Chapter 231: , a woman who is out of reach

Under the perennial overcast clouds, swaying raindrops fell one after another, dripping onto everyone's shoulders, the raindrops sliding down the pitch-black rubber raincoats onto the muddy ground.

In the entire space, apart from the pitter-patter sound of raindrops falling, there was no other sound.

Hanzo of the Salamander stood on high, scanning the ninjas below wearing pitch-black rubber raincoats, his eyes, full of a strong aura, filled with a resolute look.

For this country, in this battle, it was victory or death.

And this was also the only path he must take to lead this country to the pinnacle of the ninja world.

"Depart!"

He spat out two words; because of the respirator on his face, his voice sounded unusually muffled, and then he raised his hand and swung it forward violently.

The next moment, countless ninjas wearing black rubber raincoats moved silently through the rain in the direction the man pointed.

Hanzo of the Salamander had made his move!

And within an hour of the Rain ninjas' actions, a large amount of intelligence began to radiate and spread throughout the ninja world.

This time, Hanzo of the Salamander did not seem to have any intention of hiding it; he straightforwardly gathered a large number of Rain ninjas and marched toward the place where the Land of Rain and the Land of Earth met.

This undoubtedly directly indicated that the next target the Rain ninjas would choose to challenge would be the Rock ninjas of the Land of Earth.

And at the border between the Land of Rain and the Land of Earth, a large number of Rock ninjas were already waiting in full battle array.

The leading Rock ninja was none other than the son of the Third Tsuchikage of the Land of Earth, Onoki—Kitsuchi.

In a situation where both sides were almost "showing their cards."

After the large number of Rock ninjas and Rain ninjas arrived at the battlefield, they didn't waste any words and directly began to slaughter each other.

For a time, the plains at the junction of the entire Land of Rain and the Land of Earth were filled with blood and slaughter.

The battle lasted for a whole night, and it wasn't until dawn that both sides withdrew their offensives and sounded the retreat.

Perhaps it was just because this initial battle was a probing one, and both sides hadn't consumed any significant strength, although the battlefield was littered with corpses.

But almost all of them were cannon fodder-level combatants.

The highest level of combat power used by both sides was only Jonin, and most of those participating were Genin-level cannon fodder; although the losses on both sides seemed not insignificant, the consumption of combat power could be ignored.

Incidentally, neither side's leader was commanding the battle.

On the Rain ninja side, it was Shinda of the Salamander, who held the title of "Hanzo's Right Hand," and on the Rock ninja side, it wasn't Kitsuchi, the Tsuchikage's son who was responsible for organizing the defense, but an ordinary Rock ninja Jonin.

The news of the war between the two countries had also spread throughout the ninja world by this time.

After fighting to a draw with the Sand ninjas, the Rain ninjas, who had rested for about a week, were back again.

This news was delivered to the desks of the Five Kage immediately.

In the Land of Fire, the Hidden Leaf.

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at this intelligence without the slightest bit of carelessness.

In the Hokage's office, this time, in addition to the four-person group consisting of Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzo, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu, there were three young ninjas present.

They were a noble-looking woman with long golden hair; a feminine man with long black hair and purple eyeshadow; and a young man with white spiky hair who looked a bit sloppy.

These three were Sarutobi Hiruzen's proud disciples, the Hidden Leaf's famous... ahem...

They were the Hidden Leaf's famous young leading ninjas, Senju Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru.

"You three, get ready."

"War is coming soon, and this time I intend to have you three lead the army."

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at his three disciples before him, his expression full of seriousness.

"Why us three, old man?"

Orochimaru asked Sarutobi Hiruzen in a cold, hoarse voice, a hint of confusion in his eyes.

At this moment, the Hidden Leaf was full of talent; even if ranked from top to bottom, whether in terms of seniority or strength, it shouldn't have been their turn.

"The small nations nearby have been restless lately, and the Uchiha and Hyuga have already been sent to quell the disturbances in the small nations."

"Homura and Koharu are not convenient to lead the army right now, and Danzo and I need to sit in the village to prevent any accidents."

"All things considered, only you three are the most suitable candidates."

"Besides..."

"If I don't take the time to hone you, how can I retire with peace of mind in the future?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen said unhurriedly, a meaningful look appearing in his eyes.

As for this meaningful look from Sarutobi Hiruzen, not to mention Jiraiya and Tsunade, Orochimaru seemed to understand something, and a flash of heat appeared in his eyes first.

How could Orochimaru not understand Sarutobi Hiruzen's almost "explicit" hint?

Go to the battlefield, earn military merit, accumulate prestige, and then...

Become Hokage!!!

Thinking of this, the fervor in Orochimaru's eyes became more and more obvious.

Among all the ninjas in the Hidden Leaf, who didn't want to sit in the Hokage's seat? Even Orochimaru at this time could not be an exception.

Now, Orochimaru, who had not yet seen through Sarutobi Hiruzen's true face, still had a hint of unrealistic fantasy about becoming Hokage.

It was no wonder; under such an obvious "pie in the sky" from Sarutobi Hiruzen, it would be strange if Orochimaru wasn't tempted.

Thinking of this, Orochimaru looked around at his side.

Although Tsunade was of noble birth, as a woman, there had been no talk of a woman ascending to become the Kage of a nation before this, so it would naturally be extremely difficult for Tsunade to ascend.

And Jiraiya...

Orochimaru looked at Jiraiya, who was picking his nose beside him, and a hint of relaxation flashed in his eyes.

No matter how you looked at it, he, Orochimaru, was the best candidate for the next Hokage.

Thinking of this, Orochimaru was full of hope and desire for this expedition.

With Sarutobi Hiruzen's methods, it was naturally impossible to leave any flaws at this time; in order to let the three of them lead the army in a justified manner, he had already found all the reasons.

As Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice fell, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu looked at the three with embarrassment, revealing a kind smile.

But if one looked closely, one could see a hint of profundity in their eyes.

On the other side, Shimura Danzo sat in place without saying a word, as if he were a wax statue.

Ever since it was determined that he had nothing to do with the war, Shimura Danzo had been in this state of "none of my business."

Seeing this, a hint of realization flashed in Tsunade's eyes; as the most excellent medical ninja in the Hidden Leaf today, she naturally knew that Utatane Koharu was currently pregnant.

After all, not long ago, Tsunade, who had just returned from the Land of Iron, was invited by Utatane Koharu for a consultation.

Among the three, only Jiraiya's eyes flashed with a hint of seriousness.

Coincidentally, whether it was Tsunade, Jiraiya, or Orochimaru.

All three had just returned to the Hidden Leaf after finishing their work.

Before this, Orochimaru had been leading the army in a standoff against the Hidden Sand at the border of the Land of Rivers.

Tsunade had first gone to the Land of Rain to investigate intelligence, and then went to the Land of Iron to purchase weapons.

And Jiraiya had been "studying abroad" at Mount Myoboku.

In other words, the three had not seen each other for a long time.

Orochimaru and Jiraiya had been old rivals for many years; although the two loved to hate each other, they still maintained a stance of ignoring each other on the surface.

And whenever Jiraiya's gaze shifted to Tsunade, there would always be a hint of imperceptible admiration and love in his eyes.

Perhaps it was an illusion, or perhaps it had been too long since they had seen each other.

Jiraiya always felt that Tsunade seemed to have a bit less strength and a bit more of the unique charm and gentleness of a woman, and her appeal seemed to have reached another level.

Especially the mature charm between her brows made Jiraiya even more tempted.

Unfortunately...

Jiraiya knew that with his status and position, he was not worthy of Tsunade.

The other party was destined to be a woman who was out of his reach for the rest of his life.