Chapter 567: Counterattack Plan
Before reaching the Land of Grass, Mugetsu used Konoha's special communication method to contact the force stationed there.
Out of caution, he did not disclose the exact troop strength of the support force or any other sensitive intelligence. He only discussed the rendezvous location.
Jiraiya was very glad to hear that reinforcements were coming, but he refused Mugetsu's request to meet up immediately and instead informed him of the force's current situation.
After regrouping, Jiraiya's force still had six hundred and seventy shinobi.
Jiraiya suspected that there were still unexposed spies within his ranks, so he had broken up the main force into small teams to hold back the Iwa ninja army.
After two separate tests, Jiraiya confirmed that spies were still present in the force, but for the moment, he could not determine who they were or how many there were.
Because of that, Jiraiya believed a rendezvous could not happen until the spies were found. Otherwise, the same disaster as before would simply repeat itself.
"Commander Mugetsu, how should we reply?" Nara Suzaku asked.
Before speaking, Nara Suzaku had already thought the matter through carefully, but he still could not come up with a good solution.
The most direct and ideal method was naturally to identify the spies first. But Jiraiya's force was stronger than the support force and had even more outstanding personnel.
If Jiraiya's side still had not managed to root out the spies, then it was uncertain whether the support force would fare any better.
Mugetsu showed a thoughtful expression and did not answer right away.
For him, finding the White Zetsu hidden within the force was not difficult. It only required the effort of appraising them one by one.
What he was truly considering was how to turn the tables and use the White Zetsu to deceive Iwagakure instead.
Since White Zetsu could act as spies inside the Land of Grass force, that meant White Zetsu was also acting as spies for Iwagakure.
In that case, he could deliberately feed them false information and let them pass it on to the Iwa ninja force, causing Iwagakure to be misled.
"For now, only the vanguard of the support force has arrived. There are just fifty shinobi, and we can rendezvous first to discuss the coming battle," Mugetsu said after some thought.
"Reply like that."
"Oh, and include the fact that I am with the vanguard," he added.
Nara Suzaku and the other shinobi who had been discussing the matter all looked at Mugetsu in confusion, not understanding why he had chosen to reply this way.
If the spies had not been found yet, a rendezvous would only expose their own intelligence and lead to a repeat of the earlier defeat.
Even if Mugetsu intentionally concealed the support force's true size and claimed there were only fifty men, what would that really change? Once they met up, the truth would still be exposed.
"Commander Mugetsu, are you planning to lead fifty shinobi to help Jiraiya-sama identify the spies?" Nara Suzaku asked after thinking it through.
Only that explanation made Mugetsu's decision seem reasonable.
Mugetsu nodded.
"That's right. I have a sensory ability that can detect the goodwill and malice others hold toward me. A shinobi who bears malice toward me is not necessarily a spy, but it will greatly narrow down the search."
The true effect of the Appraisal Technique was too outrageous, so Mugetsu could not reveal it openly.
Still, there really was a Ninjutsu that could be developed in that direction. Observation Haki had the potential to sense good and evil.
It was just that Mugetsu's Observation Haki had only recently reached the proficient level, and his mastery was still too low for it to truly achieve that effect yet.
Nara Suzaku looked surprised, not expecting Mugetsu to possess such an ability.
A power that could sense goodwill and malice was indeed extremely useful for distinguishing spies, especially when used by someone with a good reputation like Mugetsu.
If they were allies, why would they harbor malice toward a gentle and kind person like him for no reason?
If they were enemy spies, on the other hand, then they would certainly want to eliminate a famous genius and powerful figure like Mugetsu as quickly as possible. It would be impossible for them not to hold malice.
"In that case, leading a small force to rendezvous first really is the better choice," Mimurabe Ketsu said with a nod.
This way, they would not expose the support force's full intelligence, while also helping Jiraiya's side out of their crisis as quickly as possible.
And fifty shinobi was still a significant force, enough to handle most situations.
Once Jiraiya gave a positive response and set the rendezvous point, Mugetsu immediately called out the shinobi he had already selected.
"From this point onward, we are the vanguard of the support force. The real support force has not yet arrived in the Land of Grass. Do you understand?"
Mugetsu gave the reminder after gathering the fifty shinobi.
"No matter who asks you about the support force, unless the order comes from me personally, you are not to reveal the real intelligence."
White Zetsu needed to absorb the target's chakra in order to use its impersonation ability.
Mugetsu was confident that White Zetsu would never be able to absorb his chakra, but he could not guarantee the same for the other shinobi.
Seeing the seriousness on Mugetsu's face, all the shinobi nodded solemnly and carefully took his words to heart.
After giving his warning, Mugetsu led the vanguard toward the rendezvous point.
To ensure that the remainder of the support force still had enough combat power, aside from his five disciples, the other forty five people Mugetsu brought with him were all genin and chunin. Most of the jonin and special jonin were left behind with the main support force.
As they neared the agreed meeting point, Mugetsu first used Observation Haki to sense the surroundings, then activated his Byakugan and examined the area carefully. Only after confirming that there were no problems did he lead his men forward.
To avoid any accidents, Mugetsu did not close his Byakugan and kept it active the entire time.
Now that he had the Yang Seal, his chakra reserves were abundant. Maintaining the Byakugan and consuming some extra chakra was not an issue.
Jiraiya, Minato Namikaze, and Jiraiya's other two disciples had already arrived and were waiting at the designated location.
When he saw Mugetsu approaching with the vanguard, Jiraiya quickly stepped forward.
"This time, Iwagakure is truly strange. Their intelligence gathering is unbelievably strong. I still do not know how many spies are inside my force."
To make this rendezvous happen safely, Jiraiya had arranged things with great care. Not only had very few people been informed, he had even brought only his three disciples with him.
Jiraiya no longer trusted clan shinobi blindly. If even a jonin from the Sarutobi Clan could turn out to be a traitor, then no other clan was beyond suspicion.
His own disciples were different. He had watched them from childhood to adulthood. Jiraiya was certain that none of them had any problems.
"I've already read the battlefield intelligence. There are indeed many suspicious points," Mugetsu said with a nod, then looked back at the fifty shinobi behind him.
"Everyone except Kakashi, Obito, and the others, spread out and keep watch!"
Mugetsu sent all the shinobi other than his disciples to guard the surrounding area.
Although his Byakugan meant he did not truly need their vigilance, the fewer people who overheard the next discussion, the better.
"Toad Uncle, Minato sensei, neither of you is hurt, right?" Obito could not help asking.
Minato Namikaze smiled and shook his head, indicating that he was fine.
"What are you talking about? I'm one of the Sannin. A little trouble like this can't injure me. And it's not Toad Uncle, it's Toad Sage!" Jiraiya said, tapping Obito on the head.
"Got it, Toad Uncle," Obito replied with an unmoved nod.
In his mind, there were only two true sages: the Sage of Six Paths and Mugetsu Sage.
Jiraiya fell silent.
"Sohira, we're really pitiful. We're in the same unit as Minato, yet it's like we don't even exist, even though we helped train him before," Dekai sighed.
"Sohira senpai, Dekai senpai, are either of you injured? I can treat you," Rin asked softly.
"Hehe, no need." Dekai waved his hand with a chuckle.
He was only complaining that the two of them always seemed to get ignored.
Ignoring the somewhat irritating Obito, Jiraiya looked back at Mugetsu.
The fact that Mugetsu had sent nearly all of his men away to keep watch clearly meant he had something important to say.
After appraising everyone on Jiraiya's side, Mugetsu spoke.
"In truth, the entire support force has already arrived. Besides me, there are five hundred shinobi in total, including fifteen jonin and fifteen special jonin..."
Mugetsu first gave them a brief explanation of the support force's real strength.
"Huh? Didn't you say only the vanguard had arrived?" Dekai asked in confusion, not expecting even their own information exchange to contain deliberate falsehoods.
"They're probably worried the spies will get hold of the intelligence," Minato Namikaze said, offering his own analysis.
The moment he had received Mugetsu's message, he had already thought it felt slightly odd.
The Iwa ninja force in the Land of Grass was far stronger than Konoha's current force. Sending only a fifty man elite team on a forced march made little sense, unless all fifty of those shinobi were as strong as Mugetsu himself.
"In that case, Mugetsu, do you already have a way to catch the spies?" Jiraiya asked.
Mugetsu's strength was certainly great. Even by himself, he could already make Jiraiya's small force much safer.
But Jiraiya did not believe Mugetsu had gone through all this trouble just for that.
If Mugetsu had not been present personally among the supposed vanguard, Jiraiya would definitely have refused the rendezvous in order to avoid taking such a risk.
Mugetsu nodded and repeated the explanation he had given earlier to the vanguard.
"Being able to sense goodwill and malice... that's truly a good method!" Jiraiya's eyes lit up.
If that ability belonged to someone unpopular, then its effectiveness in identifying spies might not be that high.
But if the one using it was Mugetsu, Jiraiya felt it would be incredibly reliable.
Mugetsu treated others kindly and cooked delicious food. Among fellow Konoha shinobi, Jiraiya found it difficult to imagine how anyone could harbor genuine malice toward him unless they were truly enemies.
"It still has to be Mugetsu Sage," Obito praised inwardly.
Jiraiya might be pretty strong, but Mugetsu felt almost omnipotent.
"My plan is to first use my ability to identify the spies, then reverse the situation by feeding them false information, thereby creating favorable conditions for Konoha," Mugetsu said, pushing up his glasses as he stated his general idea.
"Then the other four hundred and fifty hidden shinobi become our surprise force!" Jiraiya said with a grin, slapping Mugetsu on the shoulder as he roughly understood the direction of the plan.
He had to admit that Mugetsu had thought things through more carefully than he had, despite Jiraiya being the seasoned battlefield commander.
Of course, that was also because Mugetsu possessed the key ability needed to break the deadlock in the first place.
"What do you think our next step should be? Should we visit each small team one by one, or gather them all together first?" Jiraiya asked after some thought.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's orders had not placed the support force directly under Jiraiya's command in the Land of Grass, so Mugetsu was currently a commander on the same level as him. They had to discuss things together, and neither had the right to simply issue orders to the other.
"Let's gather all the teams. Investigating them one by one would be too slow, and the risk of exposing the plan would be higher," Mugetsu replied after considering it.
If they inspected each small unit one by one, they would still eventually need to gather everyone together anyway.
Mugetsu was also worried that new White Zetsu might infiltrate during that drawn out process. If that happened, then the cautious option would be to screen everyone all over again.
So he felt it would be better to gather the entire force, inspect them all at once, and then immediately begin the next stage of the plan.
The faster they moved, the less time the enemy would have to react.
"Agreed." Jiraiya found Mugetsu's reasoning sound and accepted it.
Once the plan had been mostly discussed, Mugetsu called back the shinobi who had been keeping watch and followed Jiraiya to the latter's small unit.
"I'm truly sorry, Minato. It looks like after the war, you'll have to take care of Kushina yourself," Mugetsu said to Minato Namikaze with a smile along the way.
It had not been long after Minato sent him that letter before Hiruzen Sarutobi's order had come down.
Minato Namikaze smiled awkwardly, then sighed.
"I hope so. There have been too many unexpected events lately."
He had written that letter because he already had a bad feeling about the war with Iwagakure, but the actual developments had still gone far beyond his expectations.
If Mugetsu had not possessed an ability that could sense malice, Minato estimated that even with reinforcements, the Land of Grass force would have remained stuck in a purely defensive posture for a long time.
"If the defeat of the Land of Grass force really was caused by spies, then Mugetsu sensei, with his unusual sensory ability, would certainly become a major thorn in Iwagakure's side. Could that be the reason he was eventually surrounded and killed by numerous Iwa experts?" Kakashi thought.
Kakashi had never held a high position within a shinobi force, but he had been on many battlefields over the years.
A spy incident severe enough to cause Jiraiya's force to collapse without warning was definitely no ordinary incident.
"Talk less after we get there," Kakashi could not help but remind Obito.
By following Mugetsu, they now knew far too much confidential information.
Obito's face darkened.
"Kakashi, you're underestimating me too much. I'm not some bigmouth who blurts everything out."
"Heh." Kakashi only smiled faintly and said nothing more.
Obito was instantly furious.
If the timing had not been so bad, he would have wanted to fight Kakashi right there.
"You just wait and see," Obito said fiercely.
To prove to Kakashi that he could keep secrets, he decided that after they arrived, he would not talk to any shinobi outside his own circle of friends at all. That way, there would be no chance of leaking information.
Kakashi glanced at Obito's reaction and nodded inwardly.
.....
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