I, The New Hokage of Konoha - Chapter 251
“Different from the proactive approach when facing the Cloud Ninjas and Mist Ninjas, Konoha’s strategy is to hold and delay on the frontline of the Sand Ninjas.
This is not only because Konoha’s forces are stretched thin, facing the invasion of the Five Great Nations simultaneously, but also because of the Wind Land’s terrain.
Looking at the map, among the Five Great Nations, while the Land of Fire is the most prosperous in terms of land, the territory of the Wind Land is the largest.
Though most of it is desert and wasteland, precisely because of this, any foreign invaders wishing to infiltrate the Wind Land must make extensive preparations in advance to endure the long and barren depth of the Wind Land.
Konoha initiated the war too hastily, naturally not making adequate logistical preparations.
Coupled with the fact that there’s little to gain in the Wind Land, Konoha did not deploy heavy troops on this front, and the task assigned by Tsunade was merely to withstand the Sand Ninjas’s attack and engage in a war of attrition by leveraging the terrain of the Land of Rivers.
In this regard, without the pressure of attacking the Wind Land’s long supply line, it’s sufficient to hold off the resource-scarce Wind Land with the strength of the Land of Fire, even if only a portion is allocated.
As for the impact of continuous warfare on the Land of Rivers, Konoha doesn’t have much interest.
After all, this is the advantage of confronting the enemy outside the national borders.
They can fight without any constraints.
Konoha’s initiation of the Fourth Great Ninjas World War is based on this idea.
Not only is the case when facing the Cloud Ninjas, Mist Ninjas, and Sand Ninjas, but also when confronting the Stone Ninjas, Konoha Ninjas take the initiative to establish a presence within the Land of Grass to prevent the battle from spreading into the Land of Fire.
The only exception is the Iron Land, which is adjacent to the Land of Fire.
Under Tsunade’s bold planning and Itachi Uchiha’s immense power, the Sand Ninjas, suffering heavy losses in logistical supplies, can only launch a feeble attack.
If they cannot break through Konoha’s defenses after a feeble attack, they will be left with no strength in a short time.
With Tsunade’s extensive experience in fighting the Sand Ninjas and Itachi Uchiha’s Mangekyo Sharingan, there are almost no surprises.
The Sand Ninjas can be set aside for the time being.
At the same time.
Just when Konoha had multiple fronts to deal with, the true main force of the Five Nations Alliance, a massive army composed of fifteen thousand Ninjas led by the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, arrived in the Land of Grass via the recently laid railway in batches.
As soon as Minato Namikaze disembarked from the train, he immediately dispatched a Konoha legion to force the Grass Ninjas to take positions.
Although the latter had always appeared harmless, as a commander, Minato Namikaze would not tolerate having an external force lurking behind them while they were in combat with the Stone Ninjas.
“Kushina, I leave the Village Hidden in the Grass to you,” Minato instructed his wife by his side.
With the threat of a Jinchuriki, the Grass Ninjas knew very well what choice to make.
“Don’t worry!”
After so many calm years, Kushina Uzumaki, who usually only found joy in racing and teasing Naruto, was excitedly, rubbing her hands together.
She didn’t think too much, just glad to finally have a big fight to engage in.
What she didn’t expect was that, as she excitedly led the Konoha Ninjas to the Village Hidden in the Grass, the Grass Ninjas promptly decided to switch sides after observing Konoha’s deployment outside.
“Is this it?” Kushina’s face showed disappointment when she heard the news.
And the Village Hidden in the Grass leader, who witnessed this scene, was full of remorse.
Fortunately, they surrendered early; judging from Konoha’s attitude, they were obviously prepared to take action!
After witnessing the Grass Ninjas’s attitudes, Kushina didn’t have much more to say. She could only wave her hand without interest and delegate the upcoming work to the accompanying Konoha personnel.
Subsequently, with the Grass Ninjas’s betrayal, Konoha’s positioning in the Land of Grass became much smoother.
However, just as Minato was ready to continue advancing and take advantage of the situation in the Land of Earth, they were met with a fierce counterattack from the Stone Ninjas.
Unlike the Cloud Ninjas, who were half-depleted before the war, the Mist Ninjas, who played themselves into exhaustion, and the relatively weaker Sand Ninjas, the Stone Ninjas, who had rested and recuperated for many years after retreating early from the three-way battle, had accumulated considerable strength.
The so-called issue of the latter being unable to keep up was only a concern among top-tier Ninjas.
Regarding overall strength, the Stone Ninjas were currently second only to Konoha. This was also why Kurotsuchi Otsutsuki, under the cunning leadership of Onoki, quickly responded with a powerful counterattack despite initially being caught off guard just like other allies.
Not only did Minato’s Konoha forces that had entered the Land of Earth’s territory fight back in disarray, but the Hidden Stone Village also quickly assembled a force of twenty thousand Stone Ninjas, moving swiftly towards the Konoha army in the Land of Grass under the personal command of the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki.
“It seems we underestimated the Third Tsuchikage.” Minato furrowed his brow slightly after receiving news of the defeat of the forces that had entered the Land of Earth.
Indeed, back then, defeating the Stone Ninjas was somewhat fortunate. If it weren’t for exploiting the logistical vulnerabilities of the Stone Ninjas and cutting off the Ninja Biju Path, the consequences might not have been as favorable. Unfortunately, after the war, the Stone Ninjas spent considerable effort building bridges, making it difficult to replicate the victory of the Ninja Biju Path battle.
“That’s right,” Minato remarked.
The battle at the Ninja Biju Path, which was a turning point in his career, was won when he was still just an elite jonin. Facing the Stone Ninjas once more as the commander of the Five Nations Alliance, Minato felt that the Stone Ninjas must have had some strong emotions. After all, destiny is quite popular in the Ninjas world.
However, when Minato thought of the current situation and the conflict between Konoha and the Stone Ninjas, his mind couldn’t help but wander to a certain person.
Kakashi Hatake.
One of his former students.
All the information about Kakashi Hatake, including his battle with Itachi Uchiha, had been conveyed to people like Minato, who were concerned about him upon their return from their battle against Kaguya.
Minato was initially shocked and then deeply puzzled about the change in the kind and
Loving hot-blooded youth he had known. He didn’t understand why the hot-blooded youth, who had been so close to his wife, Kushina Uzumaki, and had been raised by Konoha, now harbored such hatred.
Minato wanted to ask Kakashi about it, but he just hadn’t had the opportunity.
“I hope I get the chance to help Kakashi find his way back.”
As a teacher, Minato had always blamed himself for not protecting Kakashi properly. After learning about Kakashi’s situation, he still wanted to try and see if he could persuade Kakashi to turn back. After all, a person who had been willing to help an old lady from a young age should still have that essence deep down, shouldn’t he?
In addition, there were many questions that Kakashi would have for Itachi, right?
Minato looked at Kakashi, who was quieter than usual in the room. Unlike before, he didn’t have his Konoha headband sloping down. His left eye socket, previously belonging to the Sharingan, now had a normal eye inserted, and it was vacant as if he was lost in thought.
His attire was the same as always, except that the long-neglected ninja sword on his back was now exceptionally eye-catching.
“Finally, he’s back on the path that suits him best.” Minato thought.
As a top-tier Ninjas, Minato could see that the Sharingan, which other people coveted but had limited his development, wasn’t helping Kakashi. Instead, it had constrained him. But now, the rightful owner of the Sharingan had taken it back, which should be a relief for Kakashi. In the future, Kakashi will probably have many questions for Itachi.
Minato shook his head slightly, returning his gaze to the main issue:
“Since the Stone Ninjas are on guard, our strategy will shift to a more cautious approach. The Stone Ninjas have five thousand more Ninjas than us, coupled with well-known, high-level collaborative Ninjas arts on the battlefield. Our pressure will be significant. However…”
Here, Minato looked at the group of Konoha Ninjas present, his face filled with confidence: “This disadvantage is only temporary. It won’t be long before the Hokage, known throughout the Ninjas World, will personally join us. When that happens, it will be Konoha’s opportunity to counterattack.”
The Hokage’s prestige had already deeply penetrated the hearts of every Konoha Ninjas at this point.
At this moment, hearing Minato’s words, those who were aware of Cloud Village’s strength were naturally full of anticipation.
In an instant, the pressure of the two thousand Stone Ninjas forces closing in vanished.”
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