[A/N: Happy New Year everyone! Have fun, but stay safe. I hope you have a prosperous and fun 2025. Also, good luck with your New Year resolution :)]

    Everyone understood Shikaku''s words. While Fujin''s sudden decision to attack the Land of Rice was very good, it had several pitfalls. Any one of them could force Konoha into a difficult position.

    The first pitfall was information. Konoha''s army was vulnerable in the Land of Grass as a far stronger Iwagakure army stood close to their location. So, it was important that no one knew about Fujin''s maneuver and the fact that he was in the Land of Rice. Considering that even Konoha''s council was in the dark, Fujin did a very good job at it.

    The second pitfall was the Otogakure forces. Fujin had to ensure that they were wiped out. If he failed to eliminate enough bases or kill enough ninjas or if his forces were repelled by their resistance, it would be a huge blow to Konoha''s reputation. Instead of deterring their enemies, the failure would embolden them.

    The worst-case scenario would be if Konoha''s forces were embroiled in a complicated war in the Land of Rice. If they had been forced to send reinforcements, Kumogakure and Iwagakure could have decided to take a risk.

    However, Fujin had pulled it off perfectly and Onoki had acted as he and Shikaku predicted. Hence, Konoha could now enjoy the rewards of the outrageous move. Destroying Otogakure had far-reaching implications, nearly all of them were beneficial for Konoha.

    The only real downside was that the other villages would be more wary of Konoha in the next Great War. However, that was rather ordinary for Konoha, and it changed nothing. Even without this incident, the Council made plans to deal with all four Great Villages while cooperating with the minor villages. The absence of a hostile minor village on their border made this planning easier.

    The council immediately began preparing for the aftermath of the two operations. They formed a diplomatic team and dispatched them to the Land of Rice. While Konoha wouldn''t annex the Land of Rice, the Daimyo would be forever indebted to Konoha and Fujin. The council wouldn''t let go of such an opportunity. In the coming days, the Land of Rice would be subservient to the Land of Fire, almost akin to a vassal state.

    ——

    While the Konoha council became busy making that a reality, Kumogakure ninjas set up a camp on the Northern coast of the Land of Hot Water. In a tent, Darui worriedly asked, "How many ninjas have returned?"

    Samui answered, "So far, only 36 have returned. The remaining 294 should be on their way."

    C advised, "We just sent the order. It''ll take some time."

    Darui muttered, "I know. It''s just that I have a bad feeling..."

    When Konoha''s forces moved into the Land of Grass, Ay intensified his efforts in the Land of Rice. He believed that Orochimaru was still loyal to Konoha and wanted to clip their wings by eliminating one of the students of the Third Hokage.

    As such, he sent over 300 ninjas to investigate the locations of their bases. He also dispatched the Darui''s team along with Yugito to oversee the operation and handle the situation in case things heated up. In addition, he was planning to make a move himself once they had concrete information. However, unlike his previous expedition, he planned to let Bee stay in the village in case Akuro decided to show up once again.

    However, the presence of Konoha''s army caught the Kumogakure leadership off guard. It also raised doubts over their speculation about Orochimaru''s loyalties. Ay ordered an immediate retreat of his forces. However, things were concerning for Kumogakure. Their forces had been active in the Land of Rice for over a week yet they hadn''t received a single message about the presence of Konoha ninjas in the Land of Grass.

    That was a huge cause of worry for Kumogakure. After all, the memories of the missing ninjas and Akuro''s actions were still fresh in the minds of Kumogakure citizens. If they suffered more losses with nothing to show for it, chaos would erupt once again and Ay''s position would become even weaker.

    C was about to reassure Darui when he suddenly became alert. Darui asked, "What did you sense?"

    Darui and the others frowned. They wondered, ''Does Orochimaru know something about that incident? Or, is he just throwing mud on Fujin to infuriate us and force a conflict between Konoha and Kumogakure?''

    While Darui and others were sure that Fujin was involved in some way, they weren''t sure to what extent he was involved. More importantly, they weren''t sure whether Orochimaru knew something or not. Regardless, they didn''t have the forces to confront Fujin and the Konoha army in the Land of Grass. So, they could only focus on the ones in front of them.

    C asked softly, "What do we do?"

    Darui sighed and whispered, "There is only one thing we can do..."

    His expression suddenly became serious as he rapidly weaved hand signs and said loudly. "Orochimaru, I''m afraid you will have to stay with us as a guest. Since you know about our missing ninjas, I can''t let you go."

    ''Storm Release: Laser Circus jutsu''

    ——

    While Kumogakure forces confronted Orochimaru who had unfortunately run straight into them, large areas in the Land of Rice were still burning. In one area that wasn''t touched by the flames, two individuals stood unbothered by the destruction.

    One of them muttered, "The Konoha ninjas have been scurrying more and more around this area. Can we finally kill them, my man?"

    His partner replied in an annoyed tone, "There are too many of them. It''ll attract a lot of attention. Not to mention... Hmm?"

    The two immediately jumped away as a few stealthy air bullets landed at their previous location and drilled a few holes in the ground. They turned their heads to see where the bullets were fired from. Their eyes landed on a youngster standing on a branch and looking down at them. A smirk appeared on his face as he muttered, "Heh, I didn''t think I''d run into Sasori of the Red Sand here. What an honor!"

    ————

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