- Great, how are the preparations for the offensive going?
- The first army will march to the border of the Fire Nation tomorrow, and the allies have reported full mobilization of their armed forces and are ready to join us.
- Make sure that the Kingin Kyodai are among the first to enter enemy territory," Ai nodded.
- Judging by the observers' reports, they are eager to fight," the Counselor replied with a slight smile.
- It would be best if they stayed there, taking as many of the enemy with them as possible.
***
Having returned from Suna only a little less than a week and a half ago, I had expected to have more time before I had to go to the front, but what happened, happened.
The day after the meeting, I said goodbye to my family and friends, and left the walls of Konoha, refusing to be escorted - I could get there faster on my own than with the convoy that was moving out that day, especially since I would have to make a detour rather than go straight to the headquarters of the northeastern front.
Preparations for my long absence had been made as carefully as possible - the shop would continue to operate on existing supplies for at least a couple of months, the defenses had been renewed and the storage tanks filled to the brim with chakra, and even the injured apprentice would be taken care of when she arrived in the village.
I didn't worry about the safety of my beauties, even though the adult part was weakened after using Seishi no Ibuki (Breath of Youth), leaving a couple of last chance scrolls for each of them with the instruction to carry them with them even at home, not to mention outside, and the Uzumaki can take care of themselves much better than the vast majority of the kunoichi of the Leaf.
Naturally, going to war and having no idea when I would be able to return, I had not only stocked up on supplies for an entire army, but I had also brought a spare calligraphy set along with an impressive amount of paper so that I could make fuin on the spot, and six clone scrolls to ensure survival in even the most difficult situations. I had not the slightest desire to die, for there was still so much to be done.
But my preparations weren't limited to material things; the bushnin lab kage had performed the last planned stage of body enhancement just a few days ago, and I'd already had a chance to put them to the test with a few practice bouts with Mito-chan.
The result was visible to the naked eye, allowing me to dominate the former jinchuriki in taijutsu despite the gulf in experience between us. Of course, there were some shortcomings that would inevitably arise if the work was rushed, but at my level, it wasn't a problem to solve them.
It was equally important to check the fuin linking me to all the kanpeki ningyo, but not in terms of giving them chakra, as I did regularly, but in the opposite direction. War is an unpredictable thing, and even with my chakra reserves, Byakugo no In (Seal of the Power of a Hundred), and pre-prepared Kage Bunshin, it might not be enough at the decisive moment.
The chakra from the puppets will be the last resort, especially since with the addition of Rasa to the collection, their total now exceeds my own, albeit not by much. Despite the very large differences from the original, the chakra from the five sources was close enough to me to not cause conflicts amongst themselves and blend into a homogeneous mass, easily manageable.
Sure, it's a downpipe and the exhaust is leaner, but in risky situations, having another reserve will come in handy, even if such chakra won't allow me to use Kongo Fusa (Adamant Chains) and its derivatives for obvious reasons.
I've got more interesting stuff on patreon (+ 200 chapter)
patreon.com/Chill76