"Oh?"
As Fugaku spoke, Black Zetsu's eyes twitched slightly.
After spending countless years observing and manipulating people, it could read intentions with ease. The moment it heard Fugaku's tone, it already understood what he was thinking.
Just as expected, Fugaku asked in the next moment, "Can the front lines conduct a forced march into the Land of Fire and ambush Konoha's forces?"
Black Zetsu dismissed the idea immediately.
"Impossible. Their force numbers more than a thousand ninja. Ambushing a unit that large is unrealistic, especially when Sakumo Hatake, the White Fang, and Lightning Flash Hayashi are both present."
Fugaku nodded, showing he understood.
Although his power and ambitions had grown significantly, he had never truly commanded a battlefield. For now, he mostly listened to the intelligence gathered by White Zetsu, proposed ideas, and discussed their feasibility with Black Zetsu.
The will left behind by Madara Uchiha existed not only to monitor Fugaku but also to prevent him from recklessly rushing into situations and ruining everything.
Falling into darkness could happen in an instant. Power could surge overnight. Intelligence, however, was different. Wearing a mask did not suddenly grant someone the mind of a master strategist.
Fugaku possessed strength, but if he wanted to become the hidden mastermind controlling events from the shadows, he still had much to learn.
Fortunately, he now had the entire Kirigakure to practice with.
In a sense, this war served as his training ground.
When it ended, the perfect moment would arrive to put his true plan into motion.
"In that case," Fugaku said quietly after a moment of thought, "order the Kirigakure ninja stationed in the Land of Waves to launch an offensive toward the Land of Fire."
"The Land of Waves?" White Zetsu replied with some doubt. "But we suffered heavy losses in the Land of Bears not long ago. Can the front lines recover that quickly?"
"We will simply use numbers," Fugaku answered calmly. "Konoha is currently fighting multiple nations at once. Every ninja matters to them. Hidden Mist does not face the same pressure."
To Fugaku, the situation was simple.
If this group of Mist ninja died, he could simply send more from the village. Hidden Mist was fighting only *Konohagakure*, and from a purely numerical perspective, they held the advantage.
Unless a conflict was a life or death struggle, no village would normally exhaust its own forces against Konoha the way Fugaku was willing to.
However, the Hidden Mist Village was not truly his.
Even if every single ninja from Kirigakure died, he would feel nothing.
As long as Konoha was weakened, the outcome would still benefit him.
"By the way," Fugaku continued, "how is my clone inside the Konoha camp?"
"As you ordered, it has been keeping a low profile," White Zetsu replied with a sly smile. "But if you stay away much longer, your position as head of the *Uchiha Clan* may not remain yours."
Fugaku's expression remained calm as he nodded slightly.
Originally, the idea of sending a clone to impersonate him had been nothing more than a temporary measure. He wanted to prevent Tatsumi from easily consolidating control of the clan.
However, with time he had come to realize something.
Competing with Tatsumi for the position of clan head was unrealistic.
Near the end of the Second Great Ninja War, Fugaku had nearly led many members of the Uchiha clan to their deaths during a disastrous battle against Sunagakure. His reputation had fallen sharply.
Meanwhile, Tatsumi had continued to accumulate achievements on the battlefield. Within the clan, no one could rival his growing prestige.
Without the protection of his father, inheriting the clan leadership as a young successor would have been impossible.
He had considered eliminating Tatsumi.
However, Tatsumi's growth had been far too rapid. Fugaku could not confidently say he would win such a confrontation.
There were technically other ways to secure leadership.
He could lead the clan to great victories during this war.
Or he could reveal the power of his Mangekyo Sharingan.
But neither option aligned with his current plans.
After long and bitter consideration, Fugaku had abandoned the idea of becoming clan head and instead stepped into the shadows.
Eventually, everyone would see Fugaku as a failure. No one would bother paying attention to him.
That anonymity would become the perfect cover for the day he seized the Nine-Tailed Fox.
Seeing Fugaku fall silent, White Zetsu curled its lip slightly but said nothing more. Soon the massive pitcher plant sank back into the ground and disappeared.
The Mizukage's office returned to silence.
Only Yagura Karatachi remained standing motionless while Fugaku sat quietly in the chair.
---
On the coastline of the *Land of Waves*, within a Hidden Mist military camp, the night was calm.
Suddenly, a sharp cry echoed across the sky.
A gyrfalcon cut through the darkness and descended rapidly toward the camp.
A Kirigakure ninja standing guard stepped forward from the shadows. When he noticed the word URGENT written on the scroll attached to the bird's leg, his expression immediately changed.
He unsealed the message and hurried toward the command tent.
Inside, the commander Terumi frowned as he examined the scroll.
"Why would the Fourth Mizukage send orders at this hour?" he muttered.
Still puzzled, he broke the seal and opened the message.
Moments later, his face darkened.
"Sir, what is it?" a subordinate asked.
"The Yagura, the Fourth Mizukage, has ordered a full assault on the Konoha camp at dawn tomorrow," Sora said while rolling the scroll closed.
"But we just fought them," the subordinate protested. "Many of our men are still wounded, and Konoha's reconnaissance teams watch the coastline constantly. Any movement will be detected immediately."
Sora sighed quietly.
He was fully aware of the situation. However, when Yagura had launched his coup in Kirigakure, Sora had chosen not to oppose him.
Now that Yagura ruled the village, refusing a direct order would be no different from suicide.
Still, Sora slowly handed a map to his subordinate.
"This shows every Konoha scout stationed along the coast."
The subordinate's eyes widened in shock.
"But the Mizukage is in Hidden Mist Village. How could he know such detailed information?"
Sora forced a bitter smile.
He was stationed here on the front lines, yet even he did not possess intelligence this precise. The only explanation was that the Mizukage controlled an extremely powerful intelligence network. Even from far away, he could see everything happening on this battlefield.
A cold chill ran down Sora's spine.
He did not know exactly what had happened on the night the Third Mizukage disappeared. However, since he had participated in the political struggle that followed, he was certain of one thing.
Yagura had been involved.
After the Third Mizukage vanished, Yagura used the chaos to convene the Five Kage Summit and ignite the current war.
Everything seemed carefully planned.
And yet, the Yagura standing at the top of Kirigakure now felt completely different from the man Sora once knew.
He felt distant. Unfamiliar.
Almost like a different person entirely.
A dangerous suspicion formed in Sora's mind, but he dared not speak it aloud.
He feared that voicing such thoughts might lead to a sudden and inexplicable death.
After a long silence, Sora finally looked up and gave his order.
"Prepare everyone."
"At 05:00 tomorrow morning, we attack the Konoha camp."