Naruto: Starting with Infinite Chakra-Chapter 226: The Clash of Armies

Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind raced, but in the end, he let out a sigh. There was no point in trying to persuade Jiraiya any further.

The circumstances no longer allowed it.

Half of the clans within the village had already thrown their support behind Jiraiya, not just out of agreement but because of his overwhelming strength. If he openly opposed Jiraiya now, it could very well lead to a fracture within the village—and possibly even civil war.

At such a critical juncture, Konoha couldn't afford internal strife. If they wavered now, the Fire Country would be doomed.

Pooling the entire nation's strength was their only hope for survival.

Besides, Hiruzen had confidence in Jiraiya's power.

One-on-one against an opponent of Kage-level strength, Jiraiya wouldn't lose. In fact, he could likely end such a battle swiftly.

That meant, in Hiruzen's mind, Jiraiya could at least hold off three Kage-level opponents. Whether he could win outright was another matter.

The Fire Country still had a fighting chance.

"We follow Lord Jiraiya's lead," Hiruzen finally declared in a firm voice.

With his stance made clear, the clan heads who had been on the fence had no choice but to pledge their full support for the battle ahead.

Opposing Jiraiya now was unthinkable—those who did risked their entire clan's annihilation.

With that, Jiraiya gathered the leaders to discuss their strategy for the impending war.

"According to intelligence reports, under the leadership of the Kage, the Wind Country has mobilized nearly its entire ninja force, leaving Sunagakure practically defenseless." freёnovelkiss.com

"We could deploy an elite unit to launch a surprise attack on Sunagakure. If successful, it would severely impact the morale of the Wind Country's forces," proposed the Yamanaka clan head.

"You're missing the bigger picture," the Nara clan head countered immediately. "The Kage are in full control of the Wind Country's forces. Even if we razed Sunagakure to the ground, it wouldn't affect their strategy. The only ones who would care are the Wind Country's regular ninja."

"The Kage won't order a retreat just because their village is attacked. Their goal is clear—they intend to throw everything they have at the Fire Country and crush us in a head-on battle. A sneak attack on Sunagakure would be meaningless."

"Even if they don't retreat, attacking their village would still deal a heavy blow to their morale," the Hyūga clan head argued.

"Enough. We're not wasting resources on a sneak attack on Sunagakure," Jiraiya cut in decisively, leaving no room for further debate.

He saw no point in attacking an empty village while the true threat loomed ahead.

The enemy's objective was clear: an all-out invasion of the Fire Country.

Diverting forces for a side operation would only weaken their chances in the main battle.

While a successful raid on Sunagakure might dampen enemy morale, losing the main battle would render such efforts meaningless. Even if they reduced Sunagakure to rubble, the enemy would still hold the advantage if they won the decisive engagement.

Their only viable course of action was to concentrate their forces and defeat the enemy's main army in direct combat.

Fortunately, the Kage were wary of exhausting their own nation's ninja forces and had not deployed their homegrown warriors against the Fire Country. If they had, Konoha's chances of holding out would be much slimmer.

Jiraiya had already made up his mind.

In this battle, no matter the cost, at least two of the Kage-level opponents had to die. Additionally, any tailed beasts deployed on the battlefield had to be captured.

Every time he absorbed the power of a tailed beast into his own body, his strength surged dramatically.

And with the system's aid, he could extract and integrate tailed beast chakra without any risk of failure.

"Our primary battle plan is straightforward—we face the Wind Country's forces head-on and crush them in open combat. The only strategy we need to discuss now is how to gain the upper hand on the battlefield. Any other plans are irrelevant," Jiraiya declared.

The war council quickly dissolved into heated discussion, refining the tactics they would employ.

After nearly an hour, the battle plan was finalized.

...

As the time for war arrived, the Fire Country's ninja gathered at the village gates.

Nearly every available ninja had been summoned back to the village, leaving only a skeleton force to guard essential locations.

Originally, Jiraiya had planned to launch an offensive against the Wind Country in three days. Despite the absence of Kage-level defenders, Sunagakure remained a major power, and its defensive infrastructure was formidable. Attacking it head-on without preparation would be costly.

Jiraiya had wanted more time to prepare, ensuring minimal losses in the assault.

But the Wind Country had made the first move.

Under the command of the Kage, they had chosen to launch a full-scale invasion, forfeiting their strategic advantage in favor of sheer aggression.

That alone told Jiraiya everything he needed to know.

The Tsuchikage and the others had ambitions far beyond simply defeating Konoha.

They didn't just want to destroy the Fire Country—they wanted to annex the Wind Country as well.

To the Kage, the Wind Country's ninja were nothing more than expendable pawns.

That was precisely why Jiraiya refused to waste time attacking Sunagakure. No one cared about the fate of mere pawns.

...

With the forces gathered, Jiraiya stood before them, delivering a rousing speech to ignite their fighting spirit.

Then, without hesitation, he led the army out of the village, heading straight for the approaching Wind Country forces.

"Lord Jiraiya, no matter what, we must kill at least two of the enemy's Kage-level leaders," the Nara clan head said gravely.

If they failed to eliminate at least two of the Kage, even wiping out the Wind Country's entire army wouldn't guarantee Konoha's survival.

So long as those Kage-level enemies remained alive, they could rally reinforcements from their respective nations and launch another invasion.

Konoha would be left too weakened from the battle to withstand another full-scale assault from three nations.

However, if they managed to eliminate two of the Kage, the situation would change drastically.

The enemy would be forced to reconsider any future campaigns against the Fire Country, wary of suffering further losses.

"Don't worry. Killing two Kage-level opponents is not an issue for me," Jiraiya replied confidently. "Your job is to make sure not a single enemy ninja escapes. Leave the Kage to me."

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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