The elders of Iwagakure pondered for a moment before nodding in agreement.
Last time, when they had lured the enemy deep into their territory, Iwagakure managed to kill the Third Raikage. Although they suffered significant losses, the overall result was not a loss. Before the Third Raikage had stayed behind to delay the enemy's advance, many of the Hidden Cloud ninja had perished.
"As for the Hidden Sand, the disappearance of the Third Kazekage caused a lot of internal strife, severely damaging their strength. When they later attacked Konoha to claim their share of the spoils, they sustained heavy losses. This time, they've already been weakened further by Konoha's counterattack. Do they still have the strength to provoke us?"
"If we're still unsure, we could send envoys to the Hidden Mist for cooperation."
"There's little conflict between Iwagakure and the Hidden Mist, but the Hidden Sand and Hidden Mist have had frequent clashes over interests in places like the Land of Tea, so there's room for cooperation."
"With that, we could divert some of our forces from guarding against the Sand and concentrate them elsewhere."
"By squeezing some of the resources from within the village, we can form a thousand-man force."
"I know this is a gamble," Ōnoki said solemnly, "If we win, Iwagakure will rise to new heights and achieve unprecedented glory. If we lose, we'll be forced to withdraw from the Great Ninja War, with nothing to show for it."
"I've decided to take the gamble. What about you?"
Ōnoki stood with an air of unwavering determination, hovering in the air, his sharp eyes surveying the room.
"Gamble!"
"Let's do it!"
"We'll risk it all!"
"…"
The Iwagakure elders' expressions shifted, torn between doubt and resolve, but in the end, they all agreed.
"Good."
"Since we're opening a new front, we'll need a new logistics supply route."
"Once we infiltrate the Land of Fire, the frontlines will extend, and the supply route will become crucial to the success of this gamble."
"This... must not fail."
Ōnoki flew to a map hanging on the wall and pointed at a location with his finger, which turned into a thin stone stick.
The elders of Iwagakure leaned in to look at the location—Kan'nabi Bridge.
After seeing the geographical layout around the bridge, the elders nodded in agreement. If they were to open a new logistics route through the Land of Grass, they couldn't avoid passing through Kan'nabi Bridge.
"Alright, now let's fine-tune this plan," Ōnoki said as he floated back to his seat and spoke in a low voice.
The Iwagakure elders began to discuss.
Some might wonder, can a mere bridge truly be so important?
The answer is yes.
The river beneath Kan'nabi Bridge, though not exceptionally wide, is fast-moving. Not all ninjas can walk on water, as it requires precise chakra control, something only mid-to-high rank ninjas can manage. Moreover, walking on flowing water is far harder than on still water—the faster the current, the more difficult it becomes.
In the original story, Sasuke struggled for days to learn how to walk on water, despite having received a complete education and training under Kakashi's guidance. Most ninjas, especially lower-ranked ones, only have a limited range of skills and are often unable to perform complicated techniques like walking on water, let alone manipulate chakra for things like creating bridges.
And the quality of Iwagakure's ninja, especially the lower-ranked ones, was not exceptional. This further complicates the task.
In battle, the number of lower-ranked ninjas often outnumbers the higher-ranked ones. Without enough lower-ranked ninjas, it's hard for even the best to make a difference.
Could they use Earth Style techniques to create a bridge instead?
The answer is still no.
Even when three Jonin used Earth Style to create a bridge under Kan'nabi Bridge in the original series, it wasn't much. The size of the bridge and the stability of the Earth Style were simply inadequate for the task.
The terrain and chakra control required to form a stable bridge over a fast-moving river are monumental. Only a select few would have the required skill to pull it off.
Creating a small bridge might be doable, but large bridges require immense skill. In the modern world, constructing a bridge requires extensive planning, and even the slightest miscalculation can lead to collapse.
Though Ōnoki could likely accomplish such a feat, it would be highly impractical for the Tsuchikage to oversee the building or defense of such a bridge.
For Iwagakure, Kan'nabi Bridge truly is a make-or-break point.
As time passed, Uchiha Gen did not receive any new orders, so he continued to stay in the Uchiha clan's grounds, focusing on his training.
As the rising star of the Uchiha clan, he didn't need to worry about lacking techniques.
At the onset of the war, the Uchiha clan's head had ordered that all the clan's ninjutsu be made available to its members. Of course, only those with the appropriate strength could learn certain techniques.
With the strength recognized by the Eighth Uchiha, Gen was already qualified to learn B-ranked techniques.
Being the top clan in the ninja world, the Uchiha clan's library contained not only Fire Style techniques but also Wind, Earth, Lightning, and Water Style techniques. After the war, learning new ninjutsu would require earning merit through service to the clan.
Thus, it was the perfect opportunity to take advantage of the clan's resources!
Gen's progress in learning Fire Style jutsu was astonishing, leaving the temporarily appointed head of the clan, Uchiha Hachidai, dumbfounded.
Learning a B-ranked Fire Style technique and a B-ranked Genjutsu in one day? That was unbelievable!
At first, Hachidai didn't believe it until Gen demonstrated his newfound abilities.
Completely taken aback, Hachidai granted Gen full access to the clan's library. As long as it was within his jurisdiction, Gen could study whatever techniques he wished.
In reality, Gen had been using a bit of a cheat. His mastery of Genjutsu was effortless—thanks to his previous life and the Soul Soul Fruit's influence, the Uchiha clan's Genjutsu posed no challenge for him.
His talent with Fire Style jutsu, though still impressive, was more average. The reason he could execute it so effectively was because he secretly infused his techniques with his own enhancements, making the techniques stronger and more controlled, even though his actual proficiency was not that high.
With Hachidai's permission, Gen memorized the clan's Fire, Wind, and Earth Style techniques, intending to learn them at his own pace.