"The mission module!? For two years, there hasn't been any change. I thought this broken system was just for lotteries, but it turns out it was limited by my own strength. It makes sense; if it were only for lotteries, this 'Ultimate Profession System' would be a misnomer."
Reflecting on the message in his mind, Kai seemed to have an epiphany.
"But I'm currently in the Land of Rivers. Why is the mission to repel a joint attack from the Sand and Stone Shinobi?"
Kai was puzzled by the system's mission, and then his expression suddenly hardened:
"The Stone Shinobi just declared war, and the Sand Shinobi's actions have immediately become so strange. Could it be that these two villages are conspiring together?"
"What's wrong, Kai?" Tsunade asked, noticing Kai suddenly pause.
Kai snapped back to reality, turned to Tsunade, and slowly uttered two words:
"Stone Shinobi!"
"Stone Shinobi!? What about them?"
Tsunade looked at Kai with a puzzled expression, not understanding what he meant.
Upon hearing Kai's words, Shikaku's expression changed, and he nodded gravely, "Stone Shinobi!? That indeed is a possibility."
"It's not a possibility; it's a certainty," Kai shook his head.
The mission had been issued; could it be false? Kai had no doubts about the system's accuracy.
Tsunade watched Kai and Shikaku converse like they were speaking in riddles, her face a mix of confusion and then anger:
"Damn it, what are you two talking about? Explain it to me now; do you take me for an idiot?"
Bang!
With a loud crash, another nearby table was reduced to splinters.
Seeing the furious Tsunade, Shikaku snapped out of it and quickly said, "Lady Tsunade, Kai and I were discussing the recent unusual behavior of the Sand Shinobi."
"What reason? Speak up."
Tsunade was impatient, her fiery temper exacerbated by the ongoing conflict in the Land of Rivers, making her tone sharper.
Shikaku was well aware of Tsunade's temperament and paid no mind to her attitude, explaining:
"We know Granny Chiyo's temper well. It was already suspicious that she didn't retaliate when Kai killed Monzaemon. Now, with the Stone Shinobi just declaring war on Konoha, the Sand Shinobi's battlefield actions have become so strange."
"These events are too coincidental; there must be a reason, and it's undoubtedly linked to the Stone Shinobi. It's very likely that on the battlefield in the Land of Rivers, we will soon face attacks from both the Sand and Stone Shinobi."
As expected of Konoha's strategic mind, Kai only hinted, and Shikaku had already analyzed the situation thoroughly, even considering the personalities of the enemy leaders.
"How likely is it!?"
Upon hearing Shikaku's analysis, Tsunade realized the gravity of the situation and asked with a serious expression.
"As Kai said, it's almost a certainty." Shikaku's face was grim.
"Do we have any countermeasures?" Tsunade immediately asked.
Shikaku thought for a moment, frowned, and shook his head, "If the village can't send reinforcements, the current situation will be a deadlock. The best strategy would be to abandon the Land of Rivers battlefield and retreat to the border of the Land of Fire. This way, we might utilize the terrain of the Land of Fire to resist the combined forces of the Sand and Stone Shinobi."
"Retreat?"
Tsunade frowned, contemplated for a moment, then rejected the idea: "No! If we retreat to the Land of Fire's border and are defeated, the people of the Land of Fire will be directly threatened by the Sand and Stone Shinobi. We can't retreat!"
Shikaku saw Tsunade's determined expression and said no more, as her reasoning was also valid.
"Damn it! Send word to double the vigilance! Report any unusual activity immediately." Tsunade decisively ordered without hesitation.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The rumbling echoed throughout the land, causing the ground to tremble.
"What's happening!?"
Feeling the commotion, Kai, Tsunade, and Shikaku rushed out of the tent.
In the distance, a massive wall stretching for several kilometers was slowly rising.
Earth Release: Earth-Style Rampart!
In the hands of the "Green Sprout" Earth Release master, Shinnosuke Sarutobi, even a B-rank jutsu, when used at full power, could rival the might of an S-rank forbidden technique.
At that moment, a massive rolling ball sped over and stopped in front of Tsunade; it was Chōza Akimichi.
Seeing Chōza using the Human Bullet Tank to rush over, Tsunade sensed the urgency of the situation and quickly asked, "Chōza, what's the situation at the front line?"
Having just returned to normal size, Chōza didn't pause and, panting heavily, said:
"Lady Tsunade, it's bad. For some reason, the Sand Shinobi's forces have suddenly more than doubled, and Granny Chiyo has appeared on the battlefield. The Sand Shinobi have already started a frenzied assault, and Lord Shinnosuke's Earth-Style Rampart probably won't hold for long."
"Damn it!"
Kai and Shikaku exchanged a glance, understanding the seriousness of the situation.
"Hurry! Get to the front line and join Shinnosuke as fast as possible."
At this moment, Tsunade couldn't afford to worry about her hemophobia. She stepped heavily, launching herself forward, leaving the ground cracked behind her.
Kai and Shikaku didn't dare delay and immediately followed.
On the Earth-Style Rampart, Kai looked down at the densely packed Sand Shinobi troops, numbering in the thousands. It seemed the Sand Shinobi had committed all their forces to this assault.
Tsunade's face was pale. Despite being the largest village in the ninja world, Konoha was engaged on multiple fronts and could only dispatch just over a thousand ninjas to the Land of Rivers battlefield, far fewer than the Sand Shinobi.
"Granny Chiyo! Why are you instigating war? Don't you know the ninja world has only been peaceful for a few years?"
Tsunade gritted her teeth, addressing a female ninja below who was skillfully manipulating puppets to attack the Earth-Style Rampart.
"Little girl Tsunade, what does the peace of the ninja world have to do with me? I only know that my son and daughter-in-law were killed by your Konoha's Sakumo Hatake, and my beloved grandson defected from the village because of it. I want your Konoha to pay!"
Granny Chiyo spoke with a face full of madness.
"Crazy women are indeed unreasonable, especially old women," Kai couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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