Chapter 202 (Patreon)

At the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Grass, the Konoha forces under Jiraiya’s command had established their camp in a forested mountain region roughly eight hundred meters from the border.

Inside the temporary command tent, Jiraiya sat alone at a wooden table, studying the map spread out before him.

Immediately after arriving the previous afternoon, he had dispatched a reconnaissance unit made up primarily of shinobi from the Hyūga and Aburame clans. Their mission was to cross into the Land of Grass and gather information on the enemy’s movements.

The report they brought back placed tremendous pressure on Jiraiya.

At least five thousand enemy shinobi had gathered inside the Land of Grass, and there could easily be more.

The Hyūga members of the reconnaissance unit had also detected someone within the enemy camp who was suspected to be a jinchūriki.

Two thousand against more than five thousand.

On top of that, the enemy had the Kage of two villages and at least one jinchūriki among their ranks.

The overwhelming difference in both numbers and combat strength weighed heavily on Jiraiya, the commander of Konoha’s western front.

His eyes remained fixed on the map, particularly the locations of the Kumogakure and Iwagakure camps discovered by the reconnaissance unit.

He needed to find a way to break the deadlock.

Kizaru had drawn a firm line: the combined casualties across the eastern and western fronts could not exceed five hundred.

Because of that restriction, Jiraiya was leaning toward using smaller groups of elite shinobi to strike the enemy while keeping Konoha’s losses to an absolute minimum.

Jiraiya hated war.

He also had no intention of losing to Orochimaru.

Ever since arriving, he had been searching for a way to end the conflict as quickly as possible without sacrificing too many lives.

“Jiraiya, we’ve received intelligence from the village.”

Homura Mitokado, the deputy commander of the western front, entered the tent.

He approached the table and handed Jiraiya the report he had just received.

The document contained the time and location of the Allied Shinobi Forces’ attack, along with the details of their initial offensive plan.

Surprise flashed through Jiraiya’s eyes.

He raised his head and looked at Homura without saying a word, but the question on his face was obvious.

How had the village obtained information this confidential?

“The source wasn’t mentioned,” Homura explained calmly. “But the village wouldn’t have sent it to us unless they were confident it was reliable.”

Despite his composed expression, Homura was just as curious as Jiraiya.

Had Konoha’s intelligence network somehow managed to infiltrate the enemy that deeply?

Or had cracks already begun to form within the alliance, with one of its factions secretly passing information to Konoha?

Those were the first possibilities that came to both men’s minds.

“If this intelligence is accurate, the enemy will attack tonight,” Jiraiya said, folding his arms as he sank into thought. “We need to prepare immediately.”

“This is a valuable opportunity,” Homura replied. “We can place traps along their planned route and repel them before they reach our camp.”

It was the safest and most conventional response.

Jiraiya remained silent, rubbing his chin with one hand.

He wasn’t satisfied with that plan.

Setting traps along the enemy’s route might allow them to repel the first wave, but it would also waste the advantage this intelligence had given them.

“No,” Jiraiya said at last. “We won’t place any traps along their approach.”

Homura narrowed his eyes slightly.

“We’ll let them come in first.”

“You mean we pretend we know nothing about the attack, allow them to advance, and then ambush them once they’re inside our position?”

“Exactly!”

“Jiraiya, we only have two thousand shinobi,” Homura warned. “The enemy has more than twice that number.”

It wasn’t that Homura lacked courage.

The difference in strength between the two sides was simply too great. If the enemy managed to break through their ambush, Konoha’s western front could collapse entirely.

Now that he was well into middle age, Homura preferred to avoid unnecessary risks.

“We may have fewer shinobi, but every person here was chosen from among Konoha’s elites,” Jiraiya replied. “The enemy won’t commit all five thousand troops to their first attack. They’ll send a vanguard to test our defenses.”

The more he spoke, the more confident he became.

“As long as we strike quickly enough, we can wipe out their vanguard before the rest of their forces have time to react.”

Jiraiya rose from his seat.

After considering his words, Homura realized that the plan had merit.

He offered no further objection and instead stepped closer to the table.

“Have you chosen a location for the ambush?”

“I’m still considering it.”

Jiraiya lowered his gaze to the map again.

Their fingers moved across the marked terrain as they carefully studied the surrounding area.

“Jiraiya, what do you think about this valley?”

Homura pointed toward a valley located approximately six hundred meters to the left of their current camp.

“The terrain is ideal,” Jiraiya admitted. “But how do we lure them into it?”

“We move the camp into the valley,” Homura replied with a faint smile. “Once the enemy sees it, they’ll come to us on their own.”

“You’re suggesting that we create a decoy camp inside the valley?”

Homura nodded.

“We’ll relocate the camp there. Once night falls, we can use shadow clones to make it appear as though all our forces are still inside.”

“That could work.”

Jiraiya’s expression brightened.

“We can also make use of Minato’s Flying Raijin Jutsu. We’ll leave a few real shinobi inside the camp so the enemy will have a harder time realizing it’s a trap.”

He struck the table with his palm.

“When the time comes, Minato and I will remain inside the command tent.”

Homura looked at Jiraiya but made no attempt to dissuade him.

He hadn’t forgotten the role entrusted to him. He was there to support Jiraiya and offer advice, not to interfere with every decision he made.

While Jiraiya and Homura finalized their ambush plan for later that night, the Third Tsuchikage and the Third Raikage were also holding one final discussion at the joint headquarters established by Kumogakure and Iwagakure.

“Third Raikage, your plan is far too reckless! I refuse to approve it!”

Ōnoki slammed his palm against the table and glared angrily at the Third Raikage.

“Your cautious advance will only give Konoha more time to respond,” the Third Raikage countered. “Look at the border of the Land of Fire. Konoha has already deployed its forces here. The longer we wait, the harder this war will become!”

He had no patience for Ōnoki’s overly cautious approach.

In the Third Raikage’s opinion, they needed to take advantage of Konoha’s current lack of preparation, concentrate their forces, and charge directly into the heart of the Land of Fire.

“Your plan may succeed at first,” Ōnoki argued. “But once Konoha recovers and responds, we’ll be surrounded deep inside their territory with no way to retreat!”

The Third Raikage’s recklessness infuriated him.

As far as Ōnoki was concerned, the man’s plan amounted to leading the entire allied force to its death.

Gathering the elites of two villages into a force of five thousand shinobi and charging directly into the Land of Fire would undoubtedly produce tremendous results in the early stages of the invasion.

They could destroy Konoha’s defenses and seize a vast amount of supplies in a very short time.

But what would happen afterward?

Once Konoha mobilized its forces and surrounded them, the Fourth Hokage would inevitably enter the battlefield.

If Kizaru personally took action, complete annihilation might be the only fate awaiting the allied army.

“Ōnoki!” the Third Raikage roared. “Have you forgotten the entire purpose of our alliance?”

His voice rose until it echoed throughout the tent.

“Our plan has always been to draw Kizaru out of Konoha, surround him, and kill him! We’ll lead our forces into the heart of the Land of Fire and destroy everything in our path as we advance eastward.”

He planted one fist on the table.

“Once we rendezvous with Kirigakure’s forces, we’ll have enough strength to surround Kizaru when he comes to stop us.”

“And what if Kizaru doesn’t come?” Ōnoki asked.

“If Kizaru refuses to appear, then who else in Konoha can stop a force made up of the strongest shinobi from three of the Five Great Shinobi Villages?”

The Third Raikage spoke with absolute confidence.

“When the time comes, we’ll combine our forces, break through Konoha’s encirclement, and fight our way back out!”

Ōnoki stopped objecting for a moment.

As reckless as the Third Raikage was, his argument actually made sense.

“Have you secured Kirigakure’s cooperation?” Ōnoki asked.

“Of course. When the time comes, the Fourth Mizukage will personally lead the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and join us.”

Kirigakure’s promised support was precisely what had given the Third Raikage enough confidence to propose such a dangerous plan.

“Have you considered what will happen to your village if we’re defeated?” Ōnoki reminded him.

“If the strongest shinobi from three great villages gather together and still lose to Kizaru, do you truly believe your slow and cautious plan would succeed?”

The Third Raikage looked at Ōnoki’s hesitation with disdain.

“Either way, we die. The only difference is whether it happens sooner or later.”

His expression became solemn.

“Before leaving Kumogakure, I gave the village one final order. If I’m defeated and killed during this battle, they are to surrender to Konoha immediately.”

The Third Raikage clenched his fist.

“They’ll swallow their pride, bow their heads, and accept defeat. Under no circumstances are they permitted to avenge me!”

Ōnoki stared silently at the Third Raikage.

The man might have been reckless, but Ōnoki couldn’t help respecting the resolve he had shown and the preparations he had made for the worst possible outcome.

“I agree to your plan!”

After hesitating again and again, Ōnoki finally gave his answer.

The moment the words left his mouth, he couldn’t help wondering if he had lost his mind.

He had actually chosen to entrust his life—and the fate of Iwagakure—to a man as reckless as the Third Raikage.

“Hahaha!”

The Third Raikage laughed heartily.

“Ōnoki, you finally sound like a Kage!”

“I have some arrangements to make.”

Not wanting to respond to the man’s taunting, Ōnoki turned around and flew toward the entrance of the tent.

The Third Raikage watched him leave with a faint smile.

He knew that the short, stubborn old man intended to follow his example and put his own affairs in order before the coming battle.