Upon seeing Mikami Yuu and the others again, Yūhi Kurenai looked especially surprised and delighted. She was already waving from a distance.
"Yuu! And Rin and Kakashi too—it's you! You moved so fast. You actually caught up with us this quickly!"
Yuu was just about to reply,
when Obito beside him impatiently asked, "Hey, why did you only call out those three names? What about me? Do I not count as a person?"
"…Obito, why are you yelling so loudly at Kurenai?"
Asuma was displeased with Obito's behavior.
Kurenai, however, readily clasped her hands together and said softly, "Ah, sorry, sorry. I forgot to add you, Obito-kun. Please don't mind…"
To be fair, Obito really was the type to respond better to softness than force. Seeing Kurenai speak like that, he instead became a little embarrassed and muttered, "Hmph, that's more like it."
"…"
Yuu ignored Obito and simply glanced toward Kurenai.
"Kurenai, did you see Lord Orochimaru when you left?"
"Eh? We thought Lord Orochimaru would be traveling together with you. So he isn't?"
Kurenai blinked. "But Lord Orochimaru is one of the Sannin. With his strength, I don't think we need to worry about him, right? Maybe he's already at the meeting point."
"True."
Yuu did not ask further.
Orochimaru not being around was a good thing for them too.
After all, that man's aura was far too strong. Once he appeared, the atmosphere of the whole squad would definitely become oppressive, and Rin and the others would feel restrained. Right now, aside from Nara Shikaku, the two teams were made up of ten-something-year-old kids. With everyone chatting and laughing along the way, it felt less like heading to a battlefield and more like going on an outing.
Along the way,
Kurenai frequently stayed close to Yuu, asking him for advice on things to watch out for on the battlefield.
They had already talked about these things back in Konoha. After all, Yuu's Team Minato was the only squad among this batch of newly promoted chūnin that had been to the battlefield and had actually earned achievements there. These practical lessons gained from real combat were extremely valuable.
Now, Kurenai once again asked Yuu for advice under the pretext of deepening her impression.
Asuma saw this and tried to assert his presence.
"Kurenai, I know these things too! You can ask me just as well!"
"How could that be the same?"
Kurenai said softly. "Yuu and the others have fought Suna ninja before. They even faced that powerful Elder Chiyo directly. The experience they gained from that is completely different from ours, fighting mountain bandits and wandering ninja around the village.
"Besides, the environment and climate in this area are quite different from the village. Since we'll be fighting here, these are all things we need to understand. Military books say that knowing yourself and your enemy lets you fight a hundred battles without defeat… right, Yuu-kun?"
"…Yes."
The corner of Yuu's mouth twitched slightly, his expression subtle.
How should he put it? Kurenai's reasoning was indeed perfectly proper. It was just that her actions clearly carried another intention, and it wasn't hard to see through.
But…
Who could refuse a pretty girl looking at them with admiration and softly asking for advice?
Besides, this intelligence was genuinely useful to them. The more they understood, the more likely they were to survive on the battlefield. It was only a matter of saying a few more words.
Kakashi and Obito did not think much of it. The former remained taciturn as always, occasionally holding that little yellow book and reading in a corner; the latter occasionally came over to supplement Yuu's explanation and, while at it, brag about his own "glorious battle record."
Only Rin felt a little faintly resentful, but she said nothing. She simply silently helped the team prepare food.
After traveling like this for two days,
the group finally crossed half the Land of Fire and entered the region where Mount Kikyo was located.
Speaking of which, Mount Kikyo was quite famous.
This place had once been the border of the Land of Fire. Back then, ninja villages had not yet taken shape. The ninja clans and civilians living in this area, driven by the nobles of the Land of Fire at the time, had built a fortified pass here to resist foreign enemies.
But as time passed, the borders of the various nations in the ninja world changed. The Land of Fire's border line had also pushed several dozen kilometers outward from its original position, all the way to the area near Wildfire City. As a result, this pass had been abandoned, leaving only a few stone chambers behind as temporary resting places for ninja carrying out missions.
In the Third Ninja War of the original timeline, the decisive battle between Konoha and Sunagakure broke out at Mount Kikyo.
Judging from the current situation, this was probably also part of Orochimaru's planning.
Rustle—
Yuu's group was advancing when they heard an unusual sound from the nearby bushes, as if something was approaching them.
Obito was the first to dash over. He parted the bushes, focused with his Sharingan, and cried out in surprise, "Whoa, what a huge snake! Looks like dinner is settled for tonight…"
"A snake?"
Nara Shikaku seemed to think of something. He used Body Flicker to go over and called out to Obito.
"Wait… that's Lord Orochimaru's summon!"
"Ah, why didn't you say so earlier? I already threw my kunai…"
Obito stared wide-eyed.
Alright.
It seemed Orochimaru had indeed arrived ahead of them.
Although Obito had acted too quickly and killed the white-scaled snake that had come to deliver information, by following the traces left by the snake's path, Yuu's group soon found several stone chambers not far away.
These were the ruins left after the pass had been abandoned.
Also waiting here in advance were Orochimaru and two other squads.
The members of those two squads were, on average, much older than Yuu and the others. Most were at least sixteen or seventeen.
Among them was even an old man with graying hair who looked to be over fifty. He carried a large clay pot on his back and appeared trembling and frail, looking less like a ninja and more like a civilian going up the mountain to chop firewood.
Obito was kind-hearted and could not bear to see elderly people suffer. He hurriedly went over to help the other man carry his things.
"Grandpa, you're already so old. Why are you still working as a ninja and even being sent to such a dangerous place? Honestly, the village is way too inhumane."
"Hehe, thank you."
The old man carrying the pot smiled kindly. "Don't be fooled by my age. This old Kosuke's body is still quite sturdy. I'd like to keep contributing some remaining warmth to the village for another ten years or so. As for you children, you look like you just graduated from the Ninja Academy. Being sent to the battlefield this quickly—aren't you afraid?"
"Kosuke?"
Not far away, Yuu raised an eyebrow.
No wonder he felt the old man's face looked familiar. So this was the Eternal Genin from the original work, Maruboshi Kosuke.
This person could also be considered one of Konoha's elder-level figures. He was roughly of the same generation as Sarutobi Hiruzen and had first carried out missions under Senju Tobirama. Because a mistake in judgment had caused the death of his comrades, he refused promotion and remained at the genin rank for decades, while his true strength had long since reached jōnin level.
He had even personally been taught Water Dragon Bullet and Water Formation Wall by Senju Tobirama, making him one of the few people capable of using simplified Water Release techniques.
If Yuu had not obtained the scroll for the "Tobirama Version Water Formation Wall" from Tsunade, this would have been a good opportunity to consider learning from Kosuke and filling out his own Water Release repertoire.
Looking at it this way,
among their four squads, there were three or four jōnin-level combatants, plus Orochimaru, who was Kage-level. Their overall fighting strength could be considered quite impressive. They indeed lived up to the description of a "small elite force."
"Lord Orochimaru."
Nara Shikaku coughed lightly and asked, "As you can see, all squads have arrived. May I ask if there is a special arrangement behind having us gather here?"
"Hehe."
Orochimaru let out his signature sinister laugh. His gaze passed over Nara Shikaku and landed on the newly promoted chūnin behind him. Then he spoke in a hoarse voice.
"I intend to set up an ambush circle here to intercept Sunagakure. What do you think?"
"…?"
The people around him froze slightly.
Obito scratched his head and, rarely, used his brain.
"Um… if we're setting an ambush, shouldn't it be near Wildfire City where Lord Jiraiya is? This place seems pretty far from the Land of Fire's border, doesn't it?"
"True."
Asuma also nodded.
Only Nara Shikaku furrowed his brows slightly, seeming deep in thought.
And then there was Yuu, who had almost instantly guessed the truth.
More precisely, the moment Yuu learned that the rendezvous point was Mount Kikyo, he had already combined it with the Land of Fire's border map and guessed Orochimaru's intent. Now, his guess was merely being confirmed.
On the other side,
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes slightly. His snake-like pupils slowly swept over the confused or thoughtful faces of the crowd before settling on a certain white-haired boy.
"It seems our 'genius' special jōnin has already made a judgment. Right, Yuu-kun?"
"…I do have some thoughts, but I'm not completely certain yet."
As Yuu spoke,
everyone's gazes turned toward him at once. Rin's and Kurenai's gazes were the most enthusiastic.
"If I'm not mistaken, Lord Orochimaru wants to lure the enemy deep in, correct?"
Yuu exhaled softly and slowly said, "Sunagakure has prepared for this battle for a long time. They even transferred the northern border garrison forces originally used to guard against Iwagakure. It can be said they are going all out. Under these circumstances, if we clash head-on at the border, even if we win, it will definitely be a miserable victory.
"Compared with Sunagakure, our advantage lies in having shorter supply lines, superior logistics, and enough strategic depth. Under these conditions, we can consider luring Sunagakure in, using Mount Kikyo's terrain advantage to form a large pocket and wipe them all out here…
"That should be the idea, right, Lord Orochimaru?"
A brief silence.
Then Orochimaru slightly raised the corners of his mouth. A hint of approval appeared on his pale, nearly translucent face.
"As expected of Yuu-kun. You are indeed sharp."
"Sunagakure's style of warfare has always been aggressive. They are especially poor at handling favorable situations. The main reason they started this war was to redirect internal conflicts and plunder resources and population. If they believe they have torn open Konoha's defensive line, they will inevitably become arrogant soldiers—and arrogant soldiers are doomed to defeat.
"When that time comes, all we need to do is wait at ease for the exhausted enemy. Once they enter the Mount Kikyo region, we tighten the 'pocket' and cut off Sunagakure's supply line, making their front and rear unable to support each other. Then we can concentrate superior forces and annihilate their active strength.
"If this battle succeeds, Sunagakure will lose at least several hundred ninja, and all of them will be prime elite forces. In that case, for the next ten years, they will have no power to rise again and can only surrender to Konoha!"
"This is the plan I envision: the first battle is the decisive battle, one battle to decide everything!"
Orochimaru suddenly waved his hand. His cold voice echoed through the stone chamber, carrying a chilling killing intent.
This plan made the surrounding ninja show shock.
Nara Shikaku, Kakashi, and the others were shocked by Orochimaru's bold plan and began thinking through its feasibility and reasonableness.
Kurenai and Rin, meanwhile, were shocked that Yuu had been able to grasp Orochimaru's thoughts in such a short time. This kind of intelligence and strategy was truly astonishing and captivating. As expected of the man they secretly admired.
As for Obito…
He had not really understood much. These military strategy matters were a little too difficult for a fool like him. Right now, he was scratching his head, trying to figure out what "arrogant soldiers are doomed to defeat" meant.
"Um…"
Nara Shikaku finally chose his words carefully and slowly spoke.
"Lord Orochimaru, isn't this plan a little too aggressive?"
"Pretending to retreat is risky. If we lose too easily, Sunagakure won't take the bait. But if we lose too badly, Konoha may suffer greater losses. Also, whether Sunagakure will come to Mount Kikyo as planned has an element of chance. What if…"
"Hah."
Orochimaru sneered. "When it comes to war, where is there such a thing as absolute certainty? Do you think fighting Sunagakure head-on according to conventional plans would avoid casualties? Under the current situation, this is already the plan with the smallest losses and the highest chance of victory. As for casualties that may occur during the 'rout'…
"For the victory of the decisive battle, those are necessary sacrifices."
"…"
Silence.
Fairly speaking, Orochimaru's words made sense. War was a game of exchanging pieces. Unless one possessed overwhelming strength, wanting to win without losses was basically impossible. Being able to control the casualty ratio within 0.8 already counted as good command.
But…
for those who had just graduated from being genin, especially Asuma and the others who had not yet directly faced the cruelty of a ninja war, this scene still stirred instinctive resistance, anger, and a faint fear.
"Wait, I don't agree…"
Obito thought about it for a while and finally understood. He instinctively wanted to voice an objection, only to be interrupted by Yuu's light cough from beside him.
Orochimaru turned his head and looked over. His snake-like eyes fixed on Obito, as if examining him.
"You are Uchiha Obito, correct? What were you about to say?"
"He said Lord Orochimaru's insight is brilliant."
Yuu said.
~~~
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