"Commanders, the reconnaissance squads sent to scout the Jashin Religion outposts have suffered heavy losses!"
Following the successive actions of Sasuke and Gaara, this news quickly reached the Leaf-Sand Joint Command Center.
Ebizo's expression turned solemn. "How many did we lose?" he asked calmly.
"The Leaf side lost a quarter of their forces, and the Sand side lost a third."
"A third?"
Even though Ebizo was a man who had weathered many storms, he nearly leapt out of his chair upon hearing this news.
The Hidden Sand Village was unlike the Hidden Leaf; they lacked numerous clans that specialized in training sensory-type ninjas using secret techniques, such as the Aburame or Inuzuka clans.
Furthermore, the Leaf had the Hyuga Clan, which focused entirely on reconnaissance. Almost every Hyuga member with ninja aptitude who could awaken the Byakugan was a qualified scout.
Consequently, the Hidden Leaf was not particularly lacking in reconnaissance ninjas.
In contrast, the Hidden Sand had almost no Kekkei Genkai clans and very few secret technique clans. The cultivation of sensory ninjas relied entirely on whether an individual ninja possessed natural talent in that area.
Losing a third of them all at once was enough to make Ebizo's blood run cold.
Jiraiya also turned serious. "What happened?"
These reconnaissance squads were not composed entirely of scouts.
Typically, each squad was equipped with only one sensory ninja, while the other two were combat-oriented ninjas responsible for protecting the scout while they gathered intelligence.
Generally speaking, based on the strength the Jashin Religion had previously displayed, they should not have been able to inflict such staggering casualties.
Faced with the inquiries of the two supreme commanders, Tonami Nara naturally did not hide anything.
"All areas controlled by the Jashin Religion are shrouded in a special mist, and the ecosystem is completely different from the outside world."
"Not only do the ninken of the Inuzuka Clan lose their way, but even the insects of the Aburame Clan send back incorrect information. Almost every sensory method other than the Byakugan is ineffective."
This news caused the expressions of both Jiraiya and Ebizo to grow heavy.
In a ninja battle, intelligence is always the top priority.
If they could not obtain accurate and sufficient information, the Allied Forces could easily walk into an ambush, leading them toward a path of total destruction.
While they were thinking of a countermeasure, Tonami Nara provided another shocking piece of information.
"Furthermore, two highly powerful youths have appeared on the Jashin Religion's side. They are specifically hunting the reconnaissance squads we send out."
"Youths?"
The term immediately caught Jiraiya's attention. After all, the identities of the two Divine Sons within the core membership of the Jashin Religion remained a total mystery.
Tonami Nara nodded. "To be precise, they are children."
Under the puzzled gazes of Jiraiya and Ebizo, he continued. "These two are only seven or eight years old. The ninjas on the front lines have already identified them."
"One is the A-rank rogue ninja from the Hidden Leaf and the young master of the Uchiha Clan—Sasuke Uchiha."
"The other is the son of the current Kazekage Rasa and the One-Tail Shukaku Jinchuriki—Gaara."
These two sentences struck like a thunderclap in the minds of the two commanders, leaving them momentarily blank.
This was especially true for Ebizo.
He never imagined that Gaara, as the One-Tail Jinchuriki, would actually defect to the Jashin Religion and was now actively working for them!
Jiraiya spoke with a face full of surprise. "I didn't expect the Jashin Religion to target children so young."
Tonami Nara glanced at the two of them and emphasized, "Commanders, these two are now the Divine Sons of the Jashin Religion."
Worried they might not understand, he explained further. "According to the intelligence gathered by Commander Jiraiya, the so-called Divine Sons are intended to serve as the vital vessels for the descent of Jashin. Their status within the religion is theoretically second only to the Archbishop."
"In fact, in a sense, the purpose of the Jashin Religion's existence is to use some method to allow Jashin to descend into their bodies."
Jiraiya took on a thoughtful expression, then asked tentatively, "Do you mean that as long as we kill these two so-called Divine Sons, we can prevent Jashin's descent?"
Unconsciously, Jiraiya had already connected the Child of Destruction to this Jashin deity.
Could it be that the Child of Destruction mentioned by the Great Toad Sage refers to the Divine Sons of the Jashin Religion becoming the vessels for the deity's descent, thus leading to the destruction of the Shinobi World?
The more Jiraiya thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. With a determined look, he said, "If that is truly the case, then we must kill these two so-called Divine Sons at all costs!"
However, Ebizo expressed a different opinion on the matter.
"Jiraiya, please forgive me, but our Hidden Sand Village cannot agree to the killing of the Divine Sons."
"Why not?"
Jiraiya looked at Ebizo excitedly, emphasizing, "If we don't kill them, Jashin could descend at any moment!"
Ebizo's face had already recovered from the shock. He said calmly, "The Tailed Beast of the Hidden Sand is sealed inside Gaara's body. If he is killed, Shukaku will also vanish. Our village absolutely cannot accept such an outcome."
He added, "Furthermore, it was clearly stated in our cooperation agreement with the Leaf that Shukaku must be returned unconditionally to the Hidden Sand after the war. You should still remember this, Jiraiya."
Jiraiya grew anxious. "But..."
"There are no 'buts'."
Ebizo interrupted him.
"Leaving aside whether this Jashin deity is real or fake, we must take back the Tailed Beast of the Hidden Sand. That is our bottom line."
Jiraiya felt Ebizo's resolve and did not speak out further. The meeting fell into a stalemate.
Finally, it was Tonami Nara who broke the tension.
"Commanders, we haven't even defeated the Jashin Religion yet. Isn't it a bit too early to discuss how to deal with the two Divine Sons?"
As a purely rational strategist, Tonami Nara knew what he had to do.
He had to ensure this campaign proceeded smoothly and that the Jashin Religion was wiped out.
Whether it was a literal annihilation or a symbolic one, it didn't matter.
In any case, he had to use this to restore the Hidden Leaf's reputation in the international market and prove to everyone that the Leaf possessed the absolute strength and confidence to repel any invading enemy.
Therefore, the alliance between the Leaf and the Sand must not collapse.
Sure enough, hearing Tonami Nara's words, both Jiraiya and Ebizo realized they had lost their composure.
"Tonami is right. Let's return to the present. How should we launch our attack against the Jashin Religion?"
Jiraiya was the first to pull the topic back.
Ebizo took the opportunity to back down and stopped mentioning how to handle Gaara.
Of course, in his heart, he was determined that he must capture Gaara and bring him back to the Hidden Sand Village.
Seeing the situation ease, Tonami Nara breathed a sigh of relief. He then pointed to the map and said:
"Currently, the entire Jashin Religion is shrouded in mist. If we continue to send reconnaissance squads to probe them, it will undoubtedly be a waste of manpower for very limited gains."
"The current plan is to abandon the previous idea of simultaneous advancement. We should concentrate our forces to take out the surrounding outposts first, slowing down and pressing toward the center bit by bit."
"While this might allow some enemies to escape, it ensures that we won't be picked off one by one by the enemy while we are essentially blind."
This viewpoint immediately gained the approval of both Jiraiya and Ebizo.
Jiraiya slapped the table and stood up tall.
"Sasuke Uchiha is a rogue ninja of our Leaf; it is only right that we handle him. Tomorrow, I will lead a squad as the vanguard to see if we can capture him."
"In that case, our Hidden Sand Village will also do our best to capture Gaara to prevent him from continuing to harm the Allied Forces," Ebizo said as well.
The two supreme commanders of the Allied Forces had finally reached a consensus.
Under their unified will, the Allied Shinobi Forces, totaling three thousand five hundred ninjas, quickly underwent changes.
All ninjas were organized into seven divisions. Five divisions began attacking the Jashin Religion from a single direction.
The other two divisions were stationed at the borders of the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind, respectively, to prevent fleeing cultists from crossing the borders and infiltrating the two nations.
The only remaining direction was the vast, endless sea.
Three days later.
High in the sky above the battlefield, Shana and Jugo, the two priests, were sitting on the back of a six-to-seven-meter-long grey monster that looked like an electric ray, observing the movements of the Allied Forces.
This was another new species researched by Simu, capable of manipulating air currents and possessing flight capabilities.
Although its flight speed was not particularly fast, it could carry about ten people at a time.
This was more than enough for Simu to develop new combat styles.
If used correctly, it could even change the course of a battle!
"I didn't expect Jiraiya to choose such a conservative strategy," Shana remarked with a click of her tongue.
Clearly, the final cautious advancement did not look like the handiwork of the "Gallant Jiraiya."
Jugo gave a helpless smile. "The Archbishop's War Fog has too much of an impact on the Allied Forces. If they scatter their strength, it would be easy for us to pick them off one by one."
The corner of Shana's mouth curled. "This is Lord Simu's handiwork, after all. Naturally, it isn't something these ants can crack."
Jugo nodded. He used the floating [Eagle Eye] beside him to observe the Allied Forces. At this moment, they were advancing steadily, relying on the reconnaissance capabilities of the Byakugan.
Under the guidance of the Hyuga ninjas, the Sand ninjas from the Land of Wind utilized Wind Style ninjutsu to temporarily blow away the War Fog permeating the surroundings. Subsequently, various Fire Style, Lightning Style, and Earth Style ninjutsu, along with a massive amount of Paper Bombs, quickly blasted the outpost before them.
Once the outer walls of the outpost were destroyed, over a dozen Jashin cultists rushed out at top speed, shouting "Long live Lord Jashin!" as they charged at the Allied Forces.
However, they quickly fell under a dense rain of kunai.
Just as the Allied ninjas prepared to take over the outpost, those corpses suddenly began to bloat.
"Get back!"
The only Hyuga ninja able to function normally gave a loud warning, but it was still too late.
Those bloated bodies exploded instantly. Under intense pressure, their bones and blood turned into the sharpest bullets, exploding like fireworks and piercing through the surrounding ninjas, trees, and even rocks!
Eight ninjas were killed, and eleven were injured.
That was the price for taking this outpost.
Fortunately, the Allied ninjas were still cooperating in three-man squads. If they had all rushed in at once, the casualties would likely have been much higher.
Nevertheless, this dealt a severe blow to the confidence of the Allied ninjas.
Because there were at least five hundred, if not a thousand, outposts like this within the Land of Rivers.
If every outpost required such a price, the three thousand five hundred men of the Allied Forces wouldn't even be enough to die...
"From now on, before occupying an outpost, use Clone Jutsu to search it thoroughly first!"
Learning from the mistake, Jiraiya, as the commander, immediately made specific changes after learning of the situation.
The fifth day after the start of the war.
Sasuke was slowly pulling the ninja blade from an enemy's body, then flicked it with disdain to shake off the warm blood.
By his feet, three ninjas already lay in pools of blood.
"They're getting harder and harder to kill..."
Sasuke's cold gaze swept over the area. With the Allied Forces' massive offensive, the enemies he faced were becoming more numerous and stronger.
At first, he could rely on the Sharingan and the Cursed Seal to hunt at will, but that was no longer possible. If he wasn't careful, he would fall into an enemy encirclement.
"It's time to retreat, Divine Son."
A snail appeared on Sasuke's shoulder, opening its mouth to speak in Shana's voice.
"I know..."
Sasuke didn't look at the snail. Instead, he linked his vision to the Eagle Eye floating nearby.
Through the visual feedback of the Eagle Eye, he could clearly see a young Leaf squad rushing toward his position at high speed.
Furthermore, no other squads were visible in the vicinity...
"Is it another reckless squad? I'll finish them off before I come back."
A cruel smile appeared on Sasuke's face. He then disconnected the communication on his shoulder and drew his ninja blade to meet them.
"Die!"
Sasuke's figure suddenly appeared above the three of them. His ninja blade trailed a flash of light as it slashed with incredible sharpness toward the Hyuga ninja in the team.
But the reaction of the young ninja next to him clearly exceeded Sasuke's expectations.
The moment he swung his blade, his wrist was caught like a lightning bolt. Immediately following that, an incredibly terrifying force erupted, slamming him directly into a tree.
"Who are you?"
Sasuke gripped his wrist, enduring the pain. He looked at the opponent with a serious expression.
With just a single squeeze, his bones had cracked, and his entire palm was nearly useless. This was definitely not an ordinary Leaf ninja.
Hearing Sasuke's question, the young ninja finally gave a faint smile and dispelled his disguise.
A burly figure was revealed, with long silvery-white hair like a lion's mane. The newcomer was one of the Legendary Sannin and the commander of the Allied Forces—Jiraiya.
"I didn't expect a great Sannin to go to such lengths to plot against a child."
Clearly, Jiraiya had gone to great trouble to disguise himself for the sole purpose of capturing—or perhaps even killing—Sasuke, the traitor of the Leaf!