I am the most popular character in Naruto!

Tsuchidai quickly stepped forward and tried to persuade Ai, "At this stage, no one knows the young master's whereabouts, and we can't be sure that he was captured by Iwagakure!"

As Raikage's most trusted courtier and confidant, Tsuchida wielded considerable influence over A.

Before this attack of AIDS, Tu Tai had already persuaded him at least three times.

"Tutai, you've told me to calm down time and time again, but how can I calm down in this situation!"

The Third Raikage, A, was born with a fiery temper. It was quite remarkable that he listened to Tsuchida's advice three times over a period of a month.

Tu Tai himself knew that he probably couldn't persuade him this time, so he could only sigh inwardly.

The overall fighting strength of Kumogakure in the Land of Lightning is very strong, but it lacks a strategist like Shikaku Nara or Ebizo.

Tu Tai knew that although he had some strategic abilities, he was still far inferior to those two charlatans.

If intelligence and strategic abilities were to be represented numerically, then Nara Shikaku and Ebizo's strategic abilities would be at least 95, while the future Nara Shikamaru would definitely have a strategic ability of 99.

As for Tsuchida's strategy value, it's only 80, which is only considered above average, and he's not even as good as Onoki.

Based on current intelligence, it has been confirmed that the Land of Earth's granary was destroyed by Aiolia and Killer Bee; this news was reported a month ago.

Even taking into account the delay in information transmission and the need for rest and recuperation along the way, Aiolia and Killer Bee should have returned to their base camp in Kumogakure, the Hidden Cloud Village of the Land of Lightning by now.

But now, so much time has passed, and given Xiao Ai's speed, she still hasn't appeared at the base camp. This is too illogical.

The only possibility is that the damned Konoha sent a message saying that Iwagakure has taken control of Aiolia and Killer Bee and is now inhumanely torturing them.

Nara Shikaku from Konoha is really annoying. He sends out the latest intelligence almost every few days, as if he's afraid the Third Raikage won't know.

A while ago, A noticed the chakra fluctuations of the tailed beasts coming from the Land of Earth; it was clearly the chakra of the Eight-Tails.

In other words, Killer Bee and Aiolia have definitely been pushed to their limits, and have even used the Tailed Beasts as a powerful weapon.

Even so, they still haven't returned to their base camp, so something must have gone wrong.

"Lord Ai, let's wait a little longer... Young Master shouldn't be able to lose..."

Tu Tai spoke weakly to Ai, but Ai simply patted his shoulder heavily, "You've done very well, there's no need to persuade me anymore, I understand."

"Even if it's a trap, I'll step on it. That's what I should do as the Raikage and as a father."

The Hidden Cloud Village is quite different from other ninja villages. They place great importance on individual bravery and also deeply admire loyalty and camaraderie. It can be said that they embody the spirit of Yakuza.

The news that Aiolia and Killer Bee burned down the Land of Earth's grain depot had already spread far and wide, and the entire Hidden Cloud Village was indignant, approving of Aiolia's actions.

To them, audacity and immense strength are nothing short of Raikage...

No, it should be said that it is the ability and essence that a leader should possess.

Anyone can be the Raikage, but you must be respected by the people.

The Third Raikage, A, thought the same way, so he announced that A had burned down the grain depot to increase A's popularity and public support. This way, when he grew old and retired, A could gain the recognition of the people of the Land of Lightning based on these achievements.

However, with Aiolia and Killer Bee still not returning and no positive news being received, instead, information from Konoha has arrived.

The people below were already in a frenzy, eager to storm the Land of Earth and rescue Ai.

Ai and Tutai have already pushed things to their limit three times; any further pressure could very likely provoke a rebellion from the people below.

In the world of Taoism, there must be rules.

If a leader hesitates to rescue his own son, who will follow him?

"……Yes."

Tsuchida lowered his head helplessly. If he possessed the power to change the course of the battle, or the intelligence to turn the tide, then the Third Raikage, Lord A, whom he revered and was willing to give everything for, would not have needed to be so forced.

"If anything happens to me, before that brat takes over, the future of Tsuchikage and Kumogakure will depend on you."

With a carefree smile, Ai spoke nonchalantly to the earthen platform.

As the strongest shield and spear in the ninja world, the strongest in the Land of Lightning, and the spiritual leader of countless people, how could Tsuchida not burst into tears and hate his own powerlessness when he uttered such words?

"The Third Raikage-sama!"

Tu Tai immediately knelt down before Ai and said with deep sorrow, "Tu Tai hopes for your great victory!"

"Hahaha, that old geezer Onoki is no easy opponent, especially with the high-ranking generals from Konoha on top of that..."

The Third Raikage, A, chuckled and clapped his hands, sweeping his long golden hair back with a carefree air. He grinned and said, "Being able to face two opponents like these, dying on the battlefield might even be a kind of romance!"

"Please don't say that..."

Tu Tai lowered his head even further. He really wanted to do something for Ai, but there were some things that only Ai could do alone.

"report!"

Whizzing

Suddenly, two ANBU appeared in front of Tsuchikage and the Third Raikage, A.

"Ok?"

Ai gave a soft snort, and Tu Tai quickly wiped the tears from his face, got up from the ground, and stood behind Ai.

"Come one by one."

Ai gestured to the two ANBU members, who exchanged a glance and then said in unison, "The Konoha army is advancing! We expect to engage them in close combat within two hours!"

"The Iwagakure army is advancing! They are expected to engage us in close combat within an hour!"

"Alright, let's attack from both sides simultaneously, a pincer movement."

The Third Raikage, Ai, laughed heartily, "Good! Very good!"

"It seems that Nara Shikaku of Konoha is quite honest and did not deceive me."

"So, that old bastard Onoki really did kidnap my son?"

Tu Tai frowned, his intuition telling him that something was wrong, but his intelligence wasn't enough to pinpoint the problem, so he could only sigh deeply.

"Tutai, what do you think we should do next?"

Ai turned his head to the earthen platform and asked, "What if we're in a situation where we're sandwiched between two sides..."

Chapter 295 That Old Man Is Very Wicked

On one hand, the Land of Lightning needs to fulfill its righteousness and must rescue Aiolia, who has been captured by the Land of Earth.

On the other hand, the Land of Lightning also faces military challenges from being sandwiched between Iwagakure and Konoha.

In this situation, there's really not much that can be done.

"If that's the case..."

"The best course of action is to send elite troops to the Land of Earth for rescue, and then have the main force withdraw from the direction of Konoha..."

Tsuchitai offered a conservative suggestion: "The Land of Earth has 10,000 troops on the front lines, while Konoha only has 5,000. Although we have the fighting strength of 10,000 ninjas, we obviously cannot withstand being surrounded from both sides."

"We can only fight and retreat, and we must trust that the young master will be able to return successfully. Preserving our army's fighting strength is our priority..."

"I'm so sorry... this is all I can do..."

Tsuchikage said dejectedly, while the Third Raikage, A, calmly patted Tsuchikage on the shoulder. "It's alright. Compared to me, who can't think of anything, you've done very well."

"Then, let's proceed according to your plan, Tsuchitai."

"However, I have another idea."

As Ai spoke calmly, Tu Tai quickly bowed and said, "Please speak frankly about your thoughts."

"I'll go and meet those ten thousand from the Land of Earth by myself. The rest of you, withdraw from Konoha and preserve your fighting strength."

A surge of heroic spirit emanated from the Third Raikage, A, as he spoke with resounding conviction.

Tu Tai was startled and immediately cried out, "No! Lord Ai!"

"Please think it over carefully! One person against an army of ten thousand! How is that possible!"

After saying this, Tu Tai realized something was wrong and quickly said, "Of course, I'm not questioning your strength, it's just that this is too shocking..."

"Appalling?"

The Third Raikage, A, chuckled. "My son can take on five hundred by himself, while a little girl from Konoha next door can take on a thousand by herself."

"As the Third Raikage, am I not capable of taking on ten thousand men single-handedly?!"

With a wave of his hand, he regarded the ten thousand ninjas as dirt, attempting to overthrow the entire army of the Land of Earth single-handedly. It was as if he had drawn his sword and his heroic spirit soared to the sky.

One man can be worth ten thousand soldiers, with golden spears and iron horses, his spirit can swallow ten thousand miles like a tiger!

Tsuchida was speechless, stunned by the Third Raikage A's extremely confident speech. His words contained boundless confidence, as if he could truly force the Land of Earth's 10,000-strong army to a standstill.

"Lord Ai..."

Tu Tai shook his head for a moment, then gave a wry smile.

He had truly lost his mind; after Ai said those words, he actually felt an overwhelming sense of agreement.

Ai's personal charisma and leadership skills have truly reached an extreme, to the point that Tsuchita has become a complete fanatic of his.

But emotions are emotions, and reality is reality. If someone were to claim that they could withstand an army of ten thousand, Tu Tai would never believe it.

Tu Tai took a deep breath, suppressing his feelings of reverence. Reason returned, and he spoke to Ai from a realistic perspective:

"My lord, I still suggest..."

However, before Tu Tai could finish speaking, an old but powerful voice came from mid-air.

"I am Onoki, the Third Tsuchikage of Iwagakure in the Land of Earth, also known as the Two Scales!"

"Third Raikage A, please come out and meet with this old man!"

"!!!"

The entire camp of the Land of Lightning was blown up, and the whole camp was in chaos. Some people were so agitated that they were swearing at the sky, and some even spitting out lightning.

Floating in mid-air, Onoki manipulated his body to move, dodging lightning, saliva, debris, and trash, feeling increasingly unwell.

Besides the physical harm that was rather powerless against him, the fragrant words of greeting to his relatives also infuriated him.

Even though they knew that the musclemen of Kumogakure were brainless idiots, and that anything could happen on the battlefield, it wouldn't be surprising.

But deep down, I still felt a strong sense of displeasure.

Damn it, I went to great lengths to prevent the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning from falling into Konoha's trap, even risking my life to come to your base to warn you, and this is the treatment I get?