Jiraiya wanted to rally Konoha's scattered forces. He and Orochimaru would use their combined strength to cover the retreat of as many Konoha ninja as possible.
"We're already doing the most important thing we can, Jiraiya," Orochimaru said, his expression cold. "Keeping these three from the Sand Village tied up is the most we can do. If we turn back and get stuck, we'll just lure them back. With their destructive power, even more people would die, and you and I might not make it out either."
"Not to mention your Sage Mode," he continued, glancing at the two toad sages on Jiraiya's shoulders who helped him gather natural energy. "Even with their help, how long can you sustain it?"
Although he hadn't learned Ryūchi Cave's Sage Mode or developed the Cursed Seal yet, Orochimaru had a good understanding of Sage Mode. After all, a contractor with Ryūchi Cave couldn't be ignorant of Sage Mode, and as a direct disciple of the Third Hokage, he couldn't be unaware that it was a powerful ability once mastered by the First Hokage.
Jiraiya clenched his fists in frustration, then let out a helpless sigh. "So, what do we do next...?"
"Survive, then escape. Gather the remnants, retreat, and use our home advantage to fight a guerrilla war, delaying the Sand Hidden as much as possible." Orochimaru suppressed his emotions well, choosing the most suitable path for the current situation in the shortest amount of time.
"Once we shake off the pursuit, we immediately request reinforcements from Sensei. With our current strength alone, there's no way we can stop the Sand Hidden, let alone win. We need at least enough power to hold off that Kazekage candidate before we can even talk about anything else."
...
Qingshui, with Rasa and Pakura, pursued them for a long time, even catching up at one point and injuring Jiraiya and Orochimaru. However, they ultimately managed to escape, much to Qingshui's disappointment.
In terms of strength, Qingshui was indeed a few steps stronger than the current Kage-level peak individuals in the Ninja World. Most of the time, he could even handle two Kage-level masters by himself. But he hadn't, like Senju Hashirama or Uchiha Madara, created a fundamental gap between himself and these Kage-level powerhouses. He was merely a step above them.
Rasa and Pakura were on the weaker side among Kage-level masters, while Jiraiya in Sage Mode could temporarily display strength close to Kage-level peak. Orochimaru, on the other hand, had a multitude of strange and clever techniques and was adept at escaping. If those two were determined to flee, they weren't impossible to stop, but if it came down to a life-or-death struggle, Qingshui would certainly be fine, but Rasa and Pakura might truly be sacrificed.
He decided to wait and see if there was an opportunity to set up an ambush for them next time. Even if pursuing them yielded no results, the prolonged chase would at least prevent them from rallying their scattered troops and organizing the Konoha ninja's retreat, allowing the Sand Hidden ninja to eliminate more of Konoha's fighting forces.
...
...
Inside the Hokage's office in Konoha Village, smoke billowed and swirled. The Third Hokage puffed on his pipe, a report laid out before him. It was a battle report from the Mist Hidden front.
Across from him, Danzō leaned on his cane, watching Hiruzen Sarutobi alongside a worried Utatane Koharu.
"The Fourth Mizukage... has actually become a Jinchuriki who can perfectly control the Tailed Beast's power... No wonder Homura retreated so quickly. He truly couldn't stop that young Yagura." Utatane Koharu sighed, recalling the report she had just finished reading.
Danzō couldn't help but sneer at Hiruzen Sarutobi. "The Land of Waves' defenses are crumbling, Hiruzen. I told you long ago to hand over the Land of Water front to me. If you had, it wouldn't have ended in such a defeat. Now, the Mist Hidden might soon threaten our homeland."
Danzō's strength surpassed Mitokado Homura's. He believed that if it had been him, even if he couldn't win, he wouldn't have lost so miserably.
"Danzō, you don't understand my intentions," the Third Hokage said, shaking his head helplessly. "The Third Kazekage and Hanzo, who has allied with the Sand Hidden, haven't made their move yet. The village must deploy sufficient forces to guard against them. Your strength is greater, and keeping you here is precisely to counter them."
"So what now?" Utatane Koharu sighed. "The Land of Lightning's stance is unclear. Even with the Stone Hidden, our allies, agreeing to act as a deterrent, most of their forces are certainly focused on dealing with the Sand Hidden. We still need to keep enough forces on guard, but there aren't many remaining reserve troops."
"In these past few years, the Ninja Academy..."
"No, Danzō," the Third Hokage interrupted. "How long has the war even been going on? If we were to prematurely graduate the older students from the Ninja Academy this early, the other villages would surely believe Konoha is nothing more than a paper tiger, that our strength is merely for show and that we're already at our limit after just a short fight."
"Then the only forces we can still mobilize are from the ninja clans, especially the major ones," Utatane Koharu reminded him.
"The Sarutobi Clan can provide two hundred elites and ten Jonin," Hiruzen Sarutobi said after a moment of thought. "We must set an example to make the other ninja clans willingly commit their resources. The combined forces of the Shimura Clan, Utatane Clan, and Mitokado Clan cannot be less than the Sarutobi Clan's."
That would mean more than twenty Jonin and four hundred elites. Elites were not cannon fodder.
To be considered an elite, a ninja can't be a fresh Genin who just graduated and only knows the Three Body Technique. They need to know at least a few decent mainstream Ninjutsu and have some mission experience. Those with this level of skill are typically either Chunin or elite Genin.
"I will personally go to persuade the Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi clans. As for the remaining clans like the Hyuga, Aburame, and Inuzuka, Danzō, I'll trouble you to visit them."
The Ino-Shika-Cho and Sarutobi Clans have been allies for generations, with a relationship spanning at least two or three hundred years—a bond built over dozens of generations. They are Hiruzen Sarutobi's direct power base as Hokage.
If he goes to persuade them, even if the three clans still have reservations, they will certainly give the Third Hokage face and genuinely put in the effort.
As for the remaining ninja clans, only Danzō can handle them.
Without the strong ties Hiruzen has with the Ino-Shika-Cho, this kind of task would be an offense.
Hiruzen Sarutobi is the Third Hokage and will continue to lead Konoha, so he cannot afford to make enemies of these ninja clans.
Therefore, it's appropriate for Danzō to handle this. He truly has the ability to extract enough power from these clans.
As a Hokage who has governed for many years, Hiruzen Sarutobi is well aware of how much power Konoha still has to tap into.
This mobilization should be able to unearth a significant portion of the reserves held by the major ninja clans, estimated to be around sixty or seventy Jonin and several thousand elites.
"I understand."
Danzō nodded slightly.
"Oh, and you don't need to go to the Uchiha. It's not yet time to bring them out."
"You don't need to tell me that. No one understands the danger of the Uchiha better than I do, especially after Tobirama-sensei's passing. However, I believe we still need to visit the Uchiha."
"Hmm?"
"They don't have to send people, but they must contribute money, ninja tools, and food. In short, the Uchiha cannot do nothing; they are also part of the village."
Now they're treating the Uchiha as part of Konoha.
"Hmm, you're right."
The Third Hokage slowly nodded, agreeing with Danzō's words. Then he put down his pipe and began refilling it with fresh tobacco.
Just then, a knock sounded at the door.
"Come in. Didn't I say I was in a high-level meeting and shouldn't be disturbed?"
"My apologies, Lord Third, but the liaison squad has urgent intelligence."
An Anbu opened the door and spoke to the Third Hokage.
Even through his mask, Hiruzen Sarutobi could sense a feeling of dread emanating from him.
"Speak."
The Third Hokage picked up his pipe again.
"On the western front, the Sand Village used various new ninja tools and launched a surprise attack. Konoha suffered a major defeat. Lord Jiraiya and Lord Orochimaru were both injured. Six thousand five hundred Konoha ninja were largely killed or wounded, with only just over two thousand remaining forces retreating to the border to continue delaying the Sand Village's advance."
The Anbu ninja lowered his head, his voice trembling slightly.
*Thud.*
The pipe, freshly filled with high-grade tobacco, slipped from the Third Hokage's hand.
"What did you say!"
Danzō lunged forward, grabbing the Anbu by his collar and lifting him.
"Repeat that!"
"Lord Danzō... what I just said is true. The western front suffered a major defeat, with heavy casualties, and even Lord Orochimaru and Lord Jiraiya were injured and forced to retreat."
The Anbu ninja said weakly.
"Alright, Danzō, put Otogitsune down."
The Third Hokage stopped Danzō.
"Monkey, look at the people you chose! Orochimaru and Jiraiya, what exactly did they do?! Six thousand five hundred people! Not six thousand five hundred pigs! The only difference between them and pigs is that they held out for only one more day, then two thousand-plus escaped!"
Danzō spat at the Third Hokage.
"But besides Orochimaru and Jiraiya, who else can we use?"
The Third Hokage quickly regained his composure, questioned Danzō, and then looked at the Anbu.
"Lord Third, thank you."
"Don't thank me yet. The battle report? Read it!"
"Yes, sir!"
The Third Hokage sat back down in his seat, looking quite steady and calm.
He might not be as strong as the previous two Hokage, but the fact that he could hold this position for so many years showed that Hiruzen Sarutobi was no pushover.
After all, he was known as the Professor, the Third Hokage who had instilled fear throughout the Ninja World for many years.
At a time like this, as Hokage, he absolutely could not lose his composure. Even if Konoha were about to be destroyed, he couldn't panic.
If he panicked, Konoha would be doomed.
Soon, seeing the Third Hokage's calm demeanor, Danzō and Utatane Koharu also settled down, sat, and began listening to the battle report.
"Long-range, sustained, wide-area artillery fire; unmanned aerial Puppets for surveillance and reconnaissance; large quantities of new-model Puppets; special ninja tools that can unleash Jutsu similar to Ice Release; and new types of poison gas combined with Genjutsu…"
The Third Hokage lit his pipe again, a thoughtful expression on his face.
He suddenly realized that the Sand Village seemed far more advanced than Konoha now.
Yet, in the past, that advantage had always belonged to Konoha.
Konoha was the first to establish a Ninja Academy, the first to create the Anbu, and even Medical Ninjas were first trained in Konoha.
For a long time, other ninja villages could only imitate and try to catch up.
But today, the situation had reversed.
"Hmph, Hiruzen, I think you know why Sand Hidden has changed so much. That Kazekage candidate… I was right to send someone to assassinate him back then. But you actually punished me for it! If it weren't for him, Sand Village wouldn't have developed into what it is today…"
"You were only half right back then."
Hiruzen Sarutobi interrupted Danzō's nagging once more.
"The half you were wrong about was failing to kill him."
Danzō's expression stiffened, and then he stopped speaking.
"Besides, dwelling on the past won't help now. The two battlefronts are urgent, and the village must mobilize all its strength to respond. For the eastern front, I'll send Minato to assist Homura. With his help, Homura can at least hold the line.
As for the eastern front, I've decided to go personally."
"Hiruzen, you are the Hokage. You shouldn't move lightly."
Utatane Koharu advised.
"If I had a choice, I wouldn't move either. Because if I, as the Hokage, have to move, it means the village's survival is at stake."
The Third Hokage slowly shook his head.
As Hokage, if he were to lose, it would be a huge blow to Konoha's morale.
Of course, a Hokage appearing on the battlefield also provides an enormous boost to morale.
Among the first two Hokage, the First Hokage was invincible; no one could defeat him. The Second Hokage, while young, had suffered many losses, unable to defeat Izuna Uchiha and having mixed results against Izuna Uchiha. But after becoming Hokage, aside from the battle where he deliberately served as a rearguard before his death, he never lost at any other time.
So he, Hiruzen Sarutobi, could not lose either.
Yet, the situation had reached a point where he had no choice but to act.
"You've all heard the battle reports. While Pakura and Rasa are strong, they aren't impossible to deal with. But that disciple of Granny Chiyo is incredibly powerful. Even Orochimaru and Jiraiya were no match for her. So, among the remaining people in the village, the only one stronger than them is me."
At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes revealed the immense power befitting a Hokage, his gaze sharp as a torch.
As he said, in Konoha at this time, there truly was no stronger ninja than Hiruzen Sarutobi.
He still had a few years before he would decline from his peak.
At this point, his Chakra reserves, stamina, explosive power, and reaction speed showed no significant decline compared to his prime; every aspect was outstanding.
As for other aspects, there's even less need to mention them.
The Third Hokage, who died at 69 in the original timeline, had his strength, speed, and precision stats drop to 6 due to old age, but his Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Genjutsu, Intelligence, and Hand Seals were all 10.
This '10' represents the maximum a regular ninja can achieve without special circumstances like forbidden jutsu, Kekkei Genkai, or sealing Tailed Beasts.
And Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had not yet declined from his peak, was a true octagon warrior, an undisputed Kage-level peak expert.
Even against the Third Raikage, the Third Tsuchikage, or Hanzo in his prime, he was not inferior in the slightest.
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