Chapter 155: Konoha Makes Its Move

"That is the situation, Lord Third Hokage. The Feudal Lord is extremely, extremely dissatisfied with the actions of Cloud Village and the Third Raikage. The Land of Fire will never bow to the threats of Cloud Village. His Lordship has already decided to provide Konoha with an additional batch of war funds and material supplies specifically designated for the conflict against Cloud Village..."

The Feudal Lord's envoy spoke to Sarutobi Hiruzen, Mitokado Homura, and Koharu Utatane inside the Hokage's office.

At first, upon hearing the Feudal Lord's hardline stance toward Cloud Village, their expressions were somewhat strained. Konoha was already fighting on three fronts simultaneously, and their logistical momentum was severely flagging. However, upon hearing about the upcoming war funds and material support, the expressions of the three eased slightly.

Although their pool of shinobi was severely depleted, with this influx of support, they could entice other minor hidden villages to side with Konoha, thereby easing the pressure on the frontline.

Minor villages like the Grass Village, Rain Village, and Waterfall Village offered a high probability of recruitment.

"I understand, Envoy. Regarding our stance toward Cloud Village, Konoha stands forever with the Feudal Lord's court."

After addressing the envoy, Sarutobi Hiruzen had an ANBU operative escort him out.

Following the departure, he slowly lit his pipe, taking a deep drag. Before long, the Hokage's office was once again filled with swirling smoke.

Koharu Utatane could not help but ask, "Hiruzen, what are we going to do about the next batch of shinobi reinforcements? Right now, we can only rely on those newly graduated genin..."

"Some of them haven't even completed a handful of missions. Sending them to the battlefield is just asking for chaos. We need to think of another way," Mitokado Homura said, shaking his head. Every genin who had graduated over a year ago had already been sent to the frontlines. The only ones left in the village were those who had graduated from the Ninja Academy less than a year ago. These individuals were unfamiliar with standard mission protocols and had yet to grasp the harsh realities of the ninja code; they certainly could not be sent to the warzones.

"Allocate one hundred million ryo and thirty percent of the supplies to Danzo. Have him persuade the Grass and Waterfall villages to aid us. As for shinobi reinforcements... I will first consult with the heads of the various clans," Sarutobi Hiruzen said, exhaling a plume of smoke. It was not as though Konoha lacked shinobi capable of taking the field; many operatives remained unregistered. The serial numbers of the most recently registered active shinobi had just surpassed ten thousand. Excluding those who had died in battle or retired, the total number of registered shinobi in Konoha right on the eve of the war had barely exceeded five thousand.

As things stood, the number of surviving shinobi left in the official archives was just over forty-three hundred. Among them, seven hundred were genin who had graduated from the academy less than a year ago, clerical staff in the Hokage Building, medical-nin, members of the sealing and barrier squads, and guards stationed across various outposts.

With nearly thirty-six hundred shinobi already dispatched to the three frontlines, Konoha genuinely had no conventional reinforcements left to spare on the surface.

Unless Sarutobi Hiruzen was willing to negotiate with the heads of the various clans to dispatch a contingent of clan-affiliated shinobi to the frontlines—though the Sarutobi clan would have to lead by example this time, otherwise the other clan heads would certainly refuse.

"The Grass and Waterfall villages seem somewhat feasible; they frequently accept mercenary contracts from other nations. With this much money on the table, they certainly won't refuse... But what about the Rain Village? Will that old fogey Hanzo agree?"

Koharu Utatane asked doubtfully. They harbored considerable apprehension toward the old man Hanzo. Had it not been for his individual might, the Rain Village would have been crippled by Konoha long ago.

"If Hanzo refuses, we'll turn to other factions within the Land of Rain. Lately, quite a few rogue shinobi alliances have popped up there, and they don't seem particularly fond of Hanzo's decisions. Employing them should at least give Hanzo a headache for a while," Sarutobi Hiruzen replied before falling into contemplation.

Right now, the front in the Land of Hot Water was the most troublesome. Although Kushina was holding off the two jinchuriki, Cloud Village was historically dominated by hardliners, and their military might forced Sarutobi Hiruzen to exercise extreme caution.

As for the Rock Village, while they had not deployed a jinchuriki, their numbers were immense. Their very first wave had committed over a thousand shinobi to the battlefield, and they were exceptionally skilled in cooperative ninjutsu. On the main battlefield, even Konoha shinobi found it extremely difficult to withstand their combined techniques.

The Land of Rivers front was even more challenging. Not only did the Sand Village field the Third Kazekage in person, but they also deployed a one-tail jinchuriki, the puppeteer Chiyo, and another shinobi who wielded Magnet Release. Yet the Land of Rivers front had only Orochimaru as a truly formidable powerhouse, with the remaining nine-hundred-odd shinobi including barely twenty jounin.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's greatest concern was the conflict in the Land of Rivers. While he had intended to issue a warning to Orochimaru, he never expected the Sand Village to be so fanatical, throwing almost the entire military might of their village into the Land of Wind and pushing Orochimaru all the way back to Kikyoku Castle.

A while ago, Orochimaru had submitted a request for a batch of reinforcements; looking at the situation now, those troops needed to be dispatched immediately.

***

"Nonou, I never expected you to rise through the ranks so quickly. It's quite unexpected," Kahn produced a handcrafted alchemy earring, handed it to Nonou, and said, "This is a ninja tool equipped with an automatic defense mechanism. In a critical moment, it can save your life if you encounter danger... But what are your plans moving forward? Do you intend to stay in Konoha, or come over to my side?"

Yakushi Nonou took the earring without batting an eye and replied, "Just give the word, Boss. I can accept whichever choice you deem best."

"To become the vice director of the Konoha Hospital at just twenty years old—I think staying is probably the right choice. You can still learn quite a bit by Tsunade's side, and my end doesn't have an urgent shortage of personnel right now..." Kahn told her. Although she had already learned all of Tsunade's medical ninjutsu, there were still a few trump-card techniques she had yet to master. She was supposed to begin studying the Strength of a Hundred Seal soon, but Tsunade had suddenly been reassigned to the frontlines.

Furthermore, Natsukawa outside could still provide support, and Shizune also possessed medical ninjutsu. Kahn now had Shizune dedicate a portion of her time to training medical-nin; it might prove useful in the future.

"I understand," Yakushi Nonou nodded, then continued, "Boss, Nohara Rin's talent for medical ninjutsu has also begun to manifest. She has already assisted in multiple surgeries and mastered both the Palm Sage Technique and the Chakra Scalpel. I believe that in another ten years, her medical ninjutsu will catch up to mine...

Aside from Nohara Rin, the abilities of Aoki Daizou, Sato Ketsukawa, Hiraya Gouchou, and Uehara Shin are all quite impressive. They are already squad-leader level chuunin. If they survive this war and accumulate enough mission merit, they should be able to promote to special jounin. I think we should provide them with some ninjutsu support to ensure they can survive successfully..."

Kahn nodded with a smile, "I understand. Naturally, those who excel deserve assistance. Nonou, go and ask them what elemental ninjutsu they require, or if they need help in other areas."

Aside from forbidden techniques, secret arts, and rare five-element ninjutsu, Kahn could source everything else through the underground exchange, and he could also supply various potions. The potions brewed by Hermione were exceptionally effective; their restorative and blood-replenishing properties were only slightly inferior to medical ninjutsu—otherwise, Tsunade wouldn't have been so deeply fascinated by them.

"As for Nohara Rin, where has she been assigned?"

Yakushi Nonou answered, "She was assigned to Namikaze Minato's squad, alongside Nohara Rin, Hatake Kakashi, and Uchiha Obito. Aside from Hatake Kakashi, who graduated three years early, the other two are essentially the top performers of this graduating class."

Uchiha Obito's strength was not negligible. In the original timeline, by age ten he had already mastered Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique and tree-climbing, and his taijutsu could go toe-to-toe with Kakashi—such a showing was something even Uchiha Sasuke hadn't displayed.

However, Uchiha Obito's mental fortitude was lacking; he wasn't particularly suited for the battlefield.

And Nohara Rin went without saying: a genius medical-nin. She originally should have been assigned to the Konoha Hospital, but Sarutobi Hiruzen had instead placed her in Namikaze Minato's elite squad.

"Is that so? Hanging around with those fellows is bound to be contagious..."

Kahn shook his head slightly. He was referring to the Will of Fire; if she were infected by that nonsense, his investment in cultivating Nohara Rin would go to waste.

Yakushi Nonou immediately stated, "I will carve out time to check on Nohara Rin. She is still learning medical ninjutsu from me, so I'll try to keep tabs on their activities."

Although they lacked a formal master-disciple bond, Nohara Rin was essentially her half-student. If she were pulled into Namikaze Minato's orbit, Nonou would find it deeply distasteful.

Subsequently, Yakushi Nonou briefed Kahn on several other internal matters within Konoha. She had uncovered a wealth of insider information, particularly regarding the Root organization and the secret dealings of Konoha's various clans.

There was also Kato Dan. While he had survived, his condition was tragic. Now he could do nothing but lie immobile, requiring someone else to feed him. A while ago, he had a niece who would occasionally visit, but recently even that niece had stopped coming.

Furthermore, Konoha genuinely lacked any remaining shinobi to reinforce the frontlines—a conclusion Nonou had reached through her own analysis. Including herself, only four doctors remained stationed at the Konoha Hospital to maintain baseline operations; otherwise, even she would have been sent to the front.

It took Yakushi Nonou two full hours to recount the significant events summarized over the past two years, giving Kahn a comprehensive overview of the period he had missed.

Once she finished, Kahn stood up and said to her, "I understand. Let's maintain the status quo for now; the war is likely drawing to a close. Nonou..."

"Are you leaving?" Yakushi Nonou asked abruptly.

Her question caught Kahn off guard for a moment before he nodded. "Yes. Is there something else?"

"A massage. You mentioned last time that if you learned any new massage techniques, you'd let me try them out, but then you disappeared for two years..."

Nonou adjusted her glasses with a composed expression, patted the tatami mat beside her, and said to Kahn, "Lie down here. I hope my technique hasn't grown rusty."

"Uh... alright, then sorry for the trouble, Nonou."

Kahn thought about it; returning home only meant tidying up the place anyway, and there was no particular rush. Following her instructions, he laid face down on the tatami.

It felt somewhat strange, and the tatami was a bit hard... Just as the thought crossed Kahn's mind, a soft sensation rippled across his lower back.

It wasn't a massage technique at all; Nonou had simply shifted her weight, straddling his back.