Naruto: With Favorabiltity System

Chapter 124

Since Sakumo was the supreme commander, he needed to reach Konoha's camp in the Land of Rivers as quickly as possible to begin deployment.

Haneda and the others took just two and a half days to travel from Konoha to the Land of Rivers, while the remaining Chūnin and Genin teams followed behind.

The camp in the Land of Rivers was situated in a canyon—a necessary passage for large forces from the Land of Wind to reach the Land of Fire.

Gray-white tents dotted the mountain gorge, with flickering campfires casting light over the area. The quiet wind rustled the fallen leaves, mixed with the occasional cries of those in pain.

Looking at the camp, Haneda sensed a hint of desolation.

Due to Sakumo's influence, Haneda, Asuma, and the others had relatively luxurious quarters. It was like a shared apartment rather than a private room, yet it had a bath, toilet, and kitchen—a decent setup.

Asuma, was staying in such conditions for the first time. He was excitedly chatting with Kurenai about it, while Haneda observed the scattered tents and the exhausted ninjas resting against rocks outside.

It was clear that the war situation wasn't going well, visible in their living conditions and the expressions in people's eyes.

Suddenly, a stranger's voice came from outside the tent.

"Uchiha Haneda, Lord Sakumo wants you in the meeting room."

"Alright, I'll be there soon," Haneda replied quickly. Then, he called to Asuma, "Help tidy up the quarters for me, Asuma, and I'll treat you to a meal later."

"Haneda-nii, no problem! I, Asuma, will make sure it's spotless!"

"Thanks."

Haneda left the tent and walked for a few minutes until he reached the meeting room.

Inside, people were gradually gathering. Within five minutes, most had arrived after receiving the notification.

At the front of the room sat Sakumo, positioned at the head seat, with the head of the Nara Clan to his left.

When Haneda entered, Sakumo greeted him, "Haneda, come take a seat."

Under the gazes of the many Jōnin, Sakumo gestured to his right side, while the left was occupied by the Nara Clan leader. Clearly, this eleven-year-old Chūnin had been placed by the commander himself on the same level as the Nara leader.

Sakumo's decision wasn't just about personal ties; Haneda's strength also justified his position there.

The group began to murmur softly among themselves, but Haneda ignored their stares and took his seat on Sakumo's right. He placed his hand on the table, releasing his chakra in a powerful surge.

With nearly twenty "cards" worth of chakra, the crowd was stunned, and the room fell silent.

Even the Nara Clan leader, who served as deputy commander, looked at Haneda with surprise. He had heard of Haneda's talent, but hadn't expected his chakra to be so immense. A high level of chakra was often indicative of strength, suggesting Haneda's power was certainly above that of a Jōnin.

After a few seconds, Haneda lowered his hand and restrained his energy, then looked at Sakumo with a smile and asked, "Shall we begin, Sakumo-sensei?"

"Yes." Sakumo nodded slightly, taking out a few documents.

At this moment, the Jōnin in attendance accepted Haneda's place in the room, based on his strength and his relationship with the commander.

Sakumo began discussing the Sand Village's offensive strategy and Konoha's defensive measures.

Overall, the Third Hokage's policy towards the Sand was not to attack but to defend. Considering the limited support from the Daimyo of the Land of Wind and the Sand Village's own impoverished state, dragging the Sand down on the battlefield, preventing large-scale incursions into the Land of Fire, would likely lead them to seek a peace treaty with Konoha within half a year.

This approach took advantage of the Sand's own limitations, and Konoha was leveraging that.

However, holding off the conflict meant more casualties—even with the medical system set up by Tsunade. Sakumo thus placed particular importance on the rear hospital at the Land of Rivers.

"We must prioritize establishing a functional hospital in the rear, especially for antidotes to Sand's poisons," Sakumo said, pointing to a situation map.

After a moment of silence, the Nara Clan leader responded, "Lord Sakumo, Chiyo's pace of creating new poisons far exceeds ours."

"These poisons tend to cause mass casualties, and curing them requires medical ninjas working individually to extract the poison."

"Also, there's a severe shortage of medical ninjas at the rear…"

"Many Genin, and even Chūnin, can't be treated in time, relying only on their immune systems to recover."

The Nara leader was tactful about the hospital's current state, but Sakumo, seasoned in war, understood his meaning. In short, most of Sand's poisons had no effective antidote, and many Genin and Chūnin were dying.

Sakumo only had a brief understanding of the situation upon arrival, so he asked, "How is Orochimaru handling it?"

The Nara leader replied, "Lord Orochimaru avoids large-scale warfare whenever possible, keeping merchants from the Land of Fire and other regions out of the Land of Rain."

"He relies on assassination, raids, and disruption of the Sand's supply lines."

"As a result, casualties on his side are smaller than ours."

"But the mortality rate among ninjas sent on such missions is over half."

Sakumo had experience with assassinations and similar missions, and he understood the high cost of such operations in enemy territory. Success was one thing, but the death rate was staggering.

Unlike Orochimaru, Sakumo couldn't overlook his comrades' lives so easily. He deeply valued their lives.

After a moment of reflection, Sakumo asked, "Can we acquire Sand's antidotes through special means?"

"For example, attacking their outposts and using captured antidotes to mass-produce new ones."

Sakumo wanted to address the problem directly, but the Nara Clan leader shook his head slowly.

"Sand doesn't have antidotes; their poisons are often released through puppets, so they rarely affect the wielders themselves."

Hearing this, Sakumo fell silent. Under the Third Hokage's strategy, dragging out the conflict would lead to Konoha's victory, but at the cost of at least two thousand lives out of Konoha's twenty thousand ninja.

However, in the big picture, it was a sound strategy, and Sakumo couldn't dispute it.

Suddenly, a young Tokubetsu Jōnin spoke up, "Lord Sakumo, why don't we ask Lady Tsunade to oversee the hospital?"

"During the Second Great Ninja War, Lady Tsunade cracked the poison of the Salamander and the poisons created by Elder Chiyo when Konoha fought the Sand and the Rain."

This suggestion led to enthusiastic agreement among many present.

"Yes, Lord Sakumo! Lady Tsunade's medical skills could certainly counter Sand's poisons!"

"That's right! Lady Tsunade's summoning beast, Katsuyu, can heal hundreds or even thousands of people at once!"