However, handing over the intelligence on the Hidden Cloud Village ninja directly to Ayane made Onoki feel somewhat at a loss.
After all, this intelligence was gathered at great expense of money, countless hours, and ultimately the sacrifice of many outstanding intelligence operatives to collect this valuable data.
"What do you think, Tsuchikage?"
Ayane asked.
She wasn't worried that Onoki would refuse.
"It's fine to give you this intelligence, but for the next two missions, you must provide pro bono assistance to the Hidden Rock. Only then will I let you review these intelligence reports."
"Okay. But you must not falsify the data in the reports."
"Naturally. I just can't stand your phony smile. Moreover, the more you understand the Hidden Cloud, the more it benefits the Hidden Rock."
Onoki snorted, feeling that this Byakugan girl was too presumptuous.
Not only did she eat and drink for free at their Hidden Rock, but now she wanted to take ownership of these highly classified intelligence reports.
But Ayane wasn't wrong; without understanding those Hidden Cloud ninja who use peculiar techniques, it's easy to suffer a setback in first-time combat. This was a good lesson.
It's all about better cooperation with the Hidden Rock to fend off the Hidden Cloud ninja.
Still, thinking about the painstakingly collected top-secret intelligence being shared with Ayane made Onoki's heart ache.
He could only hope she would serve the Hidden Rock well during their collaboration and defeat those Hidden Cloud ninja.
Onoki acted swiftly, and about an hour later, he sent someone to place the Hidden Cloud intelligence in Ayane's tent, allowing her to preview these top-secret reports.
Ayane looked at the large stack of documents before her, which recorded the names of various Hidden Cloud jonin, all possessing unique ninja techniques, and many were well-known figures in the Ninja Realm.
Among them, the Fourth Raikage was at the top of the list, with detailed collections on his hobbies, personality, and characteristics of his ninja techniques, along with several well-crafted strategic plans targeting him.
Others, including Corrosion Style Ninja Dodai and Magnet Style Ninja Toroi, were also recorded in detail; some were famous, others obscure, yet they possessed extremely troublesome secret techniques or Kekkeigenkai abilities.
Some were even from the Hidden Cloud Anbu.
From this intelligence, Ayane could sense Onoki's sincerity and also feel the lack of successors in the Hidden Rock.
To compromise to such an extent with her, a renegade ninja, showed that besides the Tsuchikage himself, there was almost no one else in the Hidden Rock who could carry the mantle alone.
Moreover, the Hidden Rock's strategy focused on team-based Earth Style tactics. Because of this collective supremacy, individual strong ninja became so lacking.
Memorizing the intelligence of these dozens of notable Hidden Cloud jonin, and sending them back to the Land of Demons at a later time, would save the Intelligence Department a lot of time and effort.
◎
In the distant battlefields of the Land of Earth north, the sudden intervention of Hidden Rain Village disrupted the original strategic deployments of the Hidden Sand. While dealing with Konoha, they also had to divert forces to contain the Hidden Rain ninja.
The Land of Rain is a small, long-suffering nation, and in the past, a small country sandwiched between great nations had no dignity to speak of.
For example, the Land of Grass, where domestic politics were corrupt and incompetent, with the Hidden Grass Village surviving on the breath of major ninja villages, did not want to clean up the chaos in the Land of Grass.
Thus, when Hidden Rain Village declared war on the Hidden Sand, the people of the Land of Rain, long oppressed by great powers, couldn't help but secretly cheer.
After all, the ninja leader in their country, Hanzo of the Salamander, was a powerful ninja known far and wide.
It was like a drowning man grabbing the last straw that could save him, trying to make one final struggle.
In the cold rain, Hanzo stood on the edge of a cliff, accompanied only by his trusted aide, Kanzo.
"Kanzo, have all the personnel gathered?"
Hanzo asked Kanzo.
"All available personnel have gathered, totaling over sixteen hundred ninja participating in the battle, with another five hundred remaining in the village. Besides, there's..."
Kanzo paused, unsure whether to continue.
"Besides what?"
"Within our Hidden Rain, there are many small, scattered groups gathered. Among them is one called 'Akatsuki,' which has gathered about twenty people, forming a formidable force. However, their leader, Yahiko, seems not to agree with using war to resolve the internal chaos of the Land of Rain and wishes to negotiate peace with the Hidden Sand. He has repeatedly requested to see you, Hanzo-sama, hoping not to start a war, but I firmly rejected him,"
Kanzo replied honestly.
"Is that so?"
Hanzo murmured, his thoughts unknown.
"Hanzo-sama, should we expel them from Hidden Rain?"
"There's no need. Since they are unwilling to participate in the war, let them stay in the village. Now the Land of Rain is in turbulent times. Akatsuki's power can still be of some use, even though their thinking is still quite naive. Yahiko...he's a young man, isn't he."
Hanzo affirmed with a questioning tone.
With a lifetime of military experience, he had the keen insight to see the essence of things. Only those young enough to still hope in the great nations and who easily accept peaceful ideas could maintain such naive and lovely thoughts.