The sealed kunai

Chapter 64: Scorched Earth Policy

"You have to be kidding me." Tsunade said, standing up with her hands planted firmly on her desk. Her normal swiftly beating heart that she had whenever at work going over the needs of the village in these wartime conditions was now beating ten times as fast. The reason being that she had just been presented with some incredibly startling information in regards to the war effort. Close to the homefront actually, "An attack on the village? That's impossible! We've got scouts all over Hi no Kuni's countryside!"

They should have known full well, that if there was anything suspicious they'd have a messenger hawk back in their roost so quickly the enemy wouldn't know that they were compromised before they wound up paying the price.

But this came from the more... clandestine portion of the Konoha forces. The portion that Tsunade had plausible deniability about the activities of.

"I'm telling you what our operatives told me Hokage-sama." Sai said, bowing on one knee to Tsunade, "The prison. And there isn't a much more fortified location to make for enemy HQ within strike distance of Konoha. Just over a day's count by his time which gives us eighteen hours left given how long it took for him to get the news to me and for me to get it to you."

And then they'd be upon them, hordes of grey beings that seemed to be a hybrid of plant and man if the reports were to be believed. But Root ANBU weren't subject to delusional exaggerations, so if they were telling her that this was what they had to face, this was what they had to face.

Thank Kami for a home guard force.

The bulk of Konoha's strength was indeed out at war on multiple fronts, but that did not mean that they were simply standing defenseless back behind the gates of the village. Even so, it would be an uphill climb. More time would have been better for them to prepare.

"I wish there'd have been more warning." Tsunade groused, walking from behind her desk, heels of her sandals clicking on the floor, "But eighteen hours are better than three. Or none at all. Good work Sai."

"Yes Hokage-sama." Sai said, taking that as his cue to stand back up, "What are we going to do?"

The prisoners had been freed and allowed to run for it through the countryside, but only as a diversion. A diversion that Konoha would have taken the bait on once they learned of the escapes were it not for Root laying out the new scenario. They would have to take a risk and send out a squad or two of ANBU to feign a search and retrieve/destroy mission, but that could work out for them later behind enemy lines once the fighting began.

There were a few options available to them, but every action had a negative to it for every positive it would bring. They could move out a fighting force to meet them in open battle in the space of land between Konoha and the prison, but if they wound up beaten the retreat could turn into a rout and the village would subsequently fall.

They could try to directly attack the prison itself with their own element of surprise, but mobilizing what they had in-village into a strike force comprised mostly of genin and less upper-class ninjas, home on temporary leave, on such short notice was a recipe for disaster. Also, much like had already been touched upon, the Konoha Strict Correctional Facility might as well have been a fortress in of itself.

So that left the stalwart defense of the village. Only now, village defenses were souped up and better than any other time before in history when they had been threatened with invasion. Even with a depleted ninja population in the village, they had defenses, contingency plans, and then some, ready to deal with any number of intruders set to attack them.

For the possible destruction it would cause, defending the village itself was probably the best option for dealing with this. Buildings could be rebuilt. Civilians could and would be evacuated to safety regardless of whether the attack reached the walls or not. This was not the issue. The issue was of this whole mystery force. Where did they come from and how did they get so far into the country before being found?