Chapter 165: Beware of Those Who Like to Praise Enemies

"Tatsuma, what are you constantly looking at on the map?" As they approached Konoha and took their final rest, Sakumo Hatake appeared behind Tatsuma, looking at the ninja world map in her hands with curiosity written all over his face. He quickly noticed the marks and writings on the map, crouching down and pointing to the corners above, asking, "Why did you circle the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning?"

Tatsuma, who had been lost in thought, snapped out of it and replied, "I just heard some strange rumors these past few days, and it made me feel uneasy."

"What's so strange about it?" Sakumo Hatake handed a half-eaten grilled fish to Tatsuma. It was slightly burnt, but he didn't want to waste it, which was also why he came to find Tatsuma. Without looking, Tatsuma took it and took a bite.

Even without paying attention to the taste of the grilled fish, Tatsuma chewed a few times and swallowed. The Hidden Cloud village ceased its harassment of the northern front lines. Previously, they would occasionally send ninja teams through the ports to probe and harass the northern camps.

Friction had been ongoing, but the Cloud Ninja repeatedly denied involvement in the conflict, even when presented with evidence of their intrusion, claiming they had gotten lost and had nothing to do with the Hidden Cloud village.

Initially, it was thought that the Hidden Cloud village, like a pesky mouse dropping, would continue to cause trouble and tie down Konoha's ninja forces. However, in recent days, they had swiftly withdrawn, and even the ports along the coast of the Land of Lightning showed no signs of Cloud Ninja presence.

Tatsuma felt something was amiss with this behavior. Perhaps it was his ingrained bias against the brutish Cloud Ninjas, but this situation was definitely abnormal. Pointing to the map, Tatsuma said, "From the border of the Land of Lightning to the Hidden Cloud village, it shouldn't take more than three days. Yet, three thousand Cloud Ninja still haven't returned to the village."

Konoha has deployed spies in other countries and ninja villages. While they might not notice important confidential operations, major movements cannot be concealed.

Upon hearing Tatsuma's question, Sakumo Hatake rubbed his stubbled chin and said, "Large troop movements naturally take longer than smaller teams or individuals. It's understandable for them not to return to the village in three days."

Tatsuma shook his head, drawing lines on the Land of Lightning area of the map, and said, "Three thousand Cloud Ninjas, active at the border and these four ports. The nearest port to the Hidden Cloud village is less than a thirty-hour journey on foot, a result of the decreased speed of a large troop."

"Moreover, with four ports and border patrols, if they were returning to the village, their route would cover an extensive area. It's impossible to conceal without anyone noticing. However, our scouts in the villages and towns surrounding the Hidden Cloud village have not spotted their presence."

Upon hearing this, Sakumo Hatake frowned, and Orochimaru, who had appeared behind them at some point, also listened to Tatsuma's explanation while peering at the map.

Just as he was about to hear Tatsuma's reasoning, Tatsuma abruptly stopped and started eating the burnt grilled fish, quickly taking a few bites to fill his stomach. Then Tatsuma said:

"I speculate that after the Cloud Ninjas ceased their harassment of our northern front, their next destination is not to return to the Hidden Cloud village, but rather here."

As he spoke, Tatsuma's pen swiftly crossed the map, creating several intersecting lines that soon formed a focal point.

"Raiko Ridge?" murmured Sakumo Hatake. Tatsuma nodded. This was a high ridge that blocked the cold currents from the Land of Frost, essentially part of the border. Although Sakumo Hatake knew of this location, he didn't understand why Tatsuma would make such an inference.

Orochimaru, now squatting down as well, said, "This place could be attacked anytime to reach the Land of Iron."

The sudden voice startled Tatsuma. He turned his head and met Orochimaru's excessively pale face. Tatsuma took a few deep breaths before nodding and saying:

"Orochimaru-sama's thoughts align with mine."

"But why would the Land of Lightning be interested in attacking the Land of Iron? There's the Land of Frost in between. Are they planning to engulf these two icy territories?"

Sakumo Hatake furrowed his brow, looking at the two who seemed to have figured it out, wondering if he wasn't smart enough.

"Tatsuma, let me guess your view. The Hidden Cloud village feigns an attack on the Land of Iron to lure Mifune into defense, diverting forces from the battle against the Rain Ninjas, allowing Hanzo to escape more quickly and continue expanding to the east. But the Hidden Cloud village shouldn't actually attack, as they only seek to stir up trouble for other countries and villages. If others suffer losses, it's equivalent to their gain, right?"

After Orochimaru finished speaking, Tatsuma nodded and drew a line from the Waterfall Ninja Village to the Land of Iron, saying, "Mifune withdrawing his troops means this defensive line has been breached."

Hanzo extorted war reparations from the Hidden Sand Village, which replenished their losses during this period. They could continue expanding east without needing to rest. At the same time, the Sand Ninjas withdrawing from the Land of Rain, along with us from Konoha, relieved Hanzo of any worries.

The last thing Konoha wants to see is this situation. Therefore, once Mifune returns to defend, we from Konoha must send troops to these countries to block the Rain Ninja's eastward expansion. In this way, the war reparations Hanzo received from the Hidden Sand Village will be depleted, and we, forced to reinforce the fight, will also be depleted. Only the Hidden Cloud village, needing only one large-scale and convincing feint attack, can weaken us and the Rain Ninjas."

After listening to Orochimaru and Tatsuma's explanations, Sakumo Hatake's face darkened. He said, "The Hidden Cloud village, how dare they."

"Because, Sakumo-sama, you've left. The Uchiha clan doesn't have anyone to control the situation right now," Tatsuma said solemnly. Orochimaru, however, didn't engage in this topic but instead pointed to another location on the map and said, "What about here?"

"The Daimyo of the Land of Earth has allocated funds again, but this time it's not for war but for economic development. Considering the situation in the Hidden Rock Village, what economic development could they achieve during wartime? Unless it's exporting things others need."

"Ninja tools," Orochimaru's train of thought was perfectly in sync with Tatsuma's. 

As soon as Tatsuma finished speaking, he continued the topic, saying, "Exactly. Hanzo has received a large sum of money with nowhere to spend it. The Hidden Rock Village receives money from the Daimyo to produce ninja tools, and the Land of Rain pays money to the Hidden Rock Village to purchase ninja tools. With money flowing back and forth, this profit is what they call economic development."

"Are they really not afraid of the war escalating further?" Sakumo Hatake stared at the map, that icy, stern feeling resurfacing. Tatsuma shifted slightly away from Sakumo Hatake, his expression grave as he said, "Clearly, they know what they're doing. Moreover, in such a short time, the Hidden Rock Village can also limit the quantity of each batch of supplies under the pretext of insufficient production capacity."

"They don't want the war to escalate; they just want it to continue. They don't want the war in Konoha to stop."

Sakumo Hatake stood up and said, "No, I can't let them succeed. At the very least, we must hold the line in the north. Even if it means passing through the Land of Frost, we must stop the Hidden Cloud village!"

"Ah..." Tatsuma sighed, shaking his head. "Sakumo-sama, if you return to the northern camp now, can you still command the camp?"

Orochimaru, unable to remain calm at this moment, showed anxiety on his face and whispered two words, "Uchiha clan."

After the Uchiha clan finally completed the handover and obtained the position of camp commander from Sakumo Hatake, it was impossible for them to give it up. The village Elders would also never allow such a thing to happen.

If such an order were truly given, it's likely that the camp there would revolt, and without the ninja corps led by Sakumo Hatake, they wouldn't be able to stop the Cloud Ninjas.

Sakumo Hatake, along with the ninja corps, is the reason why the Hidden Cloud village refrains from major actions. However, the Hidden Cloud village isn't afraid of Sakumo Hatake or the ninja corps alone.

Sakumo Hatake's immense strength, combined with his extraordinary on-the-spot command abilities, is what enables him to counterbalance the Cloud Ninja's large forces.

His political acumen is lacking, unable to swiftly integrate various pieces of information and analyze hidden plans like Orochimaru and the current Tatsuma. But on the battlefield, Sakumo Hatake, the new generation of Konoha, is undoubtedly the top commander.

However, Sakumo Hatake is currently unable to command the ninja corps in the northern camp. With this, his threat is greatly diminished, and naturally, the Hidden Cloud village begins to act recklessly.

"Tatsuma, do you have any ideas?" Orochimaru, feeling a bit disoriented, looked to Tatsuma. Tatsuma sighed once again and said, "There's no way to avoid casualties."

"Go on, there's no war without casualties, right?"

Orochimaru encouraged, and Tatsuma nodded. He drew a double arrow at the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning across the sea, saying, "Just as the Hidden Cloud village's ninja can get lost, not all of our Konoha ninja necessarily know the way."

Finishing his statement, Orochimaru and Sakumo Hatake both lit up with excitement. Before either of them could praise or begin discussing, Tatsuma's hand moved towards the direction of the Hidden Rock Village, saying, 

"As for here. I heard that yesterday, the esteemed Third Tsuchikage-sama, at the Ninja Academy graduation ceremony, praised me, and even implied that the entire Hidden Rock Village couldn't find a young genius like me?

Such a generous gesture, we can't let it go unreciprocated. We could also successfully praise Tsuchikage-sama's benevolence, supporting the Land of Rain, and promoting the rise of the Sixth Great Nation.

Then, we could successfully praise Tsuchikage-sama's strength. With him around, even if there's one more neighboring great nation, the people of the Land of Earth can still feel safe and secure!

Moreover, with Tsuchikage-sama's strong support for the Land of Rain, the people of the Land of Rain should also remember Tsuchikage-sama's contributions. Without Tsuchikage-sama's support, how could the Land of Rain have any hope of advancing towards becoming the Sixth Great Nation? 

The support of the Land of Earth for the Land of Rain is like that of a foster parent raising a child. Although not biologically related, the Land of Rain is like the adopted son of the Land of Earth."

Upon hearing Tatsuma's sarcastic remarks, Orochimaru's expression became extremely astute. This kid... He might appear pure on the outside, but if you were to cut him open, would even his blood and heart be black? Furthermore, even after death, the soul entering the pure land would likely be pitch black, wouldn't it? Indeed, those who like to praise their enemies, no matter how sincere they may seem on the surface, are actually internally filthy.

However, it must be admitted that this kid's two schemes... no, employing the same tactics against them, are indeed effective!

Orochimaru spoke up, saying, "When we return, come with me to report back, and bring your map with you."

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