Killer B was unhappy that he hadn't been sent to the front lines, so he immediately launched into an awkward rap.
"Big bro makes decisions looking so cool,
Didn't pick me, now I'm sad enough to cry—boo-hoo!"
"Baka-yarō… kono-yarō…"
The Fourth Raikage slapped a palm onto Killer B's face.
I'm already annoyed—stop yapping at me.
Killer B rolled his eyes, still trying to mumble something.
The Fourth Raikage didn't give him the chance and suppressed him on the spot.
Having a little brother like this was honestly exhausting.
Couldn't he learn from Darui and be a quiet, handsome guy for once?
...
Within the borders of the Land of Frost.
The Kumogakure allied force led by Yugito Nii had arrived at the battlefield and formed a standoff with Konoha.
Konoha Allied Camp.
After several days of rest and reorganization, the Konoha coalition had built a solid, fortified camp.
In the center of the camp stood a luxurious tent—serving as the command headquarters of the allied army.
Inside the command tent:
Uchiha Yusuke, Hyuga Hiashi, Nara Shikaku, and other key figures gathered together.
Uchiha Yusuke sat in the main seat, his expression solemn.
"Hiashi—what's the situation now?"
Hyuga Hiashi was equally serious.
War was no joke. Everyone's nerves were tight.
"We've completed reconnaissance. Kumogakure has about three thousand as well."
"The one commanding their front line appears to be Yugito Nii, the Two-Tails jinchūriki."
A tailed beast was a village's most important military asset.
For Kumogakure to deploy a jinchūriki right away put invisible pressure on everyone in Konoha.
To ordinary shinobi, a tailed beast was a nightmare-level disaster.
The Nine-Tails incident in Konoha was still fresh in memory.
Even someone as strong as the Third Hokage had only managed to drive the beast out of the village.
To truly defeat a tailed beast?
One word: hard.
Hearing that Kumogakure had brought out a tailed beast, Uchiha Yusuke remained calm.
"Yugito Nii, the Two-Tails jinchūriki…?"
"Interesting."
He looked around the tent.
"Let's hear it."
"How should we arrange things next?"
Yusuke shifted his gaze to Nara Shikaku—this was exactly the kind of moment when high-IQ people were meant to shine.
Shikaku had been appointed as frontline strategist by the Third Hokage. Yusuke had no intention of truly relying on people tied to Konoha's leadership, but their basic advice was still worth hearing.
"Cough."
Feeling Yusuke's attention, Shikaku cleared his throat and spoke.
"I think we should stay cautious. We should send someone out to probe them first."
Yusuke nodded slightly.
"Sounds reasonable. We'll do that."
He decisively began assigning personnel.
"Uchiha, Hyuga, and the Ino–Shika–Chō clans will each send one jōnin to form a squad. Go test Kumogakure's situation."
"If you run into Yugito Nii, you're allowed to retreat. Any objections?"
As soon as he finished, Hiashi immediately agreed.
"I think Yusuke has considered things thoroughly. No issues."
"The Hyuga clan agrees."
Shikaku had originally intended to coast a bit, but with Uchiha and Hyuga already agreeing, he had nothing more to say and could only accept Yusuke's plan.
Intelligence was crucial—and concealing true intelligence was also a core shinobi skill.
Kumogakure was openly letting Yugito lead, but who knew what the real situation was?
If they walked into an ambush without knowing, it would be too late for regrets.
In the allied army, the only people Yusuke truly trusted were Uchiha clan members—so for scouting, he needed at least one of his own.
The Hyuga had the Byakugan and were ideal for observing enemy movements, so they naturally needed to send someone too.
The Ino–Shika–Chō clans always operated as one. If they were going, they would go together.
Yusuke waved his hand and finalized the arrangements.
"Everyone else stays on standby and remains alert. Kumogakure will probably send scouts to steal intelligence too."
"Every time the patrol units rotate shifts, reset the passcodes, to prevent hidden Kumogakure infiltrators from launching a sudden strike!"
Facing Kumogakure, Yusuke handled everything smoothly and carried himself like a true commander. Everyone couldn't help but nod inwardly.
The Third Hokage had said Yusuke was young—looking at him now, that clearly wasn't accurate.
From what they saw today, Yusuke was meticulous and decisive, not inferior at all to these experienced veterans.
The war had only just begun. Both sides were still in the probing phase.
Whoever obtained more intelligence would seize initiative in the battles to come.
Most of the Konoha coalition were seasoned shinobi who had been on battlefields before.
Some things didn't even need Yusuke's instructions—they could handle them cleanly on their own.
...
Ino–Shika–Chō Camp.
Nara Shikaku pulled his two old friends aside for a small private meeting.
"Chōza, Inoichi—I think the three of our clans should start building a closer relationship with the Uchiha."
Akimichi Chōza looked confused.
"Why, Shikaku?"
"Weren't you always pushing us to align with the Third Hokage before?"
Yamanaka Inoichi, however, understood immediately.
He sighed and said slowly:
"The Third Hokage is old."
Shikaku nodded in agreement.
The once-dominant "Shinobi Hero" was now in decline, while Uchiha Yusuke was rising like a new star.
Konoha's leadership still held power for now—but who could guarantee Yusuke wouldn't suddenly rise to the Hokage seat, the way Minato once had?
Shikaku's political instincts were extremely sharp. His clan had maintained good relations with every Hokage across generations.
Secretly helping Yusuke wouldn't cost them anything.
And if the Uchiha became the next Hokage, those who showed goodwill early would definitely be rewarded.
Their three clans had no real claim to competing for the Hokage position anyway.
If they wanted their clans to endure, they had to use wisdom—move early toward whoever had the best chance of becoming the next ruler.
The Hyuga already seemed to be forming ties with the Uchiha.
They couldn't afford to fall behind.
Konoha's leadership had already developed tension with both the Uchiha and the Hyuga. They absolutely wouldn't pick a fight with the Ino–Shika–Chō clans too.
Even if the Third Hokage discovered their quiet support of Yusuke, he would simply turn a blind eye and pretend he hadn't seen it.
And even if the Uchiha were crushed, it still wouldn't be too late to offer goodwill to whoever rose next.
They would keep one foot on the leadership line—while not missing any other potential successor.
Playing both sides, keeping options open—that was true stability.
If they won this war, Uchiha Yusuke would definitely rise powerfully.
At that point, Konoha's leadership would find it much harder to keep targeting the Uchiha.
In two or three years, the Third Hokage might even be forced to step down.
If Jiraiya refused to return, then the Hokage position could only belong to Uchiha Yusuke.
Shikaku had a strong intuition:
The Konoha leadership led by the Third Hokage… would not be a match for Uchiha Yusuke.
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