Chapter 200: Madara Uchiha's Move
The Konoha and Sunagakure main camp in the Land of Rivers.
Hoshikawa stood to Tsunade's left, surveying the scene. The main tent was packed with Tokubetsu Jōnin and Jōnin who had come for the strategy meeting. With two major villages mobilizing five thousand shinobi in total, the number of high-ranking ninja was substantial.
Hoshikawa didn't recognize many of the Tokubetsu Jōnin and Jōnin. Besides the Konoha ninja, he only knew Chiyo and Baki. As the first Jōnin conference for the combined forces, it was naturally presided over by Tsunade. Although Chiyo had more seniority, she had previously lost to Tsunade, and Sunagakure currently needed Konoha's assistance.
"The five thousand shinobi from Kirigakure have split into two groups," Hizashi Hyūga stated solemnly. "One part has entered the Land of Rivers, while the other remains anchored at sea."
Though the Sunagakure forces had arrived first, the moment the war had ended previously, Hiruzen Sarutobi had stationed the Hyūga Clan along the coast to monitor Kirigakure. Now that the Kirigakure forces had mobilized, the Hyūga Clan had been the first to initiate reconnaissance.
"How many Kirigakure shinobi are currently in the Land of Rivers?" Tsunade asked after a moment of thought.
"They have dispersed into individual squads and entered the Land of Rivers," Hizashi Hyūga explained. "The total number is unknown, but we have already discovered close to two hundred Kirigakure ninja."
Tsunade suddenly recalled the harassment tactics used during their last conflict with Kirigakure. Harassment tactics were suitable when outnumbered. However, given that Kirigakure's numbers weren't significantly inferior now, she estimated that it was more than just a simple harassment operation.
"What about the Third Mizukage?" Tsunade paused, then asked.
"He is at sea," Hizashi Hyūga said, pausing before adding, "but it's difficult for us to track the movements of a powerhouse like him. He may no longer be there."
Tsunade nodded slightly. While the Byakugan was excellent for reconnaissance, a Mizukage skilled in Water Release would be like a fish in water near the ocean. It was normal not to find him.
"It seems the priority is to first determine their intentions," Chiyo said without haste.
"Elder Chiyo is right," Tsunade agreed. "We will now begin assigning missions."
Three hours later, the meeting concluded, and the Jōnin dispersed.
"Get some rest. We'll carry out the mission tomorrow," Tsunade said, stifling a yawn. When only Hoshikawa remained, she reverted to her natural self.
"Got it," Hoshikawa chuckled inwardly. The contrast between the serious, commanding Tsunade and the relaxed, private Tsunade was perfect. In his view, both versions were excellent.
"Hoshikawa ," Tsunade leaned in close, lowering her voice. "Did you bring anything to eat?"
They were standing very close, and a faint fragrance enveloped him. Hoshikawa 's gaze unconsciously dipped, taking in her delicate face and soft lips.
"What are you spacing out about?" Tsunade glared at him. "You didn't bring any?"
"I did, Master. All your favorites." Hoshikawa suppressed his unusual feelings and smiled.
"That's more like it." Tsunade straightened up, a satisfied smile on her face.
She really is a big glutton, Hoshikawa thought. But that's fine. As her chef, it's my job to feed her.
"Come to my tent." Tsunade turned and left the main tent. As the frontline commander, her tent had long been prepared and was quite spacious.
"This place feels like it could fit several people," Hoshikawa remarked, looking around.
"Oh? You want to stay here?" Tsunade sat down on the carpet and asked casually.
"I actually do," Hoshikawa blinked and replied.
Tsunade froze. She hadn't expected Hoshikawa to answer that way. Does this kid not understand the difference between men and women?
"What food did you bring?" Tsunade quickly changed the subject.
"A lot." Hoshikawa presented her with five storage scrolls.
"That much?" Tsunade looked surprised. "Did you buy the entire supermarket?"
"It wasn't that exaggerated," Hoshikawa said modestly. "More like half a supermarket at most."
"..." Tsunade felt a slight sense of warmth, but mostly she didn't know how to respond to his exaggeration.
"How about some takoyaki?" Hoshikawa suddenly remembered something. "We should eat snacks like this soon, or they'll lose their flavor."
Too bad I don't have Ice Release. If he had learned Ice Release, he'd have a portable refrigerator, which would make things much easier. Speaking of Ice Release, had Haku, the ninja with Zabuza Momochi, been born yet? Haku was two or three years older than Naruto Uzumaki, which meant he was born either this year or the next.
"Takoyaki?" Tsunade asked, sounding amused. "Isn't that something only children eat?"
"Children can eat it, and big kids like you can too." Hoshikawa took out two boxes of takoyaki, held them in his hand, and used Fire Release to heat them up.
"What do you mean, 'big kids'?" Tsunade scoffed. "You're such a cheeky brat!"
I know the difference in size perfectly well, Hoshikawa thought inwardly.
In a moment, a rich aroma filled the air. Tsunade subconsciously swallowed, her throat moving.
"So? Does the big kid want some?" Hoshikawa offered the takoyaki to her.
"Since you asked so nicely, I'll humor you," Tsunade huffed, accepting the takoyaki. She used a wooden skewer to pick one up, tossed it into her mouth, and her eyes immediately narrowed in pleasure.
"Did you make this?" Tsunade asked after licking her lips.
"Yes," Hoshikawa nodded. "How did you know?"
"Ordinary takoyaki isn't this good," Tsunade said, biting into the second ball.
"I'll take that as a compliment." Hoshikawa smiled.
"It is a compliment," Tsunade said without hesitation.
"Then you complimented me too early. It'll taste even better in a while." Hoshikawa was referring to the imminent upgrade of his C-rank Skill Trait, 'Advanced Chef.'
"Really?" Tsunade's voice was filled with disbelief. "It's already this delicious, how could it possibly get better?"
"You'll see when the time comes." Although Hoshikawa didn't know the exact effect of the upgraded trait, he was sure it wouldn't disappoint.
"Did you train with a Culinary Ninja?" Tsunade asked curiously while chewing the takoyaki.
"No." Hoshikawa was surprised, then laughed. "I'm self-taught."
A Culinary Ninja was a shinobi dedicated to making delicious food. In the original story, their only appearance was when they captured Ayame and challenged Ichiraku Ramen to a cooking contest. Of course, Teuchi and Ayame won decisively. In that light, Culinary Ninjas weren't all that impressive.
"Well, besides you, I haven't met a second person who can cook this well." Tsunade continued talking and eating the takoyaki.
Soon, she had finished both boxes.
"Thank you," Tsunade said, rubbing her stomach. "You should go back and rest now."
"Understood." Hoshikawa stood up and returned to his own tent. It wasn't far; their squad's tents were right next to each other.
The night passed without incident, and the next day arrived. The main camp bustled with activity, and many shinobi left to carry out their assigned missions after preparation.
Hoshikawa 's squad also received their first mission: tracking and ambushing the Kirigakure shinobi in the Land of Rivers. Though yesterday's Jōnin conference discussed many things, the overall consensus was to first drive Kirigakure out of the Land of Rivers. As for sea reconnaissance, Tsunade dared not risk Hoshikawa now, as there were too many Kirigakure shinobi on the water, unlike the previous war.
"According to the Hyūga Clan's intelligence, there is a Kirigakure squad in the small woods by that river up ahead," Tsunade said, raising her hand and pointing North.
"Indeed, there are four ninja," Hoshikawa closed his eyes and used his Shingan (Mind's Eye). "One Jōnin and three Chūnin."
"I'll leave it to the three of you," Tsunade nodded.
"Yes." Hoshikawa , Kurenai Yūhi, and Rin Nohara replied in unison.
Spirit Transformation Technique!
Rin Nohara performed the hand signs, her body standing still as her soul left her form.
Seeing this, Hoshikawa and Kurenai used the Body Flicker Technique (Shunshin no Jutsu), leaped across the river, and entered the small woods.
Boom!
A series of explosions were triggered by Explosive Tags buried underground. A searing heat and raging flames shot into the sky.
Hoshikawa 's eyebrow twitched. They set up an Explosive Tag trap beforehand?
Hoshikawa quickly retreated with Kurenai, wasting no time in thought.
Water Release: Water Wall Formation!
Hoshikawa clapped his hands together. A wall of water rose along their retreat path, blocking the fierce aftershock of the explosion.
At that moment, a massive amount of mist filled the forest, mixing with the smoke from the Explosive Tags. This was the Hiding in Mist Technique commonly used by Kirigakure ninja.
However, they clearly hadn't anticipated that Hoshikawa and Kurenai were also proficient in the Mist Technique. Seeing the thick fog, the two did not retreat but advanced, disappearing into the mist instantly.
"I can't believe there are such stupid Konoha ninja," the Kirigakure Jōnin couldn't help but laugh when he saw their move. He manipulated his voice with chakra, making it impossible to determine his location.
Suddenly, the sound of rushing wind echoed behind him.
"What?" The smile froze on the Kirigakure Jōnin's face.
He instinctively spun around and saw a dazzling flash of steel. In a split second, the Kirigakure Jōnin used the Body Flicker Technique based on pure instinct.
Blood scattered. The Lightning Fire Blade left a gash on his arm. But he had saved his life.
The Kirigakure Jōnin secretly sighed in relief, enduring the pain as he looked around. His expression gradually turned serious. Within his proficient Hiding in Mist Technique, he was completely unable to detect Hoshikawa 's whereabouts.
Does that even make sense? Who exactly is the ninja from Kirigakure here?
The next second, a scream rang out not far away. The Kirigakure Jōnin's face changed slightly that was the voice of one of his students. He hesitated for a few seconds, ready to rush to their aid, when he stumbled violently.
The ground beneath his feet instantly cracked open, and a pair of hands grabbed his ankles. The Kirigakure Jōnin couldn't react in time and was pulled into the ground in a blink, leaving only his head above the surface.
Hoshikawa reappeared, and the Lightning Fire Blade plunged into the Jōnin's head with lightning speed. The Kirigakure Jōnin opened his mouth, finally succumbing to eternal darkness. He never dreamed that one day he would die by the Hiding in Mist Technique, used by a shinobi from Konoha.
"Hiding in Mist Technique combined with Earth Release jutsu is truly a perfect match," Hoshikawa said with a touch of emotion. In the dense mist, ninja usually only pay attention to their surroundings and ignore what's under their feet. After all, in their perception, Kirigakure ninja are not skilled in Earth Release.
Wind Release: Gale Palm!
Hoshikawa clapped his hands. Chakra transformed into a strong gust of wind that shot out from his palms and quickly dispersed. The thick mist enveloping them soon vanished completely.
Hoshikawa had killed the Jōnin, Kurenai Yūhi had dealt with two Chūnin, and the last Chūnin was controlled by Rin Nohara.
"Interrogate him for information," Tsunade said casually. Since they captured one alive, they might as well question him. How much valuable intelligence they'd get would depend on luck.
As it turned out, their luck was decent.
"He said that the dispersed Kirigakure squads all carried a large number of Explosive Tags," Hoshikawa said grimly. "They deliberately expose their location, set the Explosive Tag traps, and lure us in to deplete our forces."
"We're heading back now." Tsunade's voice became serious upon hearing the news.
"That's despicable!" Kurenai Yūhi frowned.
This was a suicide attack strategy. The Kirigakure squads would certainly gain an advantage with the Explosive Tags, but their location was exposed, and they were deep in the Land of Rivers they would be hard-pressed to escape.
"There's nothing 'despicable' or otherwise on the battlefield. Any strategy that leads to victory is a good strategy," Tsunade said, shaking her head.
Everyone quickly returned to the main camp and relayed the information. Even so, the allied forces suffered quite a few losses in this first wave. Explosive Tags are powerful and secretly detonated. Only Chūnin and Jōnin could react in time, and only elite Chūnin at that. If a Jōnin was careless, they could also die in the Explosive Tag trap.
However, with proper preparation, the tactic would no longer be so effective. Although the losses were heavy on the first day, the two sides soon fell into a stalemate in the Land of Rivers, trading blows back and forth.
...
A forest somewhere in the Land of Rivers.
Madara Uchiha sat under a tree, his eyes narrowed. Compared to his main body, which was unable to leave the Gedō Mazō (Demonic Statue of the Outer Path), he preferred the freedom of a Shadow Clone.
Just then, a white figure rose from the ground.
"Obito, how is he doing now?" Madara Uchiha didn't look at White Zetsu, but directly at the sun. The August sun was at its most intense, but he didn't mind.
"He keeps yelling that he wants to return to Konoha to see Rin Nohara," White Zetsu replied.
"Boring romance," Madara Uchiha said calmly. "But it's perfectly exploitable."
He had already confirmed that the key to awakening Obito Uchiha's Sharingan lay with Rin Nohara.
"Can Rin Nohara be captured?" Madara Uchiha asked.
"Over the past two months, I've guided several Kirigakure ninja to capture her, but they were all handled by Tsunade and Hoshikawa ," White Zetsu shook its head. Its guidance method was simple: using the Assimilation Technique to impersonate a Kirigakure ninja and leak the specific location of Tsunade's squad. The Assimilation Technique is a special transformation jutsu, called the most powerful transformation jutsu in the Formation Scroll.
"It seems the Third Mizukage will have to make a move," Madara Uchiha was not surprised. He had anticipated this outcome. Tsunade and Hoshikawa 's current strength was comparable to that of a Kage, and ordinary Jōnin stood no chance against them.
Therefore, it was time to implement the more complex second plan.
"As for Obito, at the right time, you will 'accidentally' leak the news to him," Madara Uchiha thought for a moment before instructing. If he directly told Obito Uchiha that he was letting him out to see Rin Nohara, even if Obito wasn't the brightest, he would easily guess who was behind the machinations.
"Understood." White Zetsu nodded, his body sinking into the earth and vanishing.
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