Yes—although Konoha currently held the advantage in the overall war situation, it was still at a disadvantage in terms of manpower. For that reason, Konoha did not yet possess the conditions necessary to launch a full-scale counteroffensive against the Land of Wind.
Overall, even though Konoha had driven Sunagakure forces out of its territory, the formation it maintained was still fundamentally defensive.
However, after realizing that the war against Konoha was unlikely to end in victory, Sunagakure's desire to continue its offensive seemed to have weakened.
Of course, this might only have been a surface phenomenon. At present, Sunagakure was undoubtedly eager to end the war with Konoha as soon as possible—and, if possible, to do so in a relatively dignified manner. That way, they could withdraw the forces deployed against Konoha, because Konoha was far from their only enemy.
If Hagoromo, a man living his second life, were asked to evaluate the strategic and tactical competence of the various villages in the ninja world, his conclusion would be simple: every village was terrible at it.
In his previous life, he had spent years lurking on military forums, acting as a commentator and keyboard strategist. When it came to armchair analysis and bold claims, he was exceptionally confident.
Of course, the unique conditions of the ninja world—mutual distrust between nations and the fact that shinobi were not conventional soldiers—had shaped this unusual style of warfare.
The Third Great Ninja War was a chaotic free-for-all. While Sunagakure was attacking Konoha, it was simultaneously facing invasion from Iwagakure. After realizing that Konoha had no intention of pushing into the Land of Wind, Sunagakure began redeploying a portion of its forces from the Konoha front to the Iwa front.
As the war dragged on, Iwagakure's offensive against the Land of Wind not only failed to slow—it intensified. Sunagakure was under tremendous pressure.
"According to our latest intelligence, Sunagakure has once again transferred one thousand shinobi to the Iwagakure front. That brings our numbers to three thousand against their twenty-six hundred. Perhaps we should consider launching a proactive attack on Sunagakure?"
Tsunade stared at the battle map on the table, deep in thought as she spoke.
Hagoromo and the others had been at the frontline for over a week now. Aside from researching fūinjutsu and training his ninjutsu, he spent most of his time accompanying Kushina to strategy meetings. Because of this, he had developed a solid understanding of both sides' force deployments and the latest developments in the war.
"What does the Strategic Planning Division think?" Tsunade asked, turning to Nara Shikaku.
"Our recommendation remains a defensive counterattack strategy," Shikaku replied calmly. "Although Sunagakure's forces have been reduced to three thousand due to Iwagakure, we must not forget that because of the need to defend the command headquarters and supply depots, we can only commit around two thousand one hundred shinobi to the battlefield. Compared to Sunagakure, that gap is still significant."
"Moreover, since we advanced into the Land of Rivers, Sunagakure has continued to send small squads to harass us, but their main frontline forces have effectively disengaged and withdrawn back into the Land of Wind. If we want to strike them effectively, we would have to cross the Land of Rivers and advance more than two hundred kilometers into completely unfamiliar territory."
"Under those conditions, we would be forced to fight with insufficient intelligence. Even setting that aside, the sheer distance alone would place enormous strain on our supply lines and command structure."
Clearly, even though Sunagakure's strength had been reduced by a quarter, the Strategic Planning Division still favored maintaining the current situation. They did not support Tsunade's risky proposal—because a single mistake could wipe out the favorable position Konoha had fought so hard to establish.
"You're all being too conservative," Tsunade said, looking directly at Shikaku. "The Third Great Ninja War has already dragged on for years. If we keep things as they are, when will it ever end? Now that the Sand has shown signs of fatigue, we should strike with everything we have."
"But if we launch an offensive, the probability of victory is only fifty-fifty," Shikaku replied. He understood perfectly well that Sunagakure was showing signs of exhaustion—but so was Konoha. Konoha's own war potential had been pushed nearly to its limit.
Tsunade let out a soft sigh.
"…I understand."
This was war. Although Tsunade was the supreme commander here and possessed the authority to make unilateral decisions, without the support of the Strategic Planning Division and the majority of the shinobi, she could not stubbornly force her proposal through.
Moreover, she knew full well that her plan carried extremely high risks.
After the meeting ended, everyone began to disperse to attend to their own duties. This time, however, Hagoromo stopped Kushina.
"Kushina-sensei, I want to leave the command headquarters and move further forward."
Kushina was momentarily stunned by his sudden request—but she immediately understood what he meant.
He wanted to go to the front lines.
"Why?" The question escaped her lips.
"I'm curious about large-scale shinobi combat. And since I'm already here, of course I want to see the very front for myself. Staying in the command headquarters feels meaningless—I think it's time I got moving."
As he spoke, Hagoromo rolled his shoulders slightly, as if implying that his body was about to rust.
The injuries he had suffered earlier had long since healed. Physically and mentally, he was fully prepared to step onto the battlefield.
"I understand how you feel, but Hagoromo, you need to understand this as well," Kushina said seriously. "If you're truly on the front lines, you'll be facing combat at any moment. Anything can happen on a battlefield."
"Your current strength is decent, but at best you're around elite chūnin level—or perhaps comparable to a tokubetsu jōnin. Against a full jōnin, you'd still be at a disadvantage. And on the battlefield, you won't be facing just one jōnin."
"Even if your Lightning Release allows your combat power to spike for a short time, your chakra reserves—"
Hagoromo raised a hand, stopping her from continuing. He smiled.
"I understand everything you're saying, Sensei. But we're shinobi. Sooner or later, we all have to face these things, don't we?"
His resolve was unwavering.
Kushina let out a quiet sigh. She was deeply worried about his safety—but she could not bring herself to stop him. Not because she lacked the authority, but because she did not want to force him to obey her.
She understood all too well what it felt like to have one's freedom taken away. She herself lived without freedom—and she knew how painful it was to be restrained by others.
"I'll inform Tsunade-sensei about this. She should be able to make arrangements for you afterward…"
Since Hagoromo wanted to go to the front lines, then so be it.
He was right. Every shinobi would eventually face such things. Not to mention Kushina's own student—even the Third Hokage's son, Sarutobi Asuma, had been thrown directly onto the battlefield shortly after graduating from the Academy.
From Kushina's tone, Hagoromo could tell that she had already agreed to his request.
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