章 253: Chapter 253: Tsunade's Warning, Oonoki Stirs the Pot!*
"Old man, wait a moment."
After everyone had left, Tsunade called out to the Third Hokage.
"Old man, I know that because of past events, the conflict between you and Yan runs deep—so deep it can't be resolved. I'm not asking you to follow my orders. I have just one request: don't hold Yan back."
Tsunade's tone was heavy as she spoke to the Third Hokage with utmost seriousness.
This wasn't the time for stubbornness or petty disputes. If anything went wrong, it would be hard for everyone to manage.
At other times, she could indulge his whims, give in here and there, but not now.
In matters concerning the outside world, no one could afford to be a hindrance—not even the Third Hokage.
Some things needed to be said openly. It was better to set the right tone from the start than to have problems erupt on the frontlines, causing division among allies.
If such a thing happened, it wouldn't just affect the results of the Five Great Shinobi Villages' alliance against the Akatsuki and Amegakure Village. Konohagakure would become the laughingstock of other villages and the entire shinobi world.
After much effort to stabilize the situation and find a reliable person to lean on, Tsunade didn't want the Third Hokage to mess it up.
"If you want to go to the frontlines, fine, I agree! But you have to follow orders. Don't act recklessly or throw around your authority as the Third Hokage. Don't make things difficult for everyone."
"I understand."
The Third Hokage's expression remained calm as he made his promise:
"I won't interfere with the arrangements on the frontlines. I only wish to lead a small group into the battlefield. Not too many, as the other villages are the main force."
"Alright! I'll pass the message and coordinate with Yan."
If the Third Hokage could make such a promise, Tsunade was willing to compromise.
A little give and take—everyone benefits.
After addressing the potential issue with the Third Hokage, Tsunade immediately instructed the intelligence department to contact Yan and inform him of the situation.
With the Third Hokage willing to deploy his own ninja troops from the border outposts, things became much simpler.
The village just needed to assemble a team for transporting supplies.
Nara Shikaku, true to his role as the head Jonin commander, handled it efficiently.
In just three days, the supply team was ready.
Under his guidance and leadership, the supply team set out from the logistics department with all the necessary materials, heading toward the Land of Rain.
"Interesting."
Receiving Tsunade's message, Yan couldn't help but laugh.
The Third Hokage coming to the frontlines was beyond his expectations.
It seemed that Utatane Koharu's death had hit him hard.
Strangely enough, the death of a comrade seemed to affect him more than the death of his own son.
For someone like that, Yan didn't know what to say.
But if the Third Hokage wanted to come to the frontlines, so be it!
Konohagakure handling supply transport had already caused some quiet dissatisfaction among the other villages.
The Third Hokage bringing half of the elite troops to the battlefield would be enough to silence them.
As for whether the Third Hokage would die on the battlefield, that depended on Nagato and the Akatsuki.
The main force would still be the Six Paths of Pain.
The Akatsuki's S-rank rogue ninjas might trouble the allied shinobi forces, but only to a certain extent.
The real threat lay with Nagato and Konan's millions of explosive tags.
If Konan was willing to go all out, her endless explosive tags could cause massive chaos for the allied forces.
Whether the Third Hokage came to the frontlines or not didn't matter much.
As long as he didn't cause problems or drag Yan down, it wasn't important.
Yan would even prefer him to die on the battlefield—it would save him the trouble of thinking about how to deal with him.
Just because Uchiha Yan had risen didn't mean the past could be forgotten.
There's plenty of time; we'll settle the score slowly.
Of course, if you happen to die early, that'd be even better!
Saves me the trouble of watching over you, wasting effort, and arousing others' suspicions.
This is no empty talk. Utatane Koharu's death already made many suspect that Yan did it on purpose.
Deliberately refusing to save her, intentionally delaying time—otherwise, with the combined power of Yan and Shisui, protecting someone like Utatane Koharu would've been an easy task.
Yet, Utatane Koharu still died. It's no surprise that Yan was suspected.
Unfortunately for those who suspect him, they have no evidence.
Without evidence, suspicion is useless.
Still, being suspected like this once or twice is enough. If it happens too many times, even without proof, it can damage a person's reputation.
So, Yan hopes Nagato steps up his game, and the Third Hokage loses his mind enough to charge straight into Amegakure Village, giving the Six Paths of Pain a chance to kill him.
The supply team departed from Konohagakure and, in just two days, reached the border camp of the Land of Rain, bringing enough food for thousands of people to last at least half a month.
It might seem like a lot of food, but for Konohagakure, it's nothing significant.
In fact, among wartime supplies, food is the cheapest and least costly. The real expense comes from ninja tool supplies, which are far more alarming.
As for why food shortages often plagued ninjas in past wars, it highlights the importance of transportation.
Even if you're not short on food, getting it delivered to the battlefield is what matters.
Disrupting enemy supply routes is a favorite tactic of ninjas.
Besides, while on the battlefield, without a retreat order, how many ninjas dare to return to the camp to resupply?
If you can't return to camp and must remain active on the battlefield, running out of supplies is inevitable.
Not everyone can afford storage scrolls, those rare and expensive tools, to carry their gear.
The Third Hokage's arrival surprised the other villages' Kage.
Why is this old man at the frontlines?
Konohagakure didn't mention this before.
At the next meeting, Yan attended with Nara Shikaku, while the Third Hokage stayed obediently in Konohagakure's camp.
Yan didn't seek him out, and the Third Hokage, knowing his place, didn't show up on his own.
Whatever he needed, he sent someone to inform Yan.
Since neither side liked the other, it was best to avoid meeting. Sending someone to relay messages worked just fine—for both sides.
This mutual understanding was something Yan and the Third Hokage shared.
Nara Shikaku, who had been worried about internal conflict, breathed a sigh of relief. As long as there was no infighting, that was a great outcome.
Yan sat in Konohagakure's section, with Nara Shikaku standing behind him. As soon as he sat down, Oonoki curiously asked,
"I heard the Third Hokage of Konohagakure is here in camp. Why isn't he attending the meeting?"
He was always looking for ways to sow discord.
Yan glanced at Oonoki calmly.
"The Third Hokage will lead half of the village's elites into the war to ensure no one accuses Konohagakure of only taking on safe tasks like transporting supplies.
Tsuchikage, are you still not satisfied? Or do you hope to see internal conflicts erupt within Konohagakure before the war starts so you can be content?"
"Hmph. At a time like this, you still have the energy to provoke your allies."
Raikage smirked, adding to Oonoki's frustration.
---------------------------------------
You can read 15 chapters ahead on patre on
patr eon.com/JYouyi
週次パワーステータス
-- 推薦
ランキング 
-- 推薦
チケット