Revitalizing the Uchiha clan starts with becoming a Kage.

This is Luo Sha's ultimate bottom line as a 'shadow'!

225. The Formation Deployed (Fourth Update)

P.S.: A tribute to the automotive tycoon atop the skyscraper!

Rasa's arrival clearly boosted the morale of the Sand Ninja on the front lines.

Regardless of the circumstances, he was one of the Five Kage, symbolizing the strongest title! No matter how strong the enemy was, they firmly believed that their Kazekage could lead them to victory, at least that's how the lower and middle-ranking Sand Ninjas saw it.

Given their level, it is difficult for them to distinguish and judge the strength of those at the 'Kage level'. For them, the five strongest people in the ninja world are the Five Kage, which is the main reason why only the leaders of the five great ninja villages are qualified to be called 'Kage'.

They never considered that after their own village weakened, the 'Kage' might also suffer from 'weakness'. They only thought that their own Kage must be one of the strongest, and since the opposing Kage hadn't come and there were no Tailed Beast Jinchuriki, their increased morale was a natural result. This was both their luck and their misfortune!

Unlike the lower-ranking Sand Ninja, the Jonin in the unit, especially elite Jonin like Maki and Fugi who held high-ranking positions in the village, knew very well that even if their Kazekage could hold off one of the two, the remaining one could easily cause great damage to the ordinary Sand Ninja unit!

Even if they ultimately rely on sheer numbers to overwhelm the enemy and win, the price Sunagakure will pay will be much higher. This is a situation that Maki, Fugi, and others do not want to see. Not to mention, Maki himself believes that his Fourth Kazekage is likely no match for Shoji and Kyoto. In that case, the situation would become even more dangerous.

They wanted to offer some words of advice, but seeing that Luo Sha was clearly determined, Ma Ji, Fu Yi, and the others could only remain silent.

Rasa was certainly aware of the concerns of his trusted subordinates, such as Maki and Fugi, but Rasa also had his own considerations. If he surrendered without fighting, the situation would be difficult to resolve later. To put it bluntly, although Rasa cared about the actual interests of Sunagakure, he also valued the so-called issue of face!

Even if it comes at a slight cost, Rasa is determined to reclaim the lost face for his village and for himself.

Although it sounds absurd, this is the natural result of having too much of a 'politician' attribute. And the most crucial point is that compared to the three Kazekage before him, Rasa's position as Kazekage seems a little less secure. The defeat in the Third Shinobi World War has already cast a heavy shadow over his Kazekage hat.

If Iwagakure continues to bully him without even deploying its full strength, Rasa can hardly imagine what his situation will be like after the war ends. While it's almost impossible for him to lose his position as Kazekage, it will definitely shake his prestige to some extent!

This is an outcome that Luo Sha did not want to see.

therefore.

That's why he personally led the Shadow Guard into battle. On the battlefield, he used his strength to defend his dignity and status. Even if Huang Tu and Jiang Si were really strong, Luo Sha had absolute confidence in himself. If he couldn't win, so be it. Couldn't he at least maintain a balance of power?

Even if he was defeated by the two of them, he would have a 'sufficient reason' to exonerate himself and prevent the responsibility for the defeat in this war from falling on his shoulders. This was the true intention of Luo Sha that Ma Ji, Fu Yi and others could not see!

In the vast Sand Village, only the two senior elders, Chiyo and Ebizo, could see through Rasa's intentions to some extent. This was partly why they didn't choose to come out and assist Rasa. If they did, they would most likely have to cover for Rasa. The ordinary Sand Village ninja might not know how Pakura, the former hero of Sand Village and a scorching ninja, died in battle, but surely the real high-ranking members, especially Chiyo and Ebizo, knew about the shady dealings involved?

However, these are some of the dirty incidents that have occurred more or less during the Kage era of the Five Great Ninja Villages. Rasa is already the Kage of Sunagakure, so Chiyo, Ebizo, and others certainly can't let their own people embarrass them, as that would only make them a laughing stock for other villages.

Ultimately, from the few fragments of the original story, it can be seen that Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage, is very similar to the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. He is a politician who only cares about power and will not truly consider issues from the perspective of the greater good of the village. In their view, the first reaction to a problem is always whether it is beneficial to them!

How can I control the impact of this event on myself?

Only after dealing with these issues can we consider the overall interests of the village.

Therefore, in this direct battle, unless Iwagakure really sends reinforcements a second time to strengthen the front-line forces, Rasa will definitely have to fight to the death. The pre-battle preparations made in advance are to give Iwagakure some extra time to react. If there is any intelligence indicating that Iwagakure is mobilizing a second time, Rasa will abandon the plan. As long as the other side makes no move during the preparation period.

Rasa will lead his Sand Ninja army in a fierce attack on the northern fortress!

As Rasa's trusted subordinates, Maki, Fugi, and others had to carry out orders even if they didn't understand them. The more than 5,000 Sand Ninja troops began to deploy their troops and make the final preparations before the battle. According to Rasa's plan, once the subsequent military supplies arrived, they would launch an attack on the northern fortress in two days at most!

Given the scale of the commotion in Sunagakure, especially the fact that Rasa made no attempt to conceal his presence and brazenly arrived at the battlefield, the scouts stationed at the forefront in Iwagakure must have been able to gather this information.

It can be said that the interval is almost one or two hours.

In the northern fortress.

This happened shortly after Luo Sha arrived at the front lines.

Huang Tu and Jiang Si then received the relevant intelligence.

"Ho ho? That Kazekage actually came? That takes real guts!"

Since they weren't from the same perspective, it was impossible for Shoji to guess Rasa's intentions. So when he saw that Rasa had actually led the Shadow Guard to the battlefield, and that the number of Sand Ninjas on the front line had increased to five thousand, a look of surprise appeared on Shoji's face.

This Kazekage's decisiveness is truly beyond imagination!

"Yes, five thousand. This should be the maximum force that Sunagakure can mobilize at the moment, which is about what we initially expected!"

Huang Tu's focus is on the number of Sand Village ninja, four thousand or even five thousand. This is a figure derived from the pre-war simulation of the war process by Iwagakure. This figure is based on the performance of Sand Village in the Third Shinobi World War and the approximate casualty information that can be obtained afterward, which is used to infer the current combat strength of Sand Village!

This is why the number of troops sent by their own village at the beginning was over two thousand. Because with the border forces, the number of Iwa ninja could approach four thousand. Now, only a few hundred have been taken away by Iwa Zetsu, and some are still guarding the strongholds behind.

Even so, there are still nearly three thousand Iwa ninja in the northern fortress!

226. A tough stance

Initially, there was no plan to mobilize the garrison forces from other strongholds.

Including the group that Iwazawa took away, the total number was only about three thousand. Later, when they saw that the Sand Ninja were sending reinforcements one after another, and it was not convenient to send them back from Iwazawa's side, Huangtu and Jiangsi discussed it and decided to transfer the remaining three or four hundred people from the back base, leaving only the necessary reconnaissance and security personnel. The Sand Ninja did not have the ability to invade with a small force, and as for a large-scale attack, you have to see if that Kazekage has the courage!

Moreover, Sunagakure doesn't have the strength to support Rasa's extravagant spending. If he wants to regain some face, he needs to consider the issue of rationality, not act recklessly. If Rasa were truly such a despicable person, Sunagakure wouldn't have made him the Fourth Kazekage when the village was in decline. Not to mention, even if this Kazekage had really lost his mind.

The three generations of my family had also made some preparations in advance.

In short, Huangtu and Jiangsi don't need to worry about the rear defense at all; they only need to deal with the enemy in front of them.

"Then let's proceed according to the established plan, Huang Tu-san. As long as this battle thoroughly cripples Sunagakure, we won't need to worry too much about the peace on the southern border for the next few years, or even the next decade!"

Jiang Si looked up slightly at the yellow earth in front of him and said in a deep voice.

Although the number of Sand Ninja on the other side was more than 1.6 times that of their Iwa Ninja, Shoji really had nothing to fear. They were on the defensive and not actively attacking. The barrier that their own barrier team had rearranged, as well as those traps and mechanisms, could serve as the fighting force of hundreds of ninjas unless the other side deployed the One-Tailed Jinchuriki or Rasa had the same abilities as Shoji!

Not to mention that the overall quality of the Sand Village is indeed the worst among the five great ninja villages. It may not be obvious at the Jonin level, but the level of the middle and lower-ranking ninjas has declined to some extent due to the increasingly worse situation of the Sand Village in recent years. If we balance the quantity and quality, the Sand Village only has a slight advantage in terms of ordinary ninja combat units!

Huang Tu and Jiang Si could completely negate this slight advantage against Luo Sha, and even turn the tables. Of course, Iwagakure could send two or three thousand or even more reinforcements, but firstly, Iwagakure has not yet received news of the war between Konoha and Kumogakure, and the defense strength on both sides of the border cannot be relaxed. These reinforcements cannot be easily deployed to the war; the decision will be made on a case-by-case basis.

Secondly, this battle for the northern fortress was defined as a local war from the beginning, and three to four thousand people were already the limit. Sending more troops would likely cause the scale of the war to get out of control, which is no joke.

Of course, if Shoji and Huangtu clearly knew that the Kazekage on the other side was only planning to 'provoke' them with all his might, and would immediately back down once Iwagakure reinforced their troops, then their Tsuchikage would definitely put on a corresponding show of force.

But who could have guessed that Rasa would launch a counterattack with such a crude, even incompetent, mindset?

It can only be said that different personalities, different positions, and different perspectives led to different results, which in turn led Jiang Si and Huang Tu to different conclusions. And these conclusions happened to be almost exactly the same as the pre-determined development in their own plans, so the two of them naturally did not feel any sense of incongruity!

All of this was planned.

"Yes, immediately notify all units to prepare for high alert. Xingye, you also send someone to inform Yan Juesang of the intelligence on this side, so that he can prepare to retreat in advance. There is no need to fight head-on. We need to determine the winner here, and then the outcome of the entire battle can be determined! Of course, if the number of enemy troops is very small, then it will be up to him to make the judgment!"

Huang Tu nodded first, then turned to look at the person sitting next to him, who was also a mid-level member of the Jonin team and came from a medium-sized ninja clan in Iwagakure. He was Huang Tu's 'scribe' for many years. Huang Tu then gave the instructions.

"Yes, Squad Leader Huang Tu!"

Xingye also lowered his head in response, then disappeared from the spot in a flash and immediately went to carry out Huangtu's order!

There's movement from the Sand Village side.

The Iwa ninja will not back down!

Almost immediately after Huang Tu gave the order, the Iwa ninjas in the fortress sprang into action, conducting another round of barrier checks and setting up traps. The stronger the traps, the easier it would be for them to defend the fortress in the future.

While both sides were making their final preparations for the battle, the reconnaissance teams of Iwa and Sunagakure had already engaged in fierce fighting in the buffer zone that both sides had deliberately created. They both wanted to push their reconnaissance areas as far as possible and gather as much intelligence as possible about the other side. In this respect, Iwa and Sunagakure were the same. The more comprehensive and complete the intelligence they gathered, the more targeted their deployment could be!

The sandstorm raged across the sky, an unstoppable sense of desolation and bleakness!

Although it was the beginning of warm spring, a certain chill permeated the northern region of this land of winds at this moment.

That was already a complete pre-battle preparation, and there was no news of a second batch of reinforcements arriving from Iwagakure.

Luo Sha felt that he no longer needed to wait.

On a day in mid-April!

It happened to be the morning of his third day at the front!

He personally led more than 4,500 Sand Ninja toward the location that was once the northern fortress of his own ninja village, leaving only more than 500 men to guard the defensive line on one side of the camp. The camp was storing a large amount of supplies, and if it was destroyed by the Iwa Ninja, the Sand Ninja army at the front line would be defeated!

Leaving behind 500 men, along with Yura, a Jonin who was originally in charge of defense in the village, is enough to ensure the safety of the camp!

The main force, led by the Fourth Kazekage Rasa, marched in a mighty and aggressive manner toward the northern region.

The Sand Ninja army moved.

The Iwa ninja received the corresponding message.

Huang Tu and Jiang Si immediately arrived at the highest point of the fortress.

This isn't a very long distance; even at a normal pace, it would only take a little over an hour. On the distant horizon, you could see a long line of many figures stretching out in a blur!

A heavy atmosphere swept over us!

This is a terrifying force that has gathered more than 4,500 people!

"A true all-out effort, Fourth Kazekage! I hope you won't regret this battle!"

Jiang Si gripped the edge of the fortress wall with a slight force in his right hand, and a faint golden halo appeared in his dark yet bright pupils.

227. War Begins

"Huang Tu-sang, I'll take care of that Kazekage later! He's a very valuable opponent!"

Jiang Si smiled slightly, turned his head to look at the yellow earth beside him, and said in a deep voice.

Regardless of how much of a claim Rasa has made, he at least lives up to the title of 'Kage,' being one of the five Kage recognized throughout the ninja world. In the previous fortress siege, he did leave a powerful mark on some Iwa ninjas, but that wasn't enough. Firstly, a mere defensive barrier and a few Jonin couldn't truly demonstrate his strength. Secondly, there were far too few 'spectators' in that siege; the combined forces of both sides numbered less than two thousand.

But today is different; there are nearly eight thousand 'spectators'!

Furthermore, with Luo Sha as such an extremely valuable stepping stone, not to mention in this life, even the other half of Liu Heng's soul, which he merged with, was only a young man in his early twenties in his previous life!

A youth who isn't reckless and impetuous is a wasted youth!

Moreover, given Onoki's high level of trust in him, the greater his reputation, the better his clan's situation would be in Iwagakure!

Rasa, one of the Five Kage!

It's the perfect stepping stone to fame for the commander!

"Hehe, then I'll leave it to you, Commander!"

Huang Tu wasn't surprised at all by Jiang Si's obvious thoughts written all over his face. In other matches or other situations, Huang Tu might have been a little worried, but in this kind of game, Huang Tu had complete faith in Jiang Si. He was a genius boy who had already proven himself!

There is no need for me to restrict others too much.

Moreover, Huang Tu himself wanted to see if Jiang Si had truly reached a level above the ordinary 'Kage level,' and whether Luo Sha, the Fourth Kazekage, could be used as a qualified unit of measurement!

Moreover, when I was present.

No matter what happens, I can always protect myself.

This is also the main reason why Huang Tu agreed to the general's request to fight.

The Iwa ninja are on high alert.