There Must Be Something Fishy Going On

Somewhere in a forest in the Land of Rice.

Not far from the river was Konoha's camp.

After turning in her mission report, Tsunade brought Natsume, Kabuto Yakushi, and Shizune to the central tent.

Quite a few people were already waiting inside.

"Lady Tsunade."

The first to speak was not Fugaku Uchiha, but Shikaku Nara, with his pineapple-shaped hair.

He was the father of Shikamaru Nara, one of the Konoha Twelve, and the "Deer" of this generation's Ino-Shika-Cho.

The Nara Clan was renowned for its intelligence and usually served as strategists or advisors.

This war was no exception.

"Regarding Shidong, on behalf of Ino-Shika-Cho, I would like to thank you. If you had not arrived in time, he might never have been able to be a shinobi again."

Shikaku Nara wore a grateful expression.

Ino-Shika-Cho had always lived and died together, bound by deep ties.

It was only natural for him to thank Tsunade on behalf of the unconscious Shidong.

"I only did what I should have."

Tsunade waved a hand and got to the point. "How is the situation now?"

"Not good."

Fugaku Uchiha said gravely, "In just one week, thirty of our outposts and strongholds have been destroyed."

"Did they mobilize all their forces?"

Tsunade had received the intelligence earlier, but she was still surprised by the number.

"Yes."

Fugaku Uchiha nodded. "They caught us off guard, so we could only avoid their edge for now. But Shikaku noticed something was off."

Outposts and strongholds were extremely useful in war.

They could establish fixed defensive positions against enemy attacks.

Ordinary tents and barricades could not withstand ninjutsu.

Without outposts and strongholds while resting in the field, one would be on edge everywhere.

"Please look at the map."

Shikaku Nara took over, spreading out a map of the Land of Rice. "Although there seems to be no pattern to the distribution of these thirty outposts and strongholds, we have unknowingly retreated to the southern side of the Land of Rice—the area downstream of this river."

As he spoke, he drew a large circle on the map.

"Could it just be a coincidence?"

Tsunade glanced over it. "This area is so large that even an ambush would be hard to pull off effectively."

"That is exactly what puzzles us, Lady Tsunade."

Shikaku Nara nodded. "But the Fourth Raikage's objective must be more than just these outposts and strongholds."

"Mm."

Tsunade voiced her guess. "Kumogakure most likely wants to negotiate off the back of a major victory and demand greater compensation."

"After discussing it, we came to the same conclusion."

Fugaku Uchiha glanced at Hyuga Hiashi. "The Hyuga Clan's shinobi have already investigated. Kumogakure's two Jinchuriki have not made any moves and remain in Kumogakure."

"To uproot so many outposts and strongholds in such a short time, Kumogakure must have paid a considerable price as well."

Noticing his look, Hyuga Hiashi spoke. "There must be something fishy going on. We can send Hyuga shinobi deep behind enemy lines to investigate."

It was dangerous, but if they truly uncovered something, it would be a great merit.

"The Byakugan is indeed an excellent tool for reconnaissance, but if they are discovered without sufficient strength, they may only ruin things. If the Hyuga Clan Head is willing to go personally, I have no objections."

Fugaku Uchiha naturally understood what he was thinking.

To outsiders, the Hyuga Clan and the Uchiha Clan were equally famous, known as Konoha's two great dojutsu clans.

But within the Uchiha Clan, they had never seen it that way.

Fugaku Uchiha especially so.

He knew of the Mangekyō Sharingan.

How could a mere Byakugan compare?

Hyuga Hiashi's expression changed abruptly.

He truly did not dare venture deep behind enemy lines.

As a member of the Hyuga Main House, he did not bear the Caged Bird. If he failed, the Byakugan would fall into others' hands.

During the Third Shinobi World War, an elder of the Hyuga Main House had gone to battle, only for his Byakugan to end up in the hands of Ao, a Jonin of Kirigakure.

It had even earned him the title of Byakugan Killer.

That lesson had made the Hyuga Main House increasingly cautious.

Anything dangerous was handed over to the Hyūga Branch House.

With the Caged Bird in their hands, the branch family had no choice but to obey.

"Then I would like to hear the Uchiha Clan Head's brilliant insight."

Hyuga Hiashi said, his face darkening slightly.

"I suggest that Lady Tsunade lead the team, with Shisui Uchiha's squad providing support."

Fugaku Uchiha seemed to have prepared his proposal long ago and stated it without the slightest hesitation.

There was no need to say anything about Tsunade.

Within this tent, she held the highest status and ranked among the top five in strength.

As for Shisui Uchiha, he had earned the title of Body Flicker Shisui during the Third Shinobi World War, and his accomplishments in this war had been even more outstanding.

In terms of individual merit alone, he could be called the best.

Even without using the Mangekyō Sharingan, he was far stronger than he had been three years ago.

"I have no objections."

After hesitating for a moment, Tsunade agreed.

She had joined this war to temper Natsume and the others.

Their performance against Toroi had already left her extremely satisfied.

Venturing deep behind enemy lines was certainly dangerous, but it was also an excellent opportunity for training.

Tsunade believed their current strength was enough to give it a try.

"Yes."

Shisui Uchiha stepped forward and accepted the mission as well.

He had been standing among the Jonin the entire time, and because of his age, he was the shortest one there.

Only now did Natsume notice him.

"Shisui, are you a Jonin leading a squad now?"

Tsunade looked at him and asked, "Who are your teammates?"

There would be two squads.

She believed Natsume and the others would not hold them back, but the other squad was harder to judge.

After all, geniuses were rare.

"Lord Hokage specially permitted me to lead a squad as a Jonin."

Shisui Uchiha answered gently, "My team consists of Lord Orochimaru's three disciples: Itachi Uchiha, Mitaraishi Anko, and Uzuki Yugao."

"So they are Orochimaru's disciples."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "That guy stays cooped up in Konoha all day, yet he is willing to let his disciples come out."

Shisui Uchiha remained silent.

The clash between big shots had nothing to do with him.

In truth, he had not chosen that squad because of Itachi Uchiha.

Orochimaru had specifically assigned him to lead them.

Even now, he had not figured out what Orochimaru intended.

"Since that is the case, we will leave this matter to you, Lady Tsunade."

Once the two had finished speaking, Fugaku Uchiha promptly opened his mouth.

He glanced at Shisui Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha. He said nothing, but the message was clear: perform well.

At this time, the drastic changes within the Uchiha Clan had made him realize that they had reached the most dangerous moment.

Thus, while placating the overly extreme clansmen, he also intended to use Shisui Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha to learn about the movements of Konoha's upper ranks.

He was working on both fronts, trying to find a balance.

Fugaku Uchiha did not wish to rebel.

In the original story, he had only been forced into taking the lead when left with no other choice.

Then he encountered Itachi Uchiha and willingly surrendered without resistance, allowing him to massacre the entire clan.

The thought process behind it was difficult to understand and utterly absurd.

As for now—

Fugaku Uchiha was neither a qualified clan head nor a qualified father, so he had no idea what Shisui Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha truly thought.

His inaction had slammed the accelerator to the floor on the Uchiha Clan's path to destruction.