Only I can make Konoha Village great again.

Orochimaru led the way, relying on his experience and summoned beasts to prevent the Konoha army from being attacked by a landslide.

Yamanaka Chugu walked at the back of the group, directing the ninjas to climb the mountain they passed and place a sufficient number of explosive tags in the cracks in the rocks.

When the Cloud Village pursuers catch up, an endless rain of rocks awaits them.

The Cloud Village pursuers were indeed slowed down significantly, and were instead pulled further and further away by the Leaf Village army.

The Fourth Raikage was furious, but he ultimately dared not lead only a few top-tier ninjas to pursue the Konoha army.

He was not afraid of Orochimaru, but he could not ignore Yamanaka Hatsukyu's command abilities.

Because he is the Fourth Raikage, he knows best the truth behind the Third Raikage's ability to "fight against ten thousand men single-handedly".

The Third Raikage meticulously selected specific terrain, exploited the Iwagakure ninja's impatience, and maximized all advantages to create a miraculous victory.

The powerful one is the Third Raikage, not the Lightning Release Chakra Mode.

If the Third Raikage had encountered Yamanaka Hatsukyu, let alone last three days and three nights, he would have had his chakra exhausted by the layered and continuous ninjutsu at most in half a day.

Then he will be killed by whatever comes along, just like any ordinary ninja.

Killer Bee understood this, but he was also worried about the safety of Kumogakure, and was extremely anxious: "The Konoha ninjas are too despicable! We... we can't catch up! What will happen to Kumogakure?"

The Fourth Raikage closed his eyes in anguish: "We can only rely on the two Yugitos, the ninjas left behind in the village, and the children from the Ninja Academy."

"If they can hold off the Konoha army for three days, we can catch up, attack the Konoha army from both sides, and annihilate them."

But the higher-ups at Cloud Village all knew that this was impossible.

But as the Konoha army drew ever closer to Kumogakure, they had no way to stop them. They could only console themselves with this hope to avoid being driven mad by despair prematurely.

Since the Cloud Village ninjas were about to go crazy, Orochimaru and Yamanaka Hatsukyu were naturally very happy.

They even had the leisure to discuss Konoha Village and the conflict between the Third Hokage and the Hyuga clan.

Upon returning to the mountain, he suddenly asked, "Orochimaru-sensei, do you think Hiruzen Sarutobi knows that we've reached the Land of Lightning and are about to threaten Kumogakure?"

Orochimaru thought for a moment and replied, "We've been gone for three days. Sarutobi-sensei must know we've left, but he certainly can't guess what we're up to, let alone know that we've already reached the Land of Lightning."

"Wait a minute, what kind of mischief are you plotting, kid?"

Yamanaka Chukyu laughed: "Orochimaru-sensei, you understand me better and better."

"I was thinking, if you were to send back all the news to Konoha about where you were, what victories you had achieved in the past three days, and what amazing things you were going to do next, just how much of a storm would that cause?"

Orochimaru: "..."

"You're really ruthless, kid. You never let up on your persecution of my Sarutobi-sensei for a moment."

A sharp glint flashed in Yamanaka Hatsuyu's eyes: "There's no way around it, the Third Hokage is my enemy."

"Even though the most pressing enemy right now is Kumogakure, and we need to ease the tensions within the village, we can't just let Hiruzen Sarutobi cause trouble from behind."

"He has a criminal record. During the Second Shinobi World War, our Konoha Village clearly won the war, but Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't want any benefits, just to achieve peace a few days earlier."

"I wasn't old enough to fight in the last war, and I didn't contribute to the village, so I have no right to say anything."

"I went to the battlefield and poured my heart and soul into this war. I won't allow Hiruzen Sarutobi to squander the fruits of my labor!"

Orochimaru shook his head helplessly: "Alright, since it's my good student's request, I'll reluctantly help you out."

Yamanaka Chukyu: "Orochimaru-sensei, if you could speak without smiling, I might believe you a little more."

The master and apprentice looked at each other, then burst into laughter at the same time.

Hearing their laughter boosted the confidence of the Konoha ninjas even further.

……

It was just dawn in Konoha Village.

The air was still damp with morning mist, and the Hyuga clan's counterattack had begun.

Byakugan ninjas appeared throughout the village, from the Hokage Building plaza to the Ninja Academy, from bustling commercial streets to the Jonin single dormitories, and in the settlements of various ninja clans.

The Hinatas wrote large characters in thick black ink and pasted them on walls, utility poles, and anywhere else they could.

The Hyuga clan ninjas had clear divisions of labor and worked efficiently, quickly completing their tasks.

Make sure the villagers of Konoha can see it as soon as they step outside.

Not only that, they were also dressed in white clothes with the Hyuga family crest, standing at busy intersections, handing out cards to everyone they met.

At the same time, he pleaded without any arrogance: "Please, fellow Konoha comrades, take a look! See the truth behind the deaths of the Cloud Village ninjas, see the grievances suffered by our Hyuga clan, and see the thoughts of Konoha's higher-ups!"

Whether it was the large posters or the distributed paper, they all told the same story: a Cloud Village ninja infiltrated the Hyuga clan to steal the Byakugan's bloodline limit, but was killed after his whereabouts were exposed. The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sacrificed members of the Hyuga clan to appease the defeated Cloud Village in exchange for peace.

The words contained no emotion, only a calm statement, yet they struck a chord with the most sensitive spots in the hearts of the Konoha ninjas and villagers.

That is the pride of being a member of Konoha.

So, we Konoha ninjas risked our lives and fought desperately on the front lines to win the war, yet the Third Hokage groveled and begged for mercy from the defeated Kumogakure?

Is this something the Hokage should be doing?

The Hyuga ninja solemnly declared: "The Hyuga clan is willing to sacrifice themselves to protect Konoha, but will never bow down to the enemy. We would rather die on the battlefield than be slaughtered in the village!"

Soon, Hyuga's actions caused a huge uproar in Konoha.

The early-rising villagers gathered together to discuss the matter, their initial confusion and surprise quickly turning into anger.

"What? The Cloud Village attacked first?"

"How could the Third Hokage force the Hyuga clan to die to appease the defeated Kumogakure?"

"I may not like the Hinata's arrogance, but they are our people!"

"But these past few days I've been hearing people say that Hyuga deliberately killed Kumogakure ninja, I wonder what he's up to..."

"You're such an idiot. What good would killing Kumogakure do for the Hyuga clan?"

"No……"

"Why would someone deliberately kill a Cloud Village ninja for no benefit? The Hyuga aren't stupid; this must be a rumor!"

"Not only are they bullied by Kumogakure and oppressed by the Third Hokage, but they're also being slandered! This is outrageous! The Hyuga are comrades fighting for Konoha!"

The ninjas reacted even more strongly.

Many genin and chunin saw the poster and their expressions turned serious.

Many of them had fought alongside the Hyuga ninja and knew the Hyuga clan's loyalty and bravery, so they naturally believed the Hyuga's words.

Upon learning that the higher-ups had ignored Hinata's sacrifice, he couldn't suppress his suspicions.

If even the Hyuga clan can betray us, what about me?