Northeast of the Land of Frost,
Amidst the vast forests, tents stretched endlessly.
Three days had passed since the end of that great battle, and Senju Mori led his army to advance slowly. After traversing more than half of the Land of Frost, a new Konoha camp was set up here.
The atmosphere within the camp had shed its previous solemnity, becoming exceptionally busy and vibrant.
Although still within the Land of Frost, it was now very close to the border of the Land of Lightning. Looking into the distance, at the end of the forest, one could vaguely see towering mountains piercing the clouds.
That was the unique topography of the Land of Lightning.
Konoha's front-line camp had expanded several times over. That afternoon, one thousand newly arrived Ninja seamlessly integrated into the camp, causing the already high morale to almost boil over.
Under the gaze of countless eyes, Advisor Nara Shikatsune and Hiruzen Sarutobi, along with several important Jonin accompanying them, passed through the camp and walked towards the largest main tent in the center.
Inside the tent, Senju Mori stood before a giant map, listening to a report from an intelligence Ninja.
He was still wearing his dark red chest armor, his posture straight, his eyes sharp, as if he had just come down from the battlefield. Sensing someone enter, he slightly raised his hand, signaling a pause in the report, and turned his gaze towards the group.
"Hokage-sama," Nara Shikatsune and Hiruzen Sarutobi simultaneously bowed in salute, and the Jonin behind them also uniformly lowered their heads.
"You've worked hard, Shikatsune, Hiruzen."
Senju Mori's voice was calm, carrying a hint of imperceptible fatigue, but more so, the steadiness of someone in control of the entire situation.
"Was the journey smooth?"
"Everything went smoothly, Hokage-sama."
Nara Shikatsune stepped forward, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over the map, where the planned advance routes were drawn.
"The rear heard that you directly defeated the Raikage, and everyone was overjoyed and greatly encouraged. The first batch of reinforcements has all arrived, and subsequent supplies and medicine will be delivered soon."
Hiruzen Sarutobi also interjected, his tone filled with genuine admiration:
"This great defeat of Kumogakure will surely awe the Ninja World."
He looked around the tent, at this unremarkable tent and its various furnishings, feeling an inexpressible complexity in his heart. Once upon a time, he too had the opportunity to stand here, commanding with certainty.
Senju Mori nodded, just about to open his mouth to deploy the next phase of the advance plan.
"Caw—!"
A sharp and clear eagle cry suddenly echoed above the camp.
Not long after, an Anbu entered the tent, holding a rather dispirited Ninja eagle.
It was a small, all-black Ninja eagle with messy feathers and dark red blood foam around its beak. Tied tightly to its leg was a small bamboo tube engraved with a 'secret' rune.
The tent immediately fell into a state of astonishment. Everyone's gaze focused on the black Ninja eagle and the bamboo tube.
Every Ninja in the tent knew that the messenger must have forcefully stimulated the Ninja eagle with Chakra to make it fly at such extreme speed, defying its biological instincts.
Something big must be about to happen.
Senju Mori's expression remained unchanged. He quickly stepped forward, personally untied the bamboo tube, used a special method to undo the Sealing Jutsu on it, pulled out the tightly rolled strip of paper inside, and quickly unfolded it.
The handwriting on the paper was messy and brief, just a string of meaningless numbers. So he took out a small notebook from a nearby drawer and quickly deciphered the true content by cross-referencing.
"It's Danzo."
Senju Mori's voice was not loud, but it was like a giant rock thrown into a calm lake, stirring up huge waves in everyone's hearts.
"Danzo abandoned the operation to attack Kumogakure's logistics, but he found the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki. If his operation went smoothly, by now, Kumogakure would already be in the midst of a Tailed Beast rampage."
"What?!"
"Unleash a Tailed Beast in the Village?! Is he mad?!"
A wave of uncontrollable exclamations immediately erupted in the tent.
Even Nara Shikatsune, who always had everything under control, had his pupils suddenly contract. He, of course, understood what this intelligence meant.
Hiruzen Sarutobi even took a sudden step forward, his face filled with disbelief and shock:
"Danzo... how could he..."
Senju Mori ignored everyone's shock. He suddenly turned around, his gaze like a torch, refocusing on the position representing the Hidden Cloud Village on the map, his voice suddenly rising:
"He's not mad! We all know the danger of a Tailed Beast, and Danzo is no exception. This is a precious opportunity he bought for Konoha with his own life!"
"Danzo Shimura and the seven Jonin are Konoha's heroes!"
"Pass on my order!"
All the Ninja in the tent, including Nara Shikatsune and Hiruzen Sarutobi, instantly straightened their bodies, their eyes once again becoming sharp.
"The entire army is to enter maximum combat readiness! Frontline reconnaissance and rapid response units are to deploy immediately, constantly monitoring Kumogakure's troop movements. The main force will advance thirty li with me."
"Shikatsune!"
"Here!" Shikatsune took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in his heart, and immediately responded.
"Immediately draft a treaty! The specific terms and amounts are up to you to decide, but the core is that Kumogakure must publicly apologize, pay war reparations, and formally acknowledge that the six paths sage tools belong to Konoha!"
"We cannot completely destroy Kumogakure, but we must use this opportunity to make Kumogakure bleed heavily and spit out everything it needs to!"
"Understood!"
A sharp gleam flashed in Nara Shikatsune's eyes, and he instantly understood Senju Mori's meaning.
Previously, the Hidden Cloud Village had used war to threaten and extort Konoha. Now, the situation had undergone a drastic change, and it was Konoha's turn to use the continuation of war to threaten Kumogakure.
"Hiruzen!"
"...Here!" Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was a little hoarse. From hearing the intelligence about Danzo until now, his emotions had been very complex, and his mood had remained unsettled for a long time.
"You will lead all the reinforcement troops and approach the Land of Lightning with the main force, continuously putting pressure on Kumogakure, but do not cross the border between the Land of Frost and the Land of Lightning for now!"
"Yes, sir!"