Itachi Uchiha should be nearly one year old now. By the time this war ended, that child would probably be around four or five years old, precisely the age to begin ninja training and lay down a foundation.
If that truly was the case, then this Uchiha Clan head's foresight was rather profound.
"Becoming a Jonin leader…"
Shinichi pondered briefly before answering: "I have indeed considered it. However, as for the specifics, that will still depend on the village's arrangements at the time. Why does Clan Head Fugaku suddenly ask?"
"Nothing, merely a casual question." Fugaku Uchiha nodded calmly without saying more.
In truth, he indeed had such intentions.
According to Shinichi's precise strategic projection report before the war, this conflict would likely continue for another 3 to 4 years.
Once the war ended, his son, Itachi Uchiha, would have been around 4 or 5 years old.
And the young man before him not only possessed outstanding strength and astonishing talent, but had also independently pioneered the entirely new system known as Fire Style Nintaijutsu; his reputation for being skilled at teaching was likewise widely circulated.
Whether in terms of strength, potential, or teaching ability, he was an ideal candidate to guide Itachi's cultivation.
Furthermore, in Fugaku Uchiha's eyes, Shinichi Higashino's future was even more limitless.
Once the third Hokage stepped down in the future, he would inevitably become one of the strongest competitors for the Hokage position, perhaps even the foremost among them.
For all these years, the relationship between the Uchiha Clan and the village leadership had always remained delicate and awkward.
Now, there was already an Obito Uchiha within the clan who had become Minato Namikaze's student, and his own wife, Mikoto Uchiha, was also on very good terms privately with Kushina Uzumaki.
Both Minato Namikaze and Shinichi Higashino were direct descendants of the Hokage faction with impeccable roots.
If Itachi could also become Shinichi's student, then it would be a double layer of security.
In the future, no matter whether Minato Namikaze or Shinichi Higashino ascended to the position of Hokage, the Uchiha's situation within the village would become much better, and perhaps even the appearance of a Uchiha Hokage in the future would not be impossible.
It could be said to kill two birds with one stone.
However, Fugaku Uchiha also understood clearly that this matter could not be rushed. After all, his friendship with Shinichi was still shallow. Acting too rashly would instead easily backfire. It still required long-term planning and waiting for a more suitable opportunity.
"Minato, this time I've once again gotten ahead of you."
Shinichi thought inwardly, yet revealed nothing on his face.
Ever since more than half a year ago, when he had clearly established competing for the position of Hokage as his goal, in merely a few short months, whether in military achievements, accumulation of connections, or weight in the eyes of the higher-ups, he had quietly surpassed Minato without anyone noticing.
Now, even Fugaku Uchiha, this key figure who in the original timeline later fully supported Minato's ascent to the Hokage position, had begun turning his gaze toward him, intentionally diversifying his investments.
And what Shinichi needed to do was maintain this advantage and continuously expand it.
...
One day later, early in the morning.
Shinichi led his troops to the designated defense zone, White Sand Bay.
The total military strength on Konoha's southeastern front amounted to roughly ten thousand ninjas.
Among them, approximately six thousand were stationed at the headquarters and surrounding core regions, while the remaining four thousand were commanded by four battalion captains, responsible for the lengthy coastal defense line.
At this moment, only two hundred elites had followed Shinichi to the main position at White Sand Bay.
The other eight hundred men had been broken into teams of three to five, scattered across the coastline around both sides of White Sand Bay, carrying out reconnaissance and alert missions.
This was the core philosophy of the elastic defense system, abandoning the rigid mindset of defending every inch of coastline, using forward reconnaissance posts as eyes and ears, and mobile forces as the fist.
The primary mission of these small squads was not to fight the landing enemy head-on, but rather, after discovering enemy activity, to quickly issue warnings, delay them, and relay intelligence in real time, while simultaneously using harassment, traps, small-scale raids, and other methods to delay the enemy army's advance inland as much as possible, buying precious time for the rear main force to assemble.
After receiving warning signals, Shinichi or the captains of neighboring defense zones would swiftly gather mobile troops, form local superiority, and execute precise strikes.
If the number of enemies landing vastly exceeded expectations, such that the forces under the four captains on the left and right flanks could not resist head-on, then the tactic would enter the next stage, luring the enemy deeper.
Through organized retreat and harassment, the enemy would be drawn into the prearranged battlefield, stretching their supply lines and dispersing their forces, then coordinating with troops from other defense zones or headquarters to form localized encirclements and launch flanking annihilation attacks against overextended enemies.
The entire defense system was like an elastic web structure. Though it appeared loose, in reality every link was tightly connected. It could react sensitively the instant it endured impact, exchanging space for time, and ultimately seeking opportunities to counterattack under conditions favorable to its own side.
White Sand Bay was a typical crescent-shaped bay.
Jagged reef cliffs extended from both sides, with a broad silver-white beach in the middle. Overall, the terrain was relatively gentle, and not far behind were gradually rising hills and forestland, advantageous for ambushes and flanking maneuvers.
After bringing two hundred subordinates here, Shinichi casually swept his gaze over the beachhead and sea surface.
Then he formed hand seals with both hands.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A series of faint white smoke bursts exploded as more than ten Shadow Clones identical to him appeared at his side.
The next moment, a scene that stunned all his subordinates occurred.
These dozen or so Shadow Clones slowly rose off the ground, floating in midair as though supported by invisible staircases. Moving in different directions at unhurried speeds, they flew toward the depths of the vast ocean.
The captain could actually fly?
Was this an application of Wind Style? Or some kind of special Hidden Jutsu? Wasn't the captain famous for Fire Style?
A series of questions flashed through everyone's minds, but Shinichi gave them no time to remain confused. His gaze had already withdrawn from the sea surface, sweeping across every inch of beach, reef, and the rolling hills and forestland behind White Sand Bay.
With the enhancement of the Seeing Through Things as Clearly as Observing a Flame talent, the White Sand Bay's terrain, trees, reef formations, and so forth seemed to be dismantled into countless clear streams of data, instantly imprinted into his mind and rapidly combined and deduced.
"Reconnaissance squad! Split into three groups and advance to these three high points to establish observation posts…"
"Barrier squad, you are responsible for these two choke points behind the beachhead…"
"Communications squad, ensure smooth contact between all teams. Conduct routine confirmation checks every two hours…"
A few seconds later, Shinichi issued several commands rapidly.
"Understood!"
Those who had followed Shinichi here were essentially the old core members of the Shinichi Battalion and had long since become accustomed to his efficient, concise command style.
The instant the orders were given, everyone's expressions became solemn as they responded in unison, then rapidly dispersed to carry out their duties, beginning to operate like precise gears.