I am the most popular character in Naruto!

Orochimaru nodded to Jiraiya and said, "Who knows, the Seventh One might already have some results while we're still completely clueless."

"There's no other way; the journey is there, and we can't just fly there."

Jiraiya sighed and began to organize his ninja tools and equipment.

"I'll go and investigate first, and I'll keep you updated on the progress."

He looked at Orochimaru, rubbed his hands together, and said, "Do you have any long-range communication equipment here? I know you definitely do."

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow at Jiraiya and said irritably, "That thing is very precious. I only gave one portion to Jiraiya. What use is it to you?"

"Tsk tsk, that bracelet you gave Xiao Qianqiu is a long-distance communication device, isn't it?"

"Goodness, why don't you get one for me too? It'll be faster to contact each other and exchange information anytime."

Jiraiya rubbed his hands together, his eyes filled with envy as he spoke.

"Don't even think about it."

Orochimaru gave him a disdainful look. "I haven't even discussed the specific uses of the Purple Serpent Bracelet with Nana yet. Right now, it can only allow me to sense Nana's condition at any time and for me to initiate communication with her unilaterally."

"You idiot, you can't possibly imagine how much it costs to make a purple snake bracelet."

"Tch, if you don't want to give it to me, then don't."

Jiraiya withdrew his hand, pursed his lips, and said, "I think you should get the simple equipment ready as soon as possible. If we can connect intelligence like today's directly to our little strategist, a lot of problems can be solved at once."

"What's the use of equipment? Isn't ninjutsu better?"

Orochimaru shook his head speechlessly. Although he was a researcher, ninjutsu was quite useful. If something could be solved with ninjutsu, there was no need to use equipment.

He would only consider making a device if the ninjutsu used for long-distance communication was too energy-consuming or not suitable for everyone.

However, at this stage, everyone's communication relies on shouting and ninja beasts, so there is no need for advanced information transmission methods.

"Report!"

Just as Jiraiya was about to set off, another intelligence ninja appeared in front of the two of them.

"Our investigation has revealed that an Akatsuki organization has emerged in the Land of Rain, and it seems to have become the de facto ruler of the country!"

Chapter 255 Please Begin Your Performance

Due to limitations in communication equipment and intelligence transmission methods, only the three legendary Sannin of Konoha are currently aware of the Akatsuki's sudden emergence.

More specific information is still on its way and will likely take some time to reach Qianqiu.

After a night's rest, Qianqiu and the others resumed their journey.

Mount Kikyo is right in front of them; they should be able to reach the vicinity of the village on Mount Kikyo tonight.

As the distance between them continued to shrink, Qianqiu and his companions began to encounter patrol teams from the Land of Wind.

However, just as Nara Shikaku had predicted, the patrol teams from the Land of Wind did not take it particularly seriously. They did not even set up traps or hidden stakes on the spot to guard against ninja attacks. It seemed that they were just doing a perfunctory job and guarding against possible bandits and robbers.

Perhaps the general defending the Land of Wind also has his own ideas, such as believing that Konoha wants to attack Kikyo Mountain and may send a large army.

By sending a large army, they can detect the enemy at a sufficient distance, thus preventing them from defending.

After all, staying in one place is very energy-consuming and physically demanding.

If you can only be a thief for a thousand days, how can you prevent a thief for a thousand days?

Considering all these factors, the Land of Wind's vigilance and preparedness regarding Mount Kikyo were quite poor.

They had no idea that Konoha would actually dare to send just a few people to attack Kikyo Mountain.

This is outrageous; it's not a battle plan that an ordinary person could come up with.

In fact, without Chiaki as a powerful weapon, Nara Shikaku would not have chosen to carry out this plan.

After all, Kikyo Mountain is a small village, and with the ninjas stationed there for defense, there are over a thousand people.

To deal with the defense of over a thousand people, it would require at least several times their number of troops, or even more than twice their number of high-end combat forces, to have any chance of success.

The march of over a thousand people was obviously a major problem, as Mount Kikyo itself was a mountainous terrain that was easy to defend and difficult to attack.

Upon discovering the main force of Konoha, they requested reinforcements from the Land of Wind. After holding out for a period of time, once reinforcements arrived, the Land of Wind would be able to continuously wear down Konoha's offensive forces through Mount Kikyo, and use a certain number of ninjas to block Konoha from entering the area outside Mount Kikyo.

It must be said that this strategy was feasible in essence. In the original work, the Battle of Kikyo Mountain did indeed take a heavy toll on the Konoha ninja. The battle dragged on for an unknown amount of time before they finally managed to win.

With Qianqiu, there are many solutions available and that can be implemented.

After dodging one inattentive patrol of ninjas after another, Chiaki and his group easily arrived at the village near the top of Kikyo Mountain.

"The Sand Village's defense is just too weak..."

Choza Akimichi tried to tuck his obese body in, hiding behind a boulder and stealing a glance at the village on Mount Kikyo.

The village is not large, with only a dozen or so small thatched houses nestled there. A fence completely encloses the village, and outside the fence are fields planted with lush crops.

As darkness fell, the villagers gathered in the square, their faces filled with sorrow as they prepared food for the ninjas.

Military campaigns are inherently demanding and laborious, and preparing rations and accommodations for thousands of people is an even more troublesome matter.

Since there is a village to set up camp, it is much more convenient for ninjas.

They requisitioned farm tools and equipment, grain, and even houses; some even went so far as to requisition other people's wives.

Of course, for a regular army, the most they would do is requisition food and shelter during special periods; they would not do the last item.

Therefore, the villagers who were requisitioned are still quite upset.

They were perfectly fine, but they had to go to war. And not only that, they had to prepare food and shelter for the ninjas and provide their own things to help them out.

In the end, they don't even know if they can get their losses back.

Kikyo Mountain is a small village located between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire. It's a place where merchants often stop, and the villagers generally have a good impression of it from the perspective of the Land of Fire.

This war has put them in a very difficult position, caught in the middle, and they even hope that the higher-ups of the Land of Wind will not engage in conflict with the Land of Fire.

In the end, it is always the people who suffer from all the fighting.

“Poor defensive ability is understandable.”

Nara Shikaku said softly, "After all, the Land of Wind's home ground is in the desert, and skirmishes in mountain villages like this are not their forte."

"They have become accustomed to the desert's pattern of detecting the enemy from a great distance and then preparing for defense. They are also waiting for our Konoha troops to attack Kikyo Mountain so that they can detect us and take defensive action."

"However, we only had six people on the mission, so it was almost impossible for them to find us under those circumstances."

Chiaki lowered her body and looked at Nara Shikaku, asking, "So what do we do next?"

"Do it directly?"

"No no no."

Nara Shikaku quickly shook his head. "There is an old saying in the East: 'Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win every battle.' As long as we have all the information, we can deduce the further direction of the event."

"Therefore, our next task should be to find out all the defenses in this village, and then prepare to strike a fatal blow, so as not to let the garrison of the Wind Kingdom react."

Qianqiu shrugged. "Whatever you say, I'll do."

There was no other way; she hadn't learned any perception skills yet, so she could only rely on brute force.

"Okay, the first step is to conduct a covert search, and try to find out who is in charge of the garrison operations here and what their strength is."

Nara Shikaku held up one finger and said, "If this person isn't strong enough, we can have Shiki directly launch a large-scale perception and reconnaissance operation. The parasitic insects are a good helper."

"I see. Well, it's my turn now, right?"

Yamanaka Inoichi smiled, and Nara Shikaku nodded to him. "Of course, it's almost evening now, so the shadows can be stretched to their maximum length."

"Hehe, then let our little princess witness the strength of two of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio. As for me, I'll have to say something later."

Akimichi Choza chuckled, Aburame Shiki nodded slightly, and looked at Chiaki.

"emmmm..."

Chiaki touched the blood-stained scarf around her neck, stretched out a hand, and said, "Well then, Piggy and Deer Deer, please begin your performance!"

Chapter 256 Perfect Stealth

"What the heck is 'pig pig deer deer'...?"

Yamanaka Inoichi and Nara Shikaku exchanged a wry smile, then darted out in perfect unison, stealthily heading towards a lone ninja.

"Our strategist, you haven't taken action in a long time. You've been using your brain and mouth all the time. Have your skills fallen behind?"

Yamanaka Inoichi smiled and looked at Nara Shikaku. Nara Shikaku touched his nose and said with shame, "I am indeed lacking in strength. I will take advantage of the war to work harder and try to return to my previous level."

"Speaking of which, you weren't that good before..."

Yamanaka Inoichi and Nara Shikaku had already reached the ninja's back. Yamanaka Inoichi gave Nara Shikaku a look, and Nara Shikaku rolled his eyes at his good partner who was making sarcastic remarks to him. He quickly formed hand seals, and a special seal for secret techniques appeared in his hands.

"Secret technique! Shadow strangulation!"

The shadow beneath Nara Shikaku's feet suddenly lengthened, silently appearing behind the lone ninja. Then, the shadow transformed into a large, black hand, which climbed onto the ninja's body without the ninja noticing.

The shadowy figure grabbed the ninja by the neck and covered his mouth.

"Um..."

The lone ninja struggled in terror. The Nara clan's shadow techniques were truly silent; one would only realize what was happening after being hit.

His face first turned red, then began to turn blue, clearly indicating that he was suffocating from lack of oxygen.

"Hey, watch out, don't strangle him to death."

Yamanaka Inoichi gave Nara Shikaku a push, and Nara Shikaku quickly loosened his Shadow Strangle Technique, allowing the ninja to breathe greedily.

"Mistake, mistake. It's been too long since I've used my strength, and I couldn't quite control it."

"Ugh...help..."

Just as the ninja caught his breath and was about to call out, Yamanaka Inoichi immediately crossed his hands, aimed at him, and shouted, "Ninja Art! Mind Transfer Technique!"

Ugh

After a strange sound, Yamanaka Inoichi's body slumped to the ground, while the ninja trapped by the Shadow Strangle Technique stopped struggling and raised two fingers to Nara Shikaku in a coded gesture.

Clearly, Yamanaka Inoichi's Mind Transfer Technique was successfully activated, and the soul inside that ninja's body had been replaced by Yamanaka Inoichi.

Nara Shikaku canceled his shadow technique and turned to help Yamanaka Inoichi up.