Behind the Third Raikage, Tutai stood respectfully.
He said cautiously, "Raikage-sama, we must not be careless. After all, that so-called Yellow Flash is said to have nearly assassinated the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa."
The Third Raikage's expression didn't change. He looked at Tutai, "You mean to say that because I once fought Rasa and was even held back by him, now you think that this Namikaze Minato is also a threat?"
Tutai knew the Raikage didn't like hearing things that praised others and belittled themselves, but still nodded earnestly.
In the end, A just sneered, "Rasa's level is just so-so. If I'm not on the front lines, even in a desert environment, I can easily take him down one-on-one."
"It's just that his ninjutsu covers a wide area and would pose a threat to everyone. He hides inside Sunagakure's formation and doesn't dare show himself easily. If I charge in recklessly, many people will die."
"I can't gamble with everyone's lives."
Tutai felt a surge of emotion in his heart. What Raikage-sama said was right, he possessed an incredibly strong body and extreme speed. Acting solo, he was unstoppable.
But Raikage-sama always led from the front in battle to preserve everyone's lives.
He nodded, hesitating slightly, "Then… Namikaze Minato…"
Raikage snorted dismissively, "The space-time ninjutsu he learned was developed by the Second Hokage. He was nothing more than a loser under the hands of our Cloud rogue ninjas, the Gold and Silver Brothers, not worth mentioning."
"What Yellow Flash? If I encounter him, I'll let him know what true speed is."
Tutai hesitated for a while, thinking the Raikage might be a bit too arrogant.
He carefully said, "Raikage-sama, do you still remember the shinobi we sent to capture the Nine-Tails, and the ones we later sent to support them?"
Speaking of this, Raikage A's expression turned serious. He clenched his fists and said angrily, "Of course I remember. We lost so many comrades at once. If I find out who did it, I won't let him go!"
"What, do we have results from the investigation?"
Tutai shook his head, but after thinking it over, still spoke, "That mysterious masked man, we still haven't identified him, but…"
"The first to die was a nine-man elite squad. Although their corpses were handled, we examined the traces of battle around the area afterward."
"They were ambushed and killed in an instant. The fighting style is somewhat similar to that of the Yellow Flash of Konoha."
The Third Raikage was stunned, then his face turned completely cold, "Just a suspicion?"
Tutai nodded, "Yes, just a suspicion. But Namikaze Minato is married to the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki of Konoha. It's not impossible that he did it."
At that, the Third Raikage's eyes turned serious.
To be able to wipe out the nine elite members he had dispatched in an instant, that was indeed quite a feat.
After thinking a bit, he said, "Since that's the case, send a message to A and B. They're the main force attacking Konoha. Tell them to be more cautious."
Tutai sighed in relief, "Yes, Raikage-sama."
The Third Raikage looked into the distance, at the vaguely visible Iwagakure encampment, and said sternly, "Right now, we still have to deal with Onoki. That old guy actually came in person this time, and even brought over ten thousand people."
"Hmph, trying to overwhelm me with numbers? Don't even think about it…"
———
[Kikyō Mountain Battlefield, Sunagakure Encampment]
At this moment, the camp was filled with a tense and oppressive atmosphere.
Anyone not truly here wouldn't know how much pressure the Sand ninja had been under recently.
The Sand ninja formed defensive teams of at least three people. If two were asleep, then at least one or more would be on watch.
From top to bottom, even high-level figures like Rasa, Chiyo, and Ebizō followed this pattern.
The Yellow Flash of Konoha was just too troublesome. He kept harassing them from time to time, and the worst part was, they couldn't do anything about him. They could only passively take hits.
Although from the past few days of skirmishes, they had found that the Yellow Flash was wary of turtle formations and powerful defensive ninjutsu…
But always hiding like a turtle was way too passive, right?
How were they supposed to fight this war like this? Might as well just retreat already.
But no one knew if the Yellow Flash would launch attacks during the retreat as well.
In the command tent of the military camp, Ebizō paced back and forth. Chiyo and Rasa were nearby.
None of the three had slept well. Chiyo asked, "Have you found a solution?"
Ebizō shook his head, "He only harasses us and won't engage in a life-or-death battle with us. It's unsolvable."
Chiyo said, "Then what do we do? Just retreat? Not fight this war?"
Ebizō said, "We can't. Too dangerous. Konoha is watching us like a tiger stalking prey. What if they pursue us during retreat?"
"Also, if the Yellow Flash continues to interfere during the retreat, it'll cause tremendous losses."
Rasa was on the verge of losing his mind.
He said, "Then what do we do? Let him harass us endlessly? We might as well go all out against Konoha!"
Ebizō nodded, "That's indeed the only solution I can think of now."
"If the enemy has no weaknesses, then we create some. Konoha can't afford to lose Kikyō Mountain. If we press hard, we can threaten their main camp."
"By then, even if the Yellow Flash doesn't want to come out, he'll be forced to face us directly."
Chiyo was still hesitant, "But Orochimaru is entrenched in defense. If we launch a full-scale assault, it'll result in heavy casualties."
Ebizō's eyes flashed, "In war, there's no such thing as no casualties."
"Rasa is right. Instead of letting the enemy drag us down, we should launch a total offensive and perish together if we must!"
Rasa nodded, a murderous gleam in his eyes, "No time to delay. Launch the full assault tomorrow. Whether the Yellow Flash continues harassing or not, I want to see, when Kikyō Mountain falls, will he show up or not?"
"He's too dangerous. The longer we let this drag on, the more dangerous he becomes. No matter what price we have to pay, we must eliminate him!"
The three high-level leaders of Sunagakure looked at each other. In their eyes, there was admiration and resolve. They nodded, making up their minds…
That night, Namikaze Minato was released once again by Obito from the Kamui space to carry out a harassment operation.
But when he returned, his expression was extremely serious.
Obito and Kakashi asked curiously, "What's wrong, Sensei?"
Namikaze Minato said, "It seems we've pushed too hard, causing a backlash."
"When I went out just now, Sunagakure appeared to be preparing for total war mobilization. They didn't look like they wanted to retreat at all. Rather, they're ready to fight us to the end!"
Obito nodded. So Sunagakure had been pushed into a corner.
He asked, "Then Sensei, how do you think we should deal with this?"
Minato smiled slightly, "Now that they're all hunkered down, I can't find a good opportunity."
"But once they leave the camp and can no longer set up large-area space-sealing barriers, that's when the chance comes."
"These past few days, I've already figured out the abilities of Rasa, Chiyo, and Ebizō. If they dare to march out, that's when I'll make my move."
Kakashi said, "Sensei, are you planning to take out all the top Sunagakure leaders?"
Minato shook his head, "Taking their heads might not stop the war. It could even make them go even crazier."
"What I want… is to capture the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, alive."
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