"Lord Shimizu, this is bad!"
Just as the conversation with Shimizu had concluded and the goal had been achieved, a village intelligence ninja arrived at headquarters and hurriedly delivered unexpected news.
Even Shimizu was visibly startled.
An elite Hidden Cloud Village squad had crossed the border and was moving directly toward the Sand Village. Their purpose was unmistakably clear: to attack the village itself.
Furthermore, they were bypassing the main battlefield with Konoha entirely, infiltrating through the Land of Rain. What shocked Shimizu and the others most was that the leader of this squad was none other than the Third Raikage himself.
The Raikage was personally leading an elite force. Accompanying him was his son, the future Fourth Raikage, who had already demonstrated considerable talent during the Second Great Ninja War.
"Is the Jinchuriki with them?" Yuji quickly regained his composure and directed the question at the intelligence ninja.
"No," the ninja shook his head. "It appears the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Blue B, is stationed on the front line of the Hidden Cloud Village's battle against Konoha."
Yuji exhaled slowly.
With the Raikage himself leading, and all his brothers here with him, this was a very different situation from what he had calculated.
Shimizu's expression had turned grim.
He understood the history. Before the Sand Village had launched its attack on the Land of Fire, they had already passed that intelligence to the Hidden Cloud Village.
Throughout the subsequent battlefield operations against Konoha, they had continuously transmitted battlefield intelligence to the Cloud Village, indirectly helping them gain advantage in their own confrontations with Konoha.
He had never expected the Hidden Cloud Village to turn around and treat the Sand Village as prey.
Even with the more optimistic reading, where Yuji had believed his communication with the Cloud Village would redirect their aggression toward Konoha, the Third Raikage had apparently been playing his own game the entire time. Everything before had been a smokescreen, designed to lower the Sand Village's guard.
No wonder the Hidden Cloud Village had behaved the way they had throughout this period. Every slightly unusual action, every moment of apparent cooperation, had simply been waiting for the right opening.
Their frontline Sand Village army had just completed a large-scale engagement against Konoha. The Cloud Village's elite squad had then penetrated deep into the Land of Wind. The timing was deliberate and precise.
The Sand Village's external forces were too committed to their current positions to redirect attention to the village. The defenses within the Land of Wind were thin. This was the Sand Village's most exposed moment.
For the past several months, the Hidden Cloud Village had been continuously observing the situation within the Land of Rivers, even exchanging intelligence with Sand Village ninja under the pretense of coordination.
All of it had been preparation for this moment, arranged by the Raikage in advance. The Cloud Village had never had any genuine intention of joining forces with the Sand Village against Konoha.
"The Third Raikage believes that with the Cloud Village's military strength, they can win this Great Ninja War outright," Yuji said, his gaze going cold. "Their objective is clear. Our medicinal resources."
"From village intelligence, Rasa is currently engaged in fierce fighting against the Stone Village. This is exactly the situation the Cloud Village hoped to see. With our forces distributed across these fronts, mobilizing troops to defend the village will be extremely difficult.
Most critically, the Raikage himself is leading this team. To intercept and stop them, whatever we send must be strong enough.
But doing so will cause a severe shortage of forces on the front line battlefield, and when facing Iwagakure and Konoha simultaneously in a weakened state, we will be badly hurt. Those two enemies will not miss this opportunity."
He paused.
"I even suspect the Raikage may have already informed the Hidden Stone and Hidden Leaf Villages of his intentions."
"Furthermore, our situation here on this battlefield is not resolved. This large-scale conflict with Konoha is only just beginning.
With Uchiha and Hyuga clan members having been captured, Konoha will send even more powerful forces. What follows here will likely be another major offensive."
Shimizu's expression was troubled.
From the intelligence, the Hidden Cloud Village had deployed an elite squad moving at extraordinary speed. It would not be long before they reached the Sand Village. Their strategy was a lightning strike. They wanted to catch everyone off guard.
The Cloud Village also understood that even with the Raikage present, if the Sand Village's frontline troops reacted quickly and abandoned their battlefield advantages to pursue them, prolonging the fight would be dangerous.
"I need to go back to the village," Yuji said, taking a slow breath.
He had originally planned to send Kimu and the Hyuga member back to the village first. But this changed the timeline completely.
"All of you stay here and manage Konoha's coming offensive. After handling this, it will be some time before I can return to the battlefield. I will not be able to rejoin the fighting quickly."
"From this point, you and Sasori will have to carry it," Yuji said in a low voice.
Given the current situation, with Konoha, Iwagakure, and even the coastal region's military forces all requiring attention, no unit could make a move without triggering a chain reaction across every battlefield simultaneously. One wrong step in any direction and the overall position would become extremely passive.
"Relying on just you alone against what is coming," Shimizu said, frowning deeply.
The enemy was an elite team composed of the Cloud Village's top fighters. And the Raikage was with them. The Third Raikage's power and reputation required no elaboration. Previously, when the Sand Village had possessed a Kage-level combatant, two Kage-level forces could contend with each other.
Now the village had no Kage. Even with Chiyo and Ebizo and the others, managing the Third Raikage was an entirely different proposition.
The Third Raikage was considered the strongest individual combatant in the current ninja world. His fighting style was sharp and terrifying in a way that was fundamentally different from the Third Kazekage's approach.
Even the Third Kazekage, in a direct one-on-one engagement rather than a large-scale battlefield confrontation, might not have been a match for him. Setting aside ultimate strength and considering only the public assessment within the ninja world, the Raikage was essentially the strongest single combatant currently active.
The difference between having a Kage and not having one was never clearer than in a moment like this.
"It is manageable," Yuji said. "What we need to do is simply repel them, not fight to the death. Even with his ambitions, the Raikage would not be foolish enough to commit to a fight to the death in the Land of Wind when the situation becomes unfavorable. Unless he has genuinely come prepared to die here."
Shimizu narrowed his eyes.
The Third Hokage had only just left the front. Now the Third Raikage was arriving at the village. These people truly thought the Sand Village was a soft target.
"Then be careful," Shimizu said, clenching his fist.
"I will be."
He was less worried about his own situation than about what Shimizu and Sasori would face here. The Leaf Village's offensive would only grow more intense, and without his presence the pressure on both of them would increase considerably.
"Wait a moment."
After a brief pause, he turned and went back to his tent alone.
He opened the system panel.
The Hidden Cloud Village elite squad was rushing toward the Sand Village. He would be bringing several of the Uchiha to assist, and every second counted.
The situation was urgent and his preparation time was extremely limited. He quickly moved through the system interface several times, spending every experience point he had accumulated over the past months on items rather than skills. The reasoning was straightforward.
Many of his system-derived abilities could only be used by himself. If he wanted others to benefit from what he purchased, he would need to rely on specific items rather than personal techniques.