Only I can make Konoha Village great again.

As Hyuga Hiashi went all out and laid everything out in the open, Hyuga's grievances and frustrations became the grievances and frustrations of the entire Hidden Leaf Village.

The pain of the Konoha ninjas traveled on the wind to the Sakurahara battlefield, thousands of miles away.

Although Orochimaru was not in Konoha, he completely grasped all the changes in Konoha through the spies he left behind and his strange ninjutsu.

Yamanaka Chukyu had anticipated these changes and focused solely on Orochimaru's methods from beginning to end. While being shocked by his teacher, he continuously revised his plans.

The Third Hokage's indecisiveness and indifference contributed to the injustice suffered by the Hyuga clan, and the Hyuga abandoned their pointless pride, turning it into the frustration of being Konoha ninjas.

This became the first breach in Hiruzen Sarutobi's prestige, and also a prerequisite for saving Hizashi Hyuga.

But once the prerequisites are met, the key shifts from Konoha Village to Sakurahara.

Sakurahara Fortress had been reduced to ruins. Yamanaka Hatsukyu stood on a large tree, gazing at the broken walls and rubble from afar.

He turned to Orochimaru behind him and said, "Master, do you think that if the two of us join forces, we can defeat the Cloud Village army, reclaim Sakurahara, and force them to withdraw from the Land of Fire?"

Orochimaru pointed to his own nose: "You and me?"

"Young man, did you miss it before and now want to see for yourself how pathetic your teacher is in front of the Fourth Raikage?"

"I'm not afraid of the Fourth Raikage, but in a head-on battle, I'm definitely no match for him."

"You are definitely no match for Killer Bee."

Shan Zhong Chu Jiu said, "Yes, but why should we, master and disciple, clash with the AB combination?"

Orochimaru: "Hmm?"

Yamanaka Chuuku laughed: "Orochimaru-sensei, do you think he'd dare charge straight into Konoha if we didn't confront the Fourth Raikage here?"

"Can these demoralized, poorly clothed, and exhausted Cloud Village ninjas, led by two Kage-level ninjas, conquer Konoha Village?"

Orochimaru answered without hesitation, "Impossible!"

"Konoha Village isn't that fragile! My teacher, Sarutobi, isn't as weak as he thinks!"

Yamanaka Chukyu then asked, "And what about our Konoha army?"

"We have ample food, ample equipment, high morale, and plenty of stamina. Can we use four thousand troops to break through the Land of Soup and the Land of Moon, and then storm into the Land of Thunder?"

"Will we be able to take down Kumogakure in the end?"

Orochimaru laughed, but his laughter quickly stopped, replaced by shock: "How...how is this possible? It's possible!"

"Your command allows the army to move through enemy territory as if it were nothing..."

"We're in a condition where we can make long-distance raids..."

"My [Ten Thousand Serpent Poison Formation] excels at breaching immovable fortresses, strongholds, and ninja villages..."

"It really...can be done!"

Yamanaka Chujiu smiled: "If our teacher says we can take down Kumogakure, then we definitely can."

"When the Hidden Cloud Village cannot be conquered, it is the foundation and support of the Hidden Cloud Army. But when it can be conquered, it becomes the most fatal weakness of the Hidden Cloud Village, a vital point that the Fourth Raikage has no choice but to save."

"By attacking where they must defend, our army can directly seize Kumogakure, or ambush the Kumogakure army at will. We can fight however we want!"

Yamanaka Chuji clenched his fists: "Victory will inevitably belong to Konoha Village. The only difference is when and where it will be achieved."

Orochimaru understood Yamanaka Hatsukyu's plan. He was mesmerized, feeling as if someone had opened a hole in his head and he was seeing a vast new world through it.

But to sum it up in one sentence: How could a war be fought like this?

How could the outcome of a ninja village's battles be decided without relying on Kage-level ninjas at all?

Orochimaru stuck out his tongue, licked his cheek, and then his eyes lit up. Finally, he made up his mind.

He gritted his teeth and shouted, "The ninth day in the mountains!"

Chu Jiu was taken aback: "Teacher, what's wrong?"

Orochimaru grinned menacingly, "Being your teacher has been a hundred times more difficult for me!"

"Let's proceed with your plan!"

"Four thousand five hundred Konoha ninjas advanced, breaking through three countries in succession, and capturing the second strongest ninja village in the world, Kumogakure..."

"Let's go crazy!!"

Overjoyed on the ninth day of the lunar month, Shan Zhong raised his hands and shouted, "Let's go crazy this once!!"

His fanatical emotions spread along the Heart Severing Boundary, infecting all the Konoha ninja and triggering an emotional uproar.

If someone else were leading the team, such an emotional outburst would inevitably escalate into a major incident.

However, under Yamanaka Hatsukyu's control, the Konoha ninja's emotional outburst was transformed into surging morale and an infinite desire for victory.

"attack!"

"Invade the Land of Lightning!"

"Konoha ninjas shouldn't just focus on defense!"

"Attack Kumogakure!"

"Destroy Kumogakure and secure complete peace in one battle!"

"Capture the two Yugito alive!"

"...Who is it, so thirsty?"

"Ha ha ha ha!"

The Konoha ninja went from excitement to frenzy, and in the end, even Yamanaka Hatsukyu couldn't completely control himself, so he could only let loose a little and allow everyone to vent their emotions.

One after another, fireballs were released into the sky, creating a series of explosions.

The roar and cheers echoed through the sky. The Konoha ninjas' commotion was so great that the Kumogakure ninjas naturally noticed it.

However, the Cloud Village army was also extremely nervous as a result, and dispatched a large number of ninjas for reconnaissance and vigilance.

Yamanaka Chukyu discovered this and countered by sending out a raiding squad to precisely eliminate individual Cloud Village ninjas and to wipe out organized Cloud Village squads.

In just two hours, the Fourth Raikage was dismayed to discover that he had lost more than three hundred elite ninjas.

Enraged, the Fourth Raikage charged before the Konoha army, demanding of Orochimaru, "We have already sued for peace, why did you still dare to kill Kumogakure ninja?"

Orochimaru replied dismissively, "You are the Raikage of Kumogakure, and I am Orochimaru of Konoha. What right do you have to question me?"

"You're only seeking peace, and our Konoha Village hasn't accepted it yet. So what if I launch an attack?"

The enraged Fourth Raikage challenged Orochimaru to a duel, but Orochimaru commanded his entire army to bombard the Raikage, forcibly driving him away.

No matter how strong the Fourth Raikage was, he was still just a ninja, and his defense was insufficient to withstand the ninjutsu of thousands of ninjas.

Even the Third Raikage, with his stronger defenses, was able to hold out for three days and three nights by using the terrain to limit the Iwagakure ninja's abilities.

If the battle were fought on a plain, even if the Third Raikage's defense were ten times stronger, he would still be surrounded and sealed away.

After all this commotion, the Fourth Raikage concluded that Orochimaru's unusual actions were most likely an attempt to lure him into launching an attack and disrupt Konoha's negotiations.

Therefore, he decided to consolidate the entire army and not give Konoha Village the opportunity to launch a night attack.

The Konoha army's attack route thus became an easy path.