Normally, let alone six such squads being wiped out, even one would cause a stir in the village.
But in times of war, they could only make a small splash, and soon people would forget them, forget their existence.
"How are things on the front lines?"
"Not optimistic."
Sakumo Hatake shook his head, his expression solemn: "The enemy's numbers are constantly increasing, and our reinforcements are still on the way. Right now, we can only cower and cannot directly confront the enemy."
Just thinking about the disparity in numbers between the enemy and them, Sakumo Hatake felt a headache. He was essentially dealing with a mess.
It would be difficult to rely on the current forces to contend with the enemy and not fall into a disadvantage.
Sakumo Hatake looked several years older in just a few days, which made Rong Lin feel "Seven Zero Seven" very fortunate that Jiraiya had thrown this mess to Sakumo Hatake instead of himself, otherwise, would he have aged prematurely?
"Reinforcements should be arriving soon, Uncle Sakumo. Don't worry too much. The Hidden Sand cannot break through our defenses in a short time. We just need to consolidate our formation and fight."
Watching Sakumo Hatake's worried face, all Rong Lin could do was offer comfort.
"I know."
Sakumo Hatake nodded: "This time, the Hidden Sand seems to be determined to fight Konoha to the end. However, the village also needs to guard against surprise attacks from the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning, so our forces are quite scattered. If they were all concentrated, Hidden Sand? Hmph."
Having to fight the Hidden Sand on one side, and guard against surprise attacks from the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning on the other, this was the dilemma Konoha faced. No one could be sure if these two countries would suddenly launch a surprise attack. Faced with benefits, everyone wanted to jump out and take a bite.
What was somewhat comforting was that the Land of Water was relatively far away, with a vast ocean in between, so they could basically be ruled out.
But what would those who held this idea think if they knew that the Land of Water would also join this war soon?
Not just the Land of Water, but also the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning. In the original work, Konoha almost single-handedly fought against the Four Great Nations. Otherwise, with Konoha's strength and foundation, how could it possibly have become a hegemon after the Third Great Ninja War?
The war with the Land of Wind lasted a long time. Before the war ended, the Land of Earth took advantage of Konoha's greatly depleted strength and suddenly launched an attack. The Land of Water then joined in, and even in the end, the Land of Lightning, unwilling to be outdone, also struck a blow.
Looking at the situation in the Second Great Ninja War, the probability of the Land of Lightning attacking the Land of Fire was not high. They still needed to be wary of the Land of Earth. But in the face of profit, everything else was illusory. There were no eternal enemies, only eternal interests. The Land of Lightning still wanted to take a bite out of the big cake that was the Land of Fire.
One country fighting against the Four Great Nations, plus some smaller countries, was equivalent to Konoha, with the strength of one village, fighting against the ninja villages of the Four Great Nations and other small villages. The question is, after such a war, could Konoha avoid a period of decline?
"The Hidden Stone Village has always been at odds with Konoha, and there's a high possibility they'll take the opportunity to start a war. Even the Hidden Cloud Village and the Hidden Mist Village can't be completely trusted."
Rong Lin hinted at something to Sakumo Hatake, but unfortunately, Sakumo Hatake didn't take it to heart.
Shaking his head, Sakumo Hatake said in a deep voice: "I'm more concerned about the Land of Earth. As for the Land of Lightning and the Land of Water, they are a bit too far away. I don't think a war will break out that easily."
With Sakumo Hatake saying this, Rong Lin could only shrug and end the conversation.
When these two countries also joined the war, and Konoha truly became a battleground for all four, Sakumo Hatake would realize how preposterous his thoughts were.
Not to mention the Second Great Ninja War, where the Hidden Cloud Village attacked the Land of Earth. Even the Hidden Mist Village in the Land of Water, thousands of miles away, could cross the sea and launch an attack on land.
"You should go rest and prepare for battle. I need your strength."
"Let others handle the intelligence gathering."
In wars between villages, the role that Kage-level experts could play was not as significant as in peacetime, but it was still a deterrent. Kage-level experts were powerful, but they were not gods. They would get injured, and they would die.
As long as they were targeted, human wave tactics could overwhelm them, unless their strength was truly heaven-defying, like Hashirama Senju or Madara Uchiha, who could fight an entire village by themselves...
Frankly speaking, this kind of war was most suitable for Hashirama Senju's Wood Release. It was practically his home ground. Wood Release ninjutsu in large-scale battles was incredibly formidable, covering vast areas at will. Unfortunately, Wood Release is now history.
Rong Lin was quite envious of Wood Release, but envy was useless. He didn't want to be like Madara Uchiha, transplanting Hashirama Senju's cells and then wearing Hashirama Senju's face on his own body. That would feel incredibly grotesque.
Even if Wood Release were more powerful, Rong Lin wouldn't be willing to do that, making himself neither human nor ghost.
Rong Lin couldn't control a war, but he could control a battle. If needed, the deployment of Kage-level experts could maximize the chances of saving a battle.
To control a war, unless Rong Lin's Mangekyo Sharingan could evolve again, becoming an Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, and activate a complete Susanoo to directly enter the battlefield, killing gods and buddhas.
With a half-complete Susanoo, achieving that would be very difficult.
"I know, I'll make arrangements."
With his own matters concluded, and the battlefield not requiring anything from him at the moment, Rong Lin stood up and left the Headquarters, leaving Sakumo Hatake to continue sitting in the Headquarters, scratching his ears and cheeks, consumed by worry.
For Sakumo Hatake to utter "I won't let you off lightly," it showed how difficult it was to hold this position.
Compared to Sakumo Hatake, Rong Lin was relatively at ease, having only read one of Jiraiya's books. If given the choice, Jiraiya would definitely choose to be scolded by Rong Lin rather than having him read one of his books.
"You're back!"
Inside the wooden house, Uchiha Diqin, who was resting, saw Rong Lin return and happily ran over.
Because his strength wasn't strong, coupled with his identity, Uchiha Diqin couldn't go to the front lines to fight. Not to mention others, Rong Lin wouldn't allow such a situation to happen. Since Rong Lin had a mission, Uchiha Diqin had to go to the Medical Department and Logistics Department to help with whatever he could.
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