"Boom, boom, boom~"
Explosions echoed in the forest, and several figures moved swiftly. A somewhat hoarse and childish voice rang out.
"Truly the elite Ninjas of the Land of Rain, even if they fall into a trap, they can react so quickly."
"Sakamoto Tatsuma?!"
Another angry and horrified voice sounded at this moment, but Tatsuma did not respond. White light flashed in the forest, and after a few weak sobbing sounds, the rainforest fell silent again.
Unusually, there was no system broadcast, which puzzled Tatsuma a bit. However, he didn't pay much attention and instead looked at the two who had also completed the elimination of the enemy team, asking, "Any surprises? Minato, Fugaku Senpai?"
Minato showed a reassuring smile, and Fugaku calmly shook his head, while also sizing up Tatsuma with a few glances.
They had been a team for quite some time, and his understanding of these two had deepened. However, he still couldn't comprehend Tatsuma's thought process.
Battle is battle, why talk so much? Even if you talk a lot, others just spew nonsense, provoke the opponent, and make them reveal weaknesses.
As for Tatsuma? His mouth is as sweet as if coated with honey, speaking so sweetly. The most crucial part is that he is not a person who speaks sweetly with a hidden agenda; that kind of recognition cannot be faked.
The most crucial thing is that Tatsuma's "sweet words" are not only spoken to enemies, nor only during combat. Fugaku couldn't forget what this guy said a couple of days ago, "Truly a matured man, our size might not be the same but I will definitely pee farther than you."
The most crucial part is that he lost, not because he couldn't pee as far as Tatsuma, but because Tatsuma stood next to him, and he couldn't pee at all.
Who pees with someone standing next to them? At least maintain a bit of personal space. Doesn't he understand such common sense? This kid really have no manners!
Tatsuma didn't notice Fugaku's gradually resentful gaze but continued, "I'll tidy up the bodies of the Hidden Sand Village Ninjas, then rearrange the formation. You two can take a rest for now."
After saying that, he left again. After Tatsuma departed, Minato revealed the right hand that had been hanging behind him and used Medical Ninjutsu to slowly treat a wound on his arm.
By the time Tatsuma returned, Minato's wound had already healed. He no longer concealed it and instead confidently displayed his hand when Tatsuma glanced at it. Tatsuma didn't expose it but kept frowning.
Upon Tatsuma's return, Uchiha Fugaku had finally calmed his emotions. He spoke, "The recent actions of the Land of Rain have become more frequent. It seems they can't sit still either."
Minato nodded, continuing the conversation, "I suspect our repeated battles with the Hidden Sand Village have prompted the Land of Rain to consider seizing opportunities for themselves."
Unnoticed by the two, Tatsuma's expression at this moment was very peculiar, even serious.
After some more exchange of thoughts, both of them acknowledged each other's perspectives. It was only then that Minato noticed Tatsuma hadn't spoken for a long time. He turned and asked, "Tatsuma, are you okay?"
Tatsuma shook his head and said, "Things are not that simple."
Upon hearing this, Fugaku also furrowed his brow and asked, "What do you mean?"
He was having a good time chatting with Minato, expressing views that he wouldn't dare speak of in the village or within the clan. He felt he was utilizing his political acumen, but Tatsuma's words seemed to negate it all?
At this moment, Tatsuma raised a ninja tool pouch in his hand and said, "Those people may not necessarily be Land of Rain's Ninjas."
Minato looked at Tatsuma's ninja tool pouch with confusion. In the dim rainforest, he couldn't see anything unusual, but he also furrowed his brow in puzzlement.
He believed Tatsuma wasn't someone who spoke without reason. Minato was confident that Tatsuma must have discovered something for him to make such a statement.
Compared to Minato, as a member of the Uchiha clan, Fugaku had much better eyesight. Even in the dim rainforest, even though he was farther from Tatsuma, he immediately noticed something amiss.
On the edge of the pouch's buckle, there was a bit of red fuzz. Fugaku quickly deduced that the red color wasn't from blood but rather had caught on some red fabric, leaving behind traces.
He quickly stepped forward and took the ninja tool pouch from Tatsuma's hand, carefully examining it. Before long, he uttered a word, "Iwagakure Village!"
"Iwagakure Village?!" Minato showed a surprised expression. In this ongoing war, it was primarily a conflict between the Wind and Fire Nations, with occasional harassment from the Land of Rain. There were no signs of other countries or villages getting involved.
However, the sudden appearance of traces from Iwagakure Village couldn't help but astonish Minato. Especially considering the impact of Iwagakure's participation in the war – if three out of the five great nations were involved, it could even be considered a world war in the shinobi realm.
For example, in the previous Shinobi World War, it was a conflict among the Fire, Water, Earth, and Lightning Nations, without involving all countries and ninja villages. However, because the four major nations were engaged in the war, it severely affected the entire shinobi world and was deemed a Shinobi World War.
Now, with the Wind and Fire Nations at war and the Land of Rain seemingly eager to join in, if Iwagakure Village also decided to intervene at this moment, the scale of the war could truly rival a Shinobi World War.
Looking at the ninja tool pouch in his hand, Uchiha Fugaku felt immense pressure. Given the situation affecting the entire shinobi world, he should report directly to higher-ups as he couldn't handle this matter on his own.
However, the evidence in his hands was too scant – just a few strands of red fuzz. It couldn't conclusively prove that those ninjas were from Iwagakure Village. What if it was a common choice for ninjas worldwide to use red belts at home?
The standard ninja attire for Iwagakure Village is red, but it doesn't mean only Iwagakure ninjas wear red. After all, no ninja village would dictate that other ninjas are forbidden from wearing clothes in their village's home colors.
If he reported it and it turned out to be a misunderstanding after a thorough investigation, it would bring shame not only to him, Uchiha Fugaku, but to the entire Uchiha clan.
Wasting the village's resources on investigating a misunderstanding would cause unrest among the villagers. Most importantly, it might disrupt the "friendship" between the two nations. Uchiha didn't want to bear such responsibility.
However, doing nothing was not an option. If Iwagakure Village truly joined the war, and he, as the frontline defender and scout, failed to detect it, it would be a serious lapse in his duties.
Most crucially, he had already discovered some clues, and there were people who knew that he was aware of this matter – those two little rascals.
Tatsuma looked at Fugaku's changing expression and took the initiative to speak, "After we regroup, I'll report to Orochimaru-sama. Let's have him investigate whether these bits of fuzz are really from Iwagakure Village ninja uniforms. Fugaku Senpai, you should also contact the other members of the Uchiha clan and have them intensify reconnaissance. If there's any new evidence, that would be great."
Upon hearing this, Fugaku suddenly woke up, shaking his head to dispel the frightening thoughts that had sprung up in his mind. He then handed the ninja tool pouch back to Tatsuma, saying, "Tatsuma, I appreciate your efforts in this matter. And, don't publicize this too much. We're not sure if it's Iwagakure Village's doing, and even if it is, we are not be aware of their true intentions. The fewer people who know, the better for us."
Tatsuma nodded solemnly. In truth, he leaned toward the idea that it was indeed Iwagakure Village's doing. As for the village's intentions, like most nations that joined a war midway, it was likely driven by interests.
And he remembered from the original work that Iwagakure Village did indeed make a move during the Second Shinobi World War. Although it wasn't confirmed whether they fully participated in the war, their involvement was certain.
Moreover, the person who suffered the attack from Iwagakure Village was someone he was very familiar with – his sensei and his two teammates, who would become the future Sannin.
During this stage, the Sannin couldn't be considered particularly powerful, and it wasn't only Hanzo who pushed them to the brink. When they were besieged by Iwagakure Village ninjas, Jiraiya was heavily injured, and Orochimaru even contemplated killing Jiraiya. Both he and Tsunade were planning to escape.
If it weren't for timely support from Konoha, the Sannin might have disbanded or even lost members long ago. Orochimaru's actions during that incident were also a reason why, despite receiving Orochimaru's goodwill more than once, Tatsuma still instinctively harbored wariness towards him.
If there was a choice, Tatsuma's first negotiation target would definitely not be Orochimaru.
But currently, Orochimaru is in command of the camp. Compared to Tsunade's personality, Orochimaru is evidently more reliable in this matter. At the same time, Orochimaru is the highest-ranking ninja that Tatsuma can interact with.
Elders and the Hokage, who are higher in rank, he currently cannot reach, and they are far away in the village. Unless he utilizes the communication equipment managed by the Yamanaka Clan in the camp, it is impossible to transmit the information back.
By now, Fugaku had checked the surrounding situation and said, "Let's call it a day. This matter is obviously more important."
In fact, these few hours were not much for the long-lasting war, but Fugaku wanted to give these two kids some sense of security. He wasn't sure if his recent thoughts had been discovered by them.
But as long as he handed this information to a third party, especially one that Uchiha Fugaku couldn't handle, even if these two little rascals noticed his emotional changes, their hearts would be much more stable.
Unfortunately, the current Minato is still a naive youngster, and Tatsuma is immersed in his memories, completely unaware of Fugaku's remedial actions, and he doesn't even know why Fugaku is trying to remedy the situation.
They simply thought Fugaku was being too hasty, so they nodded in agreement. The three of them quickly headed towards the main battlefield, and Fugaku didn't inform the other Uchiha members of this news.
Their squad withdrawing wouldn't have a significant impact on the overall battle situation, but if everyone withdrew, it might leave a big gap for the enemy.
Back at the main battlefield, both sides were mainly composed of frontline ninjas, but the difference was that the Hidden Sand Village ninjas seemed to lack high morale.
Fugaku tactfully waited on the periphery, and Minato chose to stay as well. Tatsuma alone found Orochimaru, who was commanding the battle, and handed the ninja tool pouch to him. Orochimaru looked puzzled, but with his talent, he quickly noticed that something was wrong with the pouch, and his expression turned serious.
"Have you all returned?" Orochimaru's hoarse voice, combined with deliberately lowered volume, made his tone extremely eerie. Tatsuma nodded, and upon hearing this, Orochimaru breathed a sigh of relief. He then spoke in a normal tone and volume:
"Good, I will handle this matter. You go to the rear and take care of the wounded."
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