Thus, Hiruzen Sarutobi urged Hatake Sumao to end the war with the Land of Wind as soon as possible and sent Tsunade to reinforce the battlefield in Ame. Meanwhile, he also dispatched Jiraiya and Orochimaru to Ame to clean up after their comrades.
However, due to their important missions, the three could not immediately reach the battlefield in Ame. Fortunately, Orochimaru's situation was relatively easier. To help out his two comrades, Danzo Shimura took over Orochimaru's responsibilities, allowing him to depart first.
There was also a rumor going around—reportedly, after hearing the news, Tsunade angrily cursed, "Empty chairs and lazy mouths!" Whether that was true or not remained uncertain.
Therefore, Hatake Sumao had no choice but to initiate the decisive battle ahead of schedule. Since his objective was set, and Hatake Sumao was never one to hesitate—his sword reflected his character. Once he made a decision, he never wavered. After discussing briefly with Tsunade, he immediately formulated a complete battle plan.
This was thanks to Sumao's usual careful planning and thorough intelligence work. Although this decisive battle was decided on short notice, he did not appear flustered at all.
At the time, Konoha was not fully prepared; however, neither were the Sand-nin opposing them. Both sides had become accustomed to small-scale engagements over the past six months.
If they delayed any further, there was a very high chance that reinforcements would arrive from Suna to strengthen their frontlines in the Land of Rivers, making it even harder to fight back later—perhaps even the Third Kazekage himself might personally show up at the battlefield.
Additionally, if news of defeat in Ame reached the frontline, it would damage Konoha's morale, making victory even more unlikely.
Determined to catch the enemy off guard, Hatake Sumao summoned most of his forces back to the base camp before launching a full-scale attack against the Sand-nin earlier than expected.
After all, with such a large number of troops involved, information inevitably leaked. Combined with the intelligence reports from Ame, the commander of the Sand-nin Base Camp had already started taking precautions—but still a step too late.
Under the leadership of Hatake Sumao, Konoha's ninja forces had already reached the Sand-nin Base Camp. First, more than ten specialized Tokubetsu Jonin skilled in Earth Release, together with a group of Chunin, executed [Large-scale Combined Earth Release Jutsu], successfully destroying the outer defenses. However, this also completely exhausted their chakra reserves.
This significantly weakened Konoha's advantage in sheer numbers.
Nevertheless, once Hatake Sumao confirmed his strategy succeeded, he ordered Konoha's shinobi forces to charge into the Sand-nin camp.
In the ensuing clash, numerous jutsus filled the skies like rain. Even Jonin-level ninjas could easily lose their lives if caught off guard. Only Kage-level fighters could decide the outcome of localized battles, shaping the overall result of the war.
Right at that moment, Konoha's sensor ninja detected approaching elite forces—the Sand-nin Puppet Brigade. This unit was regarded as heroes among the Sand forces, having previously inflicted heavy casualties on Konoha. Only Hatake Sumao possessed an effective countermeasure against them.
As soon as this unit appeared, before they even entered the battlefield, they boosted the morale of nearby Sand-nin greatly, while causing exactly the opposite effect among Konoha's ninja.
Hatake Sumao, who had been well-prepared, handed over the battlefield command to Tsunade beside him. Then, leading an elite team of ninja he had carefully selected and trained, he charged toward the Sand's puppet brigade, ready to engage in a head-to-head confrontation like needle tip against wheat awn.
This team was specially trained after Hatake Sumao's first encounter with the Sand's puppet brigade, during which he suffered significant losses. He even invented a sword technique to cut chakra threads and simplified it so much that even a Chunin could use it.
This was all possible thanks to the swordsmanship techniques Uchiha Shizhi gave him. Without them, even if Sumao could have developed the technique, he wouldn't have been able to simplify it, let alone popularize it quickly enough to train this specialized unit which proved highly effective against puppets. At this moment, Hatake Sumao felt deep gratitude toward Uchiha Shizhi.
Additionally, two-thirds of this unit consisted of Uchiha clan members. After all, once they had awakened their eyes, it became much easier for Uchiha members to learn Taijutsu. Plus, the Sharingan allowed them to spot the chakra threads easily.
The rest were sword specialists, including several from the Hatake household. This was no surprise since the Hatake family was an acclaimed warrior family known during the Warring States Era, and swordsmanship was their bread and butter.
In the original storyline, Hatake Sumao had just recently ascended to Kage-level power not long before this moment. Even at the end of the war when hostilities ceased, the remaining forces were too weak to send reinforcements to Ame.
In the end, nearly all the Hatake family members were wiped out, and those few who survived ended their ninja careers, as their injuries were simply too severe. Compounded with the effects of powerful poisons, by the time the war ended, it was already too late for medical treatment.
Moreover, in the original storyline, Hatake Sumao's ascension to Kage-level was delayed by quite some time. Before that, he couldn't absolutely suppress the Uchiha clan's third-tomoe elite Jonin. Without Uchiha Shizhi's assistance in coordinating relations, he couldn't receive full support from the Uchiha clan, making it difficult to assemble such a unit.
Once Hatake Sumao's strength did reach Kage-level, rifts had already developed between him and some members of the Uchiha clan, preventing relations from being as harmonious as they were now. As a result, the elite Uchiha members would no longer fully support him, and thus this vanguard unit wouldn't have been able to unleash its maximum combat effectiveness. With heavy casualties, Tsunade was left alone, unable to reach Ame because there were no reinforcements available—even medical ninja couldn't be spared, as there were simply too many wounded among this unit.
After training this elite unit, Hatake Sumao originally planned to lead them secretly to eliminate—or at least severely cripple—the Sand's puppet brigade, then ride the wave of victory to finish off the Sand-nin. According to his plan, the losses Konoha suffered could be minimized.
However, now due to unexpected circumstances, his plan had been disrupted. Fortunately, the impact wasn't too great. After all, this unit had been trained specifically to counter the Sand's puppet brigade. Since the puppet brigade was now appearing, it was time for them to take action.
After handing over command, with a single order from Hatake Sumao, more than 200 ninja immediately stood behind him. Under Hatake Sumao's leadership, they transformed into a sharp blade, charging straight toward the Sand's puppet brigade.
The Sand-nin Puppet Brigade discovered the trail of Hatake Sumao and his comrades. Immediately sensing their intentions, the brigade launched a counter-charge in response—essentially buying themselves a one-way trip straight to the afterlife (or what some call the Pure Land).
In the ensuing battle, Hatake Sumao wreaked havoc across the battlefield, marching forward with relentless [Ci] strikes that tore through enemy ranks. Those who dared to resist him were either slain or gravely wounded. Eventually, he shattered Suna's elite Puppet Brigade and charged toward the vicinity of their captain—but at the same time, he had thrust himself into the deadliest position possible.
By this point, he had already become separated from his subordinates. Only two elite members of the Uchiha clan, both possessing the third tomoe, remained by his side: one was Uchiha Kotetsu, and the other was the future ultimate boss of the Ninja World—the father of Obito Uchiha.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
Want to read the subsequent content in advance?
Please follow my Patreon:patreon/Tansnovel
Tans Novel - The Fastest-Updating Naruto Fanfiction Account
Read 100+ chapters in advance, with at least 3 new chapters updated every day! More free chapters! 20+ Naruto fanfictions!
Just three steps:
1. Download and open the "Patreon" app
2. Search for "Tans Novel"
3. Click on the collection and enjoy to your heart's content
<><><><><><><><>