After the Land of Water's army retreated, they wouldn't launch another attack for a short period. Hiruzen Sarutobi began to reorganize the city, moving the seriously wounded for treatment, clearing away the corpses, and letting the lightly injured rest on the spot.
After this period of fierce fighting, everyone felt extremely tired, almost collapsing to the ground immediately after being told to rest.
Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned slightly at this sight. He could understand the defenders' behavior, as the enemy's attack pressure was immense, and this was a natural reaction after relaxation.
However, this was not a good sign, as it indicated that the defenders' resilience was very low and they could cross the line at any moment.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood on the city wall, looking at the Land of Water's army retreating into the distance and setting up camp. He felt a hint of anxiety.
Although his appearance had dealt a blow to the enemy's morale, it wasn't an overwhelming one, and they wouldn't need long to regroup.
Once the enemy attacked again, they would surely not repeat their previous mistake and would factor Hiruzen Sarutobi into their plans.
In that case, even with a ninja like Hiruzen Sarutobi, they might not be able to hold out for long.
The only thing that could change this situation was the arrival of the village's reinforcements.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's biggest problem was the lack of available manpower.
While the Uzumaki clan had achievements in defense, they lacked necessary offensive capabilities, and the number of Konoha ninjas and Land of Fire samurai skilled in frontal combat was not large.
Just now, Hiruzen Sarutobi tallied the casualties. The elite samurai brought from the Miyamoto clan had lost nearly two-thirds, and almost half of the Konoha ninjas he brought were also gone!
Even with a casualty ratio equal to or more than double that, the enemy's numbers still far exceeded the defenders.
One or two more attacks, and Hiruzen Sarutobi estimated he would be fighting alone.
Although Hiruzen Sarutobi had the resolve to sacrifice himself, it didn't mean he was an inflexible person, especially since there was still a chance to retreat—as long as he was willing to abandon most of the civilians, he could leave with the Uzumaki clan at any time.
Frankly, the truly important people were the Uzumaki clan; the civilians were merely an ancillary part of maintaining the village's reputation.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was not a heartless person; he deeply sympathized with these civilians.
However, he was also a ninja, and at necessary times, choices always had to be made.
If reinforcements were delayed, he could only choose to abandon the civilians and leave with the crucial Uzumaki clan.
If he were to blindly preserve the village's reputation and insist on taking the civilians, no matter how critical the situation, then no one would likely escape.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was clear on this point, and he believed that if Masahiro Kazamori knew about this, he would also understand.
After relaying his orders, Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a deep breath and returned to his room to sit down.
Soon, he took out a cigarette. The pressure of the war was immense.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, who already had a heavy smoking habit, was now smoking more and more frequently, practically whenever he had a moment of leisure.
While smoking, Hiruzen Sarutobi pondered his next moves. The first priority was to establish contact with the reinforcements, and the second was to monitor every move of the enemy.
The former was the most important, while the latter was to be avoided if possible, hoping his appearance would deter the enemy for long enough.
In Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind, his bottom line was two days. This was the maximum protection time he could ensure.
Beyond this time, he would only be able to leave with the Uzumaki clan, abandoning the civilians here.
He could imagine what would happen to the civilians left behind, but he did not regret his choice; this was a decision a ninja had to make.
Of course, Hiruzen Sarutobi still felt guilty. After all, he was not a cold-blooded person.
Fortunately, he didn't have to bear that responsibility, because just one day later, the reinforcements he had been longing for finally arrived—or rather, the liaison for the reinforcements arrived first.
In a canal in the capital, a toad suddenly leaped out and landed on the ground.
Someone who saw this toad was startled, as its size was enormous, almost half the height of a person.
It was clearly not a normal creature, and no wonder passersby were surprised.
The guards patrolling the city quickly ran over, and then they witnessed an incredible sight: the toad opened its mouth, a hand reached out from within, followed by a shoulder, then a head, and then a person emerged from inside, leaving the guards dumbfounded and speechless.
"Finally here." The man who emerged from the toad's mouth let out a sigh of relief.
He was a young man with long, snow-white hair and red markings at the corners of his eyes.
He wore a Konoha ninja headband, indicating he might be a Konoha ninja.
"Who are you?" The guard leader, despite seeing the Konoha ninja headband, couldn't be sure, as ninjas were a deceptive bunch, and quickly demanded.
"Ah, just look at this, and you'll know. I'm a ninja from Konoha Village," the man said, pointing to his headband. "I am Jiraiya, a student of Lord Hiruzen. If you doubt me, just take me to Lord Hiruzen to confirm."
Hiruzen Sarutobi, as the commander of the entire capital's defense force, was naturally known by everyone.
Seeing this stranger claim to be Hiruzen Sarutobi's student, the guard leader was half-skeptical.
He ordered someone to escort Jiraiya to see Hiruzen Sarutobi, but not directly.
Instead, they kept him under surveillance and sent others to inform Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Upon hearing the description, Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately knew it was that brat, Jiraiya.
He went with members of the Hyuga clan, first verifying that it wasn't a Transformation Jutsu disguise, but indeed the real person.
Only then did he appear before Jiraiya. Before Jiraiya could even smile, Hiruzen Sarutobi reached out and tapped him on the head, saying, "You rascal! You're finally here; you made me wait so long."
"I couldn't help it, Lord Hiruzen. The Mist ninjas' blockade on the water is really formidable. I had a hard time sneaking in," Jiraiya said with a wry smile, rubbing his forehead.
"You mean you haven't broken through the Mist ninjas' blockade yet? The reinforcements still can't come?" Hiruzen Sarutobi's brows immediately furrowed.
"No, no, what I meant by 'hard time' was breaking through the enemy's blockade," Jiraiya quickly corrected. "The blockade on the sea has been torn open, and reinforcements can enter very soon.
There's no need to worry about the Mist ninjas blockading it again; Uncle Danzo will take care of that."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression immediately softened. He led Jiraiya into the room, had him sit down, and sat on the other side, asking, "By the way, I've been fighting here all this time and don't know what's happening with Danzo's side. Tell me all about it."
"Okay." Jiraiya cleared his throat and began to tell Hiruzen Sarutobi about the situation on the coastal front.
Since the outbreak of war, Danzo Shimura first used Hiruzen Sarutobi's appearance to mislead the enemy, keeping the Third Mizukage's attention focused on this side.
When the battle report from the Land of Whirlpools arrived, both sides' strategic approaches shifted.
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The Land of Fire, which had originally been in a defensive crouch, immediately switched from defense to offense after receiving the battle report, launching a fierce attack on the Land of Water's army.
The enemy, unable to adapt to this rhythm, gradually fell into a disadvantage.
Under these circumstances, the Third Mizukage naturally couldn't shift his attention to the Land of Whirlpools battlefield.
Aside from sending some troops to stop Konoha's reinforcements, he had no choice but to fully focus on countering Danzo Shimura's offensive.
Danzo Shimura also abandoned his long-hidden identity, appearing openly before everyone.
This Konoha elder, who had made significant contributions in the Konoha Anbu, was naturally recognized by all, and his distinctive combat style made the Mist ninjas, who initially thought the enemy commander was Hiruzen Sarutobi, very uncomfortable.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's combat style leaned towards frontal combat, whether offense or defense, it was steady and impeccable.
Danzo Shimura, however, was different. As a former Anbu, he was more skilled in assassination-style combat, which translated into surprise attacks in war, causing the Mist ninjas considerable trouble.
"Although a winner cannot be decided immediately, the Third Mizukage has no energy to meddle with affairs here," Jiraiya said with a smile.
"They also can't stop us from sending reinforcements here. Hehe, Lord Hiruzen, you don't have to worry about a shortage of manpower now; it's their turn to worry."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression had already become very relaxed. As long as he had people, he feared nothing.
The enemy's advantage no longer existed. He laughed and said, "Haha, kid, you don't know how much trouble I've encountered here.
Perfect, before we retreat, we must counterattack one more time. You might want to watch."
Jiraiya truly couldn't imagine the difficulties Hiruzen Sarutobi faced. The place he was in had a large army, and initially, it was primarily defensive.
Even when they started attacking, due to the limitations of the battlefield, he basically never encountered a do-or-die situation, which Hiruzen Sarutobi frequently faced.
"Alright," Jiraiya said without hesitation.
Not long after, Konoha's reinforcements arrived. They entered the capital through secret channels, including Hiruzen Sarutobi's other two students—Orochimaru and Asumi.
Looking at the formidable Konoha ninjas before him, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt tears welling up.
Except for the period immediately after arriving in the Land of Whirlpools, it had been a long time since he had seen such spirited Konoha ninjas.
"Everyone, now it's time to show the enemy what the true strength of us Konoha ninjas is," Hiruzen Sarutobi said to everyone.
Two days later, Hozuki Gengetsu and the others had reorganized their army, and even the Three-Tails Jinchuriki had fully recovered and could sortie again.
Hozuki Gengetsu looked at the distant city gates, thinking that this time, he would definitely break through the capital's gates.
Hozuki Gengetsu's tactics were as usual: the Three-Tails Jinchuriki would directly release a Tailed Beast Bomb.
Only Hiruzen Sarutobi could block the Tailed Beast Bomb, and Hiruzen Sarutobi's Five-Element Great Barrage Jutsu was very threatening and had to be eliminated from the start.
Although he didn't know how Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly recovered chakra, judging by common ninja world knowledge, Hiruzen Sarutobi must have paid a certain price, possibly with negative effects on his body.
Therefore, this method wouldn't be a long-term solution; what needed to be consumed should be consumed.
As expected, after Hiruzen Sarutobi used the Five-Element Great Barrage to neutralize the Tailed Beast Bomb, the Three-Tails Jinchuriki immediately collapsed, and Hiruzen Sarutobi himself retreated to the rear.
At this point, Hozuki Gengetsu ordered all his troops to swarm forward, with an attack intensity even greater than before.
Even Hozuki Gengetsu and Akira themselves no longer stood by, but personally charged into the fray.
Last time, it was because they watched from the sidelines, failing to maximize the Mist ninjas' attack power, which gave Hiruzen Sarutobi time to recover.
Now they wouldn't make that mistake, but Hozuki Gengetsu didn't know that the Konoha ninja side also had a new trump card.
A person was seen leaping from the city wall. He bit his finger, quickly formed hand signs, and shouted, "Summoning Jutsu! Come forth, Gamaken!"
With a loud bang, a gigantic purplish-red toad appeared in the sky, then heavily landed on the ground.
Its immense weight seemed to shake the very earth.
The enemy troops stared dumbfounded at the suddenly appearing giant toad; human figures seemed incredibly small before it.
"I'm counting on you, Gamaken," Jiraiya said, standing on the toad's head.
"Although I am clumsy, I will do my best," the purplish-red toad named Gamaken said in a muffled voice, then swung its weapon and smashed it fiercely into the ground.
Before Hozuki Gengetsu could even be surprised, another person appeared on the battlefield, slapped their hand on the ground with a bang, and a giant purple snake appeared on the battlefield.
The giant snake spoke in human language, arrogantly saying, "Hmph, Orochimaru, I didn't expect you to actually summon me.
Well then, you should know what the conditions are for summoning me, right?"
"If you want lives, there are as many as you want on the ground. Do as you please," Orochimaru, standing on the giant snake's head, said emotionlessly.
"Wow, Orochimaru, when did you get a summoning animal like that?" Jiraiya on the other side said in surprise.
"Am I the only one allowed to have one?" Orochimaru didn't answer Jiraiya's question. This was actually when he was out and unexpectedly saved a snake.
That snake happened to be a member of a certain clan. To thank Orochimaru, it formed a contract with him, thereby gaining access to its clan.
Orochimaru didn't know that the location where he signed the contract was Ryūchi Cave, a place of senjutsu inheritance equally famous as Mount Myōboku.
Unlike the gentle toads of Mount Myōboku, the snakes of Ryūchi Cave were aloof and mostly cruel and tyrannical.
Although some descendants formed contracts with humans, none of the high-ranking members of Ryūchi Cave ever appeared.
The only high-level snake Orochimaru could contact was this giant snake named Manda. Although powerful, it demanded human lives as sacrifices to be summoned.
Conveniently, this battlefield had plenty of people, and they were people Orochimaru didn't care about, so he directly summoned it.
Thus, the two giant summoning animals, the Mount Myōboku toad and the Ryūchi Cave giant snake, began to move, attacking the enemy troops below.
Aside from the Mist ninjas, the samurai army's morale, which had just barely stabilized, wavered once again.
Facing such monstrous creatures, ordinary people couldn't help but feel fear.