The movements made by Iwagakure and Konoha were quickly picked up by other hidden villages. In Sunagakure, the council met again to figure out what to do.

    Ryusa muttered with a frown, "Instead of targeting us, Konoha went to the Land of Grass. What are they intending?"

    Goza replied, "This should be Kusagakure''s doing. They want to prevent Konoha from being weakened by attacking us. Even if Konoha wins against us, a weak Konoha will put Kusagakure in a lot of danger."

    Ryusa asked, "Does that mean Konoha wouldn''t pursue our attack?"

    Tojuro snorted, "Of course, they will. However, it''ll depend on how this campaign goes. If they fail to eliminate the rebels or enter into a conflict with Iwagakure, they won''t be in a position to attack us."

    "I wouldn''t be too sure about that." The council members turned their heads to Baki, who had rejoined the council after returning. After meeting him, they had a far clearer picture of what happened and how terrifying that battle was for Sunagakure ninjas.

    Baki explained, "We underestimated Konoha by a huge degree the previous time. And, we paid a terrible price for it. During our attack, Konoha was even more prepared for it than us. Considering how quickly Fujin attacked, it felt like they were waiting for us to attack so that they could begin slaughtering us.

    It''ll be foolish to believe that they aren''t prepared this time. The only scenario that would be in our favor is if Iwagakure decides to go on the offensive. However, that is even more unlikely. The Tsuchikage would never do something so risky. We should be thankful to Kusagakure for buying us some time and need to use this time to prepare for any plans Konoha might have for us later."

    The rising hopes in the Suna Council were immediately crushed by Baki''s trauma of the battle. Before they could recover, Baki muttered, "Besides, they have sent that demon to lead their army. Inexperienced as he may be, Konoha''s intentions must be very nefarious."

    Ebizo glanced at Baki and wondered, ''How much trauma did the battle leave on him? Suzuki Fujin... How terrifying is he?''

    In Kumogakure, several important ninjas gathered in Ay''s office as he read the reports. A smirk appeared on his face as he muttered, "Interesting, the fence-sitter is finally making a move."

    He glanced at Darui and Yugito and ordered, "This is the perfect opportunity. Make the move. Be careful and stay in constant touch with Mabui. If needed, I''ll make a move myself. We can''t afford another loss after the earlier debacle. "

    Darui, Yugito, C and Samui nodded. Along with a few other elite squads, they left Kumogakure within half an hour and began moving towards the West!

    Both factions in the Land of Water ignored this news. They were too busy with their civil war. They were just glad that other villages were facing losses too, even though to a lesser extent. The minor villages became tense. A war between Konoha and Iwagakure could easily turn into the next Great Ninja War. Considering that the matter between Konoha and Sunagakure was still unresolved, they were very nervous.

    Needless to say, the ones who were the most tense were Kusagakure. However, they had already foreseen this situation when they asked for Konoha''s help. They could only hope that their calculations were accurate.

    While the world was paying close attention to the events, Konoha''s army reached the rebel faction''s base.

    Fujin replied casually, "Hmm, I expected as much... These guys aren''t slouches. We''ll follow every track to find them. Rank the ones you think are the most plausible and start the work. We''ll inspect each one by one to avoid falling into any traps."

    The ninja nodded and left. The army quickly began working through the tracks. It took several hours to find the right track, and they reached the second base where the rebels hid. Unfortunately, they were met with the same situation!

    The Iwagakure army reached the border and stayed along it. A few squads entered the Land of Grass occasionally to see if there would be any reaction. However, both the Konoha army and the Kusagakure army completely ignored their activities. Neither paid any attention to them, puzzling as well as angering the Iwagakure ninjas.

    Kitsuchi muttered, "Tsuchikage-sama was correct. Something is indeed fishy. Despite our forces being so close and in a position to launch a massive assault, the Konoha army continues to do their job as if we aren''t even here."

    Roshi nodded and added, "Even if they know his nature, they shouldn''t be this confident. It''s as if they are waiting for us to attack them. However, I can''t seem to put a finger on what their plan could be."

    Kitsuchi agreed. He had the same feeling. Regardless, they didn''t have the orders to attack Konoha in any case. They were just fishing to see how Konoha and Kusagakure would react and so far, neither had taken the bait.

    In Kagetani, the Konoha army trailed after the rebels for 8 days! Yet, they didn''t even catch a glimpse of the rebel army. The rebels set behind several traps to cause harm to the Konoha ninjas, but all failed since Fujin ordered them to prioritize their safety. Though the traps slowed down the Konoha army, they failed to harm a single ninja. On the contrary, 25 rebel ninjas were caught and eliminated.

    Finally, the Konoha army reached an inconspicuous valley, where they were confident the rebels were hiding. Since the Nara Jounins were sure of it, no one doubted them.

    ————

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