Whoosh!
In the moment the patrolling Konoha Ninja took out the signal bullet, a flash of blue lightning struck.
Bam!
The intense pain caused the patrolling ninja's pupils to widen, and then they flew backwards like a cannonball that had been shot away.
"Quick battle and resolution!" Fourth A commanded the Hidden Cloud Jonin speeding up behind him.
Although Konoha did not deploy a ninja squad nearby due to limited ninja numbers, there were still some ninja guarding the border.
The first thing Fourth A and his team needed to do was eliminate Konoha's defense forces on the northern border of the Land of Fire, causing Konoha to lose sight of the northern part of the Land of Fire.
The Hidden Cloud never planned to crush Konoha with a twelve hundred-strong ninja squad; they were just the vanguard responsible for opening the way.
Whoosh whoosh!
The Hidden Cloud Jonin took the lead, sweeping speedily around and eliminating all Konoha Ninja within sight.
The ninjas patrolling at night were fewer than those during the day, and under the sweeping attack of the Hidden Cloud army, they didn't have time to send back the message to Konoha, at most alerting nearby squads—but it was to no avail.
However, in these sensitive times of war, no news was actually news too, just noticed slightly later.
Several border patrol squads suddenly went missing, which drew Konoha's serious attention, and elite squads were immediately dispatched to investigate.
"What kind of command is Orochimaru giving? Even when the Hidden Rock Squad was about to assault the northwest defense line, he didn't dispatch his ninja squads—but now the Hidden Cloud silently invaded us!"
Looking at the ill-fated reports from the frontlines, even the more composed Mitokado Honoo couldn't help but speak sharply.
Shimura Danzo had just died, and Konoha was invaded by Hidden Cloud, which would undoubtedly provoke other Great Ninja Villages to set their sights on Konoha.
"The loss of Root has deprived us of a considerable intelligence force; if Danzo hadn't taken Root and died in the Land of Rain, perhaps Orochimaru could have detected Hidden Cloud's actions." Utatane Koharu was still resentful over Shimura Danzo's private actions.
If you're going to screw things up, screw them up so much that it causes major trouble for Konoha.
"The most important thing now isn't to pursue responsibility but to solve the problem," Sarutobi Hiruzen emphasized, tapping the table.
"An unknown number of enemy ninja squads within the country is a threat not only to the Land of Fire but also a massive threat to Konoha."
There are no rules in ninja wars that spare the homeland, and if given the chance, Hidden Cloud would certainly be happy to engulf all of Konoha in war.
"Why not have Jiraiya lead the squad back north, and then have Orochimaru mobilize the squad to assist Jiraiya? This could help obliterate Hidden Cloud in the north." Utatane Koharu suggested.
Jiraiya's ninja squad was in the Land of Grass, positioned in the northwest of the Land of Fire, while Orochimaru's ninja squad was in the Land of Hot Water, northeastern of the Land of Fire.
These two great ninja squads departing from their respective directions—even if Hidden Cloud had two thousand ninjas—might not withstand.
"We can't move Jiraiya's side." Sarutobi Hiruzen immediately rejected.
"Over the years, we've had many grievances with Hidden Rock; if Jiraiya's squad withdraws, Hidden Rock is very likely to regroup ninja squads to attack again." Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head.
Even though Hidden Rock always lost in the wars with Konoha, it was never enough to cripple them; Hidden Rock still posed a huge threat to Konoha.
"Let Minato or Mokgetsu go, and withdraw part of the ninjas from various squads and Konoha to assist." Mitokado Honoo thought aloud.
Konoha has quite a few ninjas qualified to lead ninja squads, many veteran Jonin are eligible—but if you put a condition that the leader must eliminate or repel the enemy ninja squad, then the choice narrows.
It basically has to be one of the strongest individuals of an era.
"This issue must be resolved promptly; otherwise, it won't be easy to explain to the Daimyo."
Though the Daimyo only nominally leads Konoha, Konoha, as the official military force of the Land of Fire, has the responsibility of protecting the Land of Fire, and foreign invasion is Konoha's burden.
"Then it's Minato." Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded.
For battlefield combat against the enemies, both Minato and Mokgetsu are suitable; but for developing and training squads, let Minato come—it can't compare to Mokgetsu.
So if Minato can spare the time, Sarutobi Hiruzen preferred not to send Mokgetsu.
...
Due to Shimura Danzo's death, all Great Ninja Villages were increasingly deploying spies into the Land of Fire, paying close attention to its situation.
Therefore, the intelligence of Hidden Cloud Ninja Squad breaking through the Land of Fire's defenses soon landed on the desks of each Great Ninja Village leader.
In The Hidden Mist Village, Mizukage Office.
The Third Mizukage set down the intelligence, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly, revealing an instinctive smile.
"Surely someone couldn't resist striking first."
The Third Mizukage was eager to defeat Konoha, reclaiming the lost pride, while making Konoha return those few ninja blades to Hidden Mist.
However, he didn't want to be the one taking the lead and had been waiting for a lead advocate.
"Summon Yagura." The Third Mizukage commanded, calling out an Anbu operative.
Although Karatachi Yagura's last defeat was quite grim, the Third Mizukage believed the primary reason wasn't Karatachi Yagura—but the opponent's strength exceeded expectations.
Before Mokgetsu landed on the Hidden Mist Battlefield, not only Hidden Mist, even on Konoha's side, they hadn't expected Mokgetsu to possess such strength.