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Given Rong Lin's current strength, Jiraiya wouldn't just casually send him out for ordinary missions or against enemies far superior in power. Not to mention, they belonged to different departments, so Jiraiya had no direct authority to command Rong Lin.
If it were anyone else, Jiraiya might rely on his reputation and strength to forcefully order them, but could he do that with Rong Lin?
As one of the Kage-level powerhouses in the village, if you were to do that, it would be fine if the other party was willing. But if they completely ignored you, that would be truly embarrassing.
Don't be fooled by the two Kage-level powerhouses currently stationed at the Konoha frontline. How to command Rong Lin in battle was a troublesome matter for Jiraiya. Unless Sakumo Hatake arrived at the front,
Jiraiya would have to discuss everything directly with Sakumo Hatake. Only if Sakumo Hatake agreed to him mobilizing members of the Anbu Alpha Squad would Jiraiya have the direct authority to order Rong Lin, whether it was to hold the fort at the camp or go out to execute missions.
"Has the war truly arrived??"
The bustling activity throughout the camp made Uchiha Diqin, a sheltered flower, feel that something was amiss.
"Yes, it has arrived. The forward outposts have already clashed with the enemy. However, the enemy's numbers are vast, and they are requesting reinforcements. They are currently fighting and retreating."
Rong Lin looked at the location where the war had broken out and nodded.
"What should we do then?! Will Lord Jiraiya join the battle?"
If the enemy's numbers were so vast, didn't that mean the personnel deployed earlier were all in danger? Uchiha Diqin couldn't help but worry for them.
"Their safety should be guaranteed. They don't need to stop the enemy, nor do they need to do anything. They just need to flee as fast as possible. And along the way, there are definitely numerous traps they've set up, to harass the enemy a bit and buy themselves time to escape. Reinforcements have already been dispatched, and Jiraiya hasn't joined the battle."
Rong Lin's expression remained unchanged as he looked in the direction from which the fighting sounds came. "Jiraiya is the supreme commander. Unless absolutely necessary, he won't join the battle. He'll always be in the command center, directing the operations."
Rong Lin paused there. Jiraiya himself wouldn't casually join the battle, so the most likely scenario was that he would be asked to step in.
But there had been no movement until now, and a question arose. Rong Lin speculated that Jiraiya might be thinking of sending a few elite Jonin to lead a small team to provide support and bring back those who were still out there, to prevent any further actions from Hidden Sand Village.
Perhaps, after everything settled down, a full-scale attack would be launched. Or maybe...
......
Looking towards Konoha, Rong Lin quickly shook his head. It shouldn't be that bad. That would be too absurd.
A strange thought arose in Rong Lin's mind: Jiraiya didn't want to be tied down to the command center, which was why he hadn't asked Rong Lin to go. If his guess was correct, then Jiraiya was also waiting.
He only needed to ensure the safe return of those scattered outside and reduce casualties. Beyond that, he would respond to all changes with no change, and simply wait for certain people to arrive.
He was the commander. If he didn't want to be tied down to the command center, he would have to find a suitable person to replace him. This replacement person would definitely not be Rong Lin.
Because it wasn't suitable. Even if Rong Lin was strong enough, his age was a hard limitation. This wouldn't convince people, unless Rong Lin's reputation could rival Jiraiya's.
Since Rong Lin himself wasn't suitable, then there was only one person left: the Anbu Commander, the captain of the Anbu Alpha Squad—Sakumo Hatake!!!
Sakumo Hatake was more than capable of taking over this command position, regardless of his strength or reputation. Although his reputation had suffered some damage due to the Sakumo Hatake incident, years had passed, and everyone had gradually forgotten about it. Sakumo Hatake could completely replace Jiraiya.
So the question arose again: what would Jiraiya do to make Sakumo Hatake feel at ease taking over his position?
And there had to be no objections from anyone else.
Rong Lin quickly thought of a path that was unlikely to happen, but it was the most reliable one.
What am I thinking? Jiraiya isn't someone who doesn't know what's important. Even if he doesn't want to command, he wouldn't go to such lengths.
It's a pity that there's a saying in this world: "If you can think it, someone else has probably already done it, and it's probably too heavy for you to bear."
Since he didn't need to be personally involved, the idle Rong Lin once again helped Uchiha Diqin with targeted training. Under Rong Lin's specialized training, Uchiha Diqin's strength progressed rapidly, especially his Sharingan, which had already reached the Two-Tomoe Sharingan, making Uchiha Diqin extremely happy.
"Lord Rong Lin, please come to the command center to command the battle!!!!!"
The next day, as the war broke out, Rong Lin received a notification that left him speechless:
"...What command center? Isn't that what Jiraiya should be doing? Why are you looking for me?!"
"Lord Jiraiya..."
The elite Jonin, who usually served as Jiraiya's right-hand man, looked crestfallen. He raised his hand several times, wanting to explain, but didn't say anything. Under Rong Lin's bewildered gaze, the other party finally blushed and said loudly:
"Lord Jiraiya left a letter, saying that he wants you to take charge of the command center and direct the battle. Afterwards, he handed over his position to Lord Sakumo Hatake and then left the camp with a few companions, saying he was going to carry out a special mission."
"..."
Rong Lin was completely dumbfounded. He rubbed his ears and asked, incredulously:
"What did you say? I didn't hear you clearly, say it again!!!"
"Lord Jiraiya...he...he...C."
The elite Jonin rolled his eyes. Seeing Rong Lin's expression, he knew how shocked he was inside. In fact, he himself was almost scared to death after hearing the news. Now that war had broken out, thousands of people from both sides were deployed, and the various personnel movements and resource allocations were all major problems.
But now, Jiraiya, the commander, had run off!!! He ran off!!! He ran off!!!
Important things must be said three times.
"I shouldn't have had such a strange idea. Now look what happened."
Rong Lin felt a throbbing pain in his temples. What "special mission"? It was just that he didn't want to be restrained, so he made an excuse to go out and perform some tasks, and then, after Sakumo Hatake took over, he would use the reason of "unfamiliarity" to directly hand it back to Sakumo Hatake. In an instant, Rong Lin remembered Jiraiya's final words.
"Jiraiya!! You scoundrel!!!"
What was this?! Rong Lin didn't understand. How many times had Jiraiya tricked him now? The commander had run off...
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