Revitalizing the Uchiha clan starts with becoming a Kage.

Different paths chosen will inevitably lead to completely different results. This is true for Konoha, which is caught in a pincer movement, but it is also true for Iwagakure and Kumogakure. Any decision made by the three parties must take into account the other two.

Instead of only seeing Konoha's side.

Just as Shikaku said.

If the two great ninja villages could join forces and attack Konoha without any scruples, they could simply draw their respective forces from the borders of the Lightning and Earth Kingdoms and send them south together, and Konoha could be declared KO'd!

While it certainly won't be destroyed, it will definitely be severely damaged and fall into a situation similar to, or even worse than, that of Sunagakure.

The relationship between nations can never be explained or connected in the simplest way. It is precisely because of this that even when the Hidden Cloud Village saw that the corpse sent by the Hidden Cloud Village was not Hiashi Hyuga but Hizashi Hyuga, they had to be patient and not easily start a war.

Of course, the reality was that the Fourth Raikage was already itching to send troops south immediately. As the most hot-tempered of the Kage, the Fourth Raikage A clearly felt that this was a provocation from Konoha, and that it was the Third Hokage who was challenging him.

They demanded the corpse of Hyuga Hiashi, yet they dared to try and fool them with Hyuga Hizashi from the branch family!

Do they really think the Cloud Ninja don't understand the Hyuga clan?

At this moment, the Fourth Raikage had subconsciously completely ignored the fact that Konoha had removed Hiashi Hyuga's corpse, and agreed to almost all other conditions. It was only at the last moment that Tsuchidai dissuaded him; otherwise, the Fourth Raikage would have directly led the four or five thousand Cloud Ninja deployed in the Land of Hot Springs to flatten the Yuhara Mountain stronghold and then march south into the Land of Fire.

That's right. During this period, the Hot Spring Mountain base was still under the control of Konoha. Moreover, the Fourth Raikage, A, did not stay in his own village like the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, but came to the front line of the Land of Hot Springs in person.

This approach is indeed very much in line with the character of the Raikage throughout history.

The Raikage is the Kage who likes and enjoys the battlefield atmosphere the most.

In this clash of the three kingdoms, the Fourth Raikage, A, was just as hot-tempered. If Konoha uttered even the slightest "no," he would personally lead his troops to teach Konoha a lesson. Tsuchidai had to exert a great deal of effort to restrain the Fourth Raikage, A. It's important to understand that the situation in this life is not like in the original story, where it was a one-on-one battle between Kumogakure and Konoha. The Fourth Raikage, A, still had some reservations and wasn't entirely confident of defeating Konoha. In this life, Konoha already had to bear the pressure from Iwagakure in the northwest!

The Fourth Raikage, A, naturally had no scruples.

It took a lot of persuasion from Tsuchikage to finally convince his own Raikage.

The core point is naturally what Shikaku said to the Third Hokage before: Iwagakure is not only the greatest enemy of Kumogakure, but has also risen to prominence in recent years. With the addition of the Uchiha clan, the special strategic arrangements in the Land of Snow, and the record of easily defeating Sunagakure in the south, Tsuchida believes that Iwagakure is now no less threatening than Konoha. If possible, sitting on the sidelines and watching the tigers fight is naturally the most appropriate course of action!

Finally, we'll decide which ninja village should attack based on the situation!

Konoha Village wants to seize its interests, and Iwagakure Village also wants to be weakened and attacked. This is the development that Kumogakure Village most wants to see. Even though Tsuchidae knows very well that this is extremely difficult and that the leaders of both villages are not to be trifled with, people have to have dreams, don't they?

In fact, the fierce attack launched by Iwagakure was entirely in the interests of Kumogakure. Tsuchida really did not expect Iwagakure to be so temperamental and decisive!

However, the smoothness of the process far exceeded the expectations of this top strategist of the Hidden Cloud Village!

He originally thought that since the Iwa ninja had launched a fierce attack, they would definitely have a good battle with Konoha in the Land of Grass. Before Konoha's reinforcements arrived, they would most likely be defeated and lose one or two battles. Then, the two sides would be locked in a stalemate on the border and enter a fierce protracted war. At that time, it would be the time for the Cloud ninja to choose whether to invade Konoha in the south, further expand their advantage, and seize greater benefits.

Or perhaps they were planning to take a more strategic approach, launching a backstabbing attack on the Iwagakure ninja at a crucial moment, aiming to significantly weaken both sides and seize all the initiative. However, the Iwagakure ninja actually pushed all the way into the Land of Fire, and in less than a day, they not only easily brought the entire Land of Grass under their control, but also broke through Konoha's Wuyuan Mountain stronghold in one fell swoop!

Even though Konoha's reinforcements were indeed still a little ways off from arriving.

But the border defense force has nearly two thousand men, and with all sorts of defensive traps and mechanisms, it was so easily pushed down by the Iwa ninja. What about the long-term battle between the Kumogakure and Konoha ninja in the Land of Hot Water?

Even though Tsuchikage was well aware that this was due to Iwagakure's determination to dispatch a large enough force at once, and the presence of powerful figures like Kyoto, Shoji, and Han, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, the efficiency still far exceeded Tsuchikage's expectations.

Konoha's defenses were weaker than Tsuchikage had initially anticipated. The current situation seemed to suggest that Iwagakure could easily defeat Konoha and reap even greater benefits. Now, not only the Fourth Raikage, but even Tsuchikage was starting to feel uneasy. Just then, Iwagakure dispatched another envoy, representing the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, demanding that Kumogakure fulfill its alliance obligations and advance deeper into the northeastern border region of the Land of Fire!

"Tutai! Tutai!"

The Fourth Raikage, who was already somewhat impatient, summoned his chief strategist almost immediately!

"Send troops! I must send troops. The interests of the Land of Fire cannot fall into the hands of Iwagakure. Moreover, that old bastard Third Hokage dared to fool me, the Raikage. I must teach Konoha a lesson!"

"boom!"

That was another huge fist slamming down on the table in front of him with tremendous force.

"Crack!"

Accompanied by a huge crack that shattered.

The Fourth Raikage, A, leaned forward with a fierce expression, staring intently at the earthen platform, and spoke in a very cold tone.

He looked furious.

Samui, Darui, Mabui, and the others sitting nearby all felt a jolt in their hearts. Even though this wasn't the first time, these confidants of the Fourth Raikage still felt a bit of a challenge to their own hearts when they saw their Raikage suddenly do something like this.

"Lord Raikage, please calm down for now. It is not the time for our Hidden Cloud Village to take action. We need to observe the situation carefully!"

Tsuchida, who served as the chief strategist during the Third Raikage's reign, seemed completely unfazed by the situation. After all, all Raikages were like this. Even when faced with the Fourth Raikage's expression, which seemed to suggest he was about to be devoured, Tsuchida remained completely calm and composed, responding softly.

The Fourth Raikage was clearly not buying it. Hearing Tsuchikage's slow and deliberate words, his expression grew even more ferocious: "The time wasn't right before, and now it's still not the right time. So when is the right time? Tsuchikage! If Konoha suffers a major defeat in a direct confrontation, we won't even get a drop in the bucket!"

"Isn't that perfect, Lord Raikage?"

"Um!?"

"If Konoha really can't withstand the pressure from Iwagakure and suffers another major defeat, not to mention that Iwagakure will inevitably pay a price, we can more easily take over the Land of Hot Springs and the deeper territory of the Land of Fire. At least our initial objectives can be easily achieved. Moreover, in my opinion, Iwagakure and Konoha will inevitably enter a long-term stalemate. Not to mention that Iwagakure's previous successive victories were almost entirely due to catching Konoha off guard, with Konoha's reinforcements not yet arriving. Now there is another important piece of intelligence: one of Konoha's legendary Sannin, Jiraiya, has already arrived at the western front. With such a powerful figure in charge, coupled with Konoha's first batch of reinforcements dispatched..."

"Lord Raikage, I am certain that it is impossible for either side to gain the upper hand in the short term. This is the best opportunity for us to further weaken both sides!"

A resolute glint appeared deep in Tsuchikage's eyes as he looked at his Raikage across from him in a very serious tone and spoke in a deep voice.

"You mean that Jiraiya, the disciple of the Third Hokage, has arrived at the western front?"

Upon hearing Jiraiya's name, the Fourth Raikage, A, slightly changed his expression. Although the Fourth Raikage was very arrogant, he was definitely not an arrogant fool. He knew very well how important the Legendary Sannin of Konoha were.

"Yes, this is information we just received, and it's 100% certain!"

Tu Tai said solemnly.

"Hmph, so what if that's the case? Are we supposed to keep watching for a while longer?"

The Fourth Raikage snorted coldly. Although his expression seemed to have softened a bit, the dissatisfaction in his words was so obvious at this moment. After all, the fighting spirit had been thoroughly ingrained in the bones of every Raikage!

Although each village and Kage has representatives who have personally fought on the front lines on different occasions, the Raikage is definitely the best among the Five Kage. For them, fighting is a kind of enjoyment, and they crave a battle where every punch lands on their hands!

"No, we can't just watch. We also need to take the next step. What I mean is that Konoha must immediately fulfill its previous obligations and hand over all the strongholds around Yuzumi Mountain to us for management. Including the Fengzui Mountain line, Konoha must also ensure its withdrawal within ten days. In addition, we demand once again from Konoha that they hand over the culprit, the head of the Hyuga clan—Hyuga Hiashi! Reprimand Konoha in the harshest terms and do not allow them to fool us again!"

"Correspondingly, our legion can also begin its operation, advancing towards the Hot Spring Mountain area. In this way, we can fulfill our 'alliance' with Iwagakure and seize even more benefits. If Konoha refuses, it won't be too late for us to raise an army!"

By perfectly utilizing the immense pressure that Iwagakure exerts on Konoha, while ensuring that their own interests are maximized, they must also control their own losses. If they can achieve control over the entire Land of Hot Springs without fighting or losing a single person, and force Konoha to truly hand over Hyuga Hiashi, the head of the Hyuga clan, then Kumogakure will have made a huge profit!

One significant difference between this life and the original story is that the Hidden Cloud Village doesn't need to confront the Hidden Leaf Village alone. In the original story, the Fourth Raikage had many concerns. Even though he knew that the Hidden Leaf Village was using members of the branch family to deceive him, he chose to accept the Hidden Leaf Village's peace proposal because the Hidden Leaf Village offered him many other conditions, and there was also the threat from other ninja villages. The Fourth Raikage himself wasn't confident that he could defeat the Hidden Leaf Village in a one-on-one fight.

In this life, the Hidden Cloud Village, where people can act freely, has allowed the greed of figures like the Fourth Raikage and Tsuchida to expand directly. The Hyuga Hizashi and other accompanying conditions are no longer enough to satisfy their appetites; they want to actually obtain the Byakugan bloodline limit!

Their target is none other than Hiashi Hyuga!

Konoha won't give it to them!

Then they'll just go and rob them directly from Kumogakure!

The blatant domineering tone revealed in Tu Tai's words.

A satisfied smile returned to the face of the Fourth Raikage, A. This was exactly how it should be!

Only in this way can they best suit the style of the Cloud Ninja and seize more benefits for their Cloud Village!

"Very good, then do as you say. You'll be in charge of putting pressure on Konoha. Tsuchidai, make sure that old bastard Third Hokage hands over Hiashi Hyuga. And Samui, immediately go and inform Yugito to catch up with the main force. This time, I, the Raikage, will personally lead the team to the Yuzumi Mountain base. If Konoha doesn't allow it, I, the Raikage, will take it directly!"

The Fourth Raikage slammed his fist on the table in front of him once again.

"boom!"

"Crack!"

His words were accompanied by a sinister laugh.

The table, subjected to yet another heavy blow, finally succumbed to the Fourth Raikage's hammer blow and shattered in the middle. The extremely brutal scene vividly highlighted the Fourth Raikage's chilling figure.

"Yes, Lord Raikage!"

"Yes!"

On the opposite side, Tutai and Samui also bowed their heads and responded at the same time.

Everyone has their own plans.

Everyone has their own agenda.

This is true of Iwagakure, Konoha, and Kumogakure.

However, judging from the current situation, the Hidden Cloud Village is in a more autonomous and proactive position, because the Hidden Leaf Village and the Hidden Stone Village have already entered a very intense battle, and the Hidden Cloud Village is resuming its operations.

Located on the western front.

The ninjas from Iwagakure and Konohagakure, who had already positioned themselves, were engaged in fierce battles in various corners of the village, roughly at the point of contact with Mount Wuyuan, over the past few days.

The Konoha ninjas seemed to have no regard for their lives, launching several small-scale attacks in succession.

Although it wasn't aimed directly at the Wuyuan Mountain stronghold, it was clearly an offensive launched from both flanks to encircle the stronghold.

This made Huang Tu and Jiang Si, who were in the center, feel an extremely heavy pressure!

This situation makes it seem as if they are really going to break through from both sides and then completely surround and deal with the main Iwa ninja forces in the center.

Shoji, who was at the forefront, had already encountered several waves of Konoha ninja attacks.

The positions of offense and defense shifted instantly.

The Iwa ninja were forced into a defensive posture.

355. Frontline Selection

Although this is not an incomprehensible behavior.

However, considering Konoha's previous stance, the sense of incongruity here becomes quite strong. Jiang Si has ample reason to suspect that Konoha must have changed its previous plans, otherwise it would be impossible to explain the attacks over the past few days, which have been like a surging tide, wave after wave.

Although Jiraiya did not appear, the intensity of Konoha's attacks was truly overwhelming for Iwagakure. Where Shoji was present, they could easily gain the upper hand. In other areas, Konoha mostly had the advantage. The fact that the casualties were almost one to one between the two sides showed just how intense and frequent Konoha's attacks had been in the past few days!

Another day of battle has come to an end.

Upon returning to the base, Jiang Si went straight to the central command area. As Jiang Si entered the room, Huang Tu, with his back to Jiang Si, looked up slightly at the military map hanging on the wall. The many yellow and green dots on the map represented the Iwa ninja and Konoha ninja units distributed in this area.

There are also some intersecting indicators and symbols that represent the marching routes and battle areas. Compared to when they arrived at the Wuyuan Mountain stronghold a few days ago, the attacks launched by Konoha on both sides have already wiped out a considerable number of the scattered small-scale Iwa ninja forces!

Both sides are trying to seize strategic space for expansion on both flanks.

It is clear that Konoha has the advantage in this regard. Huangtu should not be moved lightly. Without understanding Konoha's true intentions and Jiraiya's whereabouts, Han should choose the standby mode where he can provide support at any time.

With only one general, there's not enough time to spare. He can exert some influence, but it's difficult to extend it to the entire area. After all, this isn't a large-scale battle between two villages!

While the commander can lead one side of the troops to gain an advantage and even kill as many Konoha ninjas as possible, in other areas, the strength and foundation of Konoha Village will be revealed. As the ninja village with the most powerful clans with bloodline limits, the average quality of Konoha ninjas is truly superior to that of the other four major ninja villages. To put it bluntly, under the same conditions and with the same number of ninjas, it would be a lie to say that it is 100% certain, but Konoha Village is indeed the side with a high probability of winning.

This is the foundation that the number one ninja village in the ninja world has accumulated over many years.

Even though Konoha's F4 squandered their resources several times, they still possessed a relatively solid foundation. This was something that the other four great ninja villages envied and feared the most. Konoha's bloody attacks, while perplexing Shoji, also stirred up a deep sense of dread in his heart.

Is Konoha really going to perish here with Iwagakure?!