Despite the dire circumstances, Namikaze Minato was in better shape than Sakumo Hatake.
Thanks to the Flying Raijin, Minato had escaped the day with only a few shallow nicks. Sakumo, however, had spent the entire day nearly single-handedly weathering the combined assault of over a dozen Suna Jonin. By the time the fighting subsided, he was covered in dozens of wounds of varying sizes.
Even though his razor-sharp instincts had kept him from sustaining any fatal blows, he had lost enough blood to fill a literal canteen. His face was now so pale it was beginning to match the silver of his hair.
But his opponents had it worse. Leveraging Minato and Hatani's constant harassment and a high-risk "trading injuries for lives" tactic, Sakumo's White Fang blade had claimed the souls of two more Suna Jonin during the day's slaughter.
Hatani, meanwhile, had fared the best physically. Thanks to the innate traits of the Phantom Lancer template—which was perfectly suited for chaotic melees—his chakra consumption was minimal, and he was virtually unscathed. However, after a full day of swinging a blade and cutting down enemies, his body felt like it was about to fall apart. He was drowning in a sea of profound fatigue.
Through his and Minato's combined efforts, they had forced Sunagakure to leave nearly five hundred corpses on the battlefield today.
Yet, neither Minato nor Sakumo felt any joy at this result.
Even with Minato acting as a tactical firefighter—teleporting across the line to douse every "blaze"—and Sakumo carrying the weight of the entire Suna Jonin force on his shoulders, Konoha had still lost nearly five hundred shinobi.
Willpower can bridge many gaps, but it can never truly level the playing field against a sheer disparity in raw power.
The disabled veterans of the Konoha force were shadows of their former selves. As for the sixth-year Academy students who hadn't even graduated, no matter how much their blood had boiled with passion before the fight, they were gripped by uncontrollable terror once the reality of the slaughter set in. Even those who managed to suppress their fear lacked the experience to survive; they had become the easiest targets for the Suna ninjas.
Furthermore, Sunagakure was driven by a desperate need to wash away their shame and discard the "Terrified of the White Fang" label. Their morale was every bit as fierce as Konoha's.
A near 1:1 trade ratio was the absolute best Sakumo and Minato could achieve by giving their all.
But Suna had more than twice the numbers. If they were truly determined to grind Konoha down in a war of attrition, Konoha would collapse the moment their casualties reached a third of their total strength—which would happen in one, maybe two more days.
Once the defensive line crumbled, these Konoha shinobi—who could barely manage a one-for-one trade even while fortified—would become a flock of sheep for Suna to slaughter at will.
The cold, cruel reality sat heavy in the air. If they couldn't find a way to break the stalemate before dawn, they wouldn't live to see the sunrise of the day after next.
"As things stand, we only have one path left."
While everyone else was locked in a grim silence, Hatani spoke up.
"Hatani, do you have a plan?"
The eyes of Minato and Sakumo lit up instantly, and they looked at him with visible excitement.
The other ninjas in the meeting, however, were skeptical. They acknowledged Hatani's strength, but he was a boy who wasn't even thirteen yet. Could a child really find a way out when battle-hardened veterans like themselves were at a total loss?
"The situation is obvious. We are completely disadvantaged in a frontal confrontation. If we keep playing Suna's game and let them wear us down, we'll simply be ground into dust," Hatani began.
He caught the doubt in their eyes, so he intentionally analyzed the tactical situation to build his credibility. Sure enough, as the veterans listened to his assessment, they began to nod somberly. Their skepticism slowly transformed into a sliver of hope.
"Therefore, to win, we must strike where they least expect it."
Hatani paused, casting a brief glance at Minato.
"If we can bypass the Suna main army tonight, infiltrate their rear, and locate their logistics, we can set their supplies ablaze. That will inevitably throw their entire force into chaos."
Hatani's plan was, quite literally, "plagiarized" from the future. He was taking a page out of Minato's own playbook from the Battle of Kannabi Bridge during the Third Great Ninja War.
"Suna might be arrogant, but they aren't stupid," one of the veteran ninjas muttered. The hope in his eyes began to fade. "They'll be guarding their supply lines with everything they have. They won't give us an opening."
"Heh, if Suna were still back in the Land of Rivers, I wouldn't suggest this," Hatani replied with a confident smirk, as if he had expected that exact objection.
"But Suna is desperate to defeat Lord Sakumo and wash away the stain he left on their reputation. That's why they rushed here at full speed the moment they got word of our position. Their combat units arrived fast, but their heavy logistics couldn't possibly have kept pace. Right now, those supplies are either still at their old base or currently in transit. This is our window—our only window. Within another day, those supplies will be moved into their current camp and placed under heavy guard."
Hatani's words plunged the room into deep thought.
The more they considered it, the more they realized he was right. Suna had reached them in a single day; it was physically impossible for the supplies for six thousand people—especially the massive amount of food consumed daily—to have arrived simultaneously.
"Even so," another ninja voiced his concern, "the guard unit for those supplies must be at least a hundred strong. We'd need dozens of elites to guarantee we could break them and destroy the goods. A unit of that size would never make it past Suna's network of scouts and sentries."
"Heh."
Hatani's grin widened. "Have you all forgotten about Minato?"
"You mean..." Sakumo's eyes widened as he caught Hatani's drift.
"Exactly. I will bypass the Suna army alone to locate the supplies. Lord Sakumo, you and Minato will rest and conserve your strength while selecting ten Fire Style users. The moment you see my signal, Minato will use the Flying Raijin to teleport the strike team directly to me. We'll kill the guards and incinerate the supplies before Suna can even send reinforcements."
"This..."
The veterans exchanged looks. Some were hopeful, others were still weighing the risks, but no one voiced a disagreement. The only lingering doubt was whether a ninja as young as Hatani could truly shoulder such a heavy responsibility.
"Good! We'll do it!"
Sakumo, who had personally witnessed Hatani's unique sensory abilities, slammed his hand down, finalizing the decision.
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