Naruto: All My Targets Are Ninjutsu.

Orochimaru turned his gaze to Nara Shikaku: "Shikaku, I've also carefully considered the uncertainty you mentioned. To ensure the plan's success, Konoha must first engage in a direct confrontation with Sunagakure, and then withdraw at the opportune moment..."

"I plan to go see Jiraiya later to discuss this in detail. If you don't have anything else to do, you can come with me. We should be able to come up with a solution that is suitable in all aspects."

Well… strictly speaking, Jiraiya is also a dim-witted idiot. The same question Obito just raised could also come up with in Jiraiya, and Orochimaru would have to explain it to him.

Therefore, Orochimaru planned to ask a smart person to help him persuade Jiraiya.

Nara Shikaku was fully aware of this, and after a brief silence, he nodded in agreement: "I understand."

"it is good."

Orochimaru nodded slightly, then looked at Mikami Yu and the others: "As for the rest of you... your mission is to set up traps on the high ground, passes, and possible retreat routes of Sunagakure on both sides of Kikyo Mountain, in preparation for the subsequent ambush."

"Before your arrival, I had already conducted a simple survey of the terrain in this area and drawn a map. I will give this map to you later so that you can conduct a more in-depth survey and choose suitable locations for deployment."

"In this regard, you can consult Maruyama Kosuke; he has a lot of experience."

Maruyama Kosuke, whose name was called, nodded with a smile.

As a veteran genin of Konoha, Maruyama Kosuke personally participated in both the First and Second Shinobi World Wars and survived both wars, theoretically enough to live until Naruto's adulthood. Such extensive frontline combat experience is rare even in the entire Konoha.

Orochimaru knew this, which is why he specifically included him in the team. Otherwise, with the latter's strength, he could have easily taken on more frontline missions.

After a series of tasks have been assigned.

Orochimaru waved his hand, signaling Nara Shikaku to stay and discuss the matter, while the others, including Mikami Yu, went out with maps to survey and plan the layout.

Until we left those stone chambers.

Obito finally couldn't help but call out to Mikami Yu, annoyed, "Hey, Yu, why did you stop me just now! That guy's plan was completely unreasonable!"

"...First of all, you have to call him Lord Orochimaru."

Mikami Yu corrected Obito's form of address, then let out a sigh of relief and said, "Secondly, since you think that tactic is unreasonable, do you have a better plan?"

"……No."

Obito shook his head decisively: "I just think there's something wrong with this plan. Why should we be able to decide the life and death of our comrades stationed on the border with just a few words and some seemingly legitimate reasons?"

"If we switched places with them, wouldn't we also become 'necessary sacrifices' without even knowing it? That's so unfair!"

"..."

Upon hearing this, Asuma and Kurenai turned their heads one after the other, seemingly having the same thoughts, but hadn't dared to say them aloud.

Especially Asma.

As a rebellious youth of the Sarutobi clan, a subtle thought arose in his mind: If he weren't the son of the Third Hokage... where would he be assigned now? Would he be like those ordinary ninjas, filling in the gaps on the front lines, waiting to be "sacrificed"?

If so, wouldn't that be considered an abuse of power?

I feel... a little uncomfortable.

Don't think about it too much.

Mikami glanced at the group, his expression calm: "War is inherently accompanied by death. Since you don't have a better plan, you can only proceed with this second-best option for now, and try to consider each step carefully and do your best to minimize potential casualties."

"If you're strong enough to single-handedly defeat the entire Sunagakure force, then you can say whatever you want, and we'll all listen to you."

In theory, no one in Konoha should be able to do this yet.

Even Minato Namikaze is the same.

Although the "Spiral Flash Super Wheel Dance Roar Three Styles" is very powerful and can kill dozens of enemies at once, Minato Namikaze's chakra is finite and he cannot use this technique indefinitely. If thousands of Sand Ninja swarm him, he may not be able to kill them all before his chakra runs out.

Besides, Minato Namikaze is currently engaged in a standoff with Kumogakure on the northeastern border and won't be able to get over there anytime soon.

Obito was clearly still not convinced.

However, given Kenji's intelligence, he couldn't think of anything to refute Mikami Yu's words, so he could only shut his mouth dejectedly, his face turning red, and follow him and Nohara Rin to begin surveying the terrain.

Next.

They spent a whole day walking around the main part of Kikyo Mountain, along with the surrounding area, comparing the actual terrain with the map Orochimaru had given them, and roughly figuring out the situation.

"It seems that the overall terrain of Kikyo Mountain is an irregular U-shape. What Orochimaru wants to do is to lure the Sand Village into the interior of this U-shape, cut off the entrance, and use the terrain advantage to block the Sand Village behind with a small force, and then devour the Sand Village that has fallen in."

Yu Mikami looked at the map spread out on the stone, now with added annotations, and pondered.

It's clear that Orochimaru's plan wasn't something he came up with on a whim, but rather the result of careful consideration. Overall, it's sound and has a high chance of success.

only……

"Yu, those places we just passed seemed to have villages, and a little further away there's a castle called Kikyo Castle..."

Rin Nohara crouched down, her fingertips brushing over a few inconspicuous ink dots on the edge of the map. She sighed softly, "These locations are too close to the U-shaped battlefield. If we fight the Sand Village forces, the people living in these villages and towns will probably..."

Chapter 188: The Childhood Version of "Yakushi Kabuto," Cicada, Mantis, and Oriole (Two-in-One)

Nohara Rin did not continue speaking.

But the situation is already obvious—

If war breaks out on Kikyo Mountain, these villages and towns will inevitably be affected. Even if Konoha and Sunagakure do not actively harass them, the aftershocks of the battle alone will be enough to cause devastating damage. Not to mention that there may be other people who will launch attacks there.

Kikyo Castle is a bit better, as it is relatively far away. Moreover, such large towns are densely populated and often have nobles living there. Generally, ninjas will try to avoid such places during battles to avoid bringing unnecessary trouble to themselves and the ninja village.

but……

Those ordinary villages will go unnoticed.

They were just a group of ordinary civilians. If they died, they died. At most, after the war, we could gather the survivors and bring them back to the village orphanage. That would already be considered very humanitarian.

"Speaking of which..."

Kabuto Yakushi, it seems, was taken in by Konoha during this battle, right?

Mikami Yu suddenly thought of this name.

This guy is no ordinary person.

Without any special bloodline, he relied solely on his intelligence to become Danzo's subordinate, Orochimaru's second-in-command, and Sasori's double agent. At a young age, he was able to fight against Kakashi and Tsunade. Later, he inherited Orochimaru's mantle and learned the Sage Mode of Ryuchi Cave.

Although he messed up his Sage Mode a bit, making himself look neither human nor ghost...

However, apart from a few individuals like Might Guy, Kabuto Yakushi can be said to have reached the limit that ordinary people can achieve.

in case……

"What if we recruit Kabuto Yakushi now, before Danzo and Orochimaru notice him?"

Mikami Yu's mind was in turmoil.

next to.

After hearing Rin Nohara's analysis, Obito immediately couldn't stay silent: "Yu! Forget about the ninjas, but the lives of these ordinary people can't be considered 'necessary sacrifices' either, can they? They don't even know what happened and have nothing to do with this battlefield!"

"No, I have to go and explain things to them..."

"stop!"

Mikami Yu called out to Obito, "Are you trying to reveal the information about Konoha's ambush here before the final battle even begins, thus ruining all subsequent battle plans?"

"...What should we do then? We can't just pretend we don't know!"

Obito slammed his fist into the weathered rock wall beside him, furious.

Rin Nohara, standing nearby, sighed softly and said, "Yu, Obito is right. These ordinary people shouldn't be dragged into this innocently. Why don't we go to Lord Orochimaru and suggest we find a way to evacuate the people from these villages in advance?"

"Lord Orochimaru probably won't agree."

This time, it was Asuma who spoke from not far away: "Just as Yu said, our operation this time is to be carried out in secret. We can't expose it in advance, otherwise we'll alert the enemy. Even if we really have to evacuate those people, we have to think of other ways... like disguising ourselves as bandits and kidnapping them?"

"Huh? Is it even possible to do that?"

Obito turned his head: "Wow, I didn't expect Asuma to be so smart!"

"...Do you think everyone is as stupid as you?"

"?"

The group of people were all talking at once, with differing opinions.

Yu Mikami pondered for a moment, then glanced down at the valley below, where wisps of smoke were rising from the chimneys. “Let’s go down and take a look. To make a decision, we need to investigate on the ground… Kakashi, you take Asuma and the others to continue surveying the surrounding terrain. Obito, Rin, and I will go check out the situation.”

"Hey? Why don't we go together? That way we can look out for each other."

Kurenai suggested in a low voice.

"No, that would be too much of a fuss. Obito, Rin, take off your headbands later so you don't reveal your ninja identities. Also, don't say anything without my permission, or you won't be allowed to participate in this kind of operation next time."

Yu Mikami said.

The second half of the sentence was mainly addressed to Obito. The latter opened his mouth, then nodded dejectedly in agreement.

On the other side, Kakashi also nodded.

Although he was more senior than Mikami Yu, Mikami Yu was the acting captain and special Jonin appointed by Hiruzen Sarutobi and Minato Namikaze, while Kakashi was the vice captain. So theoretically, Mikami Yu could indeed give him orders, and Kakashi tacitly accepted this.

After tidying up a bit...

Mikami Yu and his companions left the main group and slipped down into the valley.

These mountain paths are actually not easy to walk on; they are rugged and muddy, and it is difficult to find a place to put your feet.

However, since Mikami Yu and the others were all ninjas, their bodies were far more agile than ordinary people. Mikami Yu also had a "substitution technique" that he could activate at any time, so it didn't take long for them to arrive at a corner of the valley and see the small town they had just discovered on the mountain.

It's called a "small town," but it's not actually that big; it's more like a cluster of dilapidated houses gathered along a gentle slope. A dirt road has been worn smooth and uneven by years of rain and footsteps, and the air is filled with the smells of firewood, cheap tobacco, and animal manure.

Yu Mikami had already transformed into a herb gatherer using his transformation technique, carrying a bamboo basket filled with medicinal herbs and walking at the front, with Obito and Rin Nohara following behind. As soon as they entered the village, they saw several children in patched clothes chasing after them, laughing and joking.

One of the older children noticed Mikami Yu and his group, suddenly stopped, broke away from the group, and took a few steps away: "Hey, who are you? Are you looking for someone in the village?"

"I suppose so. May I ask where your village chief is?"

"Hmm... Grandpa Village Chief lives on the east side, I'll take you there!"

The child greeted his companions and then gestured for Mikami Yu and the others to follow, acting as if they were old friends.

As they walked towards the village,

Mikami Yu glanced around discreetly but didn't find any children with the same hair color as him.

Well, based on the original storyline, Kabuto should be around five years old now, and he should have white hair. Although these two characteristics are a bit vague, considering that there aren't many villages near Mount Kikyo, it shouldn't be difficult to spot him if he is indeed here.

"Perhaps it's not in this village?"

Mikami Yu secretly speculated.

next to.

Obito and Rin Nohara's gazes were mostly fixed on the low mud-brick houses and thatched huts on both sides of the road, a scene completely different from that of Konoha Village. Some of the village's elderly people sat in front of their houses, looking at these uninvited guests with their cloudy and numb eyes.

"This place... is so dilapidated, it's much worse than our village."

Obito muttered to himself.

Nohara Rin nodded silently.

"arrive."

In front of a wooden house, the child who had led the way stopped and called out, "Hey, Inumaru, is Grandpa Village Chief inside? Some people from another village are looking for him; they seem to be selling medicine..."

"..."

The boy called Inumaru was a thin boy with white hair and indifferent eyes. He was carrying a basin of water into the yard. When he heard the sound, he just glanced over and didn't say anything.

"Hey, I'm talking to you, are you deaf?"

The child who was leading the way was displeased.

But Yu Mikami had already turned his gaze to Inumaru, his eyes narrowing slightly: This guy... could he be Kabuto Yakushi?

If I remember correctly, the name "Kabuto" was given to him by Yakushi Nonou. Before that, he should have had other names, but he forgot them due to amnesia.

soon.

A thin, hunched old man walked out of the wooden house and looked at Mikami Yu and the others with some doubt.

Mikami Yu used a pre-prepared excuse, claiming to be a herb gatherer from the surrounding area who wanted to ask the local mountain people for directions to a certain medicinal herb. He then "casually" mentioned the recent fighting on the border and inquired about the other party's plans.

"A war...?"

"Yes! This place is so close to the border, it could be engulfed in war any day, it's extremely dangerous! I think you should leave here and move to the heart of the Land of Fire!"

Obito couldn't help but interrupt.