At this moment, all three sides had completed their preparations. Everyone on the battlefield was on edge, nerves taut, waiting for the great war to erupt.
The leaders of each side were even more alert, not daring to let their guard down for even a second. This battle could very well determine the direction the entire war would take.
If Konoha won, they would gain a tremendous advantage. The Land of Rain wasn't large—if Sunagakure and Iwagakure were forced to retreat again, they would essentially be pushed out of the country. At that point, Konoha's forces could camp right outside their borders and strike directly at their villages.
But if Konoha lost, it would reveal weaknesses in its defensive capabilities, which could trigger continuous attacks from the other two villages, causing Konoha to lose all of its previously gained advantages.
It had to be remembered—Hanzo had only agreed to ally with Konoha under the condition that the safety of the Land of Rain was guaranteed. If Konoha failed to hold Amegakure, there was a strong possibility Hanzo would turn on them.
He was no longer the proud "Demi-God" he once was. Once a man's spirit is broken, his integrity is no longer something that can be fully trusted.
...
Iwagakure Front — Outside the Konoha Command Tent
Senju Kōhei walked to the front of the tent. Seeing this, the two ninjas guarding the gate quickly greeted him:
"Captain Kōhei!"
Kōhei asked anxiously, "Is Hoshiyomi-sama inside? I have an important report."
"Is Hoshiyomi-sama inside? I have important intelligence to report."
"Yes, Hoshiyomi-sama has been resting in his tent after dinner."
Hearing the guard's words, Kōhei said no more and entered the tent by pulling back the flap.
"Hoshiyomi-sama, I've just received intel from the rear. Danzo-sama sent me personally. The report confirms the identities of the reinforcements from Iwagakure. The most troublesome among them is their Explosion Release Unit, which is currently stationed in a camp on the southeastern outskirts of the Iwagakure's position."
"Danzo-sama says that while the individual members of this unit may not be particularly strong, the sheer destructive power of their kekkei genkai makes them a major threat on the battlefield. He hopes you can come up with a way to eliminate them as soon as possible."
Hoshiyomi listened to Kōhei's report, curled his lip, and said disdainfully, "The so-called Explosion Release Unit? That burrowing unit they hyped up before—I wiped them out without even trying. These Iwa squads are all talk. Nothing more than flashy names. Nothing to worry about."
Kōhei quickly interjected:
"We mustn't underestimate them, Hoshiyomi-sama. The Explosion Release these shinobi wield has power comparable to high-grade explosive tags with every attack. If they join forces, they could be truly formidable."
Hoshiyomi waved him off impatiently.
"Enough. It's just a dozen or so people. I'll sneak into their camp one of these nights and finish them off. Problem solved."
"Hoshiyomi-sama, please reconsider."
"Kōhei, don't be so fussy. Worst case, make sure the troops are in full readiness that afternoon. If I haven't returned within fifteen minutes that night, have Shinku send in a team to retrieve me."
Kōhei frowned, a deep crease forming between his brows, but in the end, he couldn't argue. All he could do was sigh and say:
"Then please, be careful, Hoshiyomi-sama."
Outside the tent, one of the two guards who had overheard the entire conversation had a glint flash through his eyes. Watching Kōhei leave with a sigh, his suspicion turned to conviction.
A short while later, still standing at his post, he suddenly clutched his stomach and whispered to the other guard:
"Man, my stomach hurts. I need to go use the restroom. Can you cover for me?"
After getting the nod from his teammate, he clenched his thighs together and staggered into a nearby patch of bushes.
Once hidden, his face twisted into a smug grin. . He pulled out a pen and paper from his clothes, quickly wrote down some information, and then used the Summoning Jutsu to summon an ordinary, unremarkable bird.
He put the secret message into a small tube attached to the bird's leg.
Just as he was about to release the bird, someone appeared silently behind him and struck the back of his neck with a shuto (knifehand strike).
The bird didn't even get the chance to flap its wings before it was snatched from the air.
Had he still been conscious, he would have been shocked to discover that the one who struck him down was none other than—Senju Kōhei, the very person he'd seen leaving the tent moments ago.
"Hoshiyomi-sama, we've secured the spy. What are your orders?"
Inside the command tent, Kōhei smiled as he addressed Hoshiyomi, waiting for the next step of the plan.
All of Danzo's arrangements on the Iwa front were within Hoshiyomi's control
They had known something was wrong from the start. Hoshiyomi had already taken full control of Danzo's arrangements on the Iwa front. The guard Danzo had planted outside the tent today had been deliberately allowed by Hoshiyomi.
All of it was part of a performance with Kōhei—to draw Danzo out and obtain concrete evidence of his schemes against Hoshiyomi.
Danzo had long known the movements of Iwa's reinforcements. He was aware that the two main threats were the Explosion Release Unit and Iwa's ANBU commander, Yōgan. But he had deliberately withheld the second half of that information, hoping Hoshiyomi would lower his guard.
The goal was simple: get him killed on the battlefield due to incomplete intel.
And with Hoshiyomi's strength, even if he died, he would still likely take a few powerful enemies down with him—minimizing losses on Konoha's side. A textbook "two birds with one stone."
But what Danzo didn't expect… was that Hoshiyomi had already seen through his plot.
And that was thanks to Orochimaru's help.
Hoshiyomi had secretly enlisted Orochimaru to use his snakes to monitor Danzo's movements.
With those snakes reporting back, Hoshiyomi had access to Danzo's real intelligence—and had used the discrepancy to turn the trap back on him, executing a counterstrategy of his own.
Between the captured guard's message, the intelligence from Orochimaru's snakes, and the gutted intel Danzo had sent Hoshiyomi, the pieces were now in place. There was irrefutable evidence that Danzo was plotting against him.
Not to mention, Danzo's attempts to win people over in secret were already within Hoshiyomi's grasp. He also knew that Danzo had stolen Kagami's Sharingan.
Taken together, these pieces of damning evidence meant only one thing—Danzo's political career was over.
Sure, Danzo was a scheming old fox—but against Hoshiyomi, a man who had crossed over from another world and knew the entire plotline, he was still a step behind.
The thought of taking Danzo out early filled Hoshiyomi with glee. Grinning at Kōhei's question, he answered:
"Of course we proceed as planned. Forge a copy of this letter and send it to Danzo. Let him think everything's going as he hoped."
"At the same time, we'll do exactly what we just discussed. Two nights from now—I'll personally launch a surprise raid on Iwagakure's camp."
"Got it!" Kōhei replied, turning to leave—until something occurred to him. He froze, spun back around, and stared at Hoshiyomi in disbelief.
"What?! Hoshiyomi-sama, are you really going to raid the Iwagakure's camp? No, that's too dangerous!"
Hoshiyomi chuckled and explained:
"Danzo might've sent me incomplete intel, but that doesn't mean he was wrong. The Explosion Release Unit is a threat to us. We should take advantage of this information gap to deal with them."
"So I think we really should take the initiative to attack. Don't worry, it won't be just me; it'll be all of Konoha taking the initiative to attack!"