A Sage's Pursuit of Power

Among the Five Great Shinobi Countries, the Cloud Village (Kumogakure) harbored the greatest ambitions. They constantly provoked Konoha's dominance.

Over the years, Konoha's repeated concessions had only made Cloud Village more aware of Konoha's weakness.

After the Uchiha clan massacre, Cloud Village had become increasingly restless, openly amassing troops at the borders.

Konoha responded by mobilizing a large number of troops to reinforce the front lines. The two sides had been in a standoff for some time.

Cloud Village was likely assessing their strengths, considering whether to start a war.

The two sides had been entangled at the borders for several months, and Cloud Village had now shown clear signs of preparing for war.

Aoba wasn't aware of the specifics of this battle. Perhaps his butterfly effect had played a role.

In the original plot, this battle did not escalate into a full-scale shinobi village war. But given Konoha's current weakness, the conflict could go either way, depending on Cloud Village's decision.

"Aoba Kamikawa, you have extensive experience from dealing with Cloud Village's ninjas at the border. Therefore, you are appointed as the leader of the logistics convoy. Proceed to the front lines immediately and deliver a batch of supplies."

"Yes," Aoba accepted the mission without hesitation, but he began to think deeply.

Logistics transport is a crucial aspect of support operations. Since ninjas are highly agile, mid-route ambushes are quite common.

During the Third Great Ninja War, the Fourth Hokage used the Flying Thunder God Technique to break down the enemy's forces and conduct surprise attacks on their rear, ultimately dragging Iwagakure and Kumogakure into ruin and winning the war.

In a sense, the Fourth Hokage was almost like a real-world cheat code for Konoha. If the Fourth Hokage hadn't died, even with the Uchiha clan's destruction, Cloud Village would never have dared to start a war.

One Minato Namikaze was enough to deter the entire shinobi world of that era.

Military actions naturally require speed. The logistics team was prepared on the same day. By nightfall, Aoba and his team had departed Konoha.

The team consisted of thirty people, carrying a large number of sealing scrolls. This was a necessity for transporting supplies in the ninja world. Using ordinary methods would be too slow and too obvious a target, almost impossible to defend against ambushes.

When he saw his team, he immediately sensed something was wrong. The team was too weak.

There was only one other jōnin besides him—special jōnin Anko. The rest were chūnin and genin, all from civilian backgrounds. There were no elite clans like the Ino-Shika-Cho or the Hyūga.

The team's configuration was so obvious that it was clear they were meant to be bait.

"Hey, Aoba. You've been back for a while, and you didn't even say hello. Have you forgotten your old friends after being away for years?"

Anko, carefree as ever, chatted with Aoba while munching on dango.

Aoba and Anko had been on good terms before. She was an apprentice of Orochimaru, and he had been Orochimaru's assistant, so they had met often.

However, after Aoba's purge, they hadn't seen each other. Although Anko remained in the village, she had been marginalized.

In the original plot, it would be several years before Anko served as a proctor for the chūnin exams. By then, Konoha had already suspected something was amiss. Appointing Anko as a proctor could have been either a promotion or a scapegoat.

Aoba had avoided re-establishing contact with Anko because he knew she was a vessel for Orochimaru's revival. His complex relationship with Orochimaru made him instinctively avoid her.

It was surprising to find them assigned together for this mission. Aoba had a feeling that Konoha was using them as bait to kill two birds with one stone.

Using them as bait would not only eliminate potential threats but also serve a purpose. Such tactics were clearly the work of Danzo Shimura.

It could be said that Danzo's title was well-earned. He had thought that Danzo would no longer focus on him, but now he was sending Aoba to his death.

Indeed, in his view, if this team was bait, then their mission was clearly a suicide mission. Cloud Village was not like Sunagakure, which was only half-hearted in its efforts.

Their current strength was comparable to Konoha's and possibly even superior. Moreover, Cloud Village's aggressive tactics were overwhelming.

If this team was indeed bait, their chances of survival were almost nonexistent.

"Anko, don't you think our team is a bit too weak? Out of thirty people, only the two of us are jōnin-level fighters."

"What's the problem? We're still in the Land of Fire. Do you really think Cloud Village will venture into the Land of Fire to ambush us?"

Anko's reasoning was sound. However, Aoba knew that, first, the so-called national borders meant nothing to the marauding ninjas of Cloud Village.

In his previous life, many claimed Cloud Village was highly united, making it a good place for defection. But after experiencing this world, he realized that Cloud Village was the most ruthless of all the shinobi villages.

In the past, Cloud Village had swallowed up or completely eradicated many small ninja villages and clans around it in their quest to rival Konoha.

These guys had no regard for any boundaries. If you opposed them, Raikage might show up at your doorstep the next day.

Before the Third Great Ninja War, they dared to enter Konoha and kidnap Kushina. Even though Konoha was one of the Five Great Shinobi Countries at that time, Cloud Village didn't hesitate to strike.

What was most dangerous was that Cloud Village's brainwashing education was even harsher than Konoha's. Those sent on missions from Cloud Village were ruthless, with failure being met with death.

Their style was a clear sign of militarism.

Such a ninja village was a source of chaos in the shinobi world. They didn't need any reasons or excuses. If they could overpower you, they would take your life without a second thought.

Thus, during his time at the border, Aoba had been extremely ruthless. Every Cloud Village ninja he encountered had been left dead.

Because of this, he harbored a deep-seated grudge against Cloud Village. It could be said that Danzo's decision to use him as bait was a brilliant strategic move.

But for Aoba, he could only think, "I bought a watch last year."