Konoha: Offer your heart to the Hokage!

All three are currently staying in Konoha, so they can be transferred.

But then she reconsidered and changed her mind.

The incident happened suddenly.

The fact that Sunagakure chose to use this trump card of poison ninjutsu at the very beginning of the war made him sense something unusual, like they were "fishing," and he was the fish.

Of course, it's also possible that he was overthinking things, and that Sunagakure simply believed that their poison was invincible and wanted to use it to quickly defeat Konoha.

If it is the former

The true target of the Sand Village in releasing the Tsunamaru virus was him from the very beginning, so they would definitely prepare a highly intense assassination.

High-intensity assassination? That sounds familiar. Not long ago, he single-handedly wiped out three squads from the Hidden Cloud Village.

But assassinations are something that... if you stand by the river long enough, you're bound to get your shoes wet. Even an assassin is all too familiar with this kind of thing. A well-intentioned but unprepared sneak attack can potentially achieve a reversal of fortune, a victory for the weak over the strong.

To avoid any mishaps, keeping Uchiha Chisato, the Demon King, by one's side is undoubtedly the safest approach. With such a Demon King protecting them, they can calmly deal with any conspiracies the Sand Village might have.

The Demon King's protection was left unused, and he faced everything alone, which Shen Er considered extremely foolish.

If we don't include Tobirama and Mito in the permutations and combinations, then...

The combination of Zenjiro and Uchiha Chiri is undoubtedly the strongest duo in Konoha right now.

Can the current ninja world muster the strength to assassinate them?

Even he thought it was impossible.

除非四大忍村脸都不要了，直接把影派过来。2对1能杀；2对2能打；2对3能跑；2对4……能换。

The original plan to "make contact with the Three-Tails" was just an additional measure, with a very low priority compared to their own safety. If necessary, they could have Chiri help suppress the Three-Tails.

It is reasonable for them to attempt to make contact with the Three-Tails in order to prepare for the war.

Having planned out the predetermined goals for the task in his mind, he soon awaited the arrival of Zhili.

Uchiha Chiri changed into a standard Konoha Jonin vest, without even the Uchiha's signature ping-pong paddle logo. Her original shoulder-length low ponytail was replaced with a neat princess cut.

What surprised Shen Er the most was that her hair color had turned black.

His facial features had also changed to a form he didn't recognize.

Seemingly noticing Shen'er's confusion, Zhili explained, "We need to hide our identities, because my original appearance is too obvious. This face belongs to a Jonin from the village, so even if enemies ambush us, we won't be too scared to come out."

It really is.

Needless to say, the Sharingan, purple hair, and princess cut—these two features combined make him unique in the ninja world.

"See? In terms of practical ninja experience, Elder Shen is still far behind." Jiri smiled, her tone slightly playful, before straightening her posture and saying, "Guardian Ninja Jiri, reporting for duty!"

What does it mean when someone seems to be getting a little romantic?

Shen Er didn't seem to care: "Yes, I still have a lot to learn. Let's set off now."

The two had barely taken two steps out of the gate of Konoha Village when a childish voice came from behind them:

"Advisor"

"Wait for me, take me with you."

He then turned around and looked back.

Tsunade, with her hair tied in a single ponytail and carrying a small backpack, slipped along the deserted street.

Here it is: a classic anime movie trope of an older supporting character paired with a mischievous young protagonist. The ending often involves the older supporting character sacrificing themselves, while the mischievous young character matures as a result…

Shen Er, of course, would never implicate herself in such a situation, and asked expressionlessly, "Why are you here? Does Lord Mito know about this?"

"Grandma doesn't know," Tsunade quickly explained. "I told the ninja patrolling the village entrance that I was here to assist you, Master, on a secret mission, and that's how I sneaked out. I'm the one who discovered the Tsunamaru virus, and I wanted to go to the front lines to see what was going on..."

"No, go back immediately."

Protecting oneself and protecting a child who has no fighting ability are not the same difficulty at all. The only ones who could guarantee that four-year-old Tsunade would be unharmed on the battlefield were probably the double protection of Hashirama and Madara.

If Tsunade were to be injured on the front lines, she would be lucky enough to suffer only minor injuries, but the worst-case scenario would be that she would be turned into ninja fragments like Nawaki, with unimaginable consequences.

No amount of merit can outweigh this colossal transgression.

This is ridiculous!

Seeing that her pleas for help were in vain, Tsunade turned to Jiri for help: "Jiri-neechan..."

"No, Tsunade."

She then directly addressed the guards at the village entrance, saying, "You, immediately send Tsunade back to the Senju clan."

"Be sure to remind Lord Mito to keep a close watch on Tsunade."

Chapter 136 Heroes Appear, Seven-Day Military Order

The Second Kazekage, Shamon, was a highly capable Kazekage.

He was probably the first ninja in the ninja world to attempt to use tailed beasts in warfare.

Although a perfect Jinchūriki has not yet been created, thanks to his efforts, Sunagakure had already established communication channels with the Three-Tails long before the war began.

The Three-Tailed Isobu had had enough of the prolonged water shortage and had become quite irritable. Shamon seized the opportunity to step in and promised to release it from its Jinchuriki's body in the future, as well as provide ample water, in exchange for a chance to communicate.

The two parties reached an agreement.

Humans, especially ninjas, cannot be trusted. But Isobu clearly lacked experience in dealing with humans and was too naive, so he readily agreed.

Of course, the monks weren't just making empty promises.

Using his authority as the Kazekage, he expended a great deal of Sunagakure's manpower, financial resources, and materials to build an artificial lake for Isobu deep in the desert. At the same time, he used the Jinchūriki's family as leverage, forcing them to submit to Isobu's control over their bodies and minds.

Ordinary Jinchuriki need the Tailed Beast's approval to fully transform into a Tailed Beast. However, under Shamon's manipulation, the rules were reversed, and the Tailed Beast needed the Jinchuriki's acceptance.

Through this forceful method, Isofuri was able to enjoy his full form at the artificial lake every day.

Shamon himself was also proficient in poisons, and he noticed the special nature of Isobu's chakra. He then proposed a new deal: to upgrade the artificial lake in exchange for Isobu's toxin raw materials.

Isobu initially refused.

It wasn't that it was unwilling, but rather that it dared not. The Hagoromo Sage had explicitly forbidden it from using poison to harm humans. However, the Sage was dead, while the Tailed Beast was alive. After weighing the options, it ultimately agreed to the deal.

After a long period of development, Sunagakure successfully developed a Sand Poison Ninjutsu with an internal S-rank rating, which was then handed over to a specialized ninja unit for training and use.

With puppetry techniques in his left hand and tailed beast poison techniques in his right, Sunagakure entered its strongest phase since its founding.

After the First Hokage's death, Konoha's overall strength declined. In contrast, Sunagakure steadily increased its overall power after the First Kazekage's death. This shift in power fostered unprecedented ambition and confidence in Sunagakure.

This is the core reason why Sunagakure, despite having fewer and lower-quality ninjas than Konoha, still dared to actively participate in the war.

The development of a power cannot be separated from money and territory. Today, Sunagakure has no shortage of talent or technology, but it lacks resources and land, and all of this can only be made up for by plundering Konoha.

Not long after the outbreak of war, Shamon ordered his exclusive poison ninja unit to attack.

The troops avoided direct confrontation with Konoha, instead employing guerrilla tactics to launch surprise attacks on various Konoha outposts. With minimal casualties, they managed to infect a large number of Konoha ninjas with the virus, putting them on the defensive and causing heavy losses.

But Konoha is Konoha after all...

You never know what cards they have up their sleeve.

Soon, "Reanimated Shinobi" appeared on the battlefield. These ninjas were invincible and completely unaffected by the virus. They could use simple taijutsu and ninjutsu, and with explosive tags attached to their bodies, they would rush in and launch a devastating self-destruction while shouting "For Konoha!"

This resulted in significant losses for Sunagakure.

Just like a dung monster.

It's disgusting to leave it there untreated, but if I really want to deal with it, I don't have enough toilet paper.

In order to counter the Edo Tensei ninja, Sunagakure immediately accelerated the training of its ninja to master sealing techniques. Once a skilled sealing force was formed, they could break through Konoha's Edo Tensei defenses, and then achieve final victory with minimal losses by spreading poison over a large area.

In the time that followed, a strange situation developed on the battlefield.

On the front lines of the battlefield, there are hardly any living people to be seen.

On the Konoha side, all the ninja were Edo Tensei (reanimated ninja), while on the Sunagakure side, they were all puppets loaded with scrolls of poison ninjutsu. It was as if the two sides were engaged in a special technological game, each waiting to be the first to decipher the new technology revealed by the other.

A new form of war without gunfire.

The ones who truly bear the pressure are not the ninjas fighting kunai on the front lines, but the research-oriented ninjas in the rear.

Whoever cracks the opponent's technology first will gain the advantage and initiative in the upcoming battle.

During the wartime council meeting, a Sunagakure elder who was unaware of the situation couldn't help but express his concern: "What if Konoha breaks our poison ninjutsu first?"

"No need to worry."

The monk remained calm and composed, speaking in a composed tone.

Not only him, but even the young Chiyo was very optimistic about the current situation.

The fact that the Three-Tails produces toxins is a core secret of Sunagakure, known only to a select few.

There are many poison ninjutsu techniques in the ninja world that originated from special animals, which initially left medical ninjas helpless. Tailed beasts are also animals, the most powerful of all. So how can Konoha quickly break the sand poison ninjutsu that originated from Isobu?

Chiyo participated in the development of the Sand Poison Ninja Technique and was well aware of its complexity and power.

In the field of poison, Sunagakure is at the very forefront of the ninja world. She was certain that it would become a super poison ninjutsu recorded in the annals of ninja history. For at least a year... no, for at least three years, no medical ninja would be able to break it.

"But Zenjiro of Konoha is known as the strongest medical ninja in the ninja world. If he were to personally take action..."

"The Zen temple is indeed the only variable we need to be wary of."

As fellow top practitioners in the medical field, Chiyo readily acknowledged Shinji's abilities, her relaxed expression softening slightly before she changed the subject:

"However, what he demonstrated was more of a medical ninjutsu in the field of surgery. He may not be good at detoxification."

"Moreover, to break the Sand Poison Ninja Technique, he must go to the front lines. As long as he dares to set foot on the front lines, we will behead him. That will be his death day."

Even before the war began, the Sand Village Axis Alliance had already devised a meticulous decapitation plan.

This is an open and unsolvable scheme.

After the meeting, Shamon kept Chiyo behind for a private question: "How is the decapitation plan progressing?"

"Iwagakure's Onoki and Kumogakure's Rashi are on their way. We've also planted a lot of spies along the route. As soon as Zen-in Shinji shows up, we'll receive the intelligence immediately."

Chiyo said with certainty, "We may not be able to stop him when he comes, but as long as he returns, we can definitely behead him."

She is very confident about this.

Every ninja village has a few elites who are close to the Kage level. As the core of the Kage, she and her brother Ebizo are such figures in Sunagakure.