Naruto: Starting from the Reincarnation of the Otsutsuki

Chapter 88 I'm never afraid of being discouraged

The boundless sea of ​​sand was abruptly severed by some invisible force at this moment.

The road, covered in endless yellow sand, stretched to the border between the two countries and then abruptly ended.

The scene was as if the heavens themselves had drawn a boundary here, completely separating the desolation of the Land of Wind from the lushness of the Land of Rivers.

On one side are scorching sand dunes and cracked earth, and on the other side are the shadowy, undulating forests.

In the far distance, the firelight in the depths of the forest flickered, like restless eyes beating in the darkness.

Meanwhile, inside the Sunagakure's temporary camp, the atmosphere was already extremely tense.

"Lady Yekura, we can't wait any longer!"

"Lord Kazekage is weakened from sealing Shukaku, and the village is in a state of panic. If we continue to defend passively, Sunagakure will truly be dragged down!"

"good!"

"Those guys from Kumogakure are also taking advantage of the chaos to harass the border, clearly trying to bite us when we're at our weakest. Now Konoha is pressing closer and closer towards the Land of Rivers. If we lose this battle again—"

"The Sand Village will probably only have one name left."

Everyone present was dressed in tattered armor and covered in dust.

Some people rushed to the meeting even before their wounds had been properly bandaged.

Clearly, they had just gone through a fierce and bloody battle.

Exhaustion, anger, anxiety, and fear of the village's future were evident on everyone's face.

But most people still pinned their hopes on Yekura, whose expression was calm, even indifferent.

In this tent filled with anxiety and oppression, she seemed to be the only one who was not overwhelmed by emotions.

Is Yekura truly so calm?

No.

At this moment, Ye Cang was under more pressure than anyone else present.

Deep within those beautiful, curved eyes lay a hint of darkness that almost no one noticed.

The Konoha delegation had just arrived when Shukaku went berserk.

Immediately afterwards, the Konoha army from the direction of the Land of Rivers suddenly launched an attack.

This series of unexpected events is far too coincidental.

The coincidences were so striking that no evidence was needed to detect the presence of a conspiracy.

Even a fool could tell that this was all orchestrated by that stinky snake.

"Disgusting stinking snake..."

""

Ye Cang cursed coldly in his heart, but his face remained completely expressionless.

Rasa exhausted his chakra to seal Shukaku, leaving him extremely weak and still unconscious.

With no leader in sight, the village could only temporarily rely on Elder Chiyo and Elder Ebizo to maintain order in the rear.

Under these circumstances, she was pushed to the front line to shoulder the heavy responsibility of resisting Konoha's attack.

All eyes were on her.

Anxiety, anticipation, doubt, and hope.

Ye Cang knew that he couldn't afford to panic at this moment.

Even with a heavy heart, she had to be calmer than anyone else.

"Orochimaru's forces aren't as numerous as I thought—" She quickly sorted through the available intelligence in her mind, pondering to herself.

Although Konoha launched an attack while Shukaku was in a rampage, judging from the size of the forces they have encountered so far, the enemy may not be their true main force.

By now, the Third Shinobi World War has dragged on to exhaustion for all the major shinobi villages.

Konoha may still appear strong, but it has to contend with pressure from multiple forces, including Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Kirigakure, and it cannot easily mobilize its full main force.

More importantly, Elder Ebizo had privately told her before that the forces Konoha had deployed to the Land of Rivers were likely temporary units pieced together from various defense zones, rather than a fully-fledged main force.

While Sunagakure's overall size is indeed smaller than Konoha's, in terms of the individual quality and fighting spirit of its elite ninjas, Sunagakure is by no means lacking in the ability to put up a fight.

As long as we can figure out Orochimaru's true defensive setup, as long as we can seize the opportunity when he overextends—

This battle is not without the possibility of a comeback.

"Continue to gather intelligence and confirm Konoha's true troop strength and defenses."

Yekura calmly ordered, "I need to know Konoha's true troop strength, logistical routes, encampment locations, and Orochimaru's location."

"Any rash attack before understanding the enemy's strength is just suicide."

"But when we have a complete understanding of Konoha's defenses, that will be the time for Sunagakure to strike back."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions brightened slightly, and even their previous anxiety subsided somewhat.

Ye Cang slowly rose, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the tent, and finally said in a deep voice, "I'll leave the command and coordination to you all from now on."

"As for the front lines, I will go there myself."

Splash—

Cold water was poured on the head.

A bone-chilling cold instantly spread from the top of his head to his entire body, as the water washed over Hyuga Hiashi's bare upper body.

Finally, it crashed heavily onto the bluestone ground of the courtyard, splashing up a spray of fine water.

"My husband, you—"

Hinata Ayano, standing to the side, held the empty red lacquered basin in both hands, her delicate brows furrowed.

Looking at her husband's current state, her lips parted slightly, but she didn't know how to express the worries in her heart.

Hiashi Hyuga is not one to lose his composure easily.

In Ayano's memory, Hiashi was always calm and composed.

Even as the Hyuga clan's situation in the village became increasingly precarious, he never showed the slightest sign of panic in front of others.

That's precisely why the scene before her made her even more uneasy.

Although it was hot outside, it was far from hot enough to make someone pour buckets of cold water on themselves.

Moreover, the expression on Hijikata's face at this moment did not seem like he was simply trying to cool off.

"Another pot, please!"

"I'm never afraid of being discouraged."

Hinata Ayano paused, taken aback.

Looking into her husband's white eyes, she ultimately gave up trying to persuade him. Instead, she turned and nodded gently to the servant standing nearby, signaling him to fetch another basin of cold water.

In the courtyard, only the sound of dripping water could be heard for a moment.

Hiashi Hyuga stood still, letting the cold water seep into his skin little by little.

His mind became clearer than ever before in the chill.

He kept recalling the words Hiruzen Sarutobi had spoken during the secret meeting with the heads of various clans in the Hokage's office that evening.

"Uchiha Madara is still alive."

"The theft of the Byakugan may be related to Madara Uchiha, and there may have been some kind of connection between Madara and Ao before."

Hiashi Hyuga carefully considered these messages.

The Hyuga clan's situation in Konoha Village is becoming increasingly precarious.

Lower-ranking ninjas, as well as ordinary ninjas who frequently undertake high-risk missions, are still willing to team up with the Hyuga clan and, to some extent, still trust the Byakugan's reconnaissance and support abilities.

But the situation is different at higher levels.

Those clan ninjas, clan heads, and key figures in the village who were truly qualified to participate in the distribution of power had begun to intentionally or unintentionally distance themselves from the Hyuga clan.

Theft with a white eye.

The existence of green.

In addition, there were some vague suspicions among the villagers.

The combination of these events has made the attitudes of other families towards the Hyuga clan increasingly delicate.

Now, Hiashi Hyuga faces yet another choice.

A choice you absolutely cannot make again.

In a daze, Hiruzen Sarutobi's solemn words in the Hokage's office echoed in his ears once again.

"Hiashi, the village needs you now."

"Whether Madara Uchiha is truly still alive, or someone is using his name to act in secret, at least one thing is certain—"

There is always some connection between him and Qing.

"The village has received confirmation and is preparing to set off immediately to encircle and eliminate the target suspected to be Uchiha Madara."

"I hope you can put aside past grievances for now and stand with the village."

"Let's work together to capture this person who has been hiding in the shadows, causing harm to Konoha."

Splash—

Another bucket of cold water was suddenly poured over his head.

A sudden chill ran through his body, completely dispelling the last trace of hesitation in Hyuga Hiashi.

"I hope this decision of mine won't be a mistake."

The next moment, he quickly formed hand seals, his chakra circulated within him, and the water droplets adhering to his body were instantly evaporated into wisps of white mist, which then dissipated.

When the fog cleared, he had already changed into the standard uniform of a Konoha Jonin.

His clothes were neatly arranged, and his forehead protector was upright.

He transformed back into the composed and aloof head of the Hyuga clan.

Hyuga Hiashi stepped out of the courtyard.

Outside the courtyard, several elders of the clan had been waiting for a long time, and their expressions were not good.

Clearly, the main branch of the family did not agree with Hiashi's decision to personally go to the battlefield.

Some even believe that he had no need to heed the call from the Hokage Building.

The Hyuga clan is already in a precarious situation, and if Hiashi, the head of the main family, were to suffer an accident on the battlefield, the entire Hyuga clan could face even greater turmoil.

However, all these attempts to dissuade them were ultimately rejected by Japan.

"Elder Higo, I'll leave the matters of the clan's territory to you and Hizashi," Hiashi Hyuga ordered in a deep voice.

"Hiashi..." Upon hearing this, Higo Hyuga's expression turned even more grim. "What exactly did the Third Hokage say to you that made you like this?"

He genuinely couldn't understand it.

Since returning from the Hokage Building that evening, Hiashi Hyuga seems to have changed completely.

This change became even more pronounced after he proposed to personally go to the battlefield in Sunagakure.

The problem is that, apart from Hiashi Hyuga himself, no one in the entire Hyuga main family knows what Hiruzen Sarutobi said to him.

All they knew was that Hiashi made this decision after returning.

No.

To be more precise, the number of people who know the inside story is very small, only a handful in the entire Hidden Leaf Village.

Apart from the members of the encirclement team personally selected by Hiruzen Sarutobi, only a very few high-ranking members of Konoha knew the details.

Because this was a truly top-secret operation.

"Lord Hokage, an urgent report from Kikyo Mountain."

The night was deep.

At the top of the Hokage Rock, a cold wind swept across the rock wall, also stirring the black armor on Hiruzen Sarutobi's body.

Anbu member "Elephant" knelt on one knee and reported the intelligence he had just received to the Third Hokage, who was clad in armor and exuded a chilling aura.

"According to the latest news from the front lines, Lord Orochimaru has defeated the Sand Village army in the Land of Rivers and is currently stationed within the territory of the Land of Rivers."

"Furthermore, we have learned from the ninjas who returned from the mountain graveyard and the Kannabi Bridge that we have found definite traces."

""

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi did not turn around, but simply gazed silently toward the Land of Rivers.

The tailed beasts went berserk, Konoha seized the opportunity to attack, the Sand Village's defenses collapsed, and Orochimaru established a foothold in the Land of Rivers, leaving no clear trace.

This series of changes, occurring almost simultaneously, is like a pre-woven net, silently pushing the entire war to a new turning point.

"What on earth are you thinking, Orochimaru—"

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed softly to himself.

He never imagined that simply sending Orochimaru to garrison Mount Kikyo and negotiate peace with Sunagakure would trigger this series of dramatic changes.

Of course, Hiruzen Sarutobi understood this as well.

Weakness and concessions can never bring true peace.

Negotiations between ninjas are ultimately based on strength.

Only by demonstrating a sufficiently tough stance before negotiations can one be qualified to sit down at the table and negotiate terms with the other party.

But this approach of first hurting the opponent and then negotiating also requires careful timing.

Orochimaru's actions this time were too sudden and too aggressive.

Before Hiruzen Sarutobi could fully grasp the situation, everything suddenly collided.

The theft of Sunagakure, Madara Uchiha, Ao, and Byakugan, along with the prophecy of Mount Myōboku —

The more you try to sort it out, the more complicated it becomes.

"So this is the choice the Great Toad Sage was talking about—"

Hiruzen Sarutobi lowered his eyes, the prophecy from Mount Myōboku appearing in his mind.

A single step could mean utter defeat.

Now, he has two choices.

Should we temporarily abandon the pursuit of "Uchiha Madara" and instead support Orochimaru to stabilize the war situation in the Land of Rivers?

Do you still believe that Orochimaru can handle the current situation and continue to pursue the enemy hiding in the shadows?

Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent for a long time.

Just then, several figures quickly arrived from a distance.

Apart from Danzo, who is far away in Amegakure, almost all the heads of the major clans in Konoha have arrived.

Uchiha Fugaku, who rushed to "sacrifice his own family for the greater good," Hyuga Hiashi, who arrived late but with a cold expression, and Aburame Ryoma, who came on behalf of Daizo.

Konoha's top fighting force has almost been assembled.

Even among the five great nations, this squad's configuration would be enough to make any Kage-level figure wary.

Two choices —

In truth, Hiruzen Sarutobi had already made up his mind.

As one of his most trusted and proudest disciples, Hiruzen Sarutobi believed that since Orochimaru dared to initiate a war, he must have a certain degree of confidence in controlling the situation.

Of course, as the Hokage, he couldn't place all his hopes on trust.

Blindly believing is foolish.

He would never entrust everything to that vague and illusory prophecy.

Although the support was limited, it was still available nonetheless.

Moreover, he also prepared a "secret weapon" for penguin performances.

Hopefully, they won't be forced to use that weapon after they've dealt with Uchiha Madara.

Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly closed his eyes.

Ye Su suddenly softened a bit, gently stroking his hair.

What comes to mind is not the current heavy and suffocating battle, but those golden paintings from many years ago.

He wasn't as old back then as he is now.

Back then, Snake Art, Jiraiya, and Tsunade were just three hot-blooded young kids.

He once led them to stand here, gazing at Fire Shadow Rock, talking about the future, about the village, and about how one day they would shoulder the responsibilities of Khan.

The painting ultimately settled on the snake art.

That exceptionally talented, calm, and intelligent disciple who always made him the least troublesome and the most proud of him.

After a long while, Hiruzen Sarutobi opened his eyes again.

All the hesitation, all the sadness, all the tenderness surging in his memories vanished the moment he opened his eyes.

"Set off.

"9

"Capture Uchiha Madara with all your might!"