Kakashi Teaches Shisui to Falsify Supplies

The ruins of the Land of Whirlpools: After a failed raid, the Mist Ninja seemed to have gone into hiding. While they did not launch any large-scale attacks again, small-scale incidents continued to occur in this forest.

The endless mountain ranges and the dense rainforests are fraught with danger; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it Forest of Death.

The ninjas of Konoha and Mist Ninja probed each other daily in small teams, and the battles of war were reduced to small-scale skirmishes.

Ambush, assassination, trap, interception, poisoning—all sorts of methods were employed. This time, both sides tacitly chose not to harm ordinary people.

Both sides began sabotaging each other's logistics, employing all sorts of tactics. Although there was no major battle, daily fighting ensued, making the situation exceptionally grueling, especially for the ninjas on both sides.

Both ninja villages tacitly chose not to escalate the war, but the similarly restricted warfare brought a sense of frustration and endless torment to the ninjas on both sides.

This can be seen as a microcosm of war: those in power merely use words to pursue their own interests, while those below must fight bloody battles every day.

The forest is the battlefield; it has become a microcosm of the war between Konoha and Mist Ninja. Both sides send out ninjas every day, a test of the attrition of war between great powers, to see who can't withstand the strain first, who will decide it's not worth it and choose to cease hostilities.

Inside the camp at Konoha Base.

"Brother Yoru, medical resources have been depleted recently, especially tourniquets and various antidotes."

Uchiha Shisui respectfully presented a report containing statistical data, pausing at the end before lowering his voice and saying in a deep tone, "The consumption of medical resources was overstated by three points when reporting to the village."

Good heavens, who would have thought that even the honest Uchiha Shisui had learned this trick, overstating resource consumption by 3%? Where does that extra portion go?

Uchiha Yoru, while Kakashi, with only one eye peeking out, calmly stated, "The consumption of Kunai, Shuriken, and Explosive Tag has been enormous recently, especially here in this jungle warfare environment where traps are needed, the consumption is even greater. I added thirty percent to the report given to the village."

Holy crap!

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Shisui stared wide-eyed at Kakashi, as if to say, "You, with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, actually... no! You're too ruthless!"

Facing Uchiha Shisui's shocked gaze, Hatake Kakashi showed no shame but instead said indifferently, "In tropical rainforest warfare, and with the Mist Ninja being extremely skilled in assassination techniques, I think we can increase medical resources by at least fifty percent. After all, although we have a large number of wounded, our casualties are very few, and we owe a lot to you, Yoru."

At this point, Hatake Kakashi glanced subtly at Uchiha Yoru, saying, "I didn't expect Yoru's skill in Medical Ninjutsu to be so profound."

Faced with Kakashi's calm tone and righteous expression as he recounted the embezzlement, Uchiha Shisui, who had initially felt pressured and burdened—after all, this was his first time doing something like this—was shocked by Kakashi's performance. Why such a stark difference between their first experiences? How could he be so calm and ruthless?

Does this also come down to talent? Is Kakashi exceptionally talented?

In reality, this is the difference in their mindsets. Shisui was a pure ninja, while Kakashi possessed not only exceptional ninja talent but also a political mindset with immense potential. After all, he was a man who became Hokage in the original story, and he was not to be underestimated. Naturally, he understood that falsifying accounts was appropriate for the current situation.

Looking at Kakashi and Shisui, Uchiha Yoru, sitting at the table, shook his head with a wry smile. The two of them were now practically his right and left arms, indispensable to him.

"Shisui, you need to discuss this with Kakashi more." First, he subtly pointed out Shisui's cowardice in this matter, then Uchiha Yoru looked up at Kakashi and said quietly, "Inflate the reported losses in supplies and logistics. If there are any oversights, you can lure the Mist Ninja to destroy one or two storage points."

Good heavens! Upon hearing this, Kakashi's eyes flashed with a look of sudden realization, while Shisui beside him looked bewildered, seemingly not quite understanding.

Uchiha Yoru's meaning was clear: a lie will always be a lie. If someone suspects something after exaggerating so much material, then you can manipulate things in certain areas to make the lie impossible to verify, and that way, there won't be any problems.

As for the losses, it's simple. In the heat of battle, it's normal for one or two supply depots to be ambushed and destroyed. As for the exact amount lost, let's not overreport it; at least fill in the gaps as they are. Do we need to be taught how to do that?

After a long while, Shisui seemed to understand something, and stared at the two of them with wide eyes, as if to say, "You can do it like this? It even makes a lot of sense."

"These funds must be kept safe, because their families need them due to the war."

Uchiha Yoru's melancholy words immediately made Uchiha Shisui's heart sink, and he secretly made up his mind that he must put more effort into this aspect in the future, and if necessary, learn more from Kakashi- senpai.

"I've decided to divide this sum of money into four parts, which will be jointly managed by Kakashi, Shisui, Hizashi, and myself."

Upon hearing Uchiha Yoru's words, Uchiha Shisui immediately and solemnly replied, "These funds can all be entrusted to Brother Yoru for safekeeping; I don't need them!"

However, before Shisui could finish speaking, Uchiha Yoru raised his hand to stop him, while Kakashi nodded slightly and said, "Yoru, I think Shisui is right."

However, Uchiha Yoru smiled and shook his head, saying, "This is a battlefield. Even if it weren't, Kakashi, you should understand one thing: there are no invincible ninjas in the world. If something were to happen, would you want all this money to disappear?"

Uchiha Yoru's words were quite clear: if anything were to happen to him, wouldn't all this money go to his grave?

Upon hearing this, Shisui revealed an angry expression, "Brother Yoru, anyone who wants to harm you must step over my dead body first."

Shisui's words, which were practically a declaration of loyalty, prompted Uchiha Yoru to smile and wave his hand to stop him. Kakashi, however, was more mature; after a moment of silence, he solemnly nodded in acceptance.

In Kakashi's eyes, Shisui's strength was indeed formidable, even he himself was not confident of defeating the boy, but his thinking was far too immature. The enemy might not necessarily come from another country, but could also come from within.

It was obvious that Ye was worried; if something were to happen to him, the funds wouldn't all be lost.

"Alas, although Hizashi led the Branch Family to break free from their fate, such a large group had no way out once they joined the Seventh Division. And the fate of the Caged Bird meant that almost all the branch Branch Family were on the most dangerous front lines. There were too many orphans and widows in the Branch Family, which was a heavy burden."

Once they take the money, they're all in the same boat, and the Hyuga Branch Family also needs these funds.

In Kakashi and Shisui's eyes, while breaking free from the fate of Caged Bird was a long-cherished wish of the Hyuga Branch Family, the behavior of the Hokage's higher-ups was also rather unseemly.

You split the Hyuga Clan, and then you just threw the Branch Family aside like trash. That seems a bit much, even though politics is always cruel.

As for your claim that this is the Root? Without the collective tacit approval of the Hokage's higher-ups, how could the mere Root possess such immense power?

Now, not only Kakashi, but even Shisui understands how egregious Orochimaru's actions were. And what was the result? Danzo was just dismissed, but because of a statement that Konoha's situation was tense and Root needed a leader who could quickly grasp the overall situation, Shimura Danzō was brought back to power.

Kakashi and Uchiha Shisui, acting as outsiders, saw it clearly: Root was nothing more than a glove used by the Hokage's higher-ups to do the dirty work, and the glove naturally operated under the command of the person in control.

"By the way, Kakashi, please exaggerate the severity of some of the wounded soldiers' injuries on the reports, but be sure to proceed slowly and don't rush things. After all, they haven't been home for years."

Kakashi, with his political acumen, instantly understood what Uchiha Yoru meant. He nodded and said in a deep voice, "Understood. I will implement this step by step, allowing these frontline heroes to return to the village as wounded."

To put it bluntly, it's about exaggerating the severity of injuries on the injury reports. Don't send too many people at once, as it'll be too obvious. These ninjas are heroes who have been bleeding on the front lines; they have families too.

Shisui, standing to the side, was clearly a few beats slower to react, but he at least managed to understand. He couldn't help but show a dissatisfied expression, "Brother Yoru, almost all the Sarutobi Clan ninjas hold important positions, and there are hardly any on the front lines. And they've been on the front lines for so long already, shouldn't they be here?"

Uchiha Yoru reached out again to stop Shisui's outburst, and warned him in a deep voice, "Shisui, your words are dangerous. Remember to watch your mouth. You can keep these things to yourself, but don't let them fester. Do I need to teach you the lesson that loose lips sink ships?"

The genius Uchiha Shisui suppressed his frustration and finally lowered his head, but the anger simmering inside him only grew stronger, and one day it would erupt like a volcano.

"Alright, Shisui. With the situation stabilizing at the front, news has arrived from the village and clan that Itachi and the elite younger generation of the clan will be transferred here. You will be in charge of this matter."

It's clear that the Uchiha Clan is training its younger generation. This may be a privilege of Noble Houses clans, but it's also a way of supporting the front lines.

Kakashi, standing nearby, sighed inwardly. As the oldest and most Noble Houses clans, they all knew to support the front lines. Although some of them might use this as an opportunity to train their own younger generation, it was still support, no matter what.

Meanwhile, the Sarutobi Clan, which was growing stronger within the village, enjoyed the most stable and gradual advancement in their missions. Although the battlefield was dangerous, it was also a place where geniuses rose to prominence.

No wonder the Uchiha Clan always produces a constant stream of geniuses. On the other hand Sarutobi Clan Noble Houses, Uchiha a strong foundation but no outstanding members.

Shin'nosuke Sarutobi? Thinking of this person Hatake Kakashi couldn't help but sneer inwardly. His strength was barely enough to be the Anbu Captain; he was probably only slightly stronger than the head of the Barrier Department among Konoha's six major departments.

He might be able to manage as the Anbu Captain, but to call him the head of an entire village of Kage, even Kakashi himself would find it somewhat ridiculous, let alone the others.

No wonder the Sarutobi Clan, despite its powerful foundation, cannot produce a single decent strongman among its younger generation. If they had even one, the village would probably have already chosen the Fifth Hokage.

"Is Itachi coming?" Although he already knew, upon hearing the news, Uchiha Shisui took a deep breath and solemnly nodded, saying, "Don't worry, Brother Yoru, leave the clan's affairs to me."

After all, Uchiha Yoru is now in charge of the heavy responsibility of Front Line Commander, so he naturally wants to share the burden of clan affairs to the best of his ability.

"Another batch of reinforcements will arrive from the village. Kakashi, you'll be in charge of selecting the escort team. With the arrival of the reinforcements, our wounded should go back to the village to rest."

"Yes."

Holding a scroll report, Uchiha Yoru revealed a sarcastic smile upon seeing the list of those who had come. This scene naturally did not escape the eyes of Shisui and Kakashi.

"Brother Yoru, is there anything wrong with this batch of reinforcements?"

When Shisui asked him a question, Uchiha Yoru looked up and saw Kakashi's gaze. He sighed softly, "Be careful in the future. The village's higher-ups still don't trust us. There are traces of Root members among them. Be cautious in your actions from now on, and don't give them any leverage."

"We still have the Genma Squad; their loyalty is beyond question." Upon hearing Uchiha Yoru's last words, Shisui snorted coldly, somewhat annoyed. "Another bunch of rats hiding in the shadows, only good for attacking their own people."

Kakashi, having served in the Anbu for so many years, was naturally aware of the Root's existence and sighed, saying, "Yoru, you must be careful too."

Root! These are no ordinary ninjas; they are a group of cold-blooded machines devoid of emotion, willing to do anything for a mission.

"Don't worry, but you all need to be careful too. Don't give anything away. Doing things personally and working a little harder will help you avoid any oversights."

"Yes!"

Shisui and Kakashi understood what was going on, especially since they were going to lie and overstate nearly half of the supplies, so they naturally had to be careful.

As Uchiha Yoru looked at the names on the relief list, he narrowed his eyes. Although the name 'Yakushi Nonō' was inconspicuous among them, he noticed it immediately.

It seems that Danzo's Root wanted to spy on the Uchiha Clan. After all, it would be difficult to make a move within the village, but the battlefield was a mixed bag of people, mostly young Uchiha ninjas, which made it a better opportunity to gather intelligence.

Unfortunately, he already knew this name and had grasped the other party's weakness.

Known as Konoha's strongest Spy ninja, the "Wandering Miko," Danzo truly valued her, even dispatching her to deal with her. It's unclear what methods he used, but Yakushi Nonō didn't reveal that he already knew her identity.

Are Root targeting him now? Or are they on guard against him? Is it because of his dual identity as Orochimaru's disciple and Uchiha? Or is Root lurking in the shadows plotting something?

Seeking support