With a faint smile, Orochimaru walked out of the Hokage building and stopped at the gate.
Beside him, Uchiha Fugaku looked grim, like a man walking a tightrope over a cliff, not daring to relax even for a second.
Another one who couldn't afford to lose…
Orochimaru chuckled inwardly. For him, whether this war was won or lost only meant winning more or winning less.
But just like the Hokage was everything to the old man, the Uchiha clan was everything to Fugaku. In this war, he had truly staked everything. No wonder he was anxious and restless.
Going into battle with that kind of mindset wouldn't work. Rare to have such an easy-to-use Uchiha clan head.
Orochimaru placed a hand on Fugaku's shoulder. "Clan head Fugaku, do you still remember our agreement?"
Fugaku's face sank as he gave a small nod.
How could he forget? Using this war to have his clan take heavy losses would completely clear the suspicion of Uchiha rebellion and shut down any future slander.
In the long run, it would no doubt be good for the Uchiha. But thinking of sacrificing so many clansmen's lives for it, he hadn't been able to sleep for days, tossing and turning, doubting if he had made the right choice.
Seeing Fugaku's guilt, Orochimaru said calmly, "I told you, I never meant to directly harm the Uchiha. That kind of trick would be too cheap, too obvious."
"This time Kumogakure has sent out the Raikage and two Jinchuriki. But the counter-barrier jutsu I've already taught you."
Orochimaru patted Fugaku on the shoulder. "Instead of wasting time worrying, better think about how to reduce losses and gain more credit."
Fugaku fell into thought, while Orochimaru stepped forward. He swept his eyes over the long-waiting ninja forces and gave a chilling smile. "Move out!"
"Yes!"
With a rush of wind, the area in front of the Hokage building was empty in an instant.
…
Inside the border of Konohagakure, a short round fortress lay hidden in the forest, its outer walls covered with vines and branches.
Normally, even if someone found it, they would think it was just an abandoned building. But the group of Kumogakure ninja who had come here clearly thought otherwise.
The Fourth Raikage spoke in a deep, heavy voice: "Yugito, destroy it."
Behind him, a woman with tea-brown straight hair leapt out. In midair she transformed into a giant flaming blue cat demon.
Boom!
No ninjutsu needed. Fully transformed, Yugito used her sheer size to smash straight into the fortress.
The outer walls collapsed, dirt and stone shattered, trees and vines tore apart. In seconds the fortress offered no resistance and was leveled to the ground.
"This is the thirteenth. Still half to go."
A flicker of regret passed in the Raikage's eyes—anger at the Leaf's wastefulness.
War between villages was nothing like small squad fights. Armies of hundreds needed safe bases to rest, so every border had fortresses.
This one was the kind Konoha only used in wartime, with barrier jutsu, sealing jutsu, and many defenses. Easy to smash now, but if activated and manned by defenders, breaking it would take ten times the effort.
What truly angered the Raikage was how many of these bases Konoha had built.
Just along the border with the Land of Thunder there were 26—without even counting the hidden ones their spies hadn't found.
And they couldn't just leave them standing. Konoha had the Uzumaki clan's sealing and barrier techniques, making these bases incredibly strong.
If the Leaf ninja defending against Kumogakure's attack could rely on them, they would be able to calmly spread out and hold their ground.
That would ruin Kumogakure's battle plans.
"Phew…"
After the fortress was destroyed, Yugito released her tailed-beast form and let out a deep breath.
A satisfied look spread across the Fourth Raikage's rugged face. Yugito's power was clearly below his, but when it came to large-scale destruction, a Jinchuriki in full beast form was far more suitable.
Seeing her a little pale, the Raikage asked directly, "Yugito, how much longer can your body hold out?"
"I can keep going." Yugito understood the importance of breaking these shells. She straightened quickly. "Raikage-sama, Matatabi and I are of one mind. Don't worry about me."
But the Raikage glanced at the Kumogakure ninja around them and said, "Rest for now."
When she looked ready to push herself, he added, "Our goal isn't only to smash Konoha's fortresses. For the battles ahead, we'll still need your strength."
Hearing this, Yugito had no choice but to take the time to recover.
Whoosh…
A Kumogakure ninja suddenly appeared and handed over a file. "Raikage-sama, intel from Konoha."
The Raikage took it, scanned through, and frowned deeply.
The file had only two main points, but they were key: the Uchiha Police Force had been fully deployed, and Konoha's army was being led by one of the Sannin—Orochimaru.
This surprised the Raikage. In the last war, Orochimaru hadn't led troops, but instead worked in the Root division.
"An old relic from the past, stepping in again… hmph."
Though he said that, the Fourth Raikage didn't dare underestimate Orochimaru. He ordered the Kumogakure intel squad:
"Tell Killer Bee to speed up his sweep of the Leaf troops in the Land of Hot Water. If they aren't wiped out by nightfall, abandon them and rush to the rally point."
"Yes!"
The intel squad left right away, using their special summoning beasts for communication.
The Raikage looked into the distance and sighed. "Konoha's foundation really is enviable."
In the First Shinobi War, the Leaf stood against the other four great villages without being crushed. And after the death of the Second Hokage's generation, new powerhouses like Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade still rose.
During the Third Ninja War, Minato and the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki were both very active and hard to stop.
Now, even after the Nine-Tails' attack, which would have left other villages recovering for years, they can still send out a group of ninja to fight against Kumogakure.
If Konohagakure gets enough time to recover, who knows what kind of ninja they will bring out again.
The Fourth Raikage said in a deep voice, "Yugito, recover as fast as you can. A troublesome person has shown up, and we don't have much time."
"Yes!" Yugito stood up right away. "Raikage-sama, we can leave now."
Even if it means hurting her body, she wants to do her part for the village.
The Fourth Raikage thought for a moment about the trouble Konohagakure's bases might cause. "Fine, these strongholds need to be destroyed as soon as possible."
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