The morning sun bathed the earth in light, and the surrounding temperature gradually rose. Just as he arrived at the command room early in the morning, Chao Yanqian received bad news: the ninja forces of Kumogakure had already assembled on the front lines, preparing to launch an offensive against Konoha.
After receiving the latest intelligence from Nara Shikaku, he carefully read it several times. Upon confirming that there were no traps, he was left speechless. What kind of ninja tactics involved launching such a blatant, head-on assault?
However, Chao Yanqian did not express his thoughts aloud and simply handed the report back to Nara Shikaku.
"Is there any word on the jinchūriki?" Chao Yanqian asked.
"Not yet," Nara Shikaku replied, shaking his head and sighing helplessly. "This plays right into your expectations. Do you have any thoughts about the upcoming battle?"
"With Shikaku-sensei in charge, what else is there for me to say?" Chao Yanqian replied with a smile.
Hiashi Hyuga considered carefully and said, "Kumogakure likely doesn't want this war to drag on. Their resources can't compare to the Land of Fire's, and the Fourth Raikage's short temper is well known. This battle may be our final clash with Kumogakure."
"Not necessarily," Shikaku disagreed. "Konoha's situation isn't much better. Unless we can decisively crush Kumogakure in today's battle, if the war becomes prolonged, both sides will end up locked in a drawn-out struggle. Kumogakure could use that to gain leverage in peace negotiations with Konoha."
"Negotiations? If they wanted to negotiate, why delay until now? What would be the point of this battle then?" Hiashi asked, puzzled.
Shikaku explained, "If they negotiate now, they'll be seen as the defeated side. They initiated the war, lost 3,000 shinobi, and gained nothing. Do you think they'd agree to peace under those terms? But if they drag Konoha into a drawn-out conflict, they can use the offer of 'peace' as a bargaining chip to pressure us into concessions."
"Damn it! So that's their plan!" Hiashi exclaimed angrily.
Chao Yanqian said coolly, "Exactly. That's why this war must be ended quickly, or it will never end. Kumogakure can't swallow the bitter pill of defeat easily. They'll try to drag Konoha into a prolonged conflict. Konoha desperate for 'peace' will eventually be forced to compromise and give in to Kumogakure's demands."
"You're right. That's what Lord Hiruzen had in mind originally," Shikaku said, glancing at Chao Yanqian. "If peace can be bought with just some resources, that would be ideal."
Chao Yanqian shook his head with a mocking smile and replied, "Had we not destroyed their frontline force, Kumogakure might have accepted Hiruzen-sama's proposal provided Konoha paid a certain price. But now that we've annihilated 3,000 of their shinobi, any peace talks would be tantamount to surrender. That's impossible."
"Hmph," Shikaku muttered, pursing his lips.
Chao Yanqian said with irritation, "We should've launched a surprise attack when the Fourth Raikage first arrived at the front lines. We could have seized the initiative. But now it's too late. Kumogakure understands our strength it won't be easy to win."
"Alright, stop arguing," Hiashi said. "Kumogakure is preparing to attack. We should be planning our response."
"I suggest we divide our forces into two units," Shikaku proposed. "One will specialize in ninjutsu, the other in close combat. If I coordinate with Inoichi, we can relay tactics to every shinobi's mind directly, allowing us to form squads based on real-time strategy. That way, we make full use of our strengths."
"I'm on board," Yamanaka Inoichi said.
"Good," Chao Yanqian nodded. Then, a sly smile crept onto his face. "But why are we always waiting for the enemy to strike first? Why not take the initiative? With the Fourth Raikage personally leading his forces, it's likely the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki will be on the battlefield too. That means Kumogakure is lightly defended. I propose leading an elite squad to bypass the front and strike directly at the village."
"What!?"
"You're insane!"
Chao Yanqian's words hit the command room like a bombshell. Chaos erupted.
It was an audacious proposal. Since the beginning of the ninja wars, from the First to the Third Great Ninja War, no force had ever directly attacked an enemy village.
First, he released the Three-Tails in Kirigakure. Now, he was proposing a direct strike on Kumogakure. If Chao Yanqian was allowed to proceed, Kumogakure might truly be destroyed.
"No!" Shikaku immediately rejected the idea. "If you leave, who will hold off the Fourth Raikage and the Eight-Tails jinchūriki? And if we destroy Kumogakure, any possibility of peace between us will vanish."
"This is war, Shikaku-sensei! You're being too naive!" Chao Yanqian said disdainfully. "If we don't hurt them where it counts, do you think they'll agree to negotiate? If every 'peace' must be bought with resources, then what are our shinobi on the front lines dying for?"
"Do you even understand what it means to completely sever ties with Kumogakure?" Shikaku asked gravely.
"Heh. They already attacked us, and you're still concerned with diplomacy? When they started this war, did they care about preserving relations? What are you so afraid of? The First Hokage divided the tailed beasts to balance power, and what happened? They used them to create jinchūriki and attacked us! If the other great nations had been eliminated from the start, and only Konoha remained, there wouldn't be these endless wars!" Chao Yanqian said bitterly.
The Hokage's methods, in his eyes, were naive and timid. They believed in harmony and mutual development. Don't provoke others, and they won't provoke you.
That kind of idealism isn't wrong if you have the strength to back it up.
The Land of Fire is rich and fertile. If Konoha isn't strong enough to protect it, then every other nation will come to take a bite.
In the original timeline, Orochimaru colluded with Sunagakure to invade Konoha during the Chūnin Exams, even unleashing the One-Tail within the village. And in the end, Sunagakure suffered no real punishment.
This is how the ninja world works alliances are built on convenience. Sunagakure betrayed the peace accord, invaded Konoha, and killed many shinobi. At the very least, they should have paid some price.
But in the name of peace, the Hokage forgave them.
And now, the same scenario was unfolding with Kumogakure. They started the war, yet the Third Hokage wanted to wait for them to make the first move, and only then respond with a counterattack.
This was what angered Chao Yanqian the most.
"I've already made my decision," he said in a deep voice.
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