Chapter 450: Each of You Make Your Arrangements and Begin the Next Round of Battle
"On the frontal battlefield, we have indeed lost a step."
The Third Tsuchikage's gravelly voice broke the heavy silence of the command tent.
"The combat power of the Uchiha Clan far exceeded our estimates." Ōnoki floated slightly above the ground, his aged eyes sweeping over the Fourth Raikage, Ay, and the Samurai General, Mifune. A cold, calculating sneer curled his wrinkled lips. "But war is never just about whose fist strikes the hardest."
Ay crossed his massive, scarred arms, his jaw locked in silent frustration, while Mifune remained stoic, his hand resting lightly on the hilt of his katana.
"Konoha's current supply line is entirely maintained by the capital of the Land of Fire," Ōnoki continued, a sharp, predatory glint flashing in his eyes. "As long as we assassinate the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, their nation will surely fall into absolute chaos."
He slammed a small fist onto the tactical map spread across the table.
"Break our forces into small, elite groups. Form 'Wolf Packs'. We will bypass the frontal defense lines entirely and sow panic deep within their borders. And finally..." Ōnoki's sneer deepened into a ruthless grin. "We will assassinate the Daimyo, along with every high-ranking noble of the Land of Fire!"
"As long as the entire Land of Fire is thrown into turmoil, the scales of victory in this war will naturally tilt slowly back towards us!"
In the dim corner of the tent, Konan remained completely silent.
The flickering orange lamplight cast long shadows over her exquisite, pale face, revealing absolutely no emotion. She looked like a lifeless porcelain doll standing in the background.
But beneath the wide folds of her Akatsuki cloak, her slender finger moved.
A single, tiny slip of paper slid out from her cuff, silently weaving down her leg and slipping into a hairline crack in the rocky ground, vanishing without a trace.
...
Konoha Main Camp, Command Center.
The atmosphere inside the large tactical tent was grim and suffocating. Nara Shikaku stared intently at the small intelligence scroll in his hand, his brows furrowed so tightly they formed deep creases on his forehead.
"'Wolf Pack' tactics..." Shikaku muttered, his voice laced with a heavy dose of dread. "Assassinating the Daimyo..."
He took a slow, deep breath to steady his nerves and handed the decoded scroll to Jiraiya and Uchiha Fugaku, who stood at the opposite side of the war table.
"It seems these old fogies are finally being pushed to their absolute limits," Shikaku noted, rubbing his temples. "They have even resorted to such underhanded, desperate methods."
Jiraiya snatched the scroll, his eyes scanning the brief lines of text. A fierce flash of anger ignited in his dark eyes, and he let out a cold, disgusted snort.
"Calamity should never reach the civilians. That old fossil Ōnoki is getting more senile and ruthless the longer he lives."
Uchiha Fugaku received the scroll next. He gave the intelligence a mere, dismissive glance before casually tossing it onto the wooden table. There was not a single ripple of emotion on his stern, battle-hardened face.
"As expected," Fugaku stated, crossing his arms over his chest. His voice was steady, carrying the absolute confidence of the Uchiha patriarch. "Since they want to play a hunting game... then we will play along."
Fugaku turned his head, his dark eyes looking past the tent flaps toward the Uchiha Clan members gathered outside. The metallic scraping of kunai and shuriken being sharpened echoed through the camp.
"Before the Sharingan, any enemy attempting to hide in the shadows is nothing but a joke." Fugaku shifted his gaze back to the Nara strategist. "Shikaku."
"From the Uchiha Clan, draw thirty Elite Jonin who have fully awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan. Then, coordinate them with the sensory ninjas of the Hyuga Clan and the insect users of the Aburame Clan. Form 'Hunter Squads'."
A chilling, suffocating killing intent bled into Fugaku's eyes, dropping the temperature in the tent by several degrees.
"Tell them," Fugaku commanded, his tone leaving no room for argument. "No prisoners are needed. Kill them all."
...
Land of Rice Fields, a hidden underground cavern.
Cold water droplets fell rhythmically from the jagged stalactites hanging above, echoing through the damp, oppressive darkness. Heavy footsteps broke the steady dripping sound.
Obito, draped in his signature black robe and wearing his swirling mask, stepped into the dimly lit underground laboratory.
Behind him, the grotesque, flytrap-like body of Zetsu phased out of the solid stone floor, holding several dripping, blood-soaked parcels in his pale hands.
"The things you wanted," Obito said, his voice a low, distorted rumble. He gave a casual wave of his gloved hand.
Zetsu tossed the heavy parcels onto the cold stone ground. The rough fabric burst open upon impact, revealing the mangled, pulsating flesh and blood tissue contained within. The metallic stench of fresh blood instantly filled the cavern.
"Hehehe..."
A raspy, terrifying laugh echoed from the deepest shadows of the lab.
Orochimaru slithered out from the darkness, his pale, serpentine face illuminated by the faint torchlight. His golden, slit-like eyes stared greedily at the bloody chunks of flesh on the ground.
"Not unexpectedly, Obito-kun. The efficiency of your work is truly surprising." Orochimaru extended his unnaturally long tongue, licking his pale lips with a sickening slurp. "Inside here... there are quite a few good things."
Obito stared coldly at the Sannin, completely unfazed by the theatrical display.
"Stop the nonsense. The cellular tissue of the Eight-Tails, Four-Tails, and Five-Tails Jinchuriki are all here. And those others you specifically requested..."
Obito paused. A fleeting trace of complexity flashed within the single eye visible beneath his mask, but it was instantly buried beneath a layer of absolute indifference.
"I want to see results. With the current situation, that trash Alliance can no longer be relied upon to handle the heavy lifting. We need real power. Power that can tear apart Konoha and completely destroy Uchiha Akira."
Orochimaru chuckled, a wet, rattling sound in his throat. His hands blurred together, rapidly forming a complex sequence of hand seals. "Do not worry."
Suddenly, Orochimaru crouched low and slammed both palms heavily onto the stone floor.
The entire cavern shook violently. Dust and loose gravel rained down from the ceiling.
Six ancient, heavy wooden coffins slowly rose from the solid earth, the grinding of stone and wood echoing like the groans of the dead.
"This is..." Obito stared at the six towering coffins, his single eye narrowing slightly.
"A grand gift prepared specifically for Konoha," Orochimaru said as he slowly stood up. His pale face was twisted into an expression of morbid, unhinged fanaticism.
A harsh, tooth-grinding screech filled the air.
The heavy wooden lids of the six coffins slid off simultaneously, hitting the ground with heavy thuds. The swirling dust slowly settled, revealing the six silent figures standing inside. Their skin was a sickly grayish-white, covered in fine, porcelain-like cracks.
Obito's gaze swept over the first two figures.
They were a pair of massive, imposing brothers with ferocious features and distinct whisker-like markings on their cheeks.
Kinkaku and Ginkaku. The Gold and Silver Brothers. The most sinister, bloodthirsty criminals in the history of Kumogakure, monsters who possessed the terrifying chakra of the Nine-Tails within their very veins.
"Decent cannon fodder," Obito commented dryly, unimpressed.
His gaze moved to the third coffin.
A man with spiky white hair and a resolute, battle-hardened face. Even with his eyes closed in death, his body exuded a sharp, overwhelming edge, like a freshly drawn blade.
Konoha's White Fang, Hatake Sakumo. Kakashi's father.
Obito's eye flickered for a fraction of a second, a dark emotion swirling in his crimson pupil. "The father of that trash... How interesting."
The fourth figure possessed long, pale blue hair and a gentle, handsome face. Kato Dan, the renowned possessor of the rare and deadly Spirit Transformation Technique.
The fifth figure wore the traditional, loose-fitting robes of the Hyuga Clan. Even in the unnatural state of the Edo Tensei, the green Caged Bird Cursed Seal representing the ultimate humiliation of the branch family was faintly visible on his cracked forehead.
Hyuga Hizashi. Hyuga Neji's father, and the twin brother of the Hyuga patriarch, Hyuga Hiashi.
"They are all people with deep, unresolved bonds to the living," Obito let out a cold, mocking laugh. "Orochimaru, you truly are a demon who delights in toying with human hearts."
"You flatter me," Orochimaru smiled sinisterly, his golden eyes finally landing on the sixth and final coffin.
Obito followed the snake Sannin's gaze. The moment his eye landed on the figure, his pupil constricted into a tight pinprick.
It was a young man with raven-black hair, dressed in the high-collared, dark blue shirt of the Uchiha Clan. His eyes were tightly closed, and deep, prominent tear troughs marked both sides of his pale cheeks.
Uchiha Itachi.
The infamous Uchiha traitor who had been publicly tried, humiliated, and executed by Uchiha Akira, left to burn to ash under the scorching sun. He was Uchiha Sasuke's older brother. And, far more, the eldest son of Uchiha Fugaku.
"How is it?" Orochimaru slithered closer to Uchiha Itachi's coffin, his voice dripping with venomous amusement. "This gift. I think it is more than enough to make Uchiha Fugaku go completely insane, do you not agree?"
"Insane?" Obito's voice became somewhat ethereal, echoing hollowly within his mask. "This will be the final straw that entirely crushes his psychological defense."
...
The next day.
Towards the direction of the Shinobi Alliance camp, the very earth was trembling.
Thousands of Iwagakure shinobi stood in perfect formation, rapidly weaving hand seals in absolute synchronization. With a deafening roar, they slammed their palms onto the trembling ground.
Massive, towering rock barriers erupted from the earth like the jagged spine of an ancient, colossal beast. The colossal stone walls wound and coiled across the barren landscape, sealing the entire Alliance camp within an impenetrable fortress of solid rock.
"Earth Release: Great Wall of Ten Thousand Li!"
Every single layer of the massive stone wall was carefully covered with dense clusters of explosive tags and complex sensory barrier formulas.
Ōnoki floated high in mid-air, looking down at this impregnable tortoise shell they had constructed. A heavy sigh escaped his lips, and a rare trace of relief finally appeared on his deeply wrinkled face.
"As long as I refuse to engage in open combat, even if Uchiha Akira comes here himself, he should not even dream of easily cracking this tough nut."
This was his ultimate 'Iron Wall Tactic'.
He was not seeking glorious merit on the battlefield; he was solely seeking to avoid any fatal mistakes. As long as this massive fortress stalled Konoha's main force, the outer 'Wolf Packs' would be free to tear relentlessly at the soft flesh of the Land of Fire.
Given enough time, the scales of victory would eventually, inevitably, tilt in their favor.
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