I, Konoha’s Sage of Life

Chapter 120 - 120: The Telescope Technique—Do I Look Like That Kind of Person?

Kyoichi had a great night's sleep.

There was no proper bed, but lying here was still much more comfortable than sleeping in the wild.

The Next Morning

As he got up and wandered around the camp, he saw that Shisui and the others had already begun training. Meanwhile, Gekko Hayate and his team had gone out again—likely heading to the frontlines for another mission or taking advantage of the situation to scavenge some supplies.

That squad had tasted battle a few days ago, and now they seemed to be addicted to it.

Kyoichi didn't bother stopping them.

With their strength, they were more than capable of hunting on the battlefield. As long as they didn't get greedy, they wouldn't run into too much trouble.

What interested him more was something else entirely.

"Jōnin Kyoichi, Lord Third requests your presence."

"Thank you..."

Kyoichi nodded and lifted the tent flap to step inside.

Inside the tent, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Jiraiya were deep in discussion.

Right now, Hiruzen was in the middle of handing over command to Jiraiya.

Kyoichi moved to the side, not wanting to interrupt, while the two continued their conversation—exchanging intel and discussing the state of the camp. Hiruzen listened carefully, nodding along as Jiraiya laid out his arrangements.

Jiraiya's deployment strategy wasn't necessarily bad.

His idea was to engage Iwagakure in a defensive battle... but was that really the right call?

Did Konoha stand a chance against Iwa in a direct siege?

Hiruzen didn't think so.

"Kyoichi, what do you think?"

"Hmm?"

Kyoichi snapped out of his thoughts to find both men looking at him.

He was confused...

Had he made some kind of face without realizing it?

"You always have unique insights. Your strategy in the Eastern Front was excellent—without you, we'd likely still be fighting Kirigakure even now. So don't hold back. Share your thoughts."

Of course, Hiruzen had no idea what Kyoichi had really been thinking just now.

He simply felt that Kyoichi might have a different perspective.

After all, whether it was during his time at the Academy or his role in the Eastern campaign, Kyoichi had consistently demonstrated an ability to think outside the box. Maybe he could offer an alternative battle strategy here as well.

Jiraiya, worried Kyoichi might hesitate, added, "My plan isn't perfect. We're fighting on two fronts, so the pressure is huge."

"Hmm... My idea isn't exactly well thought out, so I'm not sure if it's right."

Kyoichi wasn't entirely confident.

He wasn't a military strategist—if he had a foolproof plan, he would've spoken up already.

But now, with Hiruzen and Jiraiya both staring at him expectantly, he had no choice but to step up.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "I don't think we should engage Iwagakure in a defensive war. Their jutsu make them far too strong in both fortification and siege warfare."

In the anime, it never seemed like that big of a deal, but after experiencing it firsthand, Kyoichi had come to fully appreciate just how dominant Iwagakure was in static battles.

Their defenses included techniques like Earth-Style Wall and Earth-Style Rampart, and—unlike Konoha, where only a few specialized in Earth Release—every Iwa ninja could use these techniques.

As for offense?

Mountain Jutsu, Moving Earth Core—powerful techniques that could completely wreck Konoha's defenses.

Not to mention the Explosion Corps.

So...

Engaging Iwa in a war of attrition would be playing right into their strengths.

"We know that too. But if we don't hold the line, do we just abandon this front?"

Hiruzen and Jiraiya weren't blind to these issues.

But the problem was...

The Land of Grass was an ally. If Konoha withdrew, Iwagakure would sweep through and push straight into the Land of Fire's borders.

At that point, would they just abandon those lands as well?

That wasn't an option.

"We could wage a war of mobility instead—lure the Iwa forces forward, stretch out their supply lines, and then strike at their weak points. We could even mobilize forces from the East to take out their vanguard first."

Kyoichi suggested.

It wasn't a particularly original strategy—he was just borrowing tactics from history.

Hiruzen frowned deeply.

Mobilize forces from the East?

Wouldn't that weaken their defenses against Kumogakure?

That's too risky!

"What about the Eastern Front?"

Jiraiya still wasn't convinced. He understood Kyoichi's plan—luring the enemy deep, breaking through, encircling, and annihilating—but the eastern front was already under tremendous pressure from Kumogakure.

If things weren't so dire, he and the Third Hokage wouldn't be struggling to find a solution in the first place.

Kyoichi responded, "We can keep an elite force stationed in the east, temporarily give up some ground to slow down the enemy, and once we quickly resolve the battle here, we can send reinforcements to the east."

The idea was simple—concentrate forces to eliminate one threat first while holding off the other.

Hiruzen was starting to see the bigger picture.

After thinking it over, he suddenly realized another key advantage of Kyoichi's plan—

"Minato's Flying Thunder God Technique... it can allow us to rapidly redeploy troops!"

"Exactly."

Kyoichi nodded.

In the world of shinobi warfare, powerful individuals had the ability to single-handedly shift the tide of battle.

There was no need to mention outliers like Hashirama Senju or Madara Uchiha, who were essentially walking natural disasters.

The most classic example was Hanzo of the Salamander—without him, Amegakure would have never had the power to challenge the great nations.

Likewise, Flying Thunder God was a game-changer.

With it, a battlefield could be reinforced in an instant—essentially turning Minato into a one-man warplane, capable of reshaping the course of the war.

Besides...

Origami techniques combined with explosive tags—doesn't that basically make a bomber?

In a mobile warfare scenario, Konoha still has the upper hand.

Thinking this, Kyoichi grew even more confident.

Jiraiya wasn't the kind of person who was stubborn or rigid. According to Kyoichi's plan, this approach was indeed better.

After a moment of thought, he added, "If they use Earth Release to construct defenses along the way, we can just use Earth Release to destroy them. We're not great at defense, but sabotage? That's easy."

"That makes sense."

Kyoichi nodded.

Destruction is always easier than construction.

At the same time, he felt a bit regretful.

The Third Hokage, the Sannin—these people understood things too quickly. Trying to manipulate them into giving high praise was damn near impossible.

The Third Hokage mulled over it for a long while before saying, "But there's a problem. The Land of Grass is our ally. If we allow Iwa-nin to come through, we might face public backlash."

"Talk to them. Have them evacuate in advance. Once we defeat the Iwa-nin, they can return. If they refuse, then there's no reason for us to hold the border for them."

"Besides, I don't see the Kusa-nin protecting their own homeland."

"For all we know, the moment we pull back, Kusagakure will switch sides and help Iwa-nin attack us."

Kyoichi said coldly.

As for Kusagakure...

He really had no fondness for them.

Just like their name, they swayed with the wind—wherever the stronger force was, that's where they leaned. If Iwa-nin came in, there was a high chance they'd immediately betray Konoha.

At this point, another thought crossed his mind.

Karin's mother.

A member of the Uzumaki Clan. A pitiful woman.

"Kusagakure... they're really no good."

Jiraiya sighed, feeling a sense of frustration.

This village was just plain unlikeable. All they ever did was secretly steal other people's jutsu, studying them to find weaknesses and countermeasures.

If it were wartime espionage, that would be one thing. But they did it all the time, even in peacetime.

That alone was bad enough.

On top of that, they were the ultimate fence-sitters.

Take now, for example—despite the war, not a single Kusa-nin was on the front lines. They were all hiding in the back.

Of course...

If you asked the Kuso-nin, they'd probably call it "the wisdom of a small nation."

But Jiraiya wasn't buying it.

After a moment of thought, he said, "How about I go negotiate? Force them to stand with us against Iwa-nin. If they refuse, we pull back and extend the battlefront into the Land of Fire."

"Jiraiya-sama, leave this to me. It's only natural for a young man like me to be a little hot-blooded and impulsive."

Kyoichi grinned.

Jiraiya was speechless.

Let you go?

Then the Kudo-nin definitely wouldn't be going to the front lines. It was obvious—Kyoichi was just waiting for an excuse to let Kusagakure die.

What Jiraiya didn't know...

It wasn't just Kyoichi. Right now, Yahiko and his group also wished for Kusogakure's downfall. If Kusagakure didn't suffer, how could Amegakure ever have a chance to rise?

The Third Hokage remained silent.

From his perspective, he couldn't just sell out the Land of Grass so easily. But at the same time, he hesitated.

Because...

If he looked at the results, his previous decisions had gradually weakened Konoha.

Meanwhile, Kyoichi's strategy would allow Konoha to preserve more of its strength.

Besides, Kusagakure had always been unreliable, never truly loyal to Konoha or the Land of Fire.

"Sensei, let's just decide already. No need to hesitate. Kyoichi, get ready—go talk to those Kusa-nin today. If they won't contribute, deal with them."

Jiraiya made the call, and he did so with clear satisfaction.

He had wanted to take action against these bastards for a long time. He'd only held back because of the village's stance. But now, with the Third Hokage present—seeing him waver, even considering Kyoichi's proposal...

Jiraiya knew his teacher too well.

If left to the Third Hokage, a decision might take until tomorrow.

If something had to be done, it had to be done now!

"Understood, I'll head out immediately."

Kyoichi nodded.

Of course, he wasn't in a hurry to talk to the Kusa-nin. His real priority was finding that Uzumaki woman.

Saving people was a race against time.

Who knew if Kusagakure had already discovered her?

Jiraiya scratched his head, looking at the Third Hokage. "Looks like Kyoichi really, really hates Kusa-nin."

"Sigh... I don't know if this is the right decision..."

The Third Hokage sighed.

This approach would preserve Konoha's strength, but it might also give their enemies a way to smear their reputation.

Jiraiya wasn't sure what to say.

He, too, wished for peace in the ninja world.

But Kusagakure's actions had been deeply disappointing.

If there were no better alternatives, then they would have to hold the border and protect the Land of Grass. But now that a better plan existed, he had no intention of letting Konoha's shinobi shed blood for them.

---

"Sensei, where are we headed this time?"

"Kusagakure..."

"What are we going there for?"

Asuma was puzzled.

It was wartime—why waste their combat strength on Kusagakure?

Kyoichi glanced at him.

Then, he continued walking and said calmly, "To show you what a small ninja village is really like."

Truthfully, he would have preferred to bring Mukai along.

With Mukai's Byakugan, he could pinpoint any chakra sources within range, making it far easier to locate Karin's mother. Searching without him would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

However...

If they couldn't find her inside Kusagakure, it would at least mean that she hadn't yet been taken to the hospital and turned into a living medical tool.

If she was there, then he'd figure out a way to get her out.

After that, Kyoichi glanced at his system interface.

After convincing the Third Hokage and Jiraiya, he had heard a reward notification. Only now did he have the chance to check what it was.

Upon opening it...

He was momentarily bewildered.

The Telescope Jutsu.

He had expected the reward wouldn't be anything amazing, but at the very least, he thought it would be something normal.

This?

Did he look like the type to use something like this?

Then again...

It wouldn't be a bad idea to prepare a crystal ball.

No other reason—just to make battlefield surveillance more convenient. He wasn't like the Third Hokage or Jiraiya, after all.

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