Soon, all representatives agreed to Nara Shikaku’s battle plan. Building on this, Shikaku immediately announced, “Alright, inform everyone. We will rest well tonight and mobilize our troops to enter the Land of Rain tomorrow.”
Everyone got up and returned to their respective places where their clan’s ninjas were stationed to update them on the battle plan. Shikaku, however, stopped Uchiha Tonan to stay behind for a short discussion.
“I proposed this plan primarily because you have the combat power rivaling the sannin. But I don’t know you very well, so I want to ask your opinion. In this kind of head-on battle, once you lose, it will greatly impact morale. In our case, of course, we just need to persevere and not collapse.”
“As long as they realize that they cannot break through our defense line, they will choose to retreat to the rear to find opportunities. At that time, it’ll be the second stage of the war, which will be the squad battle phase. The two sides will send small combat squads to enter the Land of Rain to assassinate each other.”
Tonan didn’t answer directly but pointed at the ground and said, “The headquarters will be here in the future, right?”
Shikaku was dumbfounded for a moment and then nodded, “Yes.”
“Then I’ll go to prepare a lab. As for tomorrow’s battle…” Tonan turned around and walked outside as he said this and when he reached the tent’s opening, he paused for a moment and glanced sideways, “…get ready for the squad battles.”
After a while, Tonan came to the foot of Kikyo Mountain. He made hand seals and patted the mountain wall in front of him. Because he had learned a special chakra control skill from Senju Hashirama’s scroll, he could change chakra shape according to his wish and affect things around it as well.
However, this move could only be used against solid or liquid things. It worked well with the earth style and water style but it was useless in lightning, wind, and fire styles. Tonan spread his chakra and controlled the soil. He then used his mind to control its movement.
After two hours, a passage about the size of a person appeared on the mountain wall in front of him. Tonan retracted his palm and stepped inside. After walking through a long winding passage, he arrived at an empty secret room.
It was pitch black in there. Tonan took out a few luminous gems from the scroll and placed them on the ceiling. The secret room lit up slowly. This was just an ordinary cave, where even the walls and ground were uneven.
Seeing this, Tonan couldn’t help frowning. He rubbed his chin and muttered, “It seems I haven’t practiced enough. The control is so poor.”
Tonan continued to release ninjutsu and began to practice in this newly built laboratory. The battlefield was the most suitable place for human experiments. Human materials would be available everywhere. He had already learned enough ninjutsu.
There was no way to surpass his predecessors in this study. In this regard, he still had to learn from Orochimaru. Thinking of this, Tonan reached out and patted his forehead with a look of regret. “Why did I cut the weeds and dig up the roots back then? I should’ve left a line.”
He had killed Ninja World’s number-one scientist just like that. Thinking about it now, it was truly a pity.
“Had I known, I’d have released Orochimaru and captured him alive when I was stronger. At that time, even if I didn’t gain his acknowledgment, after killing a few Yamanaka clan members and learning the technique to check memories, I could’ve searched his soul. What a waste!”
Tonan had already expanded halfway up the mountain, making quite a few secret rooms. The passages extended in all directions. This place was warm in winter and cool in summer and was also well-ventilated.
As for safety, the best option was to leave behind a shadow clone considering his clones too had the buff Adamantine Body. He had spent most of the day doing all this and by now it was already late at night. Tonan didn’t stay awake to start working but returned to his tent to rest. He also needed to restore his energy for tomorrow’s war.
Tonan may have put up a confident front for Shikaku but the enemy side comprised an allied force of over thirty thousand ninjas. He would never underestimate the opponent. More so because allegedly, Onoki and Sandaime Kazekage were personally leading the allied force this time.
Early the next morning, the horizon lit up with a layer of golden light, and the dazzling morning star was hanging on the top of Kikyo Mountain. As per Shikaku’s plan, the Leaf ninja army crossed the Land of Rain border and set off toward the battlefield.
Only less than one thousand logistical troops were left in the Kikyo Mountain garrison. Immediately after entering the Land of Rain, Tonan found that there were swamps and rivers everywhere.
It was unknown whether he and the others were lucky but they didn’t encounter rain along the way today. Tonan ran behind Shikaku. Suddenly, Shikaku looked back at him and solemnly said, “Tonan, when the two armies meet, don’t immediately rush forward. Wait for the other side’s powerhouses to attack and drain their stamina. Then you can make a move.”
“High casualties are worthless in this kind of battle. As long as a powerhouse is killed, the impact on morale is far greater than killing dozens of ordinary ninjas. Similarly, if you find an opponent you can’t fight, retreat immediately. Once you die on the battlefield, we can only request reinforcements.”
Tonan raised his eyebrows hearing Shikaku’s advice. He was slightly surprised and commented, “Shikaku-sama, I would’ve never imagined you trusted me so much.”
Shikaku nodded, “When you fought against Tsunade, I saw you using defensive and powerful ninjutsu from a distance. The Buddha summoned via that ninjutsu is big enough. It can be a great deterrent to the enemy on the battlefield. You need to be careful of Sandaime Tsuchikage ninjutsu. According to our intel, the dust style is terrifying. You can only dodge but not block it.”
At this moment, Hyuga Hizashi slowed down and came beside Tonan. He worriedly said, “When you make your move later, don’t be too far from me. Your ninjutsu should consume a lot of chakra and I guess it wouldn’t last long. If you can’t endure, rush over to my side immediately.”
Shikaku added, “That’s right, Hizashi-sama’s Kaiten is known as an absolute defense. At that time, remember to not go too hard.”
Tonan nodded lightly and said, “Alright, I got it.”
After a moment, a hesitant Hizashi voiced some worries in his heart. “By the way, Hanzo won’t step forward to stop us like in the last war, right?”
Shikaku shook his head, “At the beginning of the war, Hanzo said that the Land of Rain would remain neutral and wouldn’t participate in the war of the five great countries. So, we don’t have to worry about it. After all, he’s a man known as a demigod. He won’t go back on his words.”
Hizashi was relieved and said, “That’s good. I’ll rest assured of this now since that’s the case.”
