Konoha: This Uchiha is extremely sneaky

Chapter 468 Long Voyage

"Oh, that's the Eight Gates Formation!"

On a high ground by the port, Toshiro gazed at the battle unfolding on the battlefield.

Although he doesn't intend to take action personally, he can't really just abandon the matter.

"Ye Juan, take good notes. This person is worth nurturing!"

Since Kai has performed so well, he doesn't mind nurturing him properly.

"Also, how are the preparations for the ocean-going vessels going?"

Seeing the Mist Ninjas on the battlefield beginning their organized retreat, Toshiro didn't take it seriously and instead started asking about the ships.

"We have managed to requisition some ships, but time is of the essence, and there are not enough to transport us all to the Water Kingdom at once."

"At most, a little over a thousand people can be transported at a time. This was mainly because when the Mist Ninja retreated, they took most of the ocean-going ships with them."

As the commander on this side, Mimura Yoru was quite attentive to the tasks assigned by the Hokage. However, the Kirigakure side had indeed already sailed away all the ocean-going ships that could be dispatched.

This ship, capable of transporting over a thousand people, was prepared in advance by the Hokage and transferred from elsewhere.

"Over a thousand men?" The number was a bit small, but he wasn't going to give up. "Select a thousand elite soldiers; the rest, stay and garrison the area!"

This time, we must get rid of the troublesome Mist Ninja no matter what.

These people always take advantage of their geographical location to harass the mainland, and when things get tough, they run to the sea to hide.

Their Land of Fire was the most affected by this.

"Lord Hokage... taking only a thousand men to the Land of Water... isn't that a bit... risky?"

He originally wanted to say "taking a big risk," but after some consideration, he changed it to "taking a risk."

"Yes, Fifth Boss, that's about enough. Shouldn't we stop here?"

Not only Mimura Yomaki, but even Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke up to offer advice at this moment.

"After today's crushing defeat, the Mist Ninja should quiet down considerably."

He's called Hokage Toshiro, but there's always something odd about him, so he's usually referred to as the Fifth Hokage.

"Clan Chief Sarutobi is overthinking it. This is also an opportunity for Konoha. As long as we demonstrate Konoha's true strength in this war, the probing from our neighbors will likely decrease."

The saying goes, "A new broom sweeps clean," and this Fifth Hokage had just taken office when the Mist Ninja made such a big fuss to celebrate.

If he stops now, he'll probably face a barrage of probing questions from his neighbors.

"That makes sense, but...won't this just let the hatred fester?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was still somewhat unhappy that Toshiro had taken him to the Land of Water, but at this point, he could only try to persuade him with earnest words.

There was nothing he could do; the other party was now the Hokage, while he was merely the head of the Sarutobi clan.

I'm only able to stand here and chat with this person because they see that I'm old and injured.

Otherwise, I would end up like those ninjas below, becoming cannon fodder.

"This time, our purpose is not to kill!"

After offering a casual explanation, Toshiro continued:

"Of course, doing so is somewhat risky, which is one of the reasons why I only brought a thousand men."

"Furthermore, the Mist Ninja have won a great victory on the battlefield, making it the perfect time to press our advantage. If we miss this opportunity, it won't be so easy to resolve the Mist Ninja problem again!"

The reason he only brought a thousand people was partly because there weren't enough ships, and partly because if there were too many people, he simply wouldn't be able to take care of them all.

As for the Mist Ninja, if we don't take advantage of their loss of the Mizukage and the internal turmoil to deal with them, it will cause a lot of trouble once they elect a new Fifth Mizukage.

It would be better to take this opportunity to force them to sign a peace treaty with Konoha, so that he can have less to worry about.

"Hokage-sama, those Mist Ninja have started to retreat. Should we pursue them?"

Seeing that the Hokage was determined, Ye Juan stopped trying to persuade him and instead looked at the retreating Mist Ninja below, asking the Hokage about his next move.

"No need! Let everyone come back and rest for half a day, and then we'll board the ship directly and head to the Land of Water."

What they lack now is time. With more than half of the Kirigakure forces remaining in the waters surrounding the Land of Fire, they can take advantage of the Kirigakure's vulnerability and strike straight at their heart.

"Go and make the arrangements. You stay here and keep watch!"

"yes!"

……

That night, a dozen or twenty large ships were sailing on the sea.

"Lady Terumi, shall we go and harass her a bit more?"

Several kilometers behind the fleet, a group of less than a hundred Kirigakure soldiers followed closely behind. One of them, a man wearing an eye patch, looked at Mei Terumi beside him.

After a slight hesitation, he still asked his question.

"Since we're at sea, we have a significant geographical advantage. Wouldn't it be a bit inappropriate to just let them go to the Land of Water?"

Not only him, but the Mist Ninja around him also had very gloomy expressions as they looked at the faint lights in the distance.

These Konoha ninjas are incredibly audacious! How dare they chase us out to sea so brazenly? Do they really think the Mist Ninja are fish to be slaughtered?

"We just tried it. The opponent is extremely vigilant, and with the Fifth Hokage personally taking action, we have almost no chance!"

With a sigh, Mei Terumi spoke with a complex expression.

"I never imagined that the Hokage's mastery of Water Release would be so... exaggerated!"

She found it hard to believe that the opponent had used water-based techniques during their initial probing attack.

You're a Hokage, yet you're so skilled with Water Release techniques. How are we Kirigakure ninja supposed to survive?

"We can't just stand by and watch!" Zabuza Momochi, who had no eyebrows, narrowed his eyes and suggested, "How about we turn back and attack those Konoha garrison troops?"

"Since they went to attack the village, they must have taken a large number of elite troops with them. We should regroup our forces and then attack the remaining Konoha ninja. This will relieve some of the pressure on the village!"

Although Zabuza Momochi harbored hatred for the village's higher-ups, he still had a good feeling about the village itself.

The original plan was to show these Konoha ninjas who dared to pursue them at sea how powerful the Mist Ninja were.

However, thinking of the fate of the few Mist Ninja who had just gone to test the waters, he looked at his companions around him, and finally shook his head, dismissing this unrealistic idea.

If there were more people, that would be great. If we had a lot of companions to distract the enemy, we might have a chance.

"Doing that... is possible, but we simply don't have enough people."

Mei Terumi sighed again; even a skilled cook can't cook without rice.

"Weren't there many Kirigakure ninja who were taken refuge on some secluded islands? With these people joining us, doing this kind of thing won't be a problem anymore!"

When Mei Terumi rejected the proposal, Zabuza was not going to let it go. In his view, with the addition of those cannon fodder, attacking the remaining troops of Konoha would not be enough to break through their camp.

However, it would be good if it could serve as some kind of disturbance, making the Fifth Hokage of Konoha in front of him somewhat wary.

"No!"

Mei Terumi directly rejected Zabuza's suggestion.

"The casualties from doing this are too great! They barely have any decent weapons, and it's already a miracle that they can even maintain their own survival."

"If we were to attack the Konoha ninja again, wouldn't that be tantamount to suicide for them?"

Not only are they lacking weapons, but those people are also without any supplies, medical care, or medicine. It's already a great achievement for them to be able to feed themselves.

"This won't work, that won't work!"

After his proposals were repeatedly rejected by Mei Terumi, Zabuza began to get a little irritated.

"So tell me, what do we do now? We can't just do nothing!"

"..."

Mei Terumi had no answer to this, but in any case, she would not agree to let those ninjas who had already been arranged to go there for refuge participate in the battle.

In her view, the Mist Ninja had already lost the war and suffered enormous losses.

Those Mist Ninja are the foundation of the village. If they suffer heavy losses, the village's recovery time will be indefinitely prolonged.

In the long run, this is extremely uneconomical.

"Um... I have a suggestion!"

Just as Mei Terumi was pondering what to do, the tall Kisame Hoshigaki offered his opinion.

"I've contracted a group of sharks; they can barely carry us back to the village. Our speed shouldn't be slower than the opposing fleet!"

They were all ninja from the Mist, and long-distance marches on the sea were like leaping between forests for Konoha ninjas—it was a basic skill.

His summoned beast only needs to provide a place for them to rest when they are tired.

With their strength, even if they encounter natural disasters such as storms or tsunamis, it won't be a big problem.

"You are... Kisame Hoshigaki!"

With her unusual skin tone, tall stature, and small but bright eyes, Mei Terumi immediately recognized the other person's identity.

This guy doesn't have a good reputation in Kirigakure, which is one of the reasons she assigned him to the rearguard.

Just as Mei Terumi was discussing with her subordinates how to arrive at Kirigakure ahead of them, Toshiro was in the cabin, engrossed in reading a scroll.

"The Second Hokage has truly mastered the art of water escaping!"

As the Hokage, he had access to all of Konoha's records. When he came to Kirigakure this time, he brought with him the Second Hokage's scroll on Water Release techniques.

"Hizashi, have those Mist Ninja stopped chasing us?"

Looking at Hizashi beside him, whose eyes were bulging with veins, Toshiro asked with a hint of urgency.

These Mist Ninjas are so clueless! I'm practically begging them to come to me, why are they all cowering in fear?

"...Lord Hokage, those Mist Ninja seem to have already retreated!"

Seeing the eager look on Toshiro's face, Hizashi stopped his reconnaissance and bowed very respectfully to Toshiro.

(End of this chapter)