"Orochimaru, when did you start carrying that scroll around?"

  Deep in the forest, Jiraiya, running beside Orochimaru, finally voiced his curiosity. The rge scroll strapped to Orochimaru's back was nearly identical in size to Jiraiya's own, and it had been bothering him since Orochimaru returned to the vilge.

  Tsunade, running ahead of them, also chimed in, "Yeah, I've never seen you with a scroll that big before. What's in it?"

  Orochimaru gnced back, a faint smile on his lips. "This scroll contains strategic materials that will help us turn the tide of the war."

  "Strategic materials?" Jiraiya frowned, confused. "What do you mean, 'strategic materials'? And don't tell me this was part of your whole 'medicinal herb' search. You've been lying, haven't you?"

  Orochimaru chuckled. "Not a lie, Jiraiya. Just a little misdirection. I happened to come across some very useful technology during my time away, and I've been refining it."

  Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Why didn't you just come back to the vilge to work on it?"

  "There wasn't enough time," Orochimaru replied. "Plus, this technology belongs to another party. I've been working on improving it from its original form, so I didn't want to return until I'd made significant progress."

  Jiraiya let out a long whistle. "Man, you're always into something crazy. So, what is it this time? Another experimental potion? That gene-enhancing fluid you came up with st time helped a lot of people, me included."

  Orochimaru nodded. "It's a bit more advanced than that."

  "Of course it is," Jiraiya said with a grin. "Hey, can we take a peek at what you've got in there?"

  Tsunade's curiosity was piqued as well, and she leaned in slightly. "Yeah, give us a look!"

  Orochimaru just smiled, shaking his head. "You'll see it when the time is right."

  ---

  "Lord Orochimaru, you're finally here!"

  At the border of the Land of Fire, Konoha's temporary military base was bustling with activity. Large tents dotted the area, and groups of ninjas were hurriedly preparing for the coming battle.

  Nara Hakushu, the temporary commander of the frontlines, breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya approach. He quickly gave the order to prepare for a pre-war meeting.

  As Orochimaru and the others walked through the camp, they noticed representatives from all the major cns present, including Hatake Sakumo, the White Fang, who was geared up for battle.

  Inside the command tent, Orochimaru took a seat alongside the other cn leaders, and they quickly began exchanging information.

  "What's the situation?" Orochimaru asked, his tone businesslike.

  Hakushu stood and gave his report. "Sirs, based on the intel we've gathered over the st few days, the weather in Amegakure has had a significant impact on our forces. The rain is constant, which limits the effectiveness of our Fire Style techniques. Meanwhile, Suna has deployed its puppet troops, making the situation even more difficult for us."

  Orochimaru leaned forward, fingers steepled. "The puppet army, huh?"

  Hakushu nodded grimly. "Yes. The Sand Ninjas have been using their puppet forces to inflict heavy losses on us. If we're to stand a chance, we need a strategy to neutralize their puppets."

  Orochimaru considered this for a moment. Puppets were a known problem on the battlefield, especially in rge-scale skirmishes. Puppet masters could stay at a distance, maniputing their deadly tools with little risk to themselves. Poison gas, hidden bdes, and needles made them deadly in close combat, which meant fighting them up close was often a death sentence.

  Ninjas who specialized in taijutsu, like the Hyuga cn, were especially at risk.

  The leader of the Hyuga cn, Hiashi's father, was the first to speak up. "My cn's techniques are rgely useless against the puppet troops. We rely heavily on close combat, and with the poison and hidden weapons in those puppets, we can't risk it."

  Orochimaru nodded in agreement. "Yes, sending taijutsu specialists against the puppet army would be a mistake. The risk of being poisoned or overwhelmed by the puppets' traps is too high."

  The head of the Inuzuka cn, who relied on close-quarters combat alongside his nin-dogs, spoke next. "Our cn is in the same boat. Sending our people against puppets would only end in disaster. We can assist with tracking and recon, but direct combat against puppets isn't feasible."

  Orochimaru turned his gaze to Tsunade. "In that case, Tsunade, I'll leave the detoxification efforts to you."

  "Of course," Tsunade said confidently. "I'll make sure our forces are prepared to handle any poison the Sand Ninja throw at us."

  Next, Orochimaru turned to the Uchiha cn leader. "How many Uchiha have been deployed?"

  The cn leader, a stern man in his mid-thirties, replied, "We've sent around two hundred ninjas."

  "How many have awakened the Sharingan?" Orochimaru asked.

  The cn leader hesitated slightly. "Only about twenty."

  "That's more than enough," Orochimaru said calmly, his eyes glinting with a pn. "The Uchiha cn will be responsible for neutralizing the puppet troops."

  "What?" The Uchiha cn leader looked startled. "You're joking, right? How are twenty Sharingan users supposed to handle an entire puppet army?"