"Good! Give them to him! Give them all to him."
Hiruzen Sarutobi slammed the table, his face full of excitement.
"Hokage-sama, this... the quantity is not small. A full fifteen thousand pills! That's almost three-quarters of our stockpile!"
Yamanaka Inoichi said reluctantly.
"Sigh, you don't understand!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand dismissively.
"How can we count small expenses when doing great things! I've read the battle plan Koharu Utatane sent over—it has high feasibility! If Hidden Mist can successfully take the Yuexi Peninsula, not only will this deadlock be broken, but we can also use the opportunity to completely crush the main force of the Wind-Cloud Alliance. If we time it right, our military might could even push all the way to Sand Village's front lines. Then, whether we fight or negotiate, we'll hold absolute initiative. At such a crucial moment for turning the tide of battle, how can we be stingy?
Quickly! Count our inventory immediately. Have Minato make the hard trip and use the Flying Thunder God Technique to deliver the medicine. Make sure he personally hands it to Koharu Utatane."
Yamanaka Inoichi's cheek twitched slightly. The Flying Thunder God Technique developed by the great Second Hokage Tobirama had actually become a delivery tool—truly lamentable.
Seeing Yamanaka Inoichi's expression, Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled knowingly.
"I know what you're thinking. Minato's trip isn't just to deliver medicine—he's also carrying our battle plan."
Hiruzen Sarutobi said, pointing at the map, his finger tracing from Hidden Mist Village down to the Yuexi Peninsula.
"Hidden Mist Village needs about seven days to send troops by sea to reach the Yuexi Peninsula. Launch the attack, and if the plan goes smoothly, they can take the Yuexi Peninsula in two days at most! Hehe, how long will it take for this news to reach the Wind-Cloud Alliance camp?"
"At the speed of Sand Village's war hawks, one day at most."
"Exactly! We can't give Jinghang time to think. We must concentrate all our forces and launch a general offensive ten days after Hidden Mist deploys! This chain of events cannot have any problems!"
"All forces! Including... the Nine-Tails?"
Yamanaka Inoichi stammered slightly.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stared coldly at Yamanaka Inoichi without speaking. After a long while, he finally uttered:
"I've already had Nara Shikaku draft the battle plan. You just need to execute it when the time comes."
"Yes."
Konoha's security level was now at maximum. Until the battle plan was announced, no one except the Hokage himself could access it.
"Sir, this way we won't have enough chakra enhancement drugs left. The upcoming great battle will definitely need these things..."
This was indeed a problem.
Hiruzen Sarutobi pondered for a moment:
"Have the pharmaceutical factory work overtime. During this period, produce at least ten thousand pills!"
"But sir... the pharmaceutical factory was bombed in this morning's air raid!"
"What?! The losses... how bad?"
"Only the factory building collapsed. Personnel, equipment, and raw material losses weren't significant."
"Oh..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed deeply. Chakra enhancement drugs were important strategic materials. The upcoming decisive battle that would determine their fate would inevitably involve long periods of continuous combat—they couldn't afford problems. The Wind-Cloud Alliance had unlimited supplies.
"Hokage-sama, we dodged it this time, but there's no guarantee for next time..."
"You're right."
Hiruzen Sarutobi paced back and forth.
"Here's what we'll do. I'll discuss with the clan leaders later about dispersing the pharmaceutical factory's equipment and raw materials into each family's air raid shelters for distributed production to ensure safety. As soon as a batch is produced, combat ninja can collect it. We'll strive to distribute everything before the battle."
"Sir is wise."
Yamanaka Inoichi said admiringly.
Just then, sharp air raid sirens wailed outside.
"Damn, they're back. Into the shelters!"
Hidden Mist Village's Boat Harbor was a military-civilian dual-use port built at considerable cost after the Fourth Mizukage's succession. The harbor was vast with deep waters, with shipyards for building warships nearby. Even a thousand warships docked simultaneously wouldn't seem crowded.
Now this enormous harbor had been completely taken over by Hidden Mist's "military," though the village's citizens and merchants had no major objections. During wartime, commercial trade was nearly cut off—there was no business anyway. Plus they could collect "occupation" rent from Hidden Mist Village. Why not?
At this moment, the entire Boat Harbor was neatly filled with warships. Masts and sails blocked the sky, ships filled the waters—a magnificent sight.
Goji Yagura brought Ao and Koharu Utatane for an inspection.
"How many ships are prepared?"
Goji Yagura asked.
"Eighty large warships, two hundred twenty-eight small warships, forty supply ships. Within seven days, we can transport ten thousand soldiers across the sea."
"Mm, Elder Koharu, are you satisfied?"
Goji Yagura asked Koharu Utatane. It wasn't really seeking her opinion, but rather because Konoha was providing most of the military expenses for this expedition.
"Excellent."
Koharu Utatane nodded. She could see that Hidden Mist Village wasn't being perfunctory this time—they were serious.
"As soon as the chakra enhancement drugs arrive, my Hidden Mist army can immediately set sail and advance on the Yuexi Peninsula!"
Goji Yagura pointed west, as if he could already feel the Yuexi Peninsula under his feet.
"Mizukage-sama's spirit soars, your ambition devours mountains and rivers. This battle will surely succeed immediately."
Koharu Utatane generously offered flattery, which Goji Yagura found very satisfying, letting out a hearty laugh.
Just then, a force ran over from the distance—about a thousand strong by the looks of it. They were all properly equipped Hidden Mist ninja, led by vanguard general Momochi Zabuza.
Seeing Goji Yagura's group, Momochi Zabuza used Body Flicker to appear before Goji Yagura.
"Reporting to Mizukage-sama, the Tenth Squad ninja are conducting physical training. Please give your orders."
Goji Yagura waved his hand:
"Continue training."
"Yes."
Momochi Zabuza rejoined his unit. The ninja, shouting cadences and marching in perfect step, thundered past them.
With such tiger-like warriors, how could Sand Village not fall!
On Jiyue Island, 150 nautical miles from Hidden Mist's main island, a group of strange people were holding some kind of ritual around a huge bonfire.
Why call them strange people?
Mainly because of their odd attire.
Despite being tall, burly adults, each had cloth strips wrapped around two hair buns, making them look like Nezha at first glance.
Another point was their appearance. The entire clan looked almost identical—beady eyes, bulbous noses, toad mouths, like products of inbreeding.
The leader among these strange people spread his arms toward the towering bonfire.
"Great Mother Goddess, we hope you grant us victory, grant us strength, let our bone swords drink deep of enemy blood, let our bone whips shatter enemy skulls... We will offer rich sacrifices to honor you!"
Two strange people carried forward a sack.
The sack kept wriggling, occasionally making muffled sounds.
It looked like there was a person inside.
The two strange people unhesitatingly threw the sack into the bonfire. The flames instantly shot up high.
"Lord Maki was right—this is just a bunch of lunatics."
Xuechi Gaojin, watching everything from the shadows, swallowed and muttered.
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