"It seems Elder Danzō must have something urgent to attend to," Jiraiya said with a nod.
Danzō had left without leaving any message. Jiraiya was fully aware of that. Once the higher-ups in Konoha learned of his disappearance, even if they sent out search teams, they would find no trace.
The constant rain in the Land of Rain would wash away any signs of their battle in time. By then, all clues would have vanished, and Danzō's disappearance would become a mystery among the shinobi.
"When did you gather the intel you mentioned about Tetsuishi Town?" Jiraiya asked Tsuchiki.
"We compiled it four days ago. In the past few days, Tetsuishi Town's defenses have tightened, so we haven't been able to get close enough to gather more information."
"It's impressive that you managed to scout the area by yourself, Jiraiya-sama," Tsuchiki said, sneaking in some flattery. As a civilian shinobi, Tsuchiki saw the chance to gain favor with Jiraiya and wasn't about to let it slip by.
Jiraiya shared the intel he had gathered. "There are at least fourteen Jōnin in Tetsuishi Town, and I believe there are more than just two elite Jōnin. They have over eight hundred shinobi in total."
Tsuchiki's expression shifted slightly—he hadn't expected Tetsuishi Town to be this much stronger than their original intelligence suggested. Still, he didn't question Jiraiya's findings. If Jiraiya didn't have confidence in his information, he wouldn't have said anything.
If they had planned an assault based solely on Tsuchiki's initial intel, Konoha would have been caught off guard by the Land of Rain's forces, suffering heavy casualties. They would have to take responsibility for the failed mission.
One of the shinobi under Tsuchiki's command stepped forward.
"Captain, our interrogations align closely with the intel we collected. There's little known about the strength of their Jōnin and elite Jōnin. We only managed to confirm the name of the Jōnin in charge of the patrol teams, but nothing about his abilities."
Moments later, Yuhi Mitsune stepped out of the interrogation hut, her expression respectful as she addressed Jiraiya.
"There's no information about the heavily guarded structure in the center of town. He doesn't have the clearance to get anywhere near it."
Jiraiya's disappointment was brief—he knew a low-level patrol shinobi wouldn't have access to sensitive information. Patrol shinobi were essentially cannon fodder.
The fact that no one from the Land of Rain had chased after them confirmed that patrol shinobi were expendable. If Jiraiya had captured someone with valuable intel, the shinobi of Tetsuishi Town wouldn't have allowed them to be taken without a fight.
"Did he mention any patterns regarding the Jōnin leaving Tetsuishi Town?" Tsuchiki asked with a frown, clearly frustrated by the lack of actionable intel.
"The Jōnin are extremely cautious. Unless the town is on the verge of collapse, they won't take a single step outside the walls," Mitsune said coolly. She reserved her gentler tone for Jiraiya, with others, she was distant, almost icy, keeping everyone at arm's length.
"It looks like launching a decapitation strike isn't an option," Tsuchiki said, disappointed. If they could assassinate some of the Jōnin and elite Jōnin beforehand, the town's defenses would weaken significantly.
"Our forces are far stronger than theirs, and they know it. They won't give us the opportunity for a decapitation strike," Isamu said. The Konoha outpost here only had three Jōnin, and their forces were no match for Tetsuishi Town's shinobi. The Land of Rain's forces could easily wipe out this outpost.
However, the Land of Rain hadn't made a move. They were likely afraid the outpost was a Konoha trap, bait to lure them into an ambush. Leaving the safety of Tetsuishi Town could lead to them being surrounded by Konoha reinforcements.
"What about their food supplies?" Isamu asked.
"Their food stores are enough to sustain both the shinobi and civilians for two years," Mitsune replied.
"In that case, we have no choice but to launch a direct assault. There's no other way," Isamu said grimly. They'd initially planned to cut off Tetsuishi Town's supply routes and starve them into submission to minimize Konoha's casualties. But that strategy was no longer realistic.
"When reinforcements arrive and Elder Danzō returns, we'll formulate an assault plan. Even if Tetsuishi Town's food supply wasn't so well-stocked, we can't afford to delay too long. If we do, the shinobi from the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth will get involved, and taking Tetsuishi Town will become even harder."
Jiraiya's tone was serious. The possibility of allying with the Land of Wind or Land of Earth had been ruled out by Konoha's leadership long ago. If they took Tetsuishi Town together, they would have to share its resources—and Konoha intended to keep everything for themselves.
Konoha's leadership had devised a strategy of "sustaining the war with its spoils" at the start of the campaign. To make that work, they needed to secure a steady stream of resources. Without enough supply points, the strategy was doomed to fail.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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