Chapter 146: Northern War

In the Police Department, inside Shisui's office, looking at the two familiar faces, Shisui was not surprised, only a little moved.

"Hong knows nothing; she is innocent. Konoha is a treasure his father would sacrifice himself to protect. She would never do anything that harms the Village. Please let her go! I'm begging you!"

Yuan Fei A Si Ma bowed his head deeply.

He has already lost his mother, lost his older brother, and is about to lose his father; he cannot lose Hong again.

Maite Kai looked at the two, feeling awkward, and had to bow along.

"Please, Captain Shisui!"

Is Hong innocent?

Shisui believes so, just like the Village: where there is light, there is darkness; families are the same.

This kind of darkness, Hong will not encounter.

Shisui felt a stir in his heart, realizing he was increasingly able to face the things that once disgusted him.

Is this growth, or compromise? He sighed, then said gently, "The Police Department will not wrongfully accuse her, but this matter requires her cooperation in the investigation, about three days. After three days, you may return."

Yuan Fei A Si Ma didn't expect Shisui to be so easygoing, instantly relaxed, and asked, "May I see her?"

His voice had lost its usual casualness, gaining a few notes of nervousness.

"Alright, Senior Kai, take him there, but don't keep him too long."

"Alright, leave it to me!"

Shisui said little; Hong was not his target, nor was Asuma, and he hadn't intended to go after either of them.

The two left, and Asuma's matter quickly became known to the ninja clans; the fact that Hong was not taken away also spread.

The ANBU arrived shortly after, but this time their orders were questioned.

Yan Shifan casually took the order, coldly said, "Just a few ANBU members, such nerve to forge a Hokage command. I think you're getting impatient with life."

The ANBU froze, suddenly looking at Yan Shifan, surprised that he had seen through the forged order.

But this order was exactly the same as the previous one.

"Uchiha Elder, what does this mean? Are you going to defy the Hokage's command?"

Yan Shifan sneered, clearly feeling the ANBU's hostility toward him.

"The signature on this is not the Third Hokage's handwriting at all; do you really think we can't tell? Bring them in, seize these spies and interrogate them harshly; I want to see who dares to forge a Hokage order!"

Four ANBU were still insufficient before the Police Department headquarters; with Yan Shifan already prepared, more than twenty ninjas instantly appeared beside him, encircling them.

"You're going to strike the ANBU?!"

The few were shocked, instinctively drawing weapons in guard.

"What a damn ANBU! Forging a Hokage order, clearly a traitor ninja, drop the mask and honestly explain who's behind you!"

Facing Yan Shifan's questioning, the ANBU, living up to the name of Elite Forces, recalled the reminder and said in a deep voice, "The Hokage has already appointed the two assistants to handle Konoha affairs; the order came from those assistants, which is the Hokage's command. Will the Police Department defy the Hokage's command?"

Yan Shifan gave him a deep look, waved his hand to have the Police Department personnel stand down. Danzo, for unknown reasons, suddenly fell silent; without him meddling, the assistants' delegated Hokage authority resumed its effect.

"I told you, you came here to show off and snatch people. But you're late; we've already finished the interrogation, all evidence is present. Even if the Hokage arrives, I will still punish the criminals with Konoha law!"

Yan Shifan's righteous aura made several young members of the Police Department feel their blood boil.

The four ANBU were speechless, but recalling those orders, they had to grit their teeth and continue demanding the Sunset and Sarutobi Clan members.

Yan Shifan was secretly pleased, but outwardly he snorted coldly, released the others with a resentful face, yet kept Xiri Hong detained.

"Third Elder, what does this mean? Why is Xiri Hong not here?"

"The investigation of Xiri Hong is not finished; would the Police Department wrongfully accuse an innocent? What, would an innocent ninja be sent to the Soup Nation's front line?"

The four were speechless and had to leave.

Yan Shifan turned and left, secretly ordering, "Find out who was scheming beside those two old things, and also see what's up with Danzo."

"Understood."

"Wait, remember to spread today's events, and also disseminate the evidence; I want to see how long the Hokage's remaining authority can hold up while the ANBU keep shielding criminals!"

"Yes!"

Without Danzo's restraint, Uchiha cannot confront the assistants directly; Yan Shifan prepared to change tactics.

Although the prison guards didn't survive, the Sarutobi shop and the decree concerning the detonator talisman could not be altered.

Zhuan Qin Xiaochun and Shuihu Men Yan also, for the first time, directly realized the great power of the Police Department.

"They're already pulling the Sarutobi Clan into this so quickly; it won't be long before they target other families. Is this to seize the ninja business profits?"

Inside the Hokage Tower, Nara Suzaku, in his role as senior ninja squad leader, sat here discussing with two others how to stabilize the situation.

"He doesn't intend to involve the Sarutobi Clan; he wants everyone to clearly see the Third Hokage's objective, and the Uchiha's goal is probably the Fifth Hokage's position."

Nara Suzaku, worthy of having commanded a ninja army, had a much clearer line of thought than the other two, and succinctly stated the point.

The two were enlightened, looking at Nara Suzaku with growing admiration.

Nara Suzaku sighed; he actually didn't want to get involved, but being brought in as a Hokage assistant gave him no reason to refuse without Danzo's interference, so he could only help.

"Uchiha's repeated actions have led the Village's ninja clans to essentially confirm the Third Hokage's objective; the next step will inevitably be unchecked expansion of influence, and some smaller clans may choose to compromise under pressure."

"They dare! The evil Uchiha have betrayed Konoha many times; how can we let such unstable people become Konoha's shadow?"

"Now Danzo's actions are unknown, but this is a good chance to unite the ninja clans and fully suppress the Uchiha!"

Nara Suzaku did not refuse; he now stands opposite the Uchiha.

"If we could persuade the Hyuga Clan…"

Nara Suzaku paused mid‑sentence; not only the Hyuga Clan knows the front‑line situation, they also know why the great defeat of Shikaku occurred.

Although he is rational enough to help the two assistants, the Hyuga Clan may not be willing.

Zhuan Qin Xiaochun felt a bit awkward at the remark; originally, to shift blame and lure the Hyuga to act, she deliberately steered everyone to place the responsibility on the Hyuga and Nara. Though her statements lacked clear causality, now everyone knows what happened.

"Even if the Hyuga Clan refuses to help, they must not be swayed by the Uchiha."

"Then that's that; continue to suppress the Uchiha as originally planned, while also building momentum to pave the way for the Jonin Council."

When the Jonin meeting was raised, Nara Suzaku's head ached as if it would split; he thought those two assistants were truly insane to have such an idea. Yet he could not stop it; the two now had no one left to choose.

When internal strife in Leaf Village continued unabated, Leaf Village's strategic deployment on the Hot Springs Country front line had also reached a critical point.

"Mr. Sima Yi, lately our actions have grown larger, and we have clashed with Hidden Cloud's small units several times; Hidden Cloud is becoming increasingly vigilant, the main force is withdrawing, and we have fully seized their reconnaissance outposts."

A high ridge piled with ninjutsu, Jiraiya and the others looked toward the distant Hidden Cloud front line, describing the recent situation.

Sima Yi nodded and sighed, "What a pity, up until the front line within Hot Springs Country, this area is all plain."

If possible, he would prefer to annihilate the enemy's living forces on a large scale.

However, this terrain, aside from ninjas who wield earth‑type chakra, forces others to hide in the forest to attempt a single ambush.

Hidden Cloud, having lost many reconnaissance ninjas, dared not engage in protracted battles; they only exchanged simple skirmishes with Leaf Village when it began its counterattack, and after falling at a disadvantage, they immediately pulled back their front line.

The few were puzzled, and Sima Yi gave no further explanation, merely saying, "Hidden Cloud has completely lost its eyes; let's act in the next few days. The main army will split into two routes; the commander may lead the main force to launch a strong attack on the East Front. All ninja clan youths should wear their clan crests, form a clear formation, and press the attack for one day; if unsuccessful, we will probe for three more days."

Jiraiya nodded, immediately issuing orders; everyone had already heard the general layout of this battle, raised no objections, and moved at once.

Both sides were on the plain; between them were only a few woods and lakes, and a handful of small hills no higher than ten meters, which offered no protective value to ninjas.

Thus the terrain was equal for both sides.

The orders were given; heads swarmed, thousands of ninjas lined up, and the ninja clan's formation was placed in the most conspicuous spot.

Uchiha, Hyuga, Nara, Yamanaka, Akimichi— their attire was similar, clan crests differed, and a glance from afar revealed which family each belonged to.

Jiraiya carried out a brief pre‑battle mobilization, then split the forces into two routes; he and Sima Yi led the main army toward the East Front, while Hyuga Higashi‑hiko led the remaining troops to the West Front, and both sides launched strong attacks in succession.

As soon as the main army moved, the stir of thousands could not possibly achieve a surprise effect; they were spotted by Hidden Cloud before even approaching.

Bang— inside Hidden Cloud's main camp, a leading woman smashed the long table in the tent in half with a single punch; ninjas on either side stared at each other, involuntarily swallowing saliva.

"Leaf Village, you have been too brazen; you hateful Jiraiya, I want to see if you can cross this front line!"

Two of them, angry in Mokujin's heart, the perfect jinchuriki who should have been a battlefield weapon, had been repeatedly blocked by this Jiraiya, which had long irritated her; now the opponent was pushing further, and she could no longer endure.

"Gather the ninjas, fight with me!"

"Wait, you're being too reckless; keep enough troops as reserves, and make sure Troy is properly notified."

Tuta saw this and immediately spoke to block, Mokujin clicked his tongue, but offered no rebuttal, after all the other side was the overall commander.

Once everything was ready, the main army set out; Leaf Village's ninja force had already reached beyond five li, a distance that no longer required reconnaissance ninjas, and the enemy's numbers could be directly estimated.

On the other side, when Leaf Village's main army was still over ten li from the Hidden Cloud front line, the vanguard gradually dispersed, forming a scattered line stretching nearly ten li east‑west.

This conduct was partly forced: Hidden Cloud had a jinchuriki; if Leaf Village's ninja force gathered too tightly and Jiraiya failed to stop Mokujin, causing a Tail Beast Orb to fall into the main army, Leaf Village's headquarters would have to pour out its forces and prepare to face four against one again.

The other reason was that Leaf Village's ninjas excelled at squad‑based combat, and large‑scale corps battles lacked training.

Although Sima Yi had some ideas, such matters required time for training and sufficient prestige to drive organizational changes; he had not yet earned enough merit, his prestige was lacking, so he could only wait for another day.

Hidden Cloud's side also employed the same scattered‑troop tactic; when the two sides met, no words were needed, and they quickly began a fierce melee.

In the rear of Leaf Village's ninja force, Sima Yi did not take the field but stayed with the reserve army observing; beside him were some Jonin guards including Hui and Hyuga Hisa, and behind them stood a thousand ninjas as a reserve.

On Hidden Cloud's side, Tuta likewise remained in the rear; neither side could commit all their forces.

And he also noticed the Leaf Village ninja force forming one continuous mass of ninja clans, his heart startled, then he hurriedly fixed his gaze on Mokujin, watching constantly for any mishap.

The two sides battled for several hours, from noon to dusk; seeing no breakthrough, Sima Yi led the reserve army to deter from the flank, and after a stalemate both sides withdrew with their wounded and corpses.

Tuta, seeing that night had fallen, though closer to his own camp, dared not pursue; both sides tacitly kept casualties within an acceptable range.

Back in the tent, Jiraiya immediately dispatched medical ninjas for treatment; their number and skill level surpassed those of Hidden Cloud, and at this rate Hidden Cloud would eventually be unable to sustain a voluntary retreat.

Overall, Leaf Village still held the advantage, but that was not what they desired.

"In a head‑on fight, winning in a short time is difficult, and the losses are too great," Jiraiya sighed; with his close friend absent, this battle was truly wearisome.

"No problem; in the coming days we only need small units to probe attacks."

Jiraiya nodded, "Hope everything goes smoothly."

In the next few days, Leaf Village's ninja side mustered great momentum each day, yet only dispatched small forces to attack Hidden Cloud's various defensive sectors.

Tuta: "They are looking for our weak points; constantly reinforce the defense. Their next massive assault will be decisive."

Three days later, Leaf Village's probing ended and the main army moved again; due to the earlier atmosphere and Tuta's orders, all Hidden Cloud ninjas understood how crucial this great battle was, feeling great pressure.

The Leaf Village main army, fifteen li from the Hidden Cloud front line, suddenly halted, and then remained motionless for three consecutive hours.

This made Tuta's heart flutter anxiously, unable to settle.

"How is it, have we gathered any intelligence?"

"No, Leaf Village sent out many anti‑recon squads; with Hyuga ninjas present, our men suffered losses before even approaching and had to retreat temporarily."

"."

Tuta furrowed his brows, his pressure mounting, while Mokujin gritted his teeth and shouted, "What is Leaf Village doing? If they want a fight, then fight."

"Do not disrupt your formation; check defenses and stay ready. Given Leaf Village's past performance, they cannot achieve results on a frontal battlefield. Just be careful not to let them break through on the West Front; when they get closer, observe further."

Tuta was analyzing when someone from outside the tent reported, "Leaf Village's ninja force has reached five li beyond the front line, numbering about five thousand."

"Five thousand! It seems this is the entirety of Leaf Village's East Front forces. Notify all units to prepare for the enemy! Also send word to Troy; every half hour a messenger must be dispatched, keeping constant contact with us."

"Yes!"

On the battlefield, because Leaf Village had stalled for three hours, the sun had already shifted from the south toward the west.

Leaf Village's side still had the vanguard scattered line, while the rear army formed a formation beside Sima Yi; the two forces were only about two li apart.

However, this time the rear army numbered two thousand, and erected earthen walls for protection; Sima Yi and the others took the opportunity to stand atop them and observe.

Tuta noticed that Jiraiya's side had fewer people, but when he saw Leaf Village's Elite Forces from each ninja clan, he relaxed considerably.

As long as Leaf Village's combat power remained beneath his notice, he doubted Leaf Village could break through here.

"Leaf Village's momentum is astonishing; today is another fierce battle, but no matter how many times, this place remains an iron wall that Leaf Village cannot cross!"

(End of Chapter)