War once again erupted, and this time, the Iwagakure ninja's assault was fiercer than ever before.
They knew that if they failed to retrieve the jinchuriki, they would face severe punishment from the Tsuchikage, Onoki.
While the law might not punish the masses, the high-ranking ninja among them could expect harsh treatment, ensuring their lives would be miserable.
Under the leadership of Uchiha Kagami, the Konoha ninja forces staunchly fended off the enemy's offensive.
The strength of both sides was inherently similar, and neither could easily suppress the other.
If they could have, the victor would have been decided long ago.
Therefore, the leaders of both factions understood that the true victory would be determined in the upcoming squad battles.
With the main forces tied down, only small squads could possibly complete their missions.
After a day and a night of fierce fighting, both sides were forced to enter a period of rest.
The Iwagakure ninja, due to their ability to collectively use Earth Release, consumed less chakra.
The Konoha ninja, on the other hand, possessed a larger chakra reserve, giving them greater endurance.
However, upon closer inspection, the difference was not significant.
After the battle, Uchiha Kagami, following the advice discussed by Hatake Sakumo and others, first arranged for a group of people to pretend to escort the Katsuyu to a certain location for resettlement.
The real Roshi had already been sent to Shikkotsu Forest by Asuna, and Kagami and his team were awaiting the opportune moment to act.
To deceive the Iwagakure ninja, they had to make the Iwagakure ninja suspicious of that particular direction.
Uchiha Kagami instructed them to deliberately allow some Iwagakure ninja to pass, but while avoiding direct confrontation, they also had to naturally reveal the Katsuyu, allowing the enemy to see its existence.
Konoha's Katsuyu transfer tactic had been used twice in battles against Sunagakure.
Uchiha Kagami did not believe that the Iwagakure ninja would overlook this point.
Even if they missed the surprise attack on the medical camp, a turning point like the Battle of the River Country would not be ignored by the Iwagakure ninja.
Uchiha Kagami had reason to suspect that the Iwagakure ninja were already aware of the Katsuyu tactic.
Therefore, as long as the enemy brought back intelligence about the Katsuyu, they would likely deduce Konoha's strategy.
"You must handle this well.
Never forget that as combat ninja, deceiving others is an absolutely essential skill you must master," Uchiha Kagami said to the Konoha ninja responsible for the diversion.
"Yes, Lord Kagami, please rest assured, we will definitely complete the mission," the Konoha ninja in front of him saluted Uchiha Kagami, expressing his confidence.
Uchiha Kagami nodded slightly.
Although these individuals were undertaking a decoy mission, he had no intention of abandoning them.
To ensure the duration of the diversion, these individuals were also very strong among the Konoha ninja.
This was also to make the deception more convincing—it was impossible to assign weaklings if the goal was truly to protect the jinchuriki's transfer.
"You don't need to engage the enemy in direct combat.
Just hold them off based on the terrain.
With Katsuyu present, swiftly evacuating you all will be no problem at all," Uchiha Kagami said, stepping forward to pat the leader's shoulder, then glancing at the other team members, "Come back alive.
Fight to survive."
"Yes!" the Konoha ninja in front of him exclaimed with excitement.
Then, Uchiha Kagami turned around, picked up a small Katsuyu nearby, and handed it to the Konoha ninja.
The latter respectfully accepted it and bid farewell to Uchiha Kagami before leaving.
The Katsuyu these individuals brought was not summoned by Asuna but by Tsunade.
Although it was to deceive the enemy, it was impossible to make Asuna bear the responsibility of summoning.
Once the distance grew, the jutsu would be difficult to maintain, which would not be good for Asuna, who might experience combat and long journeys.
But Tsunade was different.
As a medical ninja, Tsunade was meant to be protected, and as the granddaughter of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, her chakra reserves were even greater than Asuna's.
Sharing some of the burden was no problem at all.
From an efficiency standpoint, this was the best choice.
In the following time, Uchiha Kagami waited for news at the camp, waiting to hear if they had safely reached their destination.
Once the news arrived, it would be time to send out Hatake Sakumo and the others.
During the ceasefire, it was a time for intelligence personnel from both sides to clash.
This covert battle was not necessarily easier than the overt one.
Soon after the Konoha ninja tasked with the diversion set out, they were spotted by Iwagakure's reconnaissance personnel.
Reconnaissance ninja mostly operated in small squads to move under the nose of the main forces, and major battles between them were difficult to erupt.
However, this small squad format of activity was already a tradition for ninja.
The Konoha ninja arranged by Uchiha Kagami were all excellent.
The Iwagakure reconnaissance ninja were no match for them, and with other squads providing support, the Iwagakure reconnaissance ninja, realizing they couldn't take down their opponents, shifted their focus to gathering intelligence, as such a small squad mission must be important.
Subsequently, during the pursuit, an Iwagakure kunai sliced through someone's sleeve, and a small Katsuyu involuntarily fell out.
Although it was quickly stuffed back in by the Konoha ninja, it was still seen by the Iwagakure reconnaissance ninja, who silently took note of it.
Afterward, these reconnaissance ninja were intentionally or unintentionally allowed to return to the Iwagakure village.
To make the deception more convincing, their journey back was not easy, which further heightened their suspicion that the Konoha ninja's mission must be very important.
Upon returning to the camp, these Iwagakure ninja reported the intelligence they had gathered to their superiors.
When they learned of Katsuyu's appearance, the Iwagakure ninja responsible for intelligence compilation was surprised.
He knew about the Katsuyu tactic that had turned the tide in the Battle of the River Country.
Seeing it again this time, he dared not be careless.
Thus, this intelligence quickly reached the highest echelons of the Iwagakure ninja camp.
The high-ranking officials swiftly convened to discuss the matter.
The Katsuyu tactic from the Battle of the River Country had been largely deciphered; its principle was to use Katsuyu's unique body to rapidly transfer people.
So, the question arose: who were the Konoha ninja trying to transfer with Katsuyu?
Was it the surprise attack force from the Battle of the River Country?
Or was it...
"It must be Roshi!" Han voiced everyone's inner thoughts.
"They know our goal is to retrieve the jinchuriki, so they will inevitably transfer the jinchuriki to a safe place.
This Katsuyu must have been brought for that purpose."
"Han makes sense.
I don't think it's a surprise attack force; there hasn't been any intelligence about Konoha ninja having personnel shortages," someone supported Han's answer.
The reason Sunagakure was deceived was that Konoha Village, under the guise of purging a rogue ninja group, legitimately removed some people to form a surprise attack force.
However, Iwagakure couldn't use that trick.
The possibility of Konoha Village forming a surprise attack force was low.
"But what if they're people transferred from other places?" someone questioned.
"Unlikely.
We haven't collected any intelligence about other Konoha ninja forces being mobilized," Han shook his head.
"At this critical moment, I believe the possibility of transferring Roshi is very high.
Although only the summoner can perform the transfer, we must be quick."
"Who is the summoner of this Katsuyu?"
"According to the intelligence we've gathered, one of Katsuyu's summoners is Tsunade, the granddaughter of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, and the other is Fumori Asuna, the daughter of the current Hokage, Fumori Masaki."
"Only these two people?"
"Probably.
This kind of contract isn't something just anyone can obtain.
It's usually family or trusted students, etc.
Both Tsunade and Kazamori Asuna have deep connections with the current Hokage.
At most, the current Hokage might also be a summoner of Katsuyu."
"If the Hokage really is a summoner, wouldn't they be able to transfer very quickly?" the Iwagakure commander asked, startled.
"Uh, first, we're not sure if the Hokage is a summoner.
Second, even if he is, he might not be able to achieve a quick transfer."
"Why?" the Iwagakure commander quickly asked.
"Because Katsuyu's transfer is a two-way action, not one-way.
To have the Hokage transfer quickly, the Hokage would have to be summoned here.
But as you know, the Hokage is currently in a crucial battle with Lord Tsuchikage.
If they don't have tacit understanding and rashly use the Reverse Summoning Jutsu to summon the Hokage, and it happens to be a critical moment in the war, wouldn't that mess things up?"
Fumori Masaki generally wouldn't summon Katsuyu.
Most of the time, he didn't need Katsuyu.
Therefore, Katsuyu couldn't transmit intelligence to him in time to find a moment to transfer Roshi.
And if others performed a Reverse Summoning without Fumori Masaki's knowledge, and it messed things up, without a small Katsuyu left at the camp, Fumori Masaki couldn't rush back immediately, which would inevitably delay the war effort.
That responsibility would be too heavy.
Of course, if Fumori Masaki were to summon Katsuyu, then a quick transfer could be performed at a safe time, which would not delay the war effort.
"What if the Hokage is a summoner and has summoned Katsuyu?" the Iwagakure commander asked.
"What else can we do? We can't bring Roshi back.
How fast can we be, faster than spatial transfer?" The person who answered spread his hands helplessly.
"In this situation, we can only try to revive a dead horse.
No matter what, we have to go.
Even if he has summoned, going would be useless, but if he hasn't summoned, then there's still a chance to get the jinchuriki back."
The Iwagakure ninja commander nodded upon hearing this.
Indeed, looking at it this way, they had to go no matter what.
If they were lucky, there might even be a chance to get him back, but if they didn't go, there would definitely be no chance at all.
"Then let's think about who would be best to send," the Iwagakure commander said.
"Wait.
I have a question," a relatively young Iwagakure ninja said.
"Why don't they take the jinchuriki to where the summoned beasts live?
Wouldn't that mean no one needs to protect him?"
"Ah, what's so strange about that?
The places where summoned beasts live are inherently forbidden to outsiders.
Either you find your way there yourself, or you're a summoner.
The former is by one's own ability and are uninvited guests, while the latter is due to the contract relationship," the Iwagakure ninja commander glanced at him.
"You don't have a summoned beast, so you don't know about this."
"But since they are summoners, it must be a relatively trusting relationship, right?
It wouldn't be impossible to arrange for someone to enter, would it?" the person questioned again.
"Heh, that's not necessarily true.
Summoned beasts have diverse temperaments, and no one can say for sure.
Even trusted individuals might not accept outsiders into their living spaces," the Iwagakure ninja commander said.
What the Iwagakure ninja commander said was also common sense.
The temperament of summoned beasts might accept summoners, but not necessarily others, even out of respect for the summoner's relationship.
A very obvious example is Ryuchi Cave.
With those cruel and violent guys in Ryuchi Cave, even if a summoner wanted to temporarily place someone there, those guys would not accept it.
Normally, those violent individuals in Ryuchi Cave didn't even pay attention to other people.
"But what if the opponent's summoned beast happens to be accepting?"
"Why so many questions!
Even if they really accept, we still have to go and see.
That's a hope.
Didn't you hear what they just said?
Going might still be possible, but not going is absolutely impossible!" The Iwagakure ninja commander impatiently waved his hand, and without waiting for the other party to speak again, began to discuss.
The younger Iwagakure ninja saw this and didn't say anything more.
Although what others said made some sense, he always felt there was a tiny problem, perhaps because he was overly cautious.
Meanwhile, after the Konoha ninja with Katsuyu reached their destination, they sent word back to the camp.
Uchiha Kagami immediately sent Hatake Sakumo and the others to Fumori Masaki's location.
Uchiha Kagami had considered the Iwagakure ninja's suggestion of having Fumori Masaki perform a quick transfer.
However, due to Onoki's fierce offensive, even the terrain had presented some issues.
Sending a letter to Fumori Masaki might cause significant delays, and unforeseen circumstances could arise during that time.
After much consideration, Uchiha Kagami decided to have Hatake Sakumo and the others proactively go to Fumori Masaki.
Alas, if Fumori Masaki had thought of using Katsuyu for transfer in his previous letter, that would have been great.
Perhaps because Fumori Masaki didn't use Katsuyu much, he hadn't thought of this point.
"I'm counting on you.
Please be careful," Uchiha Kagami said to Hatake Sakumo and the others.
"The roads have become a bit rugged due to the war.
Follow the pre-determined route, understand?"
"Yes, we will definitely complete the mission," Hatake Sakumo said seriously, and the others behind him also agreed in unison.
"Good, good luck," Uchiha Kagami nodded slightly, smiling.