Uchiha Setsuna returned to the Konoha Second Ninja Platoon with great determination. On the very first day, he and other returning high-ranking ninjas went to meet Uchiha Kagami. Seeing Uchiha Kagami's face once again, a ripple of disgust involuntarily arose in Uchiha Setsuna's heart. However, at this moment, he still had to put on a smiling face to deceive Uchiha Kagami.
Uchiha Setsuna believed he had tricked the other party. For years, he had been biding his time, feigning absolute loyalty. And just as he thought, even though Fumori masaki indicated that Uchiha Setsuna might not be so simple, in Uchiha Kagami's mind, the exceptionally performing Uchiha Setsuna was still trustworthy.
Uchiha Setsuna and the others were all members of the former Konoha Second Ninja Platoon. Uchiha Kagami felt a lot of emotions upon seeing them again. Some of them had already been left behind in the Land of Grass forever, never to return, which made him sigh inwardly.
However, the deceased are gone, and the present is paramount. The most important thing now is to deal with Sunagakure and win the war, which is the best way to honor the fallen.
Uchiha Kagami gathered the high-ranking ninjas in the camp and first explained the upcoming operational objectives to everyone. Before the General Staff could finalize the specific strategic plans, their current task was to tie down Sunagakure's forces, dragging their front line between the Land of Rivers and the Land of Rain, and extending it as much as possible.
Uchiha Setsuna listened quietly. Although he wanted to put Uchiha Kagami to death, he didn't want to become a suspect. There had to be a plausible situation for Uchiha Kagami to die, and that opportunity would inevitably arise during the battle with Sunagakure, because his inner intention was to have the people of Sunagakure eliminate Uchiha Kagami.
Of course, the current situation was hard to predict. At least, Uchiha Setsuna hadn't seen that point yet. He still couldn't find an opportunity for Sunagakure to take out Uchiha Kagami, so he still had to lie low for now.
After Uchiha Kagami briefly explained the current situation, he let the newly returned members of the platoon go to understand the specific situation in the camp. As Uchiha Setsuna turned to leave, he was called back by Uchiha Kagami.
"Setsuna." Uchiha Kagami's expression was very gentle. Except for enemies, he would always show this expression to every person in Konohagakure. However, this was precisely what Uchiha Setsuna disliked the most.
"What is it, Lord Kagami?" Uchiha Setsuna sometimes truly admired his own self-control, being able to endure that kind of smile for so many years. As an Uchiha, one should have the honor of a prestigious family. Mixing with those commoners was truly laughable.
"Your performance in the Land of Grass campaign was outstanding. The village's records of your merits have already been sent to me. I truly admire you." Uchiha Kagami stepped forward and patted Uchiha Setsuna's shoulder, "In the future, you will surely become one of the heroes of the Uchiha clan. Keep up the good work."
"Yes, thank you for the praise, Lord Kagami." Uchiha Setsuna said respectfully, a sneer echoing in his heart: "Indeed, he will become a hero of the Uchiha clan, and you, Uchiha Kagami, will become the disgrace of the Uchiha clan."
Uchiha Kagami naturally didn't know Uchiha Setsuna's true thoughts. Seeing his performance, he nodded slightly, said a few words, and then let him go to understand the situation in the camp so he could adapt quickly.
Uchiha Setsuna bowed slightly and turned to leave the tent. The sun was shining brightly at this moment. He raised his head, squinted slightly, and felt the gentle warmth of the sun on his face. He felt that this was the beautiful scene bestowed upon him by heaven, the beginning of the Uchiha clan's return to its former glory.
In the days that followed, the Konoha Second Ninja Platoon and the Konoha Fourth Ninja Platoon, whose focus had begun to shift, joined forces with the Amegakure ninja forces within the Land of Rain, launching repeated campaigns against the Sunagakure ninja forces. While assaulting Sunagakure's defensive line, they also caused it to become increasingly stretched.
This would make it very difficult for the understaffed Sunagakure forces to defend the entire front line.
When Konohagakure launches a large-scale counterattack, it will advance from different directions, and the Sunagakure forces will inevitably encounter significant trouble.
Although the true movements of Konohagakure were still unclear, the experienced Chiyo had a vague sense of unease. Thanks to the special environment of the Land of Rain and the supply of gas masks, her new type of poison had not yet played any significant role—she did not know that Konohagakure had secretly tested it, and the antidote developed by Tsunade could also neutralize the new poison. To deceive the enemy, they had always pretended to have no good solution to the new poison. Occasionally, ninjas who feigned poisoning were sent to the rear for rapid detoxification, so that Chiyo would also experience the same unpreparedness as the Sunagakure forces in the Land of Grass.
There was also good news: due to the special environment of the Land of Rain, Konohagakure's explosive cannons were not very effective. Explosive cannons do not fire iron balls; their essence is to detonate explosive tags, which are a type of Fire Release. They are very unsuitable in rainy weather.
Although lightning explosive tags could also be used, Konohagakure was also concerned about whether lightning explosive tags would affect their own people. Therefore, the use of explosive cannons was basically still concentrated in the Land of Rivers, using the complex terrain and towns of the Land of Rivers to curb the attacks of the Sunagakure forces.
Chiyo stayed in her tent, repeatedly looking at the battle map in front of her, pondering Konohagakure's objectives and how to seek a counterattack. If she couldn't produce any favorable results soon, the slowly depleted Sunagakure would no longer be able to withstand Konohagakure.
Because of the cessation of border trade, the Land of Wind could not import grain from the fertile, grain-producing Land of Fire. Some avaricious merchants were severely suppressed by Konoha ninjas and dared not secretly sell grain. Thus, the Land of Wind could only receive grain from the Land of Earth.
Since the Land of Earth had officially allied with the Land of Wind, there was no need to be secretive as before; grain was transported openly along official roads, and Konohagakure's Anbu rarely came to disrupt it. However, not only did the Land of Wind have to pay a large amount of money, but the vast Land of Wind also lacked good transportation routes. The long distances and limited transportation channels increased the burden on logistics.
The Land of Earth had no objections; their grain supply was relatively abundant, and giving some up could earn them money. However, the Land of Wind was struggling. Of course, the resilient people of the Land of Wind could still endure for now, but it was hard to say about the future.
Chiyo knew that calls for a ceasefire were growing louder domestically. These voices already existed due to Sunagakure's unfavorable military operations, and the Daimyo of the Land of Wind had also warned that if things didn't improve, a ceasefire would be the only option. If this continued, the outcome was truly uncertain.
As Chiyo was deep in thought, she suddenly heard footsteps outside her tent. Her thoughts disrupted, she looked up in annoyance and saw a Sunagakure ninja rush in. The ninja held a scroll in their hand and shouted, "Lady Chiyo, quickly look at this!"
"What is it?" Chiyo frowned slightly, took the scroll from the ninja's hand, and quickly unrolled it. At first, her brows were still tightly furrowed, but gradually, a look of surprise appeared in her eyes. She quickly looked up and asked, "Where did this come from?"
"Let me tell you." The Sunagakure ninja seemed not to want others to hear, and despite knowing it was very safe there, still leaned close to Chiyo and whispered.
The surprise in Chiyo's eyes grew deeper. She wore a solemn expression, contemplating something. After a moment, as if having made up her mind, she suddenly looked up and said, "Take me to see it."
Meanwhile, near the Sunagakure camp, a figure slowly emerged. It was deep night, and its body was as ethereal as a shadow. Unless one had exceptionally keen eyesight, it would be impossible to see it. Its aura was also almost perfectly concealed. It was a special existence to begin with, almost one with the land. Even a Sage Mode user, who could perceive natural energy, would find it very difficult to locate it.
"Seriously, I still have to rely on others. Uchiha Setsuna, that guy, his strength really isn't enough. If Madara were still here, it wouldn't have to be like this." The voice of the shadow sounded, tinged with emotion.
Although he was very displeased with Uchiha Madara's impulsive actions, which turned the Rinnegan, just a step away, into a pipe dream, now that he thought about it, Madara was truly the best person. Never before had such an outstanding person appeared among the Uchiha clan. It was only a pity that fate was unpredictable, and Uchiha Madara still lost to Senju Hashirama, forcing him to start over.
However, the shadow, which was Zetsu, had already experienced many failures and was relatively easy to accept them. Its way of survival was very special. Years ago, before its mother, Kaguya Otsutsuki, was sealed, she separated Zetsu by creating life through Yin-Yang Release, making Zetsu more akin to a spiritual life form than a living person.
It was precisely because of this that Zetsu could still live in this world after the deaths of Otsutsuki Hagoromo and Otsutsuki Hamura. Although those two were powerful, they were ultimately human beings living in the world, and their life forms were exactly the same as ordinary people, at most a bit stronger.
However, Zetsu's life form was similar to that of a Tailed Beast. Unlike Hagoromo and Hamura, who had their own thoughts, Zetsu was an extension of Kaguya Otsutsuki's spirit, Kaguya Otsutsuki's will. Everything would be sacrificed for Kaguya Otsutsuki; therefore, Zetsu would not complain, no matter the cost.
According to Uchiha Setsuna's plan, Zetsu slowly leaked Konohagakure's plans. The specific source of the intelligence would naturally not be detailed, but this would gradually influence Sunagakure's policy and disrupt Konohagakure's plans, making the possibility of Uchiha Kagami's appearance increasingly high.
Only if Uchiha Kagami personally engaged would there be a way for Sunagakure to lay an ambush and strike at him. With Zetsu's intelligence, Sunagakure could certainly gain the upper hand. The only question was under what circumstances Uchiha Kagami could be drawn out.
In a war, only if the situation was unfavorable or if there was some necessary strategy, would it be possible to draw out Uchiha Kagami, the supreme commander. And for Konohagakure, only if problems arose in the operations against Sunagakure would Uchiha Kagami be likely to take such a risk.
On this point, Zetsu, who had lived for a thousand years, still agreed with Uchiha Setsuna's strategy, but there were too many uncertain factors. It not only depended on Konohagakure itself but also on Sunagakure. If one link in either side went wrong, all efforts could be in vain.
At this moment, Zetsu once again missed Uchiha Madara. If it were the old Uchiha Madara, freed from the shackles of Konohagakure, he could naturally do many things, just like Zetsu itself. Precisely because no one knew of Zetsu's existence, Zetsu could act recklessly and without being detected.
—So, Madara, if you had been a bit calmer back then, the outcome might have been different.
Zetsu sighed deeply. Even so, he could only accept this outcome now. For someone like him, who could only operate behind the scenes, what could be accomplished depended on the skill of those at the forefront. The stronger the abilities of the people he manipulated, the more things could be achieved.
This was also why Fumori masaki had to eliminate the possibility of Uchiha Madara's revival. Uchiha Madara was too powerful; if he were exploited by Zetsu, it would be a huge crisis. And after losing Madara, even if Zetsu could find new targets to exploit, the danger he could cause would not exceed the time when Madara was alive.
As he watched the people of Sunagakure emerge based on the trap he had laid, Zetsu slowly sank into the ground. In short, the rest would depend on future arrangements. Having lived for a thousand years, he was very patient and had witnessed many possibilities. Even if he failed occasionally, he could still find the next opportunity.
Everything proceeded secretly according to the plans of Uchiha Setsuna and Zetsu. Sunagakure received various pieces of intelligence leaked by Zetsu. Under his control, although Sunagakure had some doubts, the intelligence was proven in subsequent operations. Thus, a plan began to form in their minds.
While using this intelligence could indeed lead to victory, it would also cause Konohagakure to react quickly, leading them to discover the "mole," which would be a net loss for Sunagakure. Since this opportunity presented itself, they had to make good use of it to deliver a heavy blow to Konohagakure!
Thus, Chiyo summoned the high-ranking ninjas in the village to discuss how to inflict significant losses on Konohagakure, thereby buying Sunagakure some breathing room. As long as they had a moment to breathe, the more Sunagakure could fight, the more weaknesses Konohagakure, facing multi-front warfare, would expose.