The third man's eyes lit up, and he said excitedly, "The Hyuga Clan is divided into the Main Family and the Branch Family. The Main Family rules over everything, and each generation has only one head of the Main Family."
"If we capture the current head of the Hyuga Main Family alive, we can use him to threaten the entire Hyuga Clan!"
"And then break through the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan defenses on the Konoha front!"
As for using the head of the Hyuga Main Family as a hostage to force the entire Hyuga Clan to defect, he hadn't dared consider that.
The leader of any faction wasn't a fool. If he really made such a demand, the other side would probably rather take their own lives than become hostages under someone else's control.
Otherwise, the Hyuga Clan might be wiped out by Konoha Village before they even fell on the battlefield!
The first man shook his head. "I'm afraid capturing him alive won't be easy!"
"However, if the head of the Hyuga Main Family runs into danger, setting aside Konoha's other forces, the remaining Hyuga clansmen will definitely rush back to reinforce him at any cost!"
"When that happens, we'll use the head of the Hyuga Main Family as bait and surround the Hyuga clansmen who come to rescue him, dealing the Hyuga Clan a heavy blow!"
"If we can kill the head of the Hyuga Main Family, that would be even better!"
"By then, the Hyuga Clan will be leaderless and its morale will plummet. Our gains will surely multiply!"
After hearing this, the second man thought it over repeatedly before saying, "Even if most of the forces in Konoha's main camp go to support the Uchiha, there will certainly still be Hyuga clansmen among those left behind."
"Our raiding force may be discovered before it even gets close to their camp! A surprise attack won't be easy!"
The first man gave his two companions a deep look and said solemnly, "That's why the force raiding Konoha's main camp can't be too large. We need to scatter as much as possible, take a detour, and encircle them from the side!"
"Make them think we've only sent a small force past the defensive line to harass Konoha Village!"
As he spoke, he tapped the documents on the table again and continued, "To weaken the defensive strength inside Konoha's main camp as much as possible, we must attack the Uchiha camp with our true strength!"
"Make them think we're throwing everything into wiping them out. Only then can we draw the main force from Konoha's main camp and leave its defenses weak!"
"That will give the raiding force a chance to kill—or even capture alive—the head of the Hyuga Main Family!"
At this, the third man nodded and said softly, "The news that Uchiha Tai was captured alive by us probably hasn't reached them yet! But after twenty-four hours, the Uchiha will realize he's missing and will certainly change their deployment."
"By then, if we want to attack their camp again and put them under enough pressure, we'll have to mobilize more troops."
"Our total strength is limited. If we send more here, the raiding force will inevitably have fewer men."
"To ensure that the raid achieves the results it should, the raiding force can't be too small either!"
"So we should carry out this plan before the Uchiha change their deployment!"
"I propose that the entire army rest now and launch the attack before dawn!"
The second man immediately raised his hand. "I second that!"
"Good. I'll go assign the men and make the arrangements right away!"
The first man said nothing more. After tossing out that sentence, he turned and left the command tent.
"I should go make some preparations too!"
As he spoke, the third man also disappeared into the tent.
Before long, the various squads in the camp received different orders from above.
That night, the entire Mist Hidden camp was on high alert, filled with an unusual atmosphere.
Although most people didn't know what their superiors were preparing to do, everyone had a premonition that a major battle was about to begin.
Unlike their previous minor probing clashes, the command center had truly decided to have a full-scale fight with Konoha this time!
Some people were terrified. In this kind of large-scale frontal battle, the death rate among ninja was highest, and they worried whether they would return alive after setting out this time.
Some people were excited. While large-scale battles raised the death rate among ninja, they also made it easier to kill enemies, meaning there would be far more opportunities than usual to gain opportunities, military merit, and glory.
However, whether they were afraid or excited, they had no other choice.
The command center's orders were the village's orders. No one could refuse.
And so, everyone endured the difficult night in a state of unease until dawn.
"Everyone, hurry and check your ninja tool pouches. Once you're ready, we'll leave immediately!" At first light, Ao shouted at the three junior teammates sleeping inside the tent.
At his shout, the three people in the sleeping bags on the ground sat up together. Their movements were extremely nimble, completely unlike those of people who had just woken up.
"Looks like you two woke up a long time ago, huh?" Mei Terumi blinked her big eyes and swept her two companions with a sly look.
"Weren't you awake for quite a while too?" Qi Shuang glanced at her with a faint smile at the corners of his mouth.
After spending a short time together, he had discovered that compared to Zabuza, Mei Terumi was much more talkative. This gave their team a little more life and kept it from becoming completely gloomy.
On the other side, Zabuza said nothing. He simply stood up silently and began checking his ninja tool pouch.
"What a boring guy. You're like a piece of wood!"
Mei Terumi glanced at him, shook her head, then shifted her gaze to Qi Shuang and teased, "You, the newcomer, seem much more interesting!"
"I sincerely hope you can return safely after we set out this time!"
"Otherwise, we'll have to get another new teammate!"
"Is that so?"
Qi Shuang slowly stood up and gave her a deep look before saying, "But why do I feel like you don't mean what you say?"
Although Mei Terumi's smile was sweet, he couldn't sense even a trace of warmth or blessing from her. Instead, he detected a hint of teasing.
Ao, waiting at the tent entrance, was growing impatient. He frowned and said, "Hurry up and get ready. Many squads have already left the camp!"
At this, Mei Terumi unwillingly slipped out of her sleeping bag and pouted. "Why are you rushing me? As long as we complete the mission within the time limit, what's the hurry?"
"Let me touch up my makeup first!"
"Even if I die, I have to die beautifully!"
As she spoke, she casually pulled a small mirror from her waist pouch.
At this sight, Qi Shuang and Zabuza's jaws dropped.
Ao at the entrance was even so furious that smoke seemed to pour from his ears.
At a time like this, she was actually still thinking about touching up her makeup!
Then, under the resentful gazes of the three males—one adult and two youths—Mei Terumi leisurely finished applying her makeup.
Fortunately, she understood that time was tight and didn't deliberately waste too much of it. She spent only about ten minutes in total, which improved Ao's expression considerably.
Once all three were ready, Ao immediately led them out of the camp and headed straight north.
Before you continue