are no other Rock Shinobi in the vicinity."
"We can confirm that their main force has truly evacuated."
"Excellent!"
Both Hiruzen and Danzo exclaimed in satisfaction.
Hiruzen immediately stood up.
"Danzo! We can't waste this opportunity! Let's finalize a plan and launch an attack on the Rock Shinobi camp immediately!"
"Also…"
Hiruzen looked at Danzo seriously.
"Did you send scouts into the Land of Earth to confirm the situation further?"
Danzo nodded.
"Yes, two teams of Root ninjas have already been dispatched."
"But it will take time to receive their reports."
"For now, let's eliminate the remaining 500 Rock Shinobi."
"That will make further reconnaissance easier."
Danzo's Eyes Gleamed.
This was the moment he had been waiting for.
For over a year, he had suffered under the constant harassment of Rock Shinobi.
He had been forced to endure enemy attacks, sleep lightly, and be on high alert at all times.
Now—finally—it was his turn to strike back.
"Good!"
Danzo quickly mobilized the troops.
The Konoha shinobi assembled outside the camp, ready for battle.
Hiruzen Turned to Nanaya.
"Nanaya, stay here in the camp and keep watch."
"If anything unusual happens, alert us immediately."
Nanaya raised an eyebrow.
"What? I can't fight?"
Hiruzen chuckled, patting Nanaya's shoulder.
"I promised your father and Tsunade that I wouldn't let you take unnecessary risks."
"A battle of this scale isn't suitable for you yet."
"But don't worry—I'll still make sure you get credited for this mission."
Nanaya Smirked.
"Oh well, what a shame."
"I thought I'd finally get to participate in real combat."
Of course, he wasn't truly disappointed.
After all, this was just his Shadow Clone.
Hiruzen saw this as "youthful eagerness" and simply smiled.
"Haha! There will be plenty of chances in the future."
With that, Hiruzen and Danzo led the troops out.
The Battle Began.
Soon, the sounds of battle echoed back to the Konoha camp.
"Wind Style: Vacuum Great Sphere!"
"Earth Style: Earth Shore Return!"
"Combined Jutsu: Five-Element Grand Barrage!"
The fighting was intense and brutal.
Using Kagura's Mind Eye, Nanaya could clearly sense the battlefield.
The Konoha forces outnumbered Rock Shinobi four to one.
With Danzo and Hiruzen leading the charge, the enemy was quickly overwhelmed.
Inside the Rock Shinobi Camp…
Rock Shinobi were in full retreat.
"We can't hold them off! There are too many of them!"
A senior Rock Shinobi, Akazuchi, yelled to his comrades.
"Loess, lead the retreat!"
"We'll hold them off as long as we can!"
Loess nodded grimly.
He was the son of the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki.
His survival was a priority.
But Danzo Had Other Plans.
"Where do you think you're going, Loess?!"
Danzo charged forward with his Root ninjas.
"Stay right here!"
Danzo's team surrounded Loess and his men.
"I'll be taking you prisoner."
"Your father will have to negotiate with us to get you back—hehehe."
Loess and his guards fought back fiercely, but it was useless.
Soon, Loess was captured.
Meanwhile, the rest of Rock Shinobi was completely annihilated.
"Haha! Victory!"
Hiruzen let out a triumphant laugh.
For the first time in years, he felt a sense of relief.
The constant pressure of the war had weighed heavily on him.
Now, Konoha had finally gained the upper hand.
"Loot the supplies!"
Hiruzen ordered.
"Gather everything!"
Konoha's forces quickly ransacked the camp.
"This is incredible…"
One shinobi whispered in awe.
"Hundreds of thousands of explosive tags!"
"More than a year's worth of food supplies!"
Danzo Was Shocked.
"This… was meant for a much larger army!"
"Onoki must have left in a hurry!"
Hiruzen grinned.
"This confirms it."
"Something happened in the Land of Earth. Their situation must be critical."
He turned to Danzo.
"Let's regroup at the camp. We'll plan our next move there."
Back at Konoha's Camp…
Hiruzen called a strategy meeting.
"Now that the Rock Shinobi front is secure, we need to decide where to send reinforcements."
The Jōnin discussed among themselves.
"We should reinforce the Sand Shinobi front."
One Jōnin suggested.
"No, we should focus on Mist Shinobi!"
Another argued.
After much debate—
Hiruzen made his decision.
"We will send 1,600 troops to support the Sand Shinobi front."
"This will allow us to deal a decisive blow."
"Hokage-sama is wise!"
The Jōnin praised Hiruzen.
Danzo Scowled.
"Damn you, Hiruzen."
"You're stealing all the credit!"
Danzo gritted his teeth.
"One day, I will take the Hokage seat for myself."
TO BE CONTINUED…
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