Hiruzen Sarutobi walked behind his troops, turning his head to look at the burning forest. They were already far from it, but they could still see the towering flames. The reason for setting the forest on fire was to hinder the progress of the Kirigakure ninja forces. Whether they chose to use Water Release to forge a path or take a detour, it would buy Hiruzen Sarutobi's unit enough time.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had already given up on the entire Land of Whirlpools. Its citizens would all relocate near Konoha Village, so the state of the environment there no longer concerned him. Thus, he could ignite the entire forest without any psychological burden, not needing to consider the consequences.
He looked at his troops, seeing the post-battle fatigue on their faces, the joy of victory, and the anticipation for the future. Undoubtedly, the victory in this battle greatly boosted everyone's confidence. With such a small number of people, they had successfully repelled the enemy's attack—a proud achievement no matter where it was placed.
Of course, if one were to calculate the losses of this battle in detail, it would be found that neither side suffered significant casualties. However, the greatest value of this battle lay in its impact on the mental state of both sides: their own side felt hope and had the courage to continue fighting, while the enemy was frustrated and demoralized, with morale plummeting.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was also an experienced veteran of war. He didn't need to send anyone to investigate to know what decisions the Kirigakure ninjas would make, because the situation was already very clear. If the enemy truly went against common sense and dared to pursue them, he would make sure they understood the mistake they had made.
"Let's go quickly. Delay is only temporary; the war won't end so easily." Hiruzen Sarutobi called out to his troops, leading them towards the capital of the Land of Whirlpools. As long as he hadn't led the citizens out of the Land of Whirlpools, he couldn't rest easy.
Honestly, fighting until now, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt extremely tired. The enemy was numerous, and maintaining the situation under such circumstances required an immense amount of effort. It was clear that Fumori Masaki's choice was still very correct. In terms of one-on-one combat, Hiruzen Sarutobi's fellow disciples wouldn't be far behind—excluding Fumori Masaki, whose strength was now unclear—but he, Hiruzen Sarutobi himself, was indeed the most suitable for combat in the Land of Whirlpools.
"Masahiko, when I return, you'd better give me a satisfactory reward, or I'll have to nag you. After all, I've worked so hard and achieved so much." Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but mutter.
After some time, Hiruzen Sarutobi's troops finally arrived before the capital. Due to the outbreak of war, the entire capital was on high alert. Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi's troops appear, the city wall defenders instinctively mistook them for enemies, like startled birds, grabbing their weapons and preparing for battle.
Fortunately, someone confirmed the identity of Hiruzen Sarutobi's troops, which stopped the laughable action. Hiruzen Sarutobi led his men into the capital and immediately went to a room to rest.
Taking off his black armor, he felt a soreness in all his muscles, and couldn't help but gasp.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was not injured, but the fatigue from continuous battles and the massive chakra consumption left his body in poor condition. He called a medical ninja, and as a verdant green light shone, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt his sore muscles slowly ease.
While receiving treatment from the medical ninja, Hiruzen Sarutobi called the liaison ninja and inquired about the main force. He learned that due to the Kirigakure Village's blockade, they were temporarily unable to break through and couldn't immediately reach the coast of the Land of Whirlpools. He immediately felt a headache.
"So, we still have to hold out for some time," Hiruzen Sarutobi said. "Damn it, I don't know how many troops they'll commit next. I hope the previous battle will make them hesitant."
"There's good news, Lord Sarutobi. Reinforcements from the village have already reached the coastal defense line and can be deployed into the war at any time," the liaison ninja said happily. "And Kirigakure Village is likely still gathering their forces. They didn't anticipate that we had already formulated a plan to protect the Land of Whirlpools, so all their actions are a step behind. I believe Kirigakure Village's blockade will be broken through by our people very soon."
"That would be even better. In war, being one step ahead of others means gaining more advantages, and our performance proves this point." Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled slightly.
After receiving the latest intelligence, Hiruzen Sarutobi was in a very good mood. Konoha Village's reinforcements were ready, and no matter how fast Kirigakure Village reacted, they would still need time to concentrate their forces. His good friend Danzō would surely realize this and keep the Third Mizukage occupied.
As soon as the ships arrived at the coast and the citizens of the Land of Whirlpools were all on board, Hiruzen Sarutobi could leave this place. Originally, it was just about sending off the Uzumaki clan, which would have been easy, as their population was only a little over a hundred. But including the ordinary citizens of the Land of Whirlpools, the number was much larger, posing a greater challenge for transportation.
As the head of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, Konoha Village not only excelled in strength but also in reputation, far surpassing other ninja villages. This made many small countries willing to cooperate with it, and even countries that cooperated with other ninja villages secretly maintained ties with Konoha Village. This was the positive outcome of Fumori Masaki's consistent adherence to righteousness.
And for the purpose of maintaining Konoha Village's reputation, Konoha Village had to take the ordinary citizens away. If they were left in the Land of Whirlpools, it could be imagined that if the enemy failed to eliminate the Uzumaki clan, they would vent their anger on someone else. At that time, it would severely damage Konoha Village's reputation, making other small countries wary of Konoha Village.
Fortunately, the Land of Whirlpools was just a small country, and one with a relatively small population. Konoha Village, on the other hand, was in a period of rapid development and was in need of population. These citizens were enough to meet Konoha Village's needs, so after discussion, the higher-ups all agreed to this measure.
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a light puff from his pipe. Just like his second son Asuma in later generations, Hiruzen Sarutobi himself was an old smoker. Smoking could relieve his mental stress, preventing him from being overwhelmed. No matter how strong one's power, psychologically, one might not necessarily be beyond ordinary people.
After smoking an entire pipe, Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a long breath and rose to begin preparing defensive measures. First, he went to meet the Daimyo of the Land of Whirlpools. When he first arrived in the Land of Whirlpools, he had met this person. At that time, the Daimyo of the Land of Whirlpools had reluctantly accepted his intentions, but now, the Daimyo of the Land of Whirlpools looked full of regret, sighing repeatedly to Hiruzen Sarutobi, saying that he should have understood earlier. Tianping Novel Network
To this, Hiruzen Sarutobi only thought to himself, "If only you had known then what you know now, why did you act that way?" If he had agreed to Konoha Village's terms earlier, he wouldn't have ended up having to leave his homeland. Although for Konoha Village, this might be a beneficial outcome, after all, deploying military forces for a long time in a small country far from the mainland put a heavy strain on the village. It was better to simply incorporate it into the village.
Although he thought this, Hiruzen Sarutobi still verbally comforted the Daimyo of the Land of Whirlpools and assured him that he would receive proper treatment upon arriving at Konoha Village. Of course, the Daimyo of the Land of Whirlpools would also have to learn to adapt to life in Konoha Village. If not, he could leave Konoha Village and go to the capital of the Land of Fire. As the monarch of a small country, he would still enjoy a high status and treatment in a large country, especially since the Daimyo of the Land of Whirlpools also had ties with Konoha Village.
The Daimyo of the Land of Whirlpools said he would consider it carefully, then cautiously inquired when the transport ships would arrive and what would happen if the enemy attacked before then.
Hiruzen Sarutobi assured him that the ships would arrive soon, and if the enemy came, he, Hiruzen Sarutobi, would personally protect the capital's safety, so the Daimyo of the Land of Whirlpools needn't worry.
The Daimyo of the Land of Whirlpools finally breathed a sigh of relief after receiving Hiruzen Sarutobi's assurance. After much thought, he handed over all defensive authority of the capital to Hiruzen Sarutobi, who would be fully responsible. Hiruzen Sarutobi gladly accepted, without even a hint of refusal. To put it bluntly, now he was the only one the Land of Whirlpools could rely on. What good would it do to not concentrate all the power of the Land of Whirlpools and let them hinder each other?
Before Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived in the Land of Whirlpools, Fumori Masaki had told him to find an opportunity to concentrate all the power of the Land of Whirlpools, and not to worry about their emotions. Before the war of annihilation, they would all compromise. Even if their emotions fluctuated later, these dissatisfactions would vanish once they arrived at Konoha Village.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, taking command of the capital's military, used his experience to position the defenders at key locations on the city walls. Then, he interspersed his own troops and Uzumaki ninjas among the army according to their abilities. Strictly speaking, the tactics were nothing extraordinary; in a defensive battle like this, elaborate strategies were not important. What was needed was a straightforward approach.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sent people to investigate the movements of Kirigakure Village and to gather intelligence on when the village's reinforcements would arrive. In less than three days, the forces of the Land of Water and Kirigakure Village had regrouped and arrived in full force before the capital.
Along the way, Gengetsu Hōzuki had realized that Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others had brought all the citizens into the capital. Regardless of his intentions, the capital now contained the entire population and strength of the Land of Whirlpools. While it wouldn't be easy to win, if it was breached, the Land of Whirlpools could be wiped out in one fell swoop.
But could this be achieved? Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't possibly have overlooked the risks involved, yet he still took such measures. There must be some hidden confidence behind it.
Despite this, Gengetsu Hōzuki would not retreat. As he told that Kirigakure ninja, if this war reached this point and they won, it would be fine. But if they lost, no one would sympathize with their difficulties; they would only be reprimanded for their helplessness and punished. The only way to avoid this was victory, no matter how great the cost!
Thus, the Land of Water's attack was launched with full force. In these past few days, the injuries of Kiri and the Three-Tails Jinchūriki had largely recovered, allowing them to re-enter the war. Even the Uzumaki clan's barrier couldn't withstand the Three-Tails Jinchūriki's Tailed Beast Bomb for too long. However, he hadn't expected Hiruzen Sarutobi to still possess the Five-Element Great Barrage, a power not inferior to a Tailed Beast Bomb. With the cooperation of others, it actually blocked the Tailed Beast Bomb's attack.
"Compound Ninjutsu: Five-Element Great Barrage!" With a loud shout, five Hiruzen Sarutobis each unleashed a different elemental jutsu. The five different elemental jutsus collided, triggering five consecutive explosions. Each explosion emitted a powerful beam of light. By the time the fifth explosion ended, its power was already on par with a strategic weapon like a Tailed Beast Bomb.
Colliding with the Tailed Beast Bomb released by the Three-Tails Jinchūriki, they erupted in an even more intense light, almost blinding people's eyes. The enormous shockwave made it impossible for people to keep their balance. The capital's city walls, protected by a barrier, were unharmed, but the Land of Water's army outside was a different story.
Gengetsu Hōzuki had his men use the Water Formation Wall to weaken the impact of the shockwave, but it still caused the army's formation to become slightly chaotic. This was not a major issue; after all, the enemy couldn't charge out, and they only needed a little time to stabilize. The main point was that the Tailed Beast Bomb had not achieved its intended effect.
The ground between the capital's city wall and the Land of Water's army seemed to have a large chunk dug out, and as the smoke and dust slowly settled, Gengetsu Hōzuki's heart felt the same way. The Three-Tails Jinchūriki, unable to control himself, had his Tailed Beast Chakra forcibly suppressed. As a result, the Three-Tails Jinchūriki could no longer be used.
The current jinchūriki of Kirigakure Village was not very stable and could only use the Tailed Beast Bomb three times. If he were to fully transform into a Tailed Beast, there would be no need to worry about the number of Tailed Beast Bombs used, but then he and the others would likely be severely punished by the rampaging Three-Tails. He truly hadn't expected Hiruzen Sarutobi to still possess such a level of power.
Gengetsu Hōzuki's face was somewhat pale. If Hiruzen Sarutobi had used this technique in that battle, he and Kiri would probably have been annihilated. He could imagine why the other party hadn't used such power, and he was grateful for his luck. At the same time, a strong desire to eliminate him quickly arose.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was too dangerous. His role was no less than the strategic value of a Tailed Beast. He absolutely could not be allowed to leave here.
Although Hiruzen Sarutobi possessed power comparable to a Tailed Beast Bomb, his chakra definitely wasn't as abundant as a Tailed Beast's. After blocking three consecutive Tailed Beast Bombs, how low would his chakra level be?
Gengetsu Hōzuki felt this was the best time and quickly ordered his troops to attack the city wall. The defenders on the city wall also began to counterattack, and a major battle erupted at this moment.
However, Gengetsu Hōzuki probably wouldn't have expected that Hiruzen Sarutobi was not as weak as he imagined. He was behind the city wall, with a special ninja tool placed in front of him. Forming hand signs, he absorbed the stored chakra from it, saying with a click of his tongue, "The R&D department really did create something good. Although this thing's storage efficiency isn't very high and the chakra preservation is limited, it's quite useful at critical moments."