Jodo listened to Onoki's words, his expression thoughtful.
He had to admit, it made sense.
If they launched a full-scale assault on Konoha right now, Konoha would surely hold back forces to counter them. But even if they didn't attack, Konoha wouldn't dare shift all its troops to the Land of Wind.
Given the defeat of the advance unit, a war with Konoha wouldn't be favorable right now, especially with the risk of a sneak attack from the Hidden Cloud Village. So, taking a wait-and-see approach truly was the wisest move.
"Also, suppress the information about the advance unit's defeat for now. And don't reveal anything about that ninja named 'Hatake Kaede'. Let the Sand Village rest easy and focus on their war with Konoha."
Onoki issued his orders decisively.
They couldn't let news of the crushing defeat leak out and affect morale on the Sand Village's side of the battlefield. If the Sand Village sensed things were turning against them and suddenly pulled out, Konoha likely wouldn't pursue, and the whole plan would fall apart.
Jodo said grimly, "But that son of White Fang… According to the intel, he's only ten years old and already that strong. He might become a serious problem in the future."
"It's just power obtained through forbidden techniques," Onoki said, arms crossed, floating mid-air. "No need to worry too much. Forbidden jutsu aren't something that can be used casually… You yourself wouldn't be in your current state if you hadn't been so obsessed with them back in the day."
The reports from the surviving members of the advance unit suggested Kaede's abilities on the battlefield were quite different from the White Fang's. That strange battle state clearly wasn't normal, he had to be relying on some kind of forbidden technique.
And with forbidden techniques, there's always a price.
Jodo himself had damaged his life force due to his overuse of forbidden techniques in his youth. Now, his chakra could barely sustain his current state, let alone grow any further.
Ninjas who rely too heavily on forbidden arts rarely reach the peak of power. The ninja world had more than enough examples of that.
So while Kaede might look impressive now, Onoki saw it as a reckless move. Normally, forbidden jutsu were only considered after one hit a plateau in growth, using them at such a young age was foolish in his eyes.
It might seem like a threat, but that was likely just on the surface.
Even if it didn't have side effects, there would definitely be weaknesses. And once a weakness is found, it can be exploited. A forbidden jutsu without any weaknesses or side effects? That simply didn't exist.
Jodo shook his head. "Even so, he's still a threat. And finding the weak points in a forbidden technique isn't that simple."
Onoki floated calmly, hands behind his back. "If we stay put, Konoha might send him to the battlefield in the Land of Wind. We can let the Sand Village deal with him and find his weakness, or even eliminate him for us."
"Hm…" Jodo rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "That's assuming things unfold that way."
…
Konoha Frontline Camp — Central Command Tent
Nearly two weeks had passed since the last major battle, yet Iwagakure still hadn't made any moves. No reports of significant activity had come in.
"Looks like Iwagakure won't be taking action any time soon," said Orochimaru, scanning recent intelligence from Konoha and internal reconnaissance from the Land of Grass. He chuckled. "That old fox Onoki is probably waiting to see how the battle between us and the Sand Village plays out before deciding his next move."
Kaede studied the map before him and said slowly, "If Iwagakure and Kumogakure were to form an alliance and launch a joint assault, Kirigakure might also break its pact with us. That could put us in a dangerous situation."
"Exactly," Orochimaru nodded, a faintly sarcastic smile playing on his lips. "But unfortunately for them, Onoki is far too cautious for that. He'll never risk a full-scale war. Even if he could ally with Kumogakure, he wouldn't trust them."
"That's exactly why Konoha can maintain control of the largest resources," Orochimaru added. "The major villages can't trust each other enough to form a real coalition."
Kaede nodded slightly in agreement.
That much was true.
Konoha's strength might be overwhelming now, but if all four major villages united against it, even with Kaede's unpredictable presence, the situation would be incredibly difficult.
But the reality was, mutual distrust ran too deep. Even if they all moved to attack Konoha, each would hold back some forces to guard against betrayal by the others. That's what allowed Konoha to survive such onslaughts, and was the fundamental reason it ultimately triumphed in the Third Great Ninja War.
"Since Iwagakure won't be moving for a while, I'd like to leave camp temporarily to retrieve the Kusanagi Sword… Even if they do act, I should have enough time to return."
Kaede looked over at Orochimaru.
With Iwagakure quiet for now, it was the perfect opportunity to go after the Kusanagi Sword. In this chaotic wartime environment, there was no guarantee that the sword wouldn't fall into someone else's hands if he waited.
"Go ahead."
"With your abilities, I doubt I need to remind you to be careful… kukuku," Orochimaru said, flashing his signature eerie grin.
He had been the one to give Kaede the intel on the Kusanagi Sword. And it truly was the best time to retrieve it, with Iwagakure still inactive and the sword's location not too far from the Land of Grass.
Most importantly, Orochimaru figured it wouldn't be long before Hiruzen Sarutobi deployed Kaede to the Land of Wind to help fight against the Sand Village.
With Iwagakure staying dormant, Orochimaru and Might Duy were more than enough to hold the front here. There was no need for Kaede to remain.
Sending him to fight against the Sand Village was the most effective use of his strength, and Orochimaru was sure Hiruzen would see it that way too.
Kaede gave a small nod and silently disappeared.
…
The intel Orochimaru had given him placed the Kusanagi Sword near the border between the Land of Grass and the Amegakure. There, a hidden group operated in the shadows. Much like Akatsuki before it was founded, the group was composed of rogue and independent ninja disguised as a simple village. They survived by taking on underground assassination and black ops contracts.
The group was small and hidden, and its border location had kept it off the radar of both Amegakure and Kusagakure.
Orochimaru had discovered it by accident while gathering intel on the Kusanagi Sword. He learned that the leader of this group possessed a blade matching the sword's description and recorded the information carefully.
…
Several days later.
Kaede arrived at the hidden village.
It was quiet. The streets were empty, and every house was shut tight, like a village cowering in fear amidst the chaos of war.
Kaede wore a rain cloak and a conical straw hat as he walked into the village. Before long, he felt several presences watching him from the shadows.
And they didn't feel like ordinary civilians.
"…As expected, something's off."