Naruto: We Agreed on a Simulation, But They Actually Came to Life?

Chapter 183: Chapter 183: A Special Person

The Iwa front, main command tent.

Jonin from various divisions sat on either side of the room, none of them looking relaxed. Jiraiya had cast aside his usual carefree demeanor as he placed an intelligence scroll onto the table.

Every eye in the tent followed the movement.

Jiraiya pressed his hand down on the scroll, his expression grim. "A few days ago, the Third Raikage fell in battle."

Silence gripped the tent for a long time.

A Jonin responsible for the northern defense line opened his mouth, staring at the Kumogakure marker on the sand table. It took him a long while to squeeze out a single sentence.

"That was the Third Raikage... the strongest shield and the strongest spear. The Kage of Kumogakure."

No one responded.

Jiraiya didn’t give them time to process the shock and continued immediately. "Over the past few months, Minato has been pinning down A and B on the Kumogakure front, leaving the Third Raikage with no one available to support him."

"Meanwhile, Iwa pretended to retreat, but in secret, they positioned their forces along Kumogakure’s withdrawal route."

He pointed to the sand table. "Once the Kumogakure forces were intercepted, the Third Raikage stayed behind to cover their retreat."

"He held off ten thousand Iwa shinobi alone. He fought for three days and three nights."

As the last sentence landed, the expressions of everyone present shifted.

Ten thousand shinobi.

The sheer scale of that number was unthinkable compared to Konoha’s typical deployments.

Orochimaru spoke up then. "We don’t have an accurate count of Iwa’s losses yet. However, with the Third Raikage dead, Iwa got rid of a major enemy capable of pinning them down in a frontal assault. Naturally, it’s our turn next."

Everyone understood the implication.

Kitahara Kaede stared at the sand table, remaining motionless.

The Third Raikage was dead, and Kumogakure was retreating. Next, Iwa’s target would be Konoha.

According to the original story, they would send a thousand elites through the Land of Grass, bypassing Konoha’s established defenses to strike directly at the border of the Land of Fire. After fighting the four great nations in rotation, Konoha’s current manpower was depleted. If Iwa managed to tear a hole through the Land of Grass, Konoha’s situation would become precarious.

If other hidden villages took the opportunity to join the fray at that point, the consequences for Konoha would be catastrophic.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed outside the tent. The curtain was swept aside as an intelligence officer rushed in and handed over a scroll.

"Urgent report! Large traces of Iwa elite activity have been spotted in the direction of the Land of Grass."

Tsunade reached out and took the scroll. After scanning just a few lines, her face darkened instantly. In the next moment, she slammed her fist onto the table.

Several markers on the sand table were sent tumbling.

"Those Iwa lunatics," Tsunade hissed, slamming the scroll back onto the table. "I didn’t expect them to move this fast. They’ve barely swallowed Kumogakure and they’re already moving against Konoha."

The Jonin looked grim.

Orochimaru picked up the scroll, finished reading it, and tossed it back onto the table. "Orders from the village have arrived." He looked up at the group. "Hold the front line at all costs and await further arrangements."

Tsunade suppressed her anger and looked toward the medical corps. "Medical teams will increase night rotations. All critically wounded are to be transferred to Rear Camp Two. Re-inventory all supplies—I want the list on my desk before dawn."

Several medical ninja responded immediately.

Jiraiya stood up and walked to the sand table. "Scouting teams are to spread out along the perimeter of the Land of Grass. Do not push too deep. If you locate the Iwa main force, do not engage; report back immediately."

Orochimaru picked up the thread. "The frontal defense line is forbidden from retreating..."

Orders continued to flow one after another.

Kitahara Kaede looked at the intelligence. The village’s solution to break the deadlock should be the same as in the original plot. They would send troops to hold the Iwa forces at the front, while Minato’s team would receive a secret mission to infiltrate enemy lines, destroy the Kannabi Bridge, and cut off Iwa’s supply lines.

If Minato couldn’t make it back in time, the other two would have to complete the rest of the mission themselves.

The meeting lasted until nightfall. By the time the Jonin began to filter out, torches had been lit outside the tent. The sound of shinobi rushing about filled the camp.

Tsunade sat by a campfire, rubbing her temples. Kaede walked over and handed her a water canteen.

"You didn’t drink a drop during the meeting."

Tsunade looked up at him and took the canteen. "Why were you paying attention to me instead of the meeting?"

Kaede sat down beside her. "Can’t I do both?"

Tsunade rolled her eyes. After taking a few sips of water, the fatigue on her face faded slightly. She handed the canteen back. Kaede tightened the cap and set it by his feet.

The two chatted idly for a while. Before long, Jiraiya walked over. He sat opposite them and picked up a twig to poke at the fire. Sparks leaped up, then quickly dimmed.

Jiraiya stared into the flames. "This battle... the difficulty is looking quite high."

Tsunade looked at him. "Do what needs to be done. Leave the rest to the battlefield."

Jiraiya gave a wry smile. "True enough."

Tsunade remained silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "I’ve meant to ask... you were wandering around for so long before this. What exactly were you doing?"

Jiraiya’s hand paused. "After we parted ways in the Land of Rain, I stayed there to look after those three little ones." He tossed the twig into the fire. "At first, I just wanted to teach them some skills to survive, but I ended up staying for three years."

Tsunade frowned. "Because of the Great Toad Sage’s prophecy?"

"That was part of it," he said softly. "But also, those three children are good kids. Especially one of them—he’s very special."

Kaede’s eyes flickered.

*Very special?* He was likely talking about Nagato. It seemed Madara had indeed transplanted his eyes into him; otherwise, Jiraiya wouldn’t have stayed so long.

Kaede lowered his gaze. If things were progressing this way, the opportunity to deal with Danzo was approaching. As the Third Shinobi World War entered its final stages, Danzo would attempt to seize the position of Hokage by leading Root out of Konoha. He would then disguise himself as a foreign shinobi, sowing discord between nations to sabotage peace negotiations.

It was during that time that Danzo would discover Nagato’s eyes and team up with Hanzo to force Yahiko into a corner and kill him.

It is difficult to make a move against Danzo while inside Konoha. Root, his status among the high-ranking officials, and the Third Hokage’s attitude were all obstacles. But once he left the village, the room for maneuver would open up significantly.

Tsunade noticed that Kaede had been silent for too long and turned to him. "Kaede?"

Kaede looked up, his expression returning to normal. "Hmm?"

Tsunade stared at him for a few seconds. "What were you thinking about just now?"

"The Iwa situation," Kaede replied naturally.

Jiraiya glanced at him. In that brief moment, he had sensed something slightly off in the other’s expression.