Naruto：Immortality and the Eight Inner Gates[Double agent]

At the border between Konoha and the Land of Grass, Jiraiya and his troops had set up camp.

With Tsunade's arrival, the somber atmosphere of the camp lightened, if only slightly.

War inevitably brought casualties.

The dead closed their eyes, bidding farewell to a world filled with pain and hatred.

The living, however, had to grit their teeth and endure the dual torment of body and soul.

Physical wounds could be healed, but the pain of losing comrades and friends could only be soothed by the slow passage of time.

Inside his tent, Jiraiya sat with a scroll of orders from the rear in his hands, his brows furrowed deeply.

Not long after the war had ended, Orochimaru had slipped away from the camp without much time to catch up with Tsunade or Jiraiya. His subordinates were waiting for him in the rear lines of Iwagakure, and he had no choice but to return.

Tsunade, on the other hand, naturally stayed behind to tend to the wounded.

As for Rinjin, he had found a random tree near the camp, lying leisurely under its shade while reading a book.

The ongoing war between the Fire, Earth, and Wind countries was, for him as an outsider, unbearably dull.

Just as Rinjin was contemplating finding some entertainment for himself, a commotion suddenly erupted from within the camp.

Entertainment?!

With a quick kip-up, Rinjin sprang to his feet, his hands tucked into his pockets as he briskly made his way toward the source of the noise.

In the central clearing of the camp, a group of injured soldiers, their bodies wrapped in bandages, were emotionally agitated. They shoved and jostled, surrounding two impeccably dressed ANBU operatives in the center of the crowd.

"You bastards! We're out there risking our lives on the frontlines, and you dare make such absurd demands?!"

"Why don't you ANBU go yourselves? Always so arrogant, always preaching about excellence—where's all that now?!"

"Damn it! Who gave the order to march 200 kilometers to intercept Sunagakure's forces?!"

"Are you blind? Can't you see this camp is full of wounded?!"

The injured soldiers roared in fury, their eyes burning as they glared at the two ANBU operatives.

The ANBU—or perhaps members of Root, given their demeanor—remained unfazed. Their cold, severe gazes swept over the crowd.

"I'll warn you one more time," one of them barked imperiously. "This is an order from the Hokage! You have no right to refuse!

And one more thing—keep your distance. Otherwise, I'll consider it an attack on ANBU!"

The arrogance in their tone only fueled the crowd's anger, though the shouting gradually subsided.

At the edge of the gathering, Jiraiya stood with the scroll in hand, his expression grim.

"What's going on? Why the sudden commotion?" Rinjin sidled up to Jiraiya, his curiosity piqued.

Hearing this, Jiraiya slowly rolled up the scroll, casting Rinjin a sidelong glance before letting out a long sigh.

"The south is in trouble," he said.

"What kind of trouble?" Rinjin asked.

"Sunagakure's strike force somehow slipped through the Land of Rivers and is now advancing toward the village!" Jiraiya explained.

Rinjin blinked in surprise, a thought suddenly coming to him.

Is Dog Bro about to make his entrance?!

The legendary "Konoha White Fang"—or rather, the infamous "Konoha Dirt Dog"—was about to earn his name, wasn't he?

This... this was something he absolutely couldn't miss!

Without hesitation, Rinjin slung an arm around Jiraiya's shoulder, his eyes darting with excitement.

"So, the village wants you to lead the rescue?" Rinjin asked. "Wait, hold on! Doesn't the village have an emergency response unit?"

At Rinjin's words, Jiraiya gave a bitter smile and shook his head. He replied in a low voice, "The emergency response unit is tied up in the north. That's why the village wants me to lead my troops south for support. After all, we're the closest to the southern front."

Hearing this, Rinjin immediately pieced things together.

Currently, the primary battlefield for the Fire, Earth, and Wind nations was concentrated in the northern part of the Land of Grass, near the Land of Rain.

However, due to a feint by Sunagakure and Iwagakure, where Sunagakure pretended to be overwhelmed by Iwagakure, Sunagakure's forces had inevitably shifted southward along their logistics line.

This maneuver had caused the main battlefield to shift from the southern part of the Land of Grass to the border between the Land of Grass and the Land of Rain.

Jiraiya's unit was the first line of defense against both Iwagakure and Sunagakure forces.

For some reason, however, the village's orders were for Jiraiya's unit to intercept Sunagakure's strike force entering through the Land of Rivers.

This decision made it clear that Konoha's forces were stretched dangerously thin.

Pulling Jiraiya back might have been a way to protect him, but withdrawing the first line of defense also meant temporarily losing control of the borderlands, pushing the burden of the war onto the second line of defense deeper within the Land of Fire.

It seemed Konoha was preparing to contract its defensive perimeter, shifting fully into a war of attrition focused on logistics and medical support.

Looks like the Third Raikage is about to enter the fray too!

In no time, Rinjin had deduced Konoha's strategic decision from the intelligence Jiraiya had shared.

He had to admit, it was a sound strategy.

By temporarily relinquishing the vast borderlands, Konoha could bring the fight into the Land of Fire itself. Given Konoha's close ties with the Fire Daimyo, this wasn't a significant issue. After all, the lost territory could be considered part of the Fire Nation's strategic depth.

In simpler terms:

Originally, Konoha was like a soft loaf of bread, vulnerable to attacks from all sides. Now, the bread had been compressed into a dense ball. The mass remained the same, but its hardness had increased.

It was a brilliant move.

In peacetime, Konoha leveraged its vast territory for development. In wartime, that same territory became a buffer zone.

But! The Konoha leadership, having been detached from the battlefield for too long, had no idea of the suffering endured by the frontline shinobi.

Many of the injured had lost their legs to explosions, rendering them incapable of swift maneuvers, let alone taking on the rapid interception mission. Some of the severely wounded were still clinging to life.

It was foreseeable that if this battered unit began moving, Iwagakure and Sunagakure forces would undoubtedly seize the opportunity to strike.

As Rinjin pieced everything together, a glint of schadenfreude flashed in his eyes. But just as he was reveling in the chaos, Jiraiya's gaze landed on him, and a bold idea began to take shape in Jiraiya's mind.

What if Rinjin led a portion of the still-capable troops to intercept Sunagakure's strike force while I covered the rear?

No, no, no!

The way a unit operated was vastly different from a ninja squad. Rinjin had no experience leading troops—he'd definitely mess it up!

Then... what if I led the capable troops for the rescue mission and left Rinjin to guard the rear?

That wouldn't work either!

Rear-guard duty was far too dangerous. There was no way he could put Rinjin or Tsunade in harm's way!

After mulling it over for some time, Jiraiya found himself at a loss.

If only Orochimaru were here, he could lead the interception team while Jiraiya held the rear!

~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~

📚 📚 Join Our Patreon for More!

🔥 10 fan fiction novels updating regularly - this story is already at Chapter 324!

✨  patreon.com/DarkGolds