Sakumo looked thoughtfully toward Hanzō.
It was an interesting proposal!
Compared to Konoha's other fronts, Amegakure, as an ally, still had greater autonomy in name, even though in practice it could already be regarded as a branch of Konoha.
Previously, it had been difficult to adjust the defensive strategy because the overall policy of "defend and counterattack" couldn't be changed.
Every front needed to maintain enough reserves to ensure consistency and resilience. Taking the initiative to attack was simply too risky.
But now that the other fronts had achieved results, the situation had changed.
Hanzō's proposal could be considered "capitalizing on their gains," but it could just as easily be seen as "recklessly chasing military glory"...
The key point, however, was that the main force on the Sunagakure front consisted of Ame shinobi.
Even if something went wrong, it wouldn't affect the Konoha shinobi on the other fronts...
It was a harsh but practical reality.
Casualties among Ame shinobi and casualties among Konoha shinobi simply weren't the same kind of problem.
Even though Hanzō and the Hokage were sworn brothers, this was still an unspoken rule that both sides understood perfectly well.
If Amegakure wanted Konoha to truly recognize it, it had to put something convincing on the table.
Sakumo's eyes flickered.
He understood what Hanzō was thinking.
War was a challenge, but it was also an opportunity—the best chance Amegakure had to pay its "blood tax" to Konoha and earn enough "military merit" to raise their relationship to the next level in one fell swoop.
"Sunagakure's troop deployment is actually still superior to ours."
Sakumo considered it for a moment. "In terms of top-tier combat power, they have the Third Kazekage, Chiyo, Rasa, Sasori, Pakura, and the One-Tail. They still have the advantage in numbers."
Hanzō waved a hand.
"Sasori and Pakura, the two Sunagakure commanders on the western front, are clearly at odds with the Third Kazekage. The Suna shinobi under their command have shown absolutely no intention of engaging us head-on..."
"And there's no way this is an ambush. Over the past few months, they've had several opportunities to outflank us. Even if acting on those opportunities wouldn't have dealt us a devastating blow, they definitely could've achieved some results..."
"But they never did. We have reason to believe that Sunagakure is internally divided over this deployment. And there's another crucial point..."
Hanzō looked at Sakumo and said gravely, "Even though that old woman Chiyo has appeared on the main battlefield, she hasn't shown much aggression either—and that's despite you being here."
Sakumo gave an awkward laugh.
There really was bad blood between him and Chiyo. After all, Sakumo had killed Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law with two strikes of his blade...
The fact that the old woman hadn't flown into a rage really was unusual...
Nagato also spoke up.
"Most of the Suna shinobi on the western front are puppeteers. Their deployments have been primarily defensive for a long time, with almost no offensive traps..."
"My Byakugan can see everything clearly. They know perfectly well that I can see through things, yet they still haven't adjusted their arrangements. It's almost as if they're deliberately showing us their hand and telling us not to send our forces against those puppeteers..."
Hanzō instinctively glanced at Nagato's eyes, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
Even now, every time he saw the red-haired Nagato walking around with one Byakugan and one Sharingan, it was still a little too much for an old-school shinobi like him to handle...
It was starting to look suspiciously high-tech.
"So, here's what I'm thinking..."
"Looking at the overall situation, the Third Kazekage is under tremendous pressure with this offensive. Relations between Sunagakure and the Daimyō of the Land of Wind are strained, and they've had plenty of conflicts over funding for quite some time..."
Ever since Amegakure became Konoha's forward outpost and a transit hub for the entire shinobi world, combined with the promotion of pill refinement in Shinobi Battle Through the Heavens, the Sage Region Pills had become famous throughout the shinobi world as one of Konoha's flagship products.
Word of mouth among the nobles of the Land of Fire had also played a crucial role.
Many nobles had developed an intense interest in the Sage Region Pills. Major hidden villages like Kumogakure and Iwagakure, where relations between the Kage and their Daimyō were good, could still keep their nobles under control...
But nobles from the Land of Wind had long since secretly sent people into the Land of Rain. They had contacted Hanzō and the Hyūga Main Family stationed in the Land of Rain's capital, purchasing quite a few Sage Region Pills at high prices...
Some nobles from the Land of Wind had even hinted that the Daimyō of the Land of Wind was involved. Their words carried a distinct sense that they were trying to distance themselves from Sunagakure.
They seemed worried that if Sunagakure betrayed the alliance one day, Konoha might settle accounts with them as well after winning the war. So, through subtle and indirect hints, they had quietly passed along some of the Kazekage's movements.
With that as a foundation, Amegakure had made thorough preparations against Sunagakure.
Sakumo nodded.
"Sunagakure took the initiative in betraying its ally. That's an additional offense on top of everything else. If they lose the war, the Daimyō of the Land of Wind will definitely make an issue of it as well. Overall, the Third Kazekage isn't going to have an easy time."
"But the puppeteer faction can't coordinate with the Kazekage either, so he's been growing increasingly impatient lately. On top of that, Iwagakure and Kumogakure haven't made any progress, leaving the Kazekage trapped by his own position."
"He's actually been pushing deeper and deeper into the buffer zone between the Land of Rain and Sunagakure, moving farther and farther away from the desert terrain where they hold the advantage. He's giving up his own geographical advantage."
A sharp glint flashed through Hanzō's eyes.
"That's exactly the opportunity I want to seize!"
"Sakumo, now is the perfect time to open the dam. With sealing formations and Water Release supporting the flood, we can drown Sunagakure's entire position in one stroke..."
"Ame shinobi aren't afraid of water, while a flooded environment will greatly weaken both puppets and sand-manipulation techniques. It'll make me considerably stronger as well!"
Sakumo gave Hanzō a surprised look.
He was really going all in...
But it was indeed a good strategy.
"My suggestion is that we use the flood from the dam to head straight for the Third Kazekage's central command. You and I should try to throw their command structure into chaos as quickly as possible."
"We're only dealing with the Kazekage and Rasa. Their Magnet Release is inseparable from sand, and in a flooded environment, all the sand they've stockpiled won't be nearly as useful."
"Nagato will prepare to deal with the One-Tail. Once Sakumo and I are free, we'll figure out a way to seal it inside you. You know Fūinjutsu, right?"
Hanzō asked.
On the current Sunagakure front, Rasa, who had originally intended to make his son Gaara the One-Tail's jinchūriki, had temporarily abandoned the idea because they urgently needed the One-Tail's combat power.
Instead, he had reached an agreement with the One-Tail. For the sake of its previous jinchūriki, Bunpuku, the tanuki had agreed and had appeared on the front several times.
However, the One-Tail wasn't fighting in the vast desert, and its coordination with the Suna shinobi wasn't particularly good. So far, it had yet to achieve any strategic results.
Nagato nodded.
"I know a little Gentle Fist and Sharingan genjutsu. As for Fūinjutsu, Shio and Mito-sama have taught me some, and Tsunade-sama also taught me a few tricks for using Monster Strength. Dealing with the One-Tail shouldn't be much of a problem."
After losing the Rinnegan, Nagato actually felt that his strength was improving faster.
For one thing, his body was no longer burdened by it. At the same time, the changes the Rinnegan had already made to Nagato's body allowed him to pick up ordinary ninjutsu, secret techniques, and his own bloodline abilities extremely quickly.
Although he had yet to awaken the Mind's Eye of the Kagura, his sensory abilities were already first-rate.
He had also become quite proficient with the Adamantine Sealing Chains.
It was basically like finally taking off the weights and beginning normal training...
"Mm..."
"If we're going to attack the Third Kazekage's main camp, then I suggest having Konan take a force to hold the line against Sasori and Pakura's formation. Have her make plenty of noise with explosive tags..."
Sakumo considered it for a moment before continuing, "The Kazekage is still the Kazekage. If we attack him and there's no pressure on Sasori and Pakura's front, they'll have to rush back to reinforce him sooner or later."
"We need to give them an excuse to delay their reinforcements. Konan's abilities are perfect for that. Have the explosive tags and puppet techniques fire away at empty space, and it'll still look plenty intimidating!"
Hanzō's eyes lit up. "Good idea!"
Nagato, however, was stunned as he listened.
So there were this many tricks to fighting a war?
Basically, give the other side an excuse to throw the match!
"As expected of a Konoha Council Member, Sakumo-sama..." Nagato sighed in heartfelt admiration.
"Then it's settled! Pass down the order. Open the dam immediately—all forces, attack!"
Once Hanzō had straightened out the logic behind the operation, he decisively waved his hand.
Amegakure desperately needed Sunagakure as a stepping stone, something it could use to climb over this betrayer and earn greater recognition from Konoha!
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