章 181: Chapter 181: Provoking Hanzo
Since receiving the battle armor, Tatsuma hadn't actually worn it yet. After all, they were all standardized, and although the size fit, it couldn't perfectly accommodate everyone's body type and habits.
For Tatsuma, the shoulder design of the battle armor was a bit too wide, clearly scaled down from adult sizes without considering the characteristics of children's body types.
Normally, Tatsuma would never choose this set of battle armor, but as one of the commanding officers, Orochimaru's orders had to be followed obediently.
Because the battle armor was too loose, both Tatsuma and Minato chose to add an extra vest between the lining and the armor plates. Although the vest's scroll pockets were completely useless when covered by the armor plates, ensuring a better fit for the battle armor was enough.
"The Rain Ninja should have already noticed our actions. I wonder how many Ninja they'll send to fight us. It'd be best if it's fifty thousand, so each of us can fight ten. That would be enough for a good spring cleaning!"
Inside the makeshift tent, Nawaki, wearing only the armor plates and bare-bodied, was filled with excitement as he tried to adjust to them. Watching Nawaki struggling with the inconvenience brought by the battle armor, Tatsuma couldn't help but say helplessly:
"Nawaki, if the Rain Ninja were to attack tonight, would you go into battle like this?"
Upon hearing this, Nawaki glanced down, perhaps feeling a bit embarrassed. He quickly put on a pair of pants, but in his haste, he tripped over them and fell to the ground.
"Oh, ah!!"
Nawaki, now lying on the ground, suddenly rolled over, his hands clutching his groin area in pain. His legs kicked up in the air in agony.
Outside the tent, Orochimaru, who had just finished finalizing details with Tsunade and the others, was about to return to his tent to rest when he heard his disciple's cry of pain. He suddenly had a bad feeling and quickly lifted the tent flap.
Opening the door, he saw Nawaki writhing in pain, his movements resembling someone offering flowers. Muscles in Orochimaru's face twitched uncontrollably.
Seeing Nawaki clutching his groin, Orochimaru couldn't help but glance at Tatsuma and Minato sitting on their hammocks. Orochimaru suspected whether these two youngsters had used that technique called Rasengan on his disciple.
However, Orochimaru also concluded that Nawaki didn't seem to be seriously injured. After his face alternated between dark and pale for a while, he quickly lowered the tent flap he had lifted and left.
Tatsuma and Minato had just gotten down from their hammocks and were about to greet Orochimaru when they noticed he had already left like the wind. They exchanged helpless glances.
After a few minutes, Nawaki finally recovered completely. With trembling hands, he carefully put on his pants and stuffed several wads of cloth in the groin area before remembering to take off the battle armor.
Wiping his upper body with a towel, Nawaki suddenly snapped back to reality and said, "Was it very windy just now? I felt like the wind was blowing on me."
"Ahem, your sensei paid you a visit."
Tatsuma forced himself to hold back his laughter and said to Nawaki seriously. He had received professional training and generally wouldn't laugh unless he couldn't help it.
"Tsst~"
Minato couldn't help it and let out a suppressed chuckle, and Tatsuma, too, couldn't contain himself and burst into laughter. Meanwhile, Nawaki seemed to have turned to stone.
"Why didn't you just put your clothes on properly from the beginning?" Minato asked curiously after the laughter subsided.
After the laughter, Minato also asked curiously, Nawaki's face turned gray, and with a hint of a sob, he said, "The weather in the Land of Rain is so humid, wearing clothes is super uncomfortable."
"Are you feeling comfortable now?" Tatsuma jabbed Nawaki in the heart. Nawaki, as if donning a mask of pain, hurriedly mumbled and put on the clothes on his hammock, quickly dressed himself, and put on the battle armor, lying on the hammock without daring to move.
Seeing that Nawaki was truly disheartened, Tatsuma and Minato stopped teasing him. They each took out scrolls and began reading until the sentry outside the tent sounded the alarm, signaling the end of their day. They extinguished the lamps and began to sleep.
Though they called it sleep, it was just a rest with closed eyes. Even though there were Sensory Ninja on watch around the camp, they were accustomed to this shallow sleep, as they were all professional ninjas.
"Hoo~ Hoo~ Hoo~"
But less than five minutes later, the tent resounded with thunderous snores. In that instant, both Minato and Tatsuma opened their eyes.
"Hoo~ Hoo~ Hoo~"
The snoring continued, and the coldness and killing intent in their eyes grew stronger. They didn't mind staying up all night, but they couldn't bear this snoring.
It was like no one would enjoy the buzzing sound of a mosquito hovering around their ears. But if something were to disturb them at this moment, the entire camp would likely be awakened, so they had to endure it.
"Beep~~~"
Finally, another alarm sounded, and Tatsuma and Minato instantly jumped up from their hammocks. Tatsuma lifted Nawaki's hammock and then gave him a naked chokehold, while Minato performed a cross-arm lock. The pain and sudden feeling of suffocation instantly woke Nawaki up.
He wanted to shout "enemy attack," but his mouth and throat were restrained, preventing him from making any sound.
When he realized it was Minato and Tatsuma restraining him, he quickly calmed down. With only one hand still free to move, he kept pounding on the ground.
"Are you going to snore again in the future?!" Tatsuma asked fiercely, while loosening his grip slightly around Nawaki's neck. Nawaki greedily breathed in the air and then shook his head desperately. Only then did Tatsuma and Minato release him.
The three of them got up from the ground, fully awake now. At this moment, Jiraiya opened the tent flap, saw the three of them, nodded in satisfaction, and said, "Looking lively!"
"Of course! We youthful ninja always strive to work harder than anyone else!" Nawaki raised his thumb, revealing a mouthful of white teeth. However, he was met with the hostile gazes of Tatsuma and Minato.
Jiraiya also noticed something was amiss, but he knew these three had a good relationship. He figured it was just some childish squabble or playfulness. Waving his hand, he said, "Quickly clean up and freshen up. We'll be leaving soon."
"Yes!" Although the anger hadn't subsided, Tatsuma and Minato still responded quickly, preparing everything swiftly. They packed their ninja tools and scrolls, even though they couldn't use the armor, they could still tie it around themselves.
During the assembly, rain started to pour again. Tatsuma and Minato, thinking quickly, put on their raincoats. Nawaki, without a raincoat, could only look on with envy.
At the gathering point, Jiraiya and Tsunade arrived early, not wearing raincoats and getting soaked. Orochimaru, arriving a bit later, was already wearing a raincoat. His hair even looked smoother than the day before, not like someone heading into battle but rather like someone attending a formal event.
Near this campsite, there were almost five thousand Konoha ninja, with nearly four thousand participating in the battle. This number already exceeded the living combat power of the Rain ninja. But this was only a part of it.
Under the temporary leadership of Sakumo Hatake, the ANBU, along with the Konoha ninja previously dispatched by Orochimaru, deeply infiltrated the inside and outside perimeters of the Land of Rain. Together, they numbered over a thousand. It was estimated that there would be five thousand ninja in total participating in the final assault.
Konoha had never mobilized such a large force even when facing Sand and Cloud ninja. This indicated the determination of Sarutobi Hiruzen to end this war.
This operation was directly commanded remotely by the village. As the main leaders, Tsunade and the other two had only limited authority to make decisions. Therefore, before setting out, they didn't give any speeches. After a simple roll call, they departed.
The Konoha ninja army's objective was extremely clear: to directly target the Hidden Rain Village, the core of the Land of Rain. Their purpose was straightforward: to defeat the Rain Ninja directly, rather than just targeting specific factions or teams among them.
Konoha's actions were not overly concealed, so it was certain that the Land of Rain would detect them. Hanzo would undoubtedly try various tactics to counter them. However, Konoha didn't care; they aimed to defeat the Land of Rain head-on.
Of course, such a direct incursion into the heart of the Land of Rain would likely be surrounded and targeted. The village had anticipated such a scenario when devising their tactics. This was also why Sakumo Hatake didn't join the main battlefield.
As the saying goes, "Attack with the direct and win with the hidden." The direct force, or rather the four thousand ninja led by Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru, constituted the direct force.
The direct force engaged the Land of Rain's main army head-on, while each side's hidden forces lay hidden in the rear, observing the maneuvers of the opposing direct forces.
If Konoha wins first, then the Rain Ninja's hidden forces must come out first. However, being the first to reveal their hidden forces would deprive them of the element of surprise, as they would be captured by Konoha's hidden forces from behind, and vice versa.
Although this world doesn't have a comprehensive summary of military tactics, Tatsuma couldn't help but marvel at how even different civilizations, in their development, would traverse similar paths when informed of the village's arrangements.
When the army reached about ten kilometers outside the Hidden Rain Village, it was already dawn. If they were in Konoha, they would already be able to see the bright sunlight. However, in the heart of the Land of Rain, it remained dark, and the somewhat damp and cold weather made people involuntarily tense.
The army's marching speed slowed down significantly. After all, at this point, they were highly likely to encounter various traps, possibly even large-scale traps that could result in significant casualties with one wrong move.
Ninjas from the Hyuga, Inuzuka, and Aburame clans frequently demonstrated their skills, continuously dealing with one trap after another. After advancing for a while, Orochimaru gave the command, and the team came to a complete stop.
However, it wasn't a complete standstill; instead, they held the front line, constantly adjusting internally, and quickly reallocating various functional teams, extending them to both sides.
"Hanzo! Do you intend to continue hiding?"
Calling out like this was undoubtedly Tsunade's doing. Not only did she have enough momentum, but also because of her identity.
Upon hearing Tsunade's call, the quiet rainforest in the distance quickly stirred. Figures emerged from what seemed like an empty rainforest.
"Hmph! I didn't expect Konoha to send you three. Do you enjoy the taste of defeat?"
Suddenly, Hanzo appeared among the ranks, his words mocking the three for their previous command roles, always seeking negotiation with the Land of Rain and suffering defeat after defeat.
Just as the three were about to retort, Tatsuma suddenly grabbed Nawaki, who was eager to charge forward, his eyes gleaming. Meanwhile, his right hand swept from behind his waist, revealing a Kunai adorned with an Explosive Tag.
Tatsuma directly threw the Kunai into the empty space between the two armies.
"Boom!!!"
"Rumble~"
Suddenly, flames soared into the sky. Orochimaru frowned, couldn't help but turn his head to look at Tatsuma. He was surprisingly perceptive, or rather, he was so confident in anticipating the Rain Ninja's defensive traps.
On the other side of the flames, Hanzo's face turned ugly. With this explosion, most of the Land of Rain's supplies were gone in an instant. He also noticed that little brat. He must make him pay!
Both armies quickly entered combat mode. Orochimaru also issued a gesture command to engage in battle. Just as the flames began to dissipate, a figure suddenly rushed towards Tatsuma.
"Bang~"
The sickle swept across Tatsuma's neck, but Tatsuma turned into a puff of smoke and a stump of wood. Hanzo, who had used Body Flicker, instantly turned as dark as a pot. He had been played by such childish tactics!
"As expected of Hanzo of the Salamander, leader of the Land of Rain! I acknowledge you and your Rain Ninja, but in this battle, Konoha will emerge victorious, and the war will come to an end because of this battle!"
Upon hearing the childish praise, Hanzo looked up and saw Tatsuma holding Nawaki on a nearby tree, his eyes filled with unmasked hostility.
Just as he was about to strike again, three figures appeared in a triangular formation beside him. Orochimaru, with a sinister yet elegant smile, said, "Lord Hanzo, is it not beneath you to lay hands on a child?"
"Are you suggesting that you'll bear my wrath for him?!"
In an instant, all four began forming hand seals, and their seals seemed identical. Tsunade and Jiraiya were startled, looking at Orochimaru, whose sinister yet elegant smile remained unchanged.
During the past few months of operations in the countries of Rain, Earth, Waterfall, and Rice, Orochimaru had been doing more than just fulfilling Konoha's missions.
Orochimaru's thumb slid between his teeth, then his tongue lightly licked the blood staining his lips. In that moment, all four completed their hand seals simultaneously.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
----
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