The hidden meaning behind Jiraiya's words — how could Tsunade possibly fail to hear it?
However, if things were truly as they had guessed, it could only mean the situation was worse than they had anticipated.
"Bad news just keeps piling up."
Tsunade rubbed her temples and spoke with a resigned sigh.
"This war was unavoidable from the very start. It's just that the current situation is somewhat unfavorable for Konoha."
Jiraiya spoke in a soft voice, carrying a faint note of comfort.
Ever since Senju Hashirama, Uchiha Madara, and Yuto had been revived one after another, there were probably already many in the Shinobi World who had foreseen that war was coming.
In a sense, the war had arrived even later than some had predicted.
Jiraiya paused for a moment at this point, a conflicted look flickering in his gaze as he hesitated.
"What is it? Is there more bad news? Just say it."
Tsunade noticed Jiraiya's odd behavior immediately, shaking her head with a light chuckle.
There was already a mountain of terrible news — one more thing wouldn't make a difference.
"Strictly speaking, this doesn't really count as bad news."
Seeing that Tsunade had picked up on his hesitation, Jiraiya scratched the back of his head and laughed loudly a few times.
"I ran into Orochimaru on my way back."
He let the laughter fade and looked up at Tsunade, a questioning look in his eyes.
Orochimaru?
Hearing that name, Tsunade froze for an instant, then her brows drew together slightly.
At this point, Tsunade didn't even need to look at Jiraiya's expression to guess what was on his mind.
"What did Orochimaru say?"
Tsunade looked at Jiraiya with a blank expression and asked flatly.
"Orochimaru — he wants to come back to Konoha."
Jiraiya smiled faintly, his voice noticeably two pitches lower than before.
Tsunade slammed her fist onto the table, glaring at Jiraiya with wide eyes as she declared firmly: "Impossible!"
What Orochimaru had done in the past could not simply be forgiven with an apology!
Facing Tsunade's intense reaction, Jiraiya's eye twitched slightly, but he wasn't surprised.
It seemed this matter would need to be discussed more carefully.
Jiraiya knew Tsunade was furious right now and had no intention of provoking her further. He would wait for her to cool down before having a proper conversation about it.
Konoha's current situation was rather disadvantageous, after all.
If it had been before, Jiraiya would never have easily forgiven Orochimaru either. But now, Orochimaru's return would benefit Konoha far more than it would harm it.
Moreover, Orochimaru's subordinates were all quite capable. Having them join Konoha at a time like this would have a real impact on the war.
Meanwhile, on another front.
While stockpiling military supplies, Kirigakure and Iwagakure had also been secretly communicating with each other.
Naturally, this communication was only to confirm one thing — the timing of their joint attack on Konoha.
At the same time, Uchiha Madara was, as expected, not without his own demands.
According to Uchiha Madara's wishes, he wanted to settle things with Senju Hashirama once and for all. And Yuto was not permitted to interfere in this fight.
Faced with Uchiha Madara's demand, Yuto felt a twinge of regret at not being able to have one last bout with Senju Hashirama, but he did not object.
If someone was willing to step up and deal with the most troublesome opponent, Yuto was naturally happy to let it happen.
Still, from this alone, it was clear that Uchiha Madara was supremely confident in himself.
That gave Yuto a faint sense of caution.
In the blink of an eye, about a week had passed.
No war begins recklessly — every kind of preparation must be made beforehand.
This period was exactly when Kirigakure was mobilizing all of its shinobi and supplies.
The port coast of Kirigakure.
Three large ships set sail first, departing the harbor and heading out to sea.
Each vessel carried over fifty shinobi, and a chilling, murderous aura spread across the decks.
At the bow of the lead ship, Momochi Zabuza stood with the Executioner's Blade strapped to his back, his gaze radiating cold excitement as he stared at the distant horizon.
"It's finally starting."
Momochi Zabuza let out a low, rumbling laugh.
The first one sent out by Kirigakure was none other than Momochi Zabuza of the Seven Swordsmen. Every shinobi on all three ships answered to him.
Step.
Step.
Light footsteps sounded from behind Momochi Zabuza.
He didn't even need to turn around to know who it was. At a time like this, the only person who would dare approach him was Haku.
Haku was dressed in black combat gear, wearing a chūnin's chain armor over his upper body. The frail demeanor he usually carried had faded somewhat beneath this outfit, replaced by a distinct martial air.
"Lord Momochi Zabuza, our mission is only to secure the Land of Waves, so that we can receive the rest of Kirigakure's forces when they arrive."
"So under these circumstances, it would be best not to engage Konoha in any conflict."
Haku walked to Momochi Zabuza's side and spoke softly.
He knew Lord Momochi Zabuza's personality far too well. If they ran into anyone from Konoha, Zabuza would likely start fighting immediately — which would be entirely counterproductive to their mission.
So Haku had no choice but to give him a gentle reminder.
"Really, you're so naggy."
Momochi Zabuza shot Haku a sideways glance and waved his hand dismissively.
A faint, gentle smile appeared on Haku's face. Lord Momochi Zabuza hadn't said anything, but Haku could tell that his words had already gotten through.
Kirigakure had two routes for its march on Konoha.
The first was to leave the Land of Water and sail directly into the territory of the Land of Waves. Since the Land of Waves already had a completed bridge, it served as a critically important strategic location.
This would be enormously advantageous for Kirigakure's invasion of Konoha.
Of course, Konoha was well aware of this as well. There would likely be formidable defenses at the border between the Land of Waves and the Land of Fire.
The second route was the same path Kirigakure had used in previous invasions of Konoha.
It also involved going out to sea first, then entering the Land of Bears.
From there, the Land of Bears would serve as a staging point to attack the border of the Land of Fire. However, this route was more than twice as long as the one through the Land of Waves.
That said, this route had its own advantages — relative stability and safety.
For now, Kirigakure's plan was to advance along both routes simultaneously. Which one would serve as the main thrust and which as the secondary had not yet been decided.
It would largely depend on which route could break through the Land of Fire's defenses first once the battles began.
This was a true war.
It was completely different from the time Yuto had just been revived and led a small Kirigakure contingent to attack Konoha.
[
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