HGBW: Ch. 127

"After that battle, I reviewed it countless times with the Kazekage and found two key reasons for Suna's defeat."

"1. The White Fang killed my son and my daughter-in-law, leaving Suna leaderless and demoralized."

"2. Tsunade used Mount Jofuku'd herbs to neutralize our poisons, leading to our ultimate failure."

In the gloomy and relentless rain, Chiyo's expression twisted with malice—colder and more chilling than the endless downpours of the Land of Rain.

"Fortunately, the heavens favored Suna. The White Fang is dead! The very blade that once rested on our throats was broken by Konoha's own hands."

"Only Tsunade remains. She is but one person—she cannot hold back an entire army alone. As long as we seize Mount Jofuku, even if she possesses unparalleled skill, without medicine, she will be powerless."

"This battle… Suna shall be victorious."

The moment her hoarse and furious voice fell, a deafening clap of thunder exploded above the heads of all Suna ninjas, as if the very sky of the shinobi world was answering Chiyo, agreeing with her words.

At that moment, Suna's morale surged like a raging wildfire—one that even the torrential downpour of the Land of Rain could not extinguish.

---

Near the border of the Land of Fire, Konoha ninjas perched like birds, either standing or hanging upside down from the branches. Hidden beneath the lush foliage, a thousand-strong army of ninjas lay concealed.

After departing from Konoha and marching to the border, Tsunade set up camp here and summoned the representatives of all major ninja clans.

"With the way Suna moves, they should be approaching the Land of Fire soon. No matter what Chiyo and Ebizō's objectives are, they will inevitably invade the Land of Fire."

"Therefore, if we can shift the battlefield beyond the borders of the Land of Fire and repel Suna at the gates, the scales of victory will already be tipped in our favor."

Tsunade got straight to the point.

"The question is—how do we locate them before they cross into our borders?"

"Tsunade-sama, Suna's forces are moving through the Land of Rain. With its perpetual downpours, only the Byakugan and sensory-type ninjas can reliably track them. The Inuzuka clan's ninja hounds, the Aburame clan's destruction insects, and even the Yamanaka clan's mind-invasion techniques will all face interference."

"The Land of Rain shares a direct border with the Land of Fire. That means the moment Suna leaves the Land of Rain, they will step into our territory."

Shikaku furrowed his brows tightly.

Repelling the enemy before they entered their land—he understood the importance of this strategy better than anyone, as Konoha's foremost tactician. But the problem was—Suna was too strong and knew Konoha too well.

Since the First Great Ninja War, Suna had meticulously gathered intelligence on Konoha's clans, and by now, they had likely developed countermeasures against most of their techniques.

A battle between ninjas was a battle of intelligence. A war between villages was also a war of intelligence.

Facing an enemy that was not only experienced in fighting Konoha but also intimately familiar with its tactics—on top of taking advantage of Sakumo's death, aligning with Iwa and Kumo to strike while Konoha was vulnerable—even Shikaku found himself at a loss.

Seeing even Shikaku deep in thought, unable to come up with a solution, the gathered Konoha ninjas—whether from the Uchiha clan or other clans—remained silent.

They all knew the Land of Rain's climate well.

Perpetual storms would severely weaken a ninja hound's sense of smell.

In the relentless rain, any insects in flight would immediately be identified as Aburame's insects.

The Yamanaka clan's secret techniques required controlling birds or beasts for reconnaissance, but what bird or beast would willingly venture into a torrential storm—let alone fly close to Suna's army?

Did they think Suna's ninjas were idiots?

"Tanaka."

As Konoha's forces struggled for a solution, Tsunade suddenly called out a name. All the Konoha ninjas turned toward the name's owner, their eyes tinged with doubt.

They were, of course, familiar with him. But could this newcomer, who had never even set foot on a battlefield, really have a solution? After all, a battle between ninjas and a war between villages were two completely different things.

A battle between individual ninjas requires only a well-executed strategy to cut down the enemy. However, a war between villages involves far more complex factors.

That was why they did not doubt Tanaka's strength—they only doubted his method.

"I can make the Inuzuka clan's ninja hounds' sense of smell increase tenfold, or even dozens of times, for a limited period."

As soon as Tanaka spoke, the Konoha ninjas present were all visibly shaken, especially the Inuzuka clan's members.

"What's the cost?"

The Inuzuka clan leader, Yuto, was initially ecstatic, but he quickly calmed down.

As a master of ninja hounds, he knew better than anyone that no known method could enhance a hound's sense of smell by such a degree. Yet, a Hyūga, who had nothing to do with dogs, claimed he could do it. That was highly unusual.

In the shinobi world, any drastic enhancement in a short time often came with a price.

"Torn muscles and severed chakra pathways." Tanaka's words shocked the entire group.

"What?"

"If it's just muscle, that's manageable. But once the chakra pathways are severed, the hound will no longer be a ninja hound—it will just be a regular dog."

The Inuzuka clan members all turned pale.

To other ninjas, a ninja hound was just a tool—just a dog. But to the Inuzuka clan, ninja hounds were family.

Sons. Daughters. Sometimes, they were even closer than their own children.

"But… I can repair the severed muscles and chakra pathways."

With just a few words, Tanaka took control of the entire conversation. Before this, most of the ninjas present knew of him only as a genius and a strong fighter—but nothing more.

Now, seeing him easily solve a problem that had even stumped Shikaku, and with a price that was bearable, their perception of him changed entirely.

"Is that true?" Yuto was in disbelief.

In fact, he had already resigned himself to the idea of sacrificing some ninja hounds.

After all, this was a war involving thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of lives. Even ninjas themselves had to be sacrificed; what were a few ninja hounds in comparison?

Besides, the hounds wouldn't be dying. They would merely lose their qualifications as ninja hounds and live on as ordinary dogs.

But now, there was another way.

A way to have it all.

"I swear on the name of the Sannin that this is true." Just as she had supported Tanaka during the Hokage meetings, Tsunade immediately stepped forward to back him up.

With the endorsement of the only a Sannin, the Inuzuka clan had no more doubts.

"I have no objections."

Yuto agreed without hesitation. Then, he turned to Tanaka with a fiery gaze.

"Tanaka-sama, regardless of the outcome of this battle, from now on, you will forever be a friend of the Inuzuka clan. If you ever need anything—just say the word."

He made this declaration in front of all the Konoha ninjas.

First, because as a ninja who loved his hounds, he was grateful to Tanaka for preserving them. Second, because if Tanaka could repair the hounds' chakra pathways—what about injuries to humans?

After all, whether for ninjas or ninja hounds, the most severe injuries were always those related to the chakra pathways.

A severed arm or leg? If the conditions were right, they could be replaced. Blindness or deafness? Eyes and ears could be transplanted. Even damaged internal organs could sometimes be healed.

But the chakra pathways were different.

Not only could they not be replaced—repairing them was nearly impossible.

Throughout the entire shinobi world, only Tsunade was known to possess the medical ninjutsu capable of restoring damaged chakra pathways.

Even if the Inuzuka clan was willing to pay any price, it was uncertain whether they could persuade her to help.

Therefore, in the Inuzuka clan leader's eyes, it was imperative to maintain good relations with Tanaka.

Because in a critical moment—he might just be the one to save their ninja hounds' lives.