The unrest on Longhu Mountain didn't subside until just before dawn.
Under the leadership of Nadou Tong, the municipal tourism bureau approved Longhu Mountain Scenic Area's request for a temporary one-day closure.
Lu Liang, Gong Qing, and a large number of Quansheng Anomaly Humans were captured alive and are currently detained in Nadou Tong's Central China branch's temporary prison, awaiting legal judgment.
"Professor Zhuo, I heard you saved Linglong and the others. This old man here thanks you first. If there's anything you need help with in the future, don't hesitate to tell me, Lu Jin. No need to be polite."
The handsome, white-haired old man in a suit stood before the Longhu Mountain gate, holding his granddaughter's hand, and thumped his chest as he spoke to Qingshui.
"Elder Lu, you're too kind. Oh, by the way, I heard that young man who used the 'Nose Breath' technique in the previous competition was seriously injured this time?"
Qingshui asked Lu Jin.
"Yes, it was Xiao Xiao. He lost an arm. Xu San has already arranged for him to receive treatment at the company's medical department."
"If the company can't handle it, he can come to me. My next research project should be able to heal his arm."
Qingshui said with a chuckle, hands in his pockets.
...
...
Current Fortune Value: 57.73%
Naruto World.
Qingshui sat upright before the holographic sandbox table, his movements pausing slightly.
Did becoming a senior advisor at Nadou Tong only increase my Fortune Value by this much?
Well, even though Nadou Tong manages all Anomalous Humans, if I can't snag a director position or be recognized by the Anomalous Human World as one of the Ten Elders, it's ultimately not enough.
But it's better than nothing.
Currently, most of the Avatars in the existing worlds have reached the peak they can achieve at this stage, and the benefits from technological advancements and strength are almost exhausted.
And as a blue ocean, the one-person world is expected to be the main focus for acquiring Fortune Value next.
Of course, the other worlds and the main body can still continuously and steadily gain Fortune Value, it's just that the amount won't increase so much all at once.
It's a gradual process; accumulated over time, it's still a significant amount.
The premise is that his forces must continue to develop and expand.
"Now that these two cities have been taken, most of the western Land of Fire's gateways have been opened. This entire region has no natural defenses, but we still need to leave garrisoned troops to stabilize the occupied areas."
Qingshui looked at the holographic sandbox, rapidly formulating strategies in his mind.
Some time had passed since the last large-scale battle against Konoha in Hyakkawa City.
After the forces led by Orochimaru and Jiraiya were routed, Qingshui seized the opportunity to lead a large army into the western border of the Land of Fire, invading and occupying territory.
Now, a small chunk of the Land of Fire's western border has been bitten off. It's said that the Daimyo of the Land of Fire was extremely enraged by this, and even sent an inquiry to the Third Hokage specifically about the matter.
However, along with it, a large sum of funds and war materials were also sent.
Once defeated, no matter Konoha's fate, he, the Daimyo, would surely be the first to be purged.
If Konoha were destroyed, he would be dead. If Konoha still retained its vitality, defeated but not annihilated, then to recover its strength, it would certainly have to target him, the Daimyo, first.
The Sand Village had already proven that even without a Daimyo, shinobi could still find a way, and even thrive and become stronger.
However, after invading the Land of Fire, even though Sand Village still held the advantage, some of their offensive inevitably slowed down.
There were many reasons: Konoha shinobi had home-field advantage, Orochimaru's more realistic and rational tactical planning after realizing the power disparity was one aspect, and some inherent flaws within the Sand Village itself were another.
As the second-in-command, and even the most important person, in Sand Village, Qingshui was most aware of the village's military strength, resource reserves, and so on.
The total number of regular active-duty shinobi in Sand Village barely reached 15,000.
Under his command, 6,000 were responsible for attacking the Land of Fire, the largest number.
Chiyo and Gariyu, on the other hand, led 4,000 Sand Village shinobi to resist the Stone Hidden, who had allied with Konoha, in the northern part of the Land of Wind.
These alone accounted for 10,000 shinobi, two-thirds of Sand Village's military strength.
The Third Kazekage had already negotiated an alliance with Hanzo. After paying a certain price and bearing the logistical supplies for Rain Hidden, both sides would jointly send troops, on one hand to interfere with and tie down the Land of Earth, and on the other hand to attack the Land of Fire from another direction.
The two sides formed a force of about 3,000 people in the Land of Fire direction, with Sand Village accounting for half and Rain Hidden for the other half.
Adding in the necessary forces to guard the village and stabilize the rear, not many people could be drawn away.
"Orochimaru, that guy, has actively arranged multiple small elite units to engage me in guerrilla warfare. I really have no choice but to split my forces and deploy them in the rear. Just these dozen or so cities we've taken already require a significant number of troops."
"The fifth and sixth-grade students of the Ninja Academy can be arranged for graduation internships. They can replace the second-line teams stationed in the rear. We've already advanced into the Land of Fire, so the pressure on the rear is not that great, which is perfect."
"We can also start modifying some of the All-Seeing Eye type reconnaissance Puppets. A group of Puppet Masters who are not part of the Puppet Force can be selected and briefly trained. Two Puppet Masters can be left in each city to cooperate with other garrison members, along with improved real-time communication and reconnaissance facilities. This could expand the coverage of the reserve team. I'll leave this task to Sasori."
Doing this should save over a thousand regular troops.
It's a pity Sand Village doesn't have a bunch of powerful ninja clans like Konoha, otherwise, a lot more potential power could be squeezed out.
Sand Village certainly has ninja clans, but their average quality is much lower than Konoha's. They don't have first-tier noble ninja clans like the Uchiha or Hyuga Clan.
The slightly larger ones aren't Secret Technique families like Ino-Shika-Cho, Inuzuka Clan, or Aburame Clan, but rather conventional ninja families with decent Ninjutsu legacies and resources, similar to the Sarutobi Clan or Shimura Clan.
Of course, there's also the Chinoike Clan now, but aside from Oyakata En being useful, the remaining small fry combined might not even be better than some smaller ninja clans.
The most crucial difference is that the Sand Village operates with a higher degree of centralized power compared to Konoha.
The Third Hokage has to decentralize authority to other elders and advisors, and the various ninja clans are too powerful, each with their own agendas.
The Sand Village, on the other hand, is much simpler and more direct.
While there are still plenty of squabbles among the elder families and such, the Third Kazekage is sufficiently strong and holds power tightly enough that the potential strength of all the ninja clans has long been unearthed and integrated into the Sand Village's ninja structure.
"The current offensive strategy needs to be changed. This war, ostensibly for revenge, is fundamentally a conflict of systems. However, in essence, it's about completing the unfinished business of the previous two Great Ninja Wars: seizing the resource-rich territories of the Land of Fire. The subsequent strategic deployment should focus on cutting off the main transportation routes in the western regions of the Land of Fire, gradually encroaching bit by bit."
Currently, the Sand Village has achieved a great victory against Konoha and holds the advantage, but both sides are still of comparable strength.
Achieving a swift victory to eliminate Konoha would be extremely difficult.
Only with power levels like Uchiha Madara and Hashirama could one easily conquer a great nation's ninja village.
Konoha still has a strong foundation and many high-level experts. Wiping them out in one go is impossible for the Sand Village.
The most suitable method is to slowly bleed Konoha, weakening them and strengthening ourselves. The real time to eliminate Konoha will be when the power gap between us widens again.
And what needs to be done now is to seize the territory of the Land of Fire and Konoha's resources, eliminate the living forces of Konoha's ninja troops, and eradicate Konoha's numerous high-level experts.
Just as Qingshui began to plan the next strategy using the holographic map, Baki suddenly rushed in from outside the door.
"What's wrong?"
"Intelligence from the intel division. Orochimaru and Jiraiya have been sighted."
"Where?"
"Kinoike Town. Orochimaru's secret command center is there."
Qingshui looked at the holographic sand table.
Kinoike Town is right next to a vast forest, which can indeed hide many people. Even if discovered, there's a sprawling forest behind it. With reconnaissance-type ninjas from clans like Hyuga, Inuzuka, and Aburame, once they are discovered or forced to retreat, they can disappear into the forest like a dragon entering the sea, making pursuit extremely difficult.
"Is the information reliable?"
"It's from a top-tier secret agent, codenamed Ant Worm, that Ebizo-sama deployed in Konoha many years ago. He has achieved a certain status in Konoha, and all thirteen previous intel reports he sent back have been verified and played important roles."
This means the intelligence is highly credible.
Qingshui isn't afraid of falling into an ambush due to false intel. With the immortality granted by his Perfect Demonization and the incredible mobility of his Blood Demon Art Flying Thunder God, plus his undeniable strength, Konoha can't take him down.
He's afraid of being lured away.
If the intelligence is false, Konoha might take advantage of his absence to do something else.
"Order the communications team to tell Pakura and Rasa to drop their current missions and immediately return to base. Have them lead the main force towards Kinoike Town."
Qingshui waved his hand, dismissing the holographic sand table, and gave the order.
"Calling in the main force directly? Won't that cause too much commotion? Konoha might notice and move beforehand."
Baki asked.
"That's why I'm having Rasa and Pakura lead the force, while I leave ahead of them."
Qingshui replied.
"Are you confident? What if Konoha has an ambush this time..."
"No worries. You know my strength. I am an army unto myself. An 'ambush' only works if it can actually achieve something; otherwise, it's just delivering food to me."
Baki pondered Qingshui's performance in the last major battle and understood.
...
...
A few minutes later.
Kinoike Town, Konoha Ninja encampment.
Qingshui concealed his presence, holding binoculars, and silently observed the camp from a high vantage point.
He didn't directly infiltrate because there's a risk of being detected by the Byakugan within a certain range.
The camp's estimated population was over three thousand. Both the number and the ninjas' morale were better than Qingshui had anticipated.
It seemed they had received reinforcements.
He hadn't yet seen the exact locations of Jiraiya and Orochimaru, but he could deduce the locations of key areas by observing the movement of personnel within the camp.
By eliminating possibilities one by one, he would soon find the command center.
"That should be the logistics area. The area slightly behind the center is where missions are exchanged. Orochimaru is most likely there. No other anomalies detected."
Qingshui observed the Konoha camp, sitting cross-legged on the mountain, not making any rash moves.
Konoha's camp was currently well-organized, so a direct assault wouldn't be very effective. It would be best to wait for them to make a move.
A well-structured ninja force of over three thousand could still cause considerable trouble.
His goal was to inflict as much damage as possible on the Konoha ninjas, ideally taking out individuals like Orochimaru or Jiraiya. Charging in recklessly was an option, but the success rate would undoubtedly decrease.
As for whether he would just sit there and miss his chance, Qingshui wasn't worried.
His main force was already on the move. Konoha, unless they wanted to be surrounded and annihilated, would surely make a move the moment they received intelligence.
"The main Sand Village force has already mobilized? Is it their full strength?"
It wasn't long before Orochimaru, stationed at the command center, received the news.
They were within the Land of Fire, and Konoha shinobi were already well-informed. Coupled with their Byakugan and other various Kekkei Genkai and Secret Techniques for reconnaissance, they had an edge over Sand Village in real-time battlefield intelligence, even with all of Sand Village's various reconnaissance Puppets. Naturally, they received the news quickly.
Without hesitation, Orochimaru immediately ordered the Konoha army to act and prepare for a retreat.
And with that, Qingshui's opportunity arrived.
"There!"
Qingshui lowered his binoculars, his left hand pulling out a Sealing Scroll, and his right hand drawing the Kusanagi Sword.
The next instant, smoke billowed, and five Puppets appeared, rushing in unison towards the very front of the Konoha formation.
"Enemy attack!"
Beside Orochimaru, a young Hyuga Clan member with his Byakugan activated suddenly shouted.
Orochimaru didn't hesitate, retreating rapidly.
"Boom boom boom!!!"
Missiles flew from the Puppets, raining down on the Konoha shinobi's position.
"Rotation!"
"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"
Defensive Ninjutsu rose one after another. Orochimaru also bit his thumb, completing his hand signs in an instant.
"Triple Rashomon!"
"Bang!"
The Rashomon was severed by a Kusanagi Sword glowing with blue light.
Orochimaru was horrified and retreated further.
To break through the Triple Rashomon in one move—its power was in no way inferior to a Tailed Beast Ball.
This guy's strength has grown again since their last encounter!
Damn it, this guy is less than sixteen years old. Could he really grow to a level comparable to the First Hokage and Uchiha Madara in the future?
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!" x2
Two dragon-headed flames came at Qingshui from different directions.
Qingshui used a Body Flicker to evade, but the next second, a massive, pillar-like staff came crashing down on him.
This staff is...
The Third Hokage?
So, this is actually an ambush targeting me?
Orochimaru, Jiraiya, plus the Third Hokage, and a large group of Konoha shinobi.
This lineup is a bit troublesome.
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