Kiyohara stood at the back, quietly listening.
The Land of Wind, although it appeared to be a country dominated mostly by desert terrain, actually did have access to the sea. At its southernmost edge lay a stretch of western coastline, and to the right of it was the Land of Rivers. Beyond the Land of Rivers lay the Land of Fire.
Because of this geography, the Land of Rivers had become the battleground and buffer zone in this war, serving as the point of contention between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire.
"The Seven Ninja Swordsmen?"
A young jonin spoke up with confusion.
"Didn't I hear that Might Duy—"
"Four of them died. Three remain."
Orochimaru's hoarse voice cut in, picking up the conversation. He sat within the shadows, his presence cold and unsettling.
"But those three are likely even harder to deal with than the four who died. The fact that they survived the Eight Gates already proves their strength."
Minato spoke next. "Lord Hokage, since Sunagakure is requesting reinforcements, it means they have already judged that they cannot hold the border with their own strength. If Kirigakure breaks through their defenses, their next target will be the Land of Fire."
"That is exactly my concern."
Hiruzen nodded.
Several of the shinobi swords of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen had already been sealed by Konoha to prevent them from being summoned back. However, the Land of Water was still capable of forging imitation blades.
With skilled craftsmen and sufficient materials, they could create a new generation of Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
After all, the current group was only the first generation. As long as the artisans remained and resources were available, even if the replicas were not perfect, achieving eighty to ninety percent of the original quality was not difficult.
"And so, I have decided to send reinforcements."
The meeting room fell silent as everyone waited for the Hokage's detailed orders.
"For this operation, Konoha will dispatch three thousand shinobi."
Hiruzen's gaze swept across the room.
"They will be divided into three forces. The first force will be led by Tsunade. She will take one thousand troops and serve as the main force, joining with Sunagakure's army to confront Kirigakure head on."
Tsunade stood up. "Understood."
"Kiyohara."
Hiruzen's eyes shifted to the young man standing behind her.
"You will serve as vice captain and assist Tsunade. Your performance in the Land of Rain has already proven your capabilities. This time, I hope you will continue to demonstrate them."
"Yes."
Kiyohara had not expected a promotion.
Although it was said that Tsunade would lead this thousand man force, in reality, he would be the one commanding it.
Hiruzen clearly understood Tsunade's hemophobia, which meant she would inevitably remain in the rear. The one truly leading the shinobi would only be Kiyohara.
As for giving him only the title of vice captain, it was likely because of his young age.
He could already feel the gazes of others upon him.
What he could deduce, others could deduce as well. No one present was a fool.
Many were probably considering what kind of signal this sent to the Uchiha clan.
Not far away, Uchiha Fugaku gave a slight nod, unable to suppress a hint of excitement.
He had not made the wrong bet.
Kiyohara was just like Uchiha Kagami from back then.
The higher ups of Konoha likely intended to use Kiyohara as a bridge to communicate with the Uchiha clan and ease tensions.
If that were the case, the clan's current situation would improve significantly.
And if Itachi were to become a shinobi in the future, with Kiyohara as a connection, his political standing would also be much more favorable.
"Hmph."
Danzo let out a cold snort.
He was always the one who could not tolerate the Uchiha, whom he believed to be inherently dangerous, gaining any advantage.
Hiruzen ignored the silent exchange of glances and continued.
"The second force, also one thousand strong, will be commanded by Nara Shikaku. They will deploy along the border to prevent Kiri from splitting their forces and maneuvering around us."
Shikaku nodded slightly, his expression steady.
"The third force, likewise one thousand, will be led by Sarutobi Shinnosuke."
Hiruzen spoke the name of his eldest son.
Beyond his role as captain of the First Division of the Anbu, Hiruzen clearly intended to grant him more political resources.
"This force will act as a reserve, ready to provide support depending on how the battle develops."
Seated in the corner, Shinnosuke stood and bowed. He was not wearing an Anbu uniform nor a mask. His appearance bore a strong resemblance to Hiruzen, though younger.
"Everyone."
Hiruzen stood up, placing both hands on the table.
"The Third Great Shinobi War has reached this point, and all villages are exhausted. Kirigakure's desperate gamble is an attempt to gain more leverage at the negotiation table."
His gaze swept across every person present.
"Our task is simple. We must make them feel real pain and let them understand that invading the allies of the Land of Fire comes at a cost."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"But remember, we are not fighting for meaningless slaughter. Every shinobi's life is precious. I want you to bring back as many of your subordinates as possible. Do you understand?"
"Understood!"
The unified response echoed through the meeting room.
"Meeting adjourned. Squad leaders will remain for detailed planning. Everyone else, return and prepare. We depart at dawn tomorrow."
People began to rise and leave one after another.
Kiyohara was about to follow Tsunade when a voice called out to him.
"Kiyohara-kun."
He turned around. It was Orochimaru.
At some point, Orochimaru had appeared beside him, his golden vertical pupils studying him with interest.
"Lord Orochimaru."
Kiyohara nodded politely but kept his distance.
"I heard that in the Land of Sea, you used a curse mark based 'senjutsu'."
Orochimaru spoke slowly.
"Such an astonishing rate of growth. I am becoming more and more curious about what you will become in the future."
At first, when Kiyohara used the curse mark transformation, some uninformed shinobi had regarded it as something monstrous.
Orochimaru had stepped in to clarify, calling it senjutsu instead.
Because of that, whenever Kiyohara used the curse mark afterward, no one dared call him a monster.
After all, pointing at an Uchiha and calling them a monster was practically asking for death.
"Thank you for the compliment."
Kiyohara smiled faintly.
Orochimaru's information network was indeed impressive.
Of course, Kiyohara suspected it had more to do with the fact that he had destroyed one of Orochimaru's bases.
Amachi had probably been a fairly capable assistant to him.
However, due to those inhumane experiments, Kiyohara had not spared him on the isolated island.
"If there is nothing else, I will take my leave."
"Of course."
Orochimaru stepped aside, a meaningful smile curling at the corners of his lips.
"On the battlefield, do be careful."
Kiyohara did not respond. He simply quickened his pace to catch up with Tsunade and the others.
He could feel that gaze following him from behind until he turned the corner of the corridor.
On the way back, the atmosphere was somewhat silent.
In the end, Tsunade was the first to speak. She rubbed her temples, her tone laced with fatigue.
"Another war. I wonder how many people will die this time."
"Sensei…"
Shizune looked at her with concern.
"I'm fine."
Tsunade waved her hand.
"You just had your birthday. If you think about it, in a few months it will be mine again. I'll be another year older."
Her voice carried a hint of self mockery.
Although Tsunade appeared youthful, her actual age was far from young.
As a medical shinobi, she understood the cruelty of time better than anyone.
"How could you be old, Sensei?"
Kiyohara said seriously.
Even if she were older, she would still be herself. And at present, Tsunade was at the perfect stage of maturity for a woman.
The idea of her being old simply did not apply.
After all, even in later years, she would still appear remarkably youthful.
"In my eyes, you are no different from when you were eighteen."
Tsunade raised an eyebrow and stared at him for a few seconds before suddenly laughing.
"You brat. Since when did you learn to say things like that?"
"I'm just telling the truth."
Kiyohara's expression did not change.
"And age is just a number. Your strength, your experience, and… other aspects are all far beyond what they were back then."
"Other aspects?"
Tsunade stepped closer, narrowing her eyes.
"What do you mean by that?"
Kiyohara could feel the fragrance and the subtle pressure coming from her presence, yet his expression remained calm.
"All aspects."
After a brief silence, Tsunade suddenly laughed. Her smile was so bright that it almost dazzled the eyes.
She reached out and rubbed Kiyohara's hair.
"You really know how to talk."
She withdrew her hand, turned around, and continued walking forward. Her steps seemed noticeably lighter than before.
"Come on. Let's go back and pack things up. Starting tomorrow, we'll be busy again."
The next day.
One thousand shinobi gathered at the entrance of Konoha.
Quite a lot of people had come this time.
Might Guy was wearing his familiar green training suit, flashing his gleaming white teeth as he greeted Kiyohara.
Kiyohara gave a slight nod in response.
That guy, Might Guy, only wore his ANBU uniform when carrying out ANBU missions.
At all other times, he stubbornly wore that green training suit.
It even made Kiyohara start wondering whether Might Guy's true body was actually the green training suit itself.
Meanwhile—
"Kiyohara!"
Rin and Kurenai waved toward him one after another, and Kiyohara responded to each of them.
In the end, he also spotted Uzuki Yugao and Gekko Hayate. It seemed they were participating in this mission as accompanying personnel as well.
Compared to the last time he had seen them, both of them had grown a little older.
Kiyohara estimated that it would not be long before the two of them could officially become full ANBU members instead of remaining auxiliary personnel as they were now.
"Kid, why are you only showing up now?"
Tsunade walked toward Kiyohara.
The heavy softness on her chest swayed dangerously with each step she took.
"The owner of that salmon shop opened late today."
Kiyohara answered casually.
When he left home earlier, he had originally gone out together with Tsunade and Shizune.
Afterward, however, he made a detour to buy ingredients first.
After all, Tsunade had eaten so much of his cooking that her stomach had already become accustomed to Kiyohara's flavors.
If she suddenly had to eat someone else's cooking, she genuinely might not adapt very well.
"Fine then. Good enough that you made it."
Seeing that Kiyohara had arrived, Tsunade turned around and addressed the gathered shinobi behind her.
Most of it consisted of encouraging words. Then she waved her hand decisively and ordered the shinobi to set out.
A massive group of shinobi moved rapidly through the forests, continuously advancing toward the Land of Rivers.
Two days later, the thousand shinobi gathered at a temporary camp along the border of the Land of Rivers. Tents were scattered across the boundary between the hills and the woodland like clusters of mushrooms.
The Land of Rivers had always served as a buffer zone squeezed between major nations. Its terrain was complicated, filled with hills, river valleys, and dense forests intertwined together. Now, however, it had become a chessboard upon which three different forces struggled against one another.
"Vice Captain Kiyohara."
Yuhi Shinku walked up from below the slope.
Kiyohara turned around to look at him.
At the same time, Yuhi Shinku was also sizing up this young man before him.
He truly had not expected Kiyohara to grow so quickly.
Now, Kiyohara's position was actually higher than his own.
At this realization, Yuhi Shinku could only sigh inwardly.
The newer generation really was stronger than the previous one.
"Shinku-senpai."
Kiyohara greeted politely.
Toward Yuhi Shinku, Kiyohara did not put on any airs.
Soon afterward, he noticed several chunin following behind Yuhi Shinku while carrying several sealed wooden crates.
"These are strategic supplies that just arrived."
"Thank you for your hard work, Shinku-senpai."
Kiyohara nodded, his gaze sweeping over the sealing tags attached to the crates.
During wartime, supply transportation was the easiest place for problems to occur. Kirigakure's assassination squads were especially skilled at sabotaging supply lines.
"Lady Tsunade is currently assigning tasks over at the medical division. She said the strategy meeting will begin once the Sunagakure people arrive."
Yuhi Shinku paused briefly before lowering his voice.
"I heard the one leading Suna's forces this time is Baki. He's not simple."
Baki.
Kiyohara searched through his memories for that name.
In the original story, Baki was an elite jonin of Sunagakure, the right hand of the Fourth Kazekage Rasa, and also the mentor of the three siblings Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro.
To be heavily trusted under a suspicious ruler like Rasa meant he was absolutely no ordinary person.
Of course, the most famous thing about him was probably his battle against Gekko Hayate.
Hayate had died at Baki's hands.
Originally, Yugao had wanted to seek revenge against Baki, but before long Konoha and Suna formed an alliance, and the matter could only be abandoned in the end.
"Whether he's simple or not, right now we're allies."
Kiyohara said calmly.
"As long as they don't stab us in the back, we'll fulfill our responsibilities as allies."
Yuhi Shinku glanced at him, said nothing more, and turned around to arrange the camp defenses.
Kiyohara continued overlooking the camp below.
Although his Sharingan was not activated, the perception ability of his Yang Release chakra had already spread outward like an invisible spiderweb.
One kilometer away, a squad was approaching.
Their speed was not particularly fast, but their formation remained organized, and there was no sign of exhaustion from forced marching.
Sunagakure's reinforcements had arrived.
Kiyohara turned and walked down from the high ground toward the camp entrance.
Tsunade had probably sensed them as well, but she was most likely still inside the medical tents. In a diplomatic setting like this, it was naturally his duty as vice captain to receive them first.
Sure enough, when he arrived at the camp gates, Nara Shikaku was already standing there waiting.
This jonin, renowned for his intelligence, wore a standard combat uniform. No expression could be seen on his face, but his eyes were exceptionally sharp.
"Kiyohara-kun."
"Shikaku-senpai."
The two exchanged simple greetings before simultaneously turning their gazes eastward.
Dust gradually rose in the distance.
The first thing to enter their sight was a dark brown banner embroidered with the character for "sand."
Immediately afterward came the orderly formation behind it.
Most of the Sand shinobi wore khaki-colored flak jackets.
Leading the group was a man with white cloth wrapped around his head. One side of his face was covered with white fabric, while two red markings were painted across the exposed side.
It was unmistakably Baki.
Baki raised his hand, signaling the squad to stop, before walking forward alone.
"My apologies for keeping Konoha waiting."
He first greeted Shikaku. The two had crossed paths several times on previous battlefields.
Then Baki's gaze shifted toward Kiyohara.
At that moment, Kiyohara could clearly feel the other man's eyes linger on his face for a brief instant, especially around his eyes.
"This is Vice Captain Kiyohara, Lady Tsunade's disciple."
Nara Shikaku introduced him.
"Kiyohara-kun, this is Sunagakure's Jonin Baki, commander of the Sunagakure reinforcement forces."
"I've heard much about you."
Baki extended his hand. His palm was broad, his knuckles thick and rough.
Kiyohara shook hands with him, neither using too much force nor too little.
"Jonin Baki, you must have had a tiring journey. The camp has already designated an area for your forces. Please follow me."
There was no unnecessary small talk. They went directly to business.
Baki nodded and made a gesture behind him.
The Sunagakure forces began entering the camp in an orderly manner while Konoha's logistics shinobi stepped forward to guide them.
Kiyohara and Baki walked side by side at the front, while Shikaku followed half a step behind.
"I heard Vice Captain Kiyohara was previously carrying out missions in the Land of the Sea?"
Baki suddenly asked in a tone that sounded almost casual.
"Yes. Investigating sea monster attack incidents."
"That place... has not been peaceful lately."
Baki paused briefly.
"Our Sunagakure also has outposts along the western coast. Recently, we've received many reports of merchant ships being attacked. The Land of the Sea, the Land of Waves, the Land of Tea... Kirigakure's sphere of activity is growing larger and larger."
Kiyohara immediately heard the probing hidden beneath those words.
Baki was gathering intelligence, attempting to judge Konoha's understanding of the maritime situation through Kiyohara's reaction.
"Kirigakure has deployed most of its forces this time, leaving their naval strength weakened. That naturally creates the perfect opportunity for pirates and rogue shinobi to become active."
Kiyohara replied calmly.
"Once we defeat Kirigakure's main forces here, the problems at sea will resolve themselves."
Baki turned his head slightly to look at him, but said nothing further.
As they spoke, the group soon arrived at the main command tent. Tsunade happened to be coming over from the medical division.
"Jonin Baki."
"Lady Tsunade."
The two exchanged greetings.
Tsunade was one of the Legendary Sannin and the princess of the Senju Clan. Whether in strength or status, she far surpassed ordinary jonin, so Baki's attitude toward her was very respectful.
"There's no need for unnecessary formalities. Let's discuss business directly."
Tsunade lifted the tent curtain and entered. Kiyohara, Shikaku, and Baki followed behind her in sequence.
The interior of the tent was spacious.
A long table stood in the center, covered with a detailed terrain map of the Land of Rivers and the surrounding seas.
Various tactical boards hung around the area, covered with small flags and paper markers.
"Sit."
Tsunade took the main seat. Kiyohara sat to her right, Shikaku to her left, while Baki sat opposite them.
"First, let's synchronize our intelligence."
Tsunade pulled a scroll from her robe and spread it open.
"According to the Hyuga Clan's reconnaissance, Kirigakure has currently established at least seven temporary outposts within fifty kilometers of the coastline. Three of them have been confirmed to contain large-scale chakra signatures, which should be gathering points for their main forces."
She pointed at several locations on the map.
"In addition, our spies have reported that Kiri's transport fleet gathers every three days in a designated sea region. Two members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen rotate escort duty. The last escort group consisted of Fuguki Suikazan and Juzo Biwa."
"Fuguki Suikazan and Juzo Biwa..."
Baki frowned deeply.
"The coordination between those two is troublesome. The Executioner's Blade can absorb blood to restore its wielder's stamina, while Samehada can absorb chakra."
"It doesn't matter. I'll deal with them personally when the time comes."
Kiyohara suddenly spoke.
All three pairs of eyes turned toward him.
That confident?
Kiyohara ignored their gazes and reached out, tracing a line across the map from the Konoha camp all the way to the coastline.
"Kiri's advantage lies in naval warfare and the Hidden Mist Technique. But on land, their mobility is inferior to ours. More importantly, they possess a fatal weakness."
He paused slightly.
"Supplies."
"Sea transportation may be concealed, but it is heavily affected by weather conditions, and the routes are relatively fixed."
"As long as we can locate their supply points and sever their transportation lines, the frontline forces will immediately fall into a passive position."
Shikaku's eyes lit up.
"Kiyohara-kun, are you suggesting... a flanking sabotage operation?"
"Not just sabotage."
Kiyohara's finger lightly tapped the map.
(End of Chapter)