At nearly sixteen years old, Maki's strength already surpasses that of many veteran Jonin.
With the blessing of the Breathing Technique and Shimizu's guidance in Wind Style and swordsmanship, his future potential is no longer limited to the level of an elite Jonin like in the original timeline. He is now guaranteed to reach a level close to that of a Kage, similar to figures like Homura Mitokado of Konoha.
If he is lucky enough in the future to master forbidden techniques like the White Secret Technique or the Flying Thunder God Technique, and they resonate with him, he will have a good chance to advance even further.
Sasori's potential is also beyond doubt, and he will only be stronger and more powerful than in the original timeline.
Although he is not yet fourteen years old, one Silver Horn puppet, one Hiruko puppet, plus a few other puppets, are already enough to ensure that Sasori's strength surpasses that of a considerable number of elite Jonin.
The puppet squad in this team is currently led by Sasori.
These people, plus Karura, who is currently working as an assistant under Chiyo, are expected to be Shimizu's high-level team when he takes over as the Fourth Kazekage in the future.
Inside the conference room.
Kazekami Chiran, Yekura, Sasori, Maki, and some Jonin who are not currently on missions are gathered here.
In the very center of the large round table is a realistic sand table, intricately simulating the terrain and geomorphology, and the situation of towns and strongholds in most of the area from the eastern part of the Land of Wind to the western part of the Land of Fire.
"Is everyone here? I'll start by briefly describing the current situation and intelligence."
Shimizu scanned the conference room and, after discovering that everyone except himself and Rasa had arrived, he went straight to the head seat and began to speak.
"First of all, this has already been confirmed by the intelligence division. Konoha has deployed at least five thousand troops in the vicinity of Baichuan City to construct a line of defense protecting the border of the Land of Fire. The commander is expected to be Jiraiya or Orochimaru."
"Secondly, you should have just received the news. The vanguard led by Jonin Rasa was ambushed by Orochimaru in the area of the East Water River. The number of enemies is estimated to be around 1,500, most of whom are elite Chunin or higher."
As Shimizu's words fell, holographic projection patterns lit up on the sand table below, demonstrating the situation.
This was actually developed by Sasori himself using the principles of genjutsu.
After being able to use computer software for modeling, Sasori felt that using a screen for simulation was not quite right, so he combined it with genjutsu and created something similar to a holographic projection.
However, currently, it cannot interact using infrared like other holographic projection methods, but is simply a VR-like holographic image.
Of course, it still looks very intuitive.
"Everyone, please look at the terrain. Baichuan City is built on the high mountains on the border between the Land of Rivers and the Land of Fire. The terrain is dangerous and easy to defend. There are multiple rivers and waterfalls in the urban area, so there is no possibility of the water source being cut off.
The East River is not far from Baichuan City. Even a Genin can reach it within an hour. Although there are no high mountains behind the river, there is a huge swamp forest with complex terrain, dense river networks, and a wide area, all the way to the border of the Land of Fire.
If we attack Baichuan City, then Orochimaru will mobilize to contain or attack us. We must allocate a considerable portion of our forces to defend against him. If we decide to prioritize resolving the Orochimaru side, they can retreat into the forest and use the reconnaissance capabilities of the Hyuga, Aburame, and Inuzuka ninja clans to circle around us and fight guerrilla warfare in the forest.
Moreover, we still have to leave enough strength to defend against the defensive forces inside Baichuan City."
Through the holographic projection map, combined with Shimizu's analysis, one can clearly understand Konoha's tactics on this defense line.
An excellent tactical plan. The designer must be a person with considerable wisdom and courage.
It looks quite risky, and the requirements for the personnel quality of the team stationed outside and the ability of the leader are very high.
Sneak in and assassinate. If the assassination fails, then attack forcefully.
Shimizu was not in a hurry to speak, but looked at everyone in the room.
Sasori glanced at the map indifferently and said:
"The main attack direction cannot be Orochimaru. His team can run away at any time. The initiative is in his hands. If we want to fight, we must fight Baichuan City. Whether or not Orochimaru is outside, this city is always a bone that we must gnaw down."
Shimizu nodded slightly.
Sasori's view is the same as his.
"Sasori is right. Orochimaru is playing a conspiracy, leaving us with few choices. Choosing to directly attack Baichuan City is the best choice at present. At least we can hold the initiative on our side. As long as our strength can form an absolute advantage over Baichuan City, then no matter how ingenious Orochimaru's tactical deployment is, it will only be a waste of time."
Yekura interjected at this time and asked:
"Then who will be responsible for guarding against Orochimaru, who may attack from other directions at any time during our battle?"
"I'll do it myself. I have the strongest mobility. No matter which direction Orochimaru launches an attack from, I can arrive and block him at the first time. I can't say that I will definitely be able to kill Orochimaru, but at least crippling him and severely damaging his team's structure should not be a problem."
Shimizu opened his mouth and answered.
Hearing this, Sasori's eyes lit up and he hurriedly said:
"What about the main battlefield? Is it time to deploy those new things? With Jiraiya and a large number of Konoha ninjas defending, the previous set alone cannot suppress them."
"Yes, it's time to let the Konoha ninjas taste the fear of poison gas and frozen explosive bombs, as well as the semi-automatic puppet lines. Haven't they been subjected to large-scale combat exercises yet? Don't do any more exercises, just take them out and try them out."
Shimizu smiled slightly and replied.
… …
… …
The next day, early morning.
The vanguard of the Suna team has completed its rest and reorganization, rejoined the main force, and began to advance towards Baichuan City.
The edge of the forest behind the East Water River.
Specks of dew dripped from the thick green leaves.
A white phosphorus snake curiously watched a flying insect flying from a distance, spitting out its pink tongue.
The insect landed on a young Aburame clan ninja wearing a brown-gray long hooded cloak and sunglasses.
Then came the second and the third.
"Shikuro, what's the situation?"
Orochimaru, wearing a white kimono, emerged from the forest and said to the young Aburame clan ninja.
"Lord Orochimaru, the main force of the Sunagakure has all set off and is expected to arrive at Baichuan City soon."
"The entire army is dispatched? The main camp has also been directly changed, and they are directly attacking Baichuan City?"
"Yes, the Parasitic Destruction Insect Jutsu has not detected any chakra fluctuations near the old campsite of the Sand Village's main force," Shibi Aburame reported to Orochimaru.
The latter's slender eyebrows twitched, and he frowned slightly.
"More decisive than I imagined. Issue the order to prepare for departure. Also, if we encounter Sunagakure's Jinton user, Shimizu, on the battlefield, we are authorized to avoid engagement."
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru."
Shibi Aburame left without hesitation.
At the same time, a thin, middle-aged ninja walked out from the other side and asked Orochimaru:
"Orochimaru, what exactly did you encounter in the Land of Iron? Why are you so wary of Sunagakure's Shimizu?"
Orochimaru's face darkened.
Could he say that in the Land of Iron, he not only lost a bunch of things and failed to obtain the Kusanagi Sword, but was also schemed against by Shimizu and Hanzo, becoming the mantis that preyed on the cicada, only to almost be swallowed by the oriole?
"His strength is not to be underestimated. Although he is still young, the threat he poses to me is even greater than Hanzo. No matter how careful we are, it is worthwhile."
Orochimaru pondered for two seconds before answering.
"Caution is good, but Lord Orochimaru, I hope you will not forget Lord Danzo's instructions. As long as you achieve a sufficiently impressive victory in this far-reaching war, Lord Danzo will be able to push you into the position of Hokage."
"Danzo is one thing, but what qualifications do you have to tell me what to do? Genichi Shimura."
Orochimaru's face turned cold as he stared at the middle-aged ninja with his eerie eyes, exuding the unique chilling and profound aura of a snake, which was terrifying.
"Apologies, Lord Orochimaru!"
Genichi Shimura lowered his head.
"Sunagakure is no longer the Sunagakure of ten years ago, but a powerful ninja village with strength comparable to Konoha. With the power we have on hand, it will be difficult to defeat them in a short time. We might even be defeated if we are not careful. What we need to ensure now is not victory, but avoiding defeat!
Entangle, probe, restrain, and pull. Only by understanding all of the opponent's strength and methods while ensuring we don't lose can we more safely consider the next step, rather than clashing head-on from the start.
Don't tell me Danzo didn't even teach you that."
Orochimaru glanced at Genichi Shimura, who was bowing his head in acknowledgment, and, too lazy to waste any more words, let out a cold snort and headed towards the assembled troops.
Hyakusen City.
This place is located on the border between the Land of Rivers and the Land of Fire, with the city built against the mountains.
As the key point of Fire Country's defense against Wind Country, this is naturally a military stronghold.
The buildings inside and outside the city are naturally different from other conventional cities, with everything built around military defense.
The city has no shortage of water sources and has stockpiled a large amount of food and conventional military supplies. The city walls are tall, and to prevent them from being easily destroyed by the enemy using Earth Release, the whole is made of specially treated bricks and stones with a dull chakra reaction.
However, the city walls are not the key.
For ninjas, city walls are just a minor inconvenience.
The key is that there are multiple nodes on the city walls. As long as there are a few teams of sealing specialists, they can rotate and open the sealing barrier for a long time.
One of the most important functions of this city is to support this barrier.
"Indeed, it's not easy to attack. If there is no absolute advantage in strength, it can really block most conventional ninja armies for a long time."
Looking at the large city in the distance that was almost integrated with the mountains, Shimizu waved slightly and issued the order to attack.
In the distance, above the city wall.
Jiraiya propped his hands on the raised part of the city wall, his eyes looking at a small dot that appeared on the distant plain.
That was the army of Sand Village ninjas. Even though there were several thousand people, from a high altitude, they were just a small outline.
The distance between the two sides was very far, not within the range of conventional combat.
"The barrier has been raised, Lord Jiraiya. What should we do next?"
"Let's stand by for now. For some reason, the Sand Village is still staying so far away from us, but no matter what their conspiracy is, we just need to hold our ground and cooperate with Orochimaru's harassment and restraint."
Jiraiya was a little doubtful, but then he said firmly.
The distance between the two sides was a full few miles.
This attack distance has exceeded the attack range of most ninjas. Even a joint ninjutsu performed by an entire ninja allied force would be difficult to reach.
What exactly is the intention of the Sand Village troops staying so far away?
Could it be that they are dispatching Jinchuriki to remotely bombard the barrier with Tailed Beast Balls?
However, in the next second, one after another, missiles dragging tails of flame flew out of the Sand Village formation, drawing a curved arc in the air and falling on the protective barrier.
The translucent barrier's surface rippled, and it seemed that it had not been greatly affected for the time being.
But Jiraiya's expression was a little dignified.
Good news, the enemy didn't dispatch Jinchuriki.
Bad news, they haven't dispatched Jinchuriki yet, and they seem to have a way to consume or even break the city's protective barrier without it.
If these rockets continue to bombard, the barrier will be broken sooner or later.
"There is no trace of chakra. Are they just gunpowder-made shells? The power and range are so far, is this the so-called new puppetry of Sunagakure?"
Jiraiya calmed down slightly.
Since the Sand Village ninjas are using these shells to attack the city at this time, it means that they most likely have a large reserve of shells, and I believe they can directly consume until this barrier is breached.
Historically, Konoha and Sunagakure have fought here more than once, and Sunagakure must be very aware of the defensive power of this barrier.
"How long can the barrier last?"
Jiraiya asked a sealing team ninja who was maintaining the barrier beside him.
"The enemy's attack frequency is very high. The sealing team can rotate, but the damaged seals are expected to be repaired every two hours, but when repairing the seals, the barrier cannot continue to be maintained."
"Two hours? I'm afraid it won't last that long. This is only the first move of Sand Village."
Jiraiya sighed slightly.
Now there is a choice before him.
That is whether to cooperate with Orochimaru, inside and outside, to try to destroy the bladed tools used by the Sand Village to launch shells and narrow the combat distance between the two sides.
There is no way, the opponent's attack distance is too far, and just relying on this point has forced Jiraiya and the others to give up the advantage of defending the city.
If they don't do this, they can only wait until the barrier is breached.
