Because battlefield intelligence was now being reported directly to the supreme commander on the front lines, Shimizu had not been in direct contact with Konoha's higher-ups for quite some time. As a result, he had no way of knowing whether everything unfolding here had been deliberately arranged—whether someone had orchestrated things so that both he and the Uchiha clan would end up in this very place.
He also had no idea what role the Third Hokage might be playing in all of this. Had he reluctantly accepted the situation after some internal struggle? Or had he been kept completely in the dark from the very beginning?
Whatever the truth was, one thing was certain—the situation was spiraling further and further out of control. The enemy was clearly preparing for a large-scale offensive, and if they continued to do nothing but passively defend, they would only be driven into an increasingly disadvantageous position.
There were nearly four hundred lives at stake here.
That realization only strengthened Shimizu's earlier decision—to abandon both camps and withdraw south.
Even if it meant being held accountable afterward.
After all… if he and the Uchiha returned alive and well, would there really be no explanation? No consequences? No follow-up?
It was almost absurd. Just before the outbreak of the Third Great Ninja War, things had finally settled into a rare calm—and now, something like this had crawled out of the shadows to disgust him.
Even if the real target was the Uchiha, he himself had been dragged into it regardless.
And with that, another knot tightened in Shimizu's chest.
Suddenly, he added, "Right—pull everyone from the valley back here. Under these circumstances, we need to consolidate all our strength."
"Also… does anyone else have suggestions?"
Everyone present shook their heads.
"Then let's move on to the detailed arrangements for the withdrawal."
With that, the brief meeting came to an end. One by one, the others departed, each burdened with heavy thoughts as they went to carry out their assignments.
Only Fugaku remained behind.
"Shimizu," he said quietly, "what do you make of Iwagakure being able to use the Hiding in Mist Technique?"
In truth, Shimizu did have a guess—one so shocking that even he found it hard to believe.
But it was nothing more than speculation, with no concrete evidence to support it.
And the way Fugaku asked… was he testing him?
So Shimizu gave a safe, noncommittal answer. "At a time like this, it's better to focus on the problems directly in front of us."
"I don't think these are separate issues," Fugaku replied, his gaze sharpening slightly. "There may be something behind this—something quite shocking."
Having climbed to his current position through countless trials, Fugaku seemed particularly sensitive to the unseen struggles lurking beneath the surface.
Still…
"These are just guesses," Shimizu said.
And it was true. Just like his own suspicion about being used as "bait," it was nothing more than conjecture—personal speculation without proof.
For all they knew, this could simply be an unfortunate coincidence.
"But they're grounded guesses," Fugaku insisted. "Kumogakure and Konoha are allied, which puts Iwagakure at a disadvantage. It's only natural they would seek allies of their own."
"If that's the case," Shimizu countered, "wouldn't Sunagakure be the more obvious choice? Why go all the way to Kirigakure instead?"
That was precisely the point he couldn't reconcile. If Iwagakure truly sought an alliance, then Sunagakure—who bore deep grudges against Konoha—would have been the most logical partner.
Despite suffering great humiliation in the past, Sunagakure's foundation had not been destroyed. They still had tens of thousands of shinobi capable of fighting.
They were far from a negligible force.
"Then is it possible…" Fugaku said calmly, "that Iwagakure reached out to both?"
An alliance between Iwagakure, Sunagakure, and Kirigakure—joining forces to oppose Konoha and Kumogakure?
…Did Iwagakure really have the influence to pull something like that off?
Yet Fugaku's words stirred something in Shimizu's mind. What if they really had allied with both the Mist and the Sand?
The more he thought about it, the less impossible it seemed.
After all, Konoha and Kumogakure were widely acknowledged as the two strongest hidden villages. If those two had joined forces, then it wasn't unreasonable for the remaining three—relatively weaker on their own—to band together in response.
If that were the case, then the possibility that they were now facing a combined force of Iwa and Mist shinobi was far from negligible.
"And if Kirigakure has also declared war on Konoha," Shimizu muttered, his expression darkening, "then our situation is even worse than we thought."
They were already stretched thin dealing with Iwagakure alone—adding another great village into the mix would make things exponentially harder.
Fortunately, they still had the Sharingan and the Byakugan. While neither could accurately determine the number or exact positions of enemies hidden within the mist, they could at least detect their presence in advance, giving them the option to engage or withdraw.
"Of course, this is all just my personal speculation," Fugaku said, easing his tone slightly. "I only wanted you to keep it in mind."
"…Thank you for the advice, Fugaku-senpai."
...
As it turned out, Shimizu's caution was more than justified.
Not long after they had fully withdrawn from the camp by the Lake of Tranquility, Iwagakure's Explosion Corps made their move under the cover of the winter night.
A wave of violent explosions tore through the abandoned camp, and immediately afterward, Iwa's main force launched a fierce assault, advancing under the protection of darkness—and the sudden appearance of thick white mist.
The battle was brief but intense. In just a matter of minutes, Iwagakure had already broken into the camp.
"At least two thousand strong… and the mist really does contain chakra," Satomi reported, her Byakugan flaring as she observed the battlefield.
But deeper within the fog, even her vision could not penetrate—there were likely even more enemies concealed within.
"…Not engaging them head-on was definitely the right call," Tianyu exhaled quietly.
Shimizu's eyes turned cold. "It's time to give them a little fireworks show…"
"Got it!"
In the next instant, countless explosions erupted into the sky, flames illuminating the darkness of the night.
Even so, such tactics were unlikely to inflict heavy casualties on the enemy.
"We continue withdrawing," Shimizu ordered decisively. "Also, send word to the Hokage—inform him that Iwagakure's main force has chosen the Lake of Tranquility as their point of breakthrough."
"Request immediate reinforcements."
"We'll delay them as much as we can."
...
At the same time, similar scenes were unfolding across other Konoha camps.
Along the vast border, Iwagakure launched simultaneous assaults on seven separate Konoha positions. The Lake of Tranquility was merely one of them—and every attack was carried out under the cover of the Hiding in Mist Technique, striking in the dead of night.
This unexpected offensive caught Konoha completely off guard. All seven strategically important camps fell without exception.
When news of this reached Konoha's leadership, the Third Hokage flew into a rage, immediately sending demands to the Daimyō of the Land of Water and the Third Mizukage, insisting on an explanation.
By the time Shimizu learned of the full scale of Iwagakure's operation, it was already several days later, through delayed intelligence reports.
Seven camps.
One of them—the Lake of Tranquility—had been the position held by him and the Uchiha.
And yet… the Third Hokage showed no particular suspicion, nor any unusual reaction.
On the surface, at least…
It all seemed like nothing more than coincidence.
...
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