At this moment, Han was fully devoted to constructing a defensive line against the Cloud-nin invasion. It would probably take quite some time before he could be released from this mission to offer support in Grass Country.
However, Onoki wasn't particularly anxious about it. After all, given the current situation, Grass Country could wait for now. Moreover, this deadlock and prolonged warfare actually benefited Iwa-nin, aligning well with the overall development of the Ninja World situation while helping preserve Iwa-nin Village's forces to some extent.
Nonetheless, Onoki had started carefully contemplating Konoha's strategic moves in Grass Country. He had gained Insight into part of Shiyu Uchiha's intentions, but complications arose due to the private conflict between Shiyu Uchiha and Hiruzen Sarutobi, adding many unpredictable variables that troubled Onoki and his administrative subordinates greatly.
After careful analysis, Onoki quickly decided to dispatch a group of elite Iwa-nin shinobi to form special teams specifically targeting Konoha's reconnaissance units from secret techniques clans, striving to achieve maximum strategic advantage with minimal cost. However, preparations would take some time—it lined up roughly with when Han was set to head toward the frontlines in Grass Country.
In the following days, since neither side intended to escalate the war further, a cat-and-mouse game (a back-and-forth game of hide-and-seek tactics) unfolded between Konoha and Iwa within Grass Country.
Although both sides acted cautiously, multiple small-scale conflicts inevitably occurred. Notably, Konoha's hunter teams were made up entirely of seasoned veterans; their reconnaissance squads especially leveraged Clan-Secret Jutsu, making their surveillance techniques exquisite and unique, repeatedly detecting Iwa's operational deployments. Because of this, in these back-and-forth engagements, Konoha suffered far fewer losses than Iwa while achieving far greater battlefield results.
Yet, Shiyu Uchiha remained completely clear-sighted despite these initial victories, continuously working to control the intensity of warfare without hastening further expansion of gains.
Time quietly passed—three full months slipped away—and personnel undergoing training at the rear finally completed their education phase by phase, gradually returning to their units. Only then did Shiyu Uchiha begin loosening his restraints, ready to fully demonstrate his abilities.
With adjustments to his strategies, the battlefield situation underwent significant changes. Konoha's advantage snowballed, continuously expanding, while Iwa sustained increasingly heavy losses. This scenario continued for almost half a year.
Just then, Han—the Six-Tails Jinchuriki—and several other key figures arrived at the battlefield. Seeing this, Iwa commanders Kitsuchi and Wen Ya believed they had finally found an excellent method to counter Konoha's frequent raids. Thus, they resolutely initiated the next-phase operation—not necessarily seeking complete victory over Konoha but aiming to blunt the edge of the Uchiha Clan's special forces and regain battlefield initiative.
Their strong confidence came not only from their belief that Han was capable of going head-to-head with Shiyu Uchiha, but more importantly because Onoki had made a last-minute decision to deploy nearly half of Iwa's elite Explosion Corps!
This powerful force alone could rival the Uchiha Clan's top warriors. In addition, many secret technique clans among the Iwa-nin also joined the battle, each possessing unique skills—for example, the Nagare family had proven effective against insects controlled by the Aburame clan.
Moreover, Iwa-nin had prepared detailed combat strategies targeting other ninja clans in Konoha Village.
To further replenish the massive losses sustained over six months of continuous warfare, Onoki, after deep consideration, decisively sent another group of ninja—numerous though relatively ordinary in ability—to the battlefield.
From this, it's clear Onoki had made exceptionally thorough preparations for this war.
So when Han arrived at the frontlines with these newly deployed ninja, the powerful reinforcements immediately boosted Kitsuchi and Wen Ya's confidence, making them determined to recover everything they'd lost during this time.
The three gathered together, intensely discussed the current situation, and carefully worked out a solid battle plan.
Without hesitation, they launched an even fiercer attack on Konoha Village. This offensive was incredibly fierce, as if it would decide the outcome of the war in one move, clearly aiming to make up for earlier losses and reinvigorate their troops' morale which had been severely damaged.
However, Shiyu Uchiha was feeling quite pleased at this moment. Since the escalation of the war occurred much later than he originally anticipated, he initially assigned only those ninja who had completed training and performed excellently into Reconnaissance Teams, strengthening and expanding these units.
As for those whose performance had been slightly less impressive, he arranged for them to continue receiving further training. Fortunately, even the final batch of trainees had now mostly completed their training.
But with war looming and the situation growing urgent, there was no time to waste. Under these circumstances, Shiyu Uchiha decisively issued orders: everyone would be officially declared qualified!
After going through this intense training, these trainees had significantly improved overall, especially in Taijutsu, where results were most noticeable. After all, for weaker ninja, Taijutsu was typically the easiest area to achieve early progress.
It's worth mentioning that a few exceptionally gifted and hardworking trainees showed amazing growth during this time. Through relentless effort, they successfully became Chunin and had mastered at least one C-rank ninjutsu.
Most of these standout individuals came from border defense forces—they weren't lacking in talent, just in sufficient resources.
Moreover, several Chunin who were already quite skilled managed to achieve self-breakthroughs during this training and were promoted to Tokubetsu Jonin. This result truly thrilled Shiyu Uchiha, who couldn't help but smile to himself in satisfaction.
At the same time, his contempt for Konoha's F4 grew even deeper. After all, Jonin were the backbone of the village—surely they should be properly cultivated!
What mattered more than just boosting their power was that all the trainees had gained a wealth of invaluable battlefield experience through these drills and mock battles. This experience would prove crucial for their survival in future brutal combat, significantly increasing their chances of staying alive.
It was easy to foresee that, on the battlefield soon to come, these warriors forged through intense training would shine brightly, defending their homeland and fighting for peace with all their might!
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