Iwagakure, the hidden village in the Land of Earth.
Surrounded by rocky mountains, the village was a tough nut to crack, with a simple and unadorned architectural style.
The tallest building with a conical top was the Tsuchikage Building, where a large letter 'Earth' was clearly visible.
In the Tsuchikage's office, a short middle - aged man with a bulbous nose was sitting at his desk, talking to a ninja.
"Lord Third, Konoha and the Sand ninjas are having a fierce fight!"
"Shouldn't we make a move?"
This ninja was the intelligence chief of Iwagakure.
"The slug princess of Konoha has become a Jinchūriki."
"Well, let's give the Land of Wind a hand then."
"Send Han to see me."
The Third Tsuchikage stroked his somewhat comical big nose.
"Yes, Lord Third."
A shadow guard's voice came from the shadows, and a figure vanished from the office.
Before long, a tall ninja arrived at the Tsuchikage's office.
He wore red armor, a bamboo hat on his head, and a red mask over his mouth.
He bowed respectfully to the Third Tsuchikage.
"Lord Third."
"Yeah, I've got something for you to do."
"First, lead your men to the Land of Wind and have a go at the Konoha ninjas."
"Konoha has been pushing its neighbors around too much."
The Third Tsuchikage is pretending to be a defender of the weak, but in fact, he just wants to reap benefits from others' strife.
Iwagakure, which had barely participated in the battles in the Land of Rain, had suffered almost no losses.
Now their target was Konoha. Apparently, they had no interest in the desolate Land of Wind.
The Land of Fire was a prosperous place. If they could get a piece of it, it would take the Land of Earth a long time to digest.
"Yes, Lord Third."
Han was so tall that his voice sounded muffled.
Standing in front of the Third Tsuchikage, he made the latter look incredibly short.
"Get going."
If it weren't for the business at hand, the Third Tsuchikage probably wouldn't see him often. The height difference was just suffocating.
Han turned around and left, making the floor creak under his feet.
"Tell everyone to start preparing for battle. If we attack Konoha's supply camp, the troops at the front line will surely come back to reinforce it."
"I'm quite curious about what the new generation of Konoha is made of."
"The Hatake brothers have been making quite a name for themselves recently."
A confident smile appeared on the Third Tsuchikage's face. The news of the death of the Third Kazekage hadn't reached here yet.
"Kawaki Hatake cut down Hanzō of the Salamander in the Land of Rain, and Sakumo Hatake cut down Chiyo in the Land of Wind."
"They're both tough characters."
The intelligence chief also sounded a bit impressed. After all, the two who died were both powerful ninjas who had made their names in a single battle.
"I wonder if that old man Hiruzen Sarutobi would step into the battlefield himself if one of them were to die."
A sneer appeared on the Third Tsuchikage's lips. Konoha's strength was indeed terrifying.
He wouldn't miss any opportunity to weaken Konoha.
With such a powerful neighbor, he hadn't been sleeping well lately.
"Maybe not. Hiruzen Sarutobi still has two apprentices who haven't joined the war."
Iwagakure's intelligence network was quite good. They even knew that Orochimaru and Jiraiya hadn't participated in the battles.
"He's old and has lost his former audacity."
"Go and do your job."
After the Third Tsuchikage finished speaking, he waved his hand to dismiss the intelligence chief.
Iwagakure officially joined the battle situation.
As Han led the Iwagakure Ninjas into the territory of the Land of Wind from the Land of Birds, this intelligence was also discovered by the Konoha spies.
"Go and inform Lord Shinryu immediately, and then pass the message to the front line right away."
"Yes."
The Konoha spy team immediately sent someone to deliver the message. A Konoha Ninja with the fastest speed rushed to the Konoha supply camp.
At this time, Dai had fully recovered and was chatting with Shinryu in the sand house.
"I'm going to set off tomorrow."
Dai hadn't eaten to his heart's content for a long time, and now he was eating heartily.
Shinryu also met all his requirements and contributed all the good ingredients.
"With your participation, this battle is surely won."
The tragic situation at the front line hadn't been reported yet, and Shinryu had a relaxed smile on his face.
"Let Sunagakure see the power of our Konoha Taijutsu."
Dai showed off his biceps, and his white teeth were very eye - catching.
"Something bad has happened, Lord Shinryu."
A Konoha Ninja rushed in without reporting first.
"What's the matter?"
Seeing the panicked look of the Ninja, Shinryu's face also darkened.
"A large number of Iwagakure Ninjas are coming towards us."
He didn't even need to think carefully. The Iwagakure Ninjas couldn't have come just to chat and have a meal.
"Dai, you can't leave now."
Shinryu didn't have the mood to curse Iwagakure for taking advantage of the situation. War didn't follow the rules.
"Do you know who is leading the team?"
Dai rarely showed a serious expression. If the Third Tsuchikage came in person, he might not be able to stop him.
"A Ninja wearing red armor is leading the team. There is no intelligence about this person."
The Konoha Ninja reported all the information dictated by the spy.
"Did the spy go to the front line?"
Shinryu continued to ask.
"Yes, he left right after speaking."
"Okay, go down and inform everyone to prepare to fight the enemy."
Shinryu made a decision immediately. He was the highest - ranking person in the camp now.
"Yes, Lord Shinryu."
The Konoha Ninja took the order and withdrew.
"Iwagakure really knows how to pick the right time."
Dai took a big gulp of tea, but still couldn't suppress his inner indignation.
"They've had this in mind for a long time. It's useless to say more. I'm sorry to trouble you."
Shinryu knew that in terms of combat power, Dai was undoubtedly the leader in the camp.
"It's my duty."
Dai took two more bites and then got up and left.
Shinryu also walked out of the house. There were still many things that needed his coordination.
The Konoha spy was walking in the desert, just wanting to pass the message earlier. He had almost been eating Military Rations Pills like candy.
At this time, the Konoha camp at the front line was filled with a sad atmosphere everywhere. Tsunade hadn't slept for several days.
There were too many injured people who needed treatment. She was racing against time to save them, but still had to watch many Konoha Ninjas die right in front of her eyes.
[Note: The note about Jinchūriki intelligence in the original Chinese text is moved to a footnote or endnote to maintain narrative fluency.]
After treating the last Ninja, Tsunade slumped directly onto the ground, looking blank.
"Little Tsunade, are you okay?"
Katsuyu Sage on her shoulder was full of concern in her words.
"Tsunade, what's wrong with you?"
Kawaki also instantly appeared beside her, kneeling on one knee and pulling Tsunade into his arms.
His eyes were full of concern. The two young ones slowly gathered around from nearby.
Now Kawaki didn't care about the occasion.
"I'm sorry for them."
Tsunade glanced at Kawaki, then buried her head in his arms and sobbed softly.
As the commander and the most outstanding Medical Ninja in Konoha, the injured after the battle made Tsunade feel worse than the bloodshed on the battlefield.
Watching the Konoha Ninjas with their eyes wide - open being carried out of the medical area, her psychological defensive line was almost on the verge of collapse.
"You've done a great job."
Kawaki gently stroked Tsunade's back. If it weren't for Tsunade, fewer of the injured would have survived.
Now he could understand why Tsunade developed hematophobia in the original plot. Beneath her tough exterior, she had a very soft heart.
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