Konoha's Tag-System Ninja

Chapter 148: Chapter 148: Impact!

After regaining her composure, Tsunade frowned as she listened to the news Shizune had brought.

Unfortunately, the information was vague, as it had been released by the Hokage's office.

Tsunade immediately stood up. "I'm going to see the old man."

Shizune hurried to follow. She had been extremely excited after hearing the news, but seeing Tsunade's serious attitude now, she began to worry as well.

When Tsunade arrived at the Hokage's office, she found that Jiraiya, Koharu Utatane, and Danzo were also present.

Upon seeing her, Jiraiya immediately smiled. "Relax, Shūichi's not hurt."

"Gamabunta even said that his strength has surpassed his teacher, Minato."

Tsunade nodded coldly, but inwardly she felt relieved. She then asked, "With the Mist suffering such heavy losses, they'll probably launch an immediate attack, right?"

Koharu Utatane nodded. "Hiruzen has already decided to send reinforcements to the eastern front immediately. Both Jiraiya and I will head out shortly."

Tsunade asked, "What about the direction of the Land of Rivers?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi replied, "The Hidden Mist Village is too far from there. After their army was wiped out, the chance of them attacking from that direction is extremely low."

"As for the Hidden Sand Village, the losses on the front lines were minimal. Our current forces are sufficient, and the Sand's main strength is still focused in the north."

Tsunade remained silent and asked no further questions.

After the meeting ended, Jiraiya and Tsunade walked together down the street.

"Don't worry, Shūichi's strength is already incredible, and he has the Flying Thunder God technique," Jiraiya said with a smile, well aware of Tsunade's concern.

Tsunade huffed, "I was going to remind you to be careful and not die on the battlefield."

Jiraiya burst out laughing. "Tsunade, I'm the Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku! Besides, the Hidden Mist doesn't have a jinchūriki that powerful."

After laughing, he suggested, "Let's go grab a drink!"

Tsunade nodded silently.

---

Kirigakure, Mizukage Tower, Conference Room.

The atmosphere was heavy.

The news of the total annihilation of the army led by Hōzuki Shingetsu was too shocking.

Previously, when they had lost contact with Hōzuki's forces, there had been a sense of unease, but no one had expected this outcome.

Suddenly, a voice broke the silence: "Mizukage-sama, issue the order!"

"Such disgrace can only be washed away with blood!"

"The Kaguya clan is willing to lead the charge!"

The speaker was a middle-aged man, his expression brimming with excitement and bloodlust. His smile even carried a savage edge.

The Kaguya clan lived for battle, and now was the perfect time for them to shine.

The head of the Hōzuki clan, Hōzuki Kyūgetsu, spoke gravely: "The Kaguya clan leader is right!"

"Based on the intelligence we've received, it's confirmed that the Scorch Release user, Pakura, was indeed rescued by Konoha!"

The Hōzuki clan had suffered terribly this time, losing Hōzuki Shingetsu, one of their key members, and Hōzuki Metsuin, who had been groomed as the future clan leader.

The others in the meeting also voiced their support for launching an attack on Konoha, as it had been part of their original plan, just moved up slightly.

The Third Mizukage, who had kept his eyes downcast, finally opened them and looked at Hōzuki Kyūgetsu and Kaguya Daisuke. "Very well, the Kaguya clan and Hōzuki clan will be the vanguard, with Yagura leading the operation."

"In addition, once the battle starts, send the Seven Ninja Swordsmen to infiltrate the Land of Fire and carry out a decapitation strike on Konoha's command center."

"If you encounter that Shūichi Hoshita, focus all efforts on killing him!"

"Send someone to the Sunagakure to gather intelligence on this Shūichi Hoshita as quickly as possible."

"Relay the order: ordinary ninjas are allowed to abandon their mission if they encounter Shūichi Hoshita!"

...

As the high-level meeting concluded, the news spread quickly.

The entire force of over a thousand Mist Village ninjas had been wiped out!

This revelation sent shockwaves throughout the Hidden Mist Village, but it also ignited an unprecedented surge of fighting spirit.

Among the ninja community, the name Shūichi Hoshita began circulating rapidly.

It was incredibly rare to issue a command allowing ordinary ninjas to abandon their missions—especially concerning a 12-year-old boy.

As the ninjas learned of this order, so did their families, and Shūichi's name continued to spread far and wide.

---

At the same time, the Sunagakure was also thrown into turmoil.

They had only just celebrated a defensive victory against the Hidden Stone, only to face such a devastating loss so soon after.

Once again, the name Shūichi Hoshita entered the minds of every Sand ninja.

But unlike before, this time, Shūichi's name also began to spread among the general population of the Sand Village.

A day later, the Daimyō of the Land of Wind received the battle report from the Hidden Sand and quickly took note of the name Shūichi Hoshita.

Meanwhile, in the Hidden Stone Village, the Third Tsuchikage received the news even later.

Despite their efforts to gather intelligence, the details of the battle still came from Konoha.

"Shūichi Hoshita..." Onoki furrowed his brows. "It seems he's very likely the one who dealt with the Third Kazekage!"

He held two intelligence reports in his hands.

One was from Konoha, of course, part of the "good news" that they had released publicly.

After cross-referencing it with information gathered by his own intelligence network, he confirmed that Konoha hadn't exaggerated the details.

The second report came from the Hidden Sand Village, or more precisely, from the Fourth Kazekage.

It contained more precise information about Shūichi Hoshita, even mentioning the use of Lava Release.

Although Shūichi hadn't used Lava Release in front of the Sand ninjas, traces of its power had been left behind in his battle against the Mist.

"Father, it seems the Sand ninjas are hinting at peace negotiations," said Kitsuchi.

The report they had received from the Sand was clearly crafted with a purpose.

Onoki scoffed lightly. "The Fourth Kazekage wouldn't initiate peace talks with us."

Kitsuchi hesitated for a moment before saying, "But this could be the right time to form an alliance with the Sand. The Mist will surely launch a large-scale attack on the Land of Fire, and based on the intelligence we've gathered, the Cloud Village is also preparing for war. Konoha has even reinforced their northern defenses."

Onoki, however, remained calm. "It's not enough."

"We need the Sand to tie down more of Konoha's forces. Pull our front lines back a little, so the Sand can free up more of their strength."

He knew full well what the Fourth Kazekage wanted: for the Hidden Stone to propose peace first.

But the disappearance—or death—of the Third Kazekage had nothing to do with them, so why should they be the ones to apologize?

After thinking for a moment, Onoki asked, "If we were to wage war on the Land of Fire, where would be the best place to strike?"

Kitsuchi thought for a moment before replying, "The most suitable route would be through the Land of Grass!"

"We need to catch Konoha off guard and seize the advantage before they can react. The Land of Rain is heavily defended by Konoha, but the Land of Grass, though allied with Konoha, is led by a leader who is much closer to us."

"They won't foolishly fight to the death for Konoha's sake. So, we could take Konoha by surprise, swiftly passing through the Land of Grass to launch a sudden attack on the Land of Fire's border and catch Konoha off guard!"

"Moreover, attacking from the direction of the Land of Grass would give us the shortest supply lines."

Onoki nodded slightly. "Go make the preparations."

Kitsuchi's expression immediately grew serious. "Understood!"

---

Time flew by, and it was now May of the 45th year in Konoha.

In the Land of Rivers, beneath a waterfall, Shūichi opened his eyes with a look of joy. "I've finally mastered it!"

Moments earlier, his Shadow Clone had dispelled, sending back memories of his research, and he had finally made progress with the Spirit Transformation Technique.

In fact, he had already gotten some insights when he used 'Flash of Insight' during the last time, but the outbreak of war had left him with little time to focus on his studies.

Now, as Konoha stood in a standoff with the Sunagakure, he had finally made a breakthrough.

"Shisui!"

Shūichi stood up and walked out from under the waterfall.

(End of Chapter)

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