In the Hidden Leaf Village, talking about "comrades" and "bonds" was considered right. So Uchiha Kin's first words made them fall silent.
Then he quickly explained that it was a choice, and solved the problem in an instant.
After all, once the "problem" that had driven them to the brink of collapse was no longer a "problem," they had nothing left to fall apart over.
The patients and medical staff were all astonished. "Th-that's it? It's solved?" They looked at Uchiha Kin with admiration. "Lord Kin is incredible. A few words were all it took to resolve the trouble and quiet them down."
"All right, then. Let them think it over..." After saying that, Uchiha Kin left the tent.
The medical staff filed out after him, leaving the tent quiet. After a while, someone finally said, "Lord Kin stopped the argument with a single sentence. His presence is just like the Hokage's. He's truly amazing."
Meanwhile, Yakushi Nonō, Jasmine, Golden Chrysanthemum, and the others questioned Uchiha Kin as soon as he came out of the tent. "Kin, how did you do that?" "Captain, you calmed them down in just a few words. We tried talking to them for ages, and it didn't work!"
"Do you know what matters most when you're trying to persuade someone?" Uchiha Kin stopped and asked them.
"What?" Golden Chrysanthemum asked.
"If you want someone to listen to you, the most important thing is that they actually listen. So your first words shouldn't be an explanation. You need to get them to quiet down and make them willing to listen. Then your second sentence absolutely can't be pointless.
"You have to give them the clearest, most straightforward explanation right away. If they're willing to listen and actually do, then the problem's solved, isn't it?" Uchiha Kin explained.
Uzumaki Mikayo returned to the underground cave, and her companion immediately asked, "How did it go?"
Uzumaki Mikayo smiled. "We can leave now. After some rest, your body should be able to handle moving around. There are only a few routine patrols left, and we can easily avoid them." After speaking, she hoisted Hyuga Ken's body onto her back and left the cave first.
Her teammate followed behind, carefully matching Uzumaki Mikayo's every step. Once they were out of the forest, they took a wide detour and returned to the Rock Ninja camp.
"Halt! Password!" A sentry stopped them. Only after they gave the password did his expression soften. "You made it back. Thank goodness. I thought you were dead. Is that... a body from the Hyuga Clan?"
He couldn't help raising his voice. In the shinobi world, a "body" itself was a rare source of intelligence.
Some shinobi destroyed their own bodies when they died. The methods included Sealing Techniques, ninjutsu, poison, and more.
Others were recovered by body-retrieval squads. Every shinobi village kept count of how many shinobi had fallen and how many bodies had been retrieved. They were especially protective of bodies from bloodline clans like the Hyuga.
If the enemy got their hands on a body, the leak of some intelligence would be a minor concern. The real worry was that someone might use genetic techniques to breed a clan just like theirs—one that served the enemy.
And Uzumaki Mikayo had been lucky enough to obtain a body.
"That's right, it's a body from the Hyuga branch family. We need to report this immediately." The two carried the body straight to the Tsuchikage.
The words "Hyuga body" opened every door for them. When the Tsuchikage saw the body, he even forgot that he was floating above everyone else and dropped to the ground to examine it closely. "A Hyuga. The body's still viable. This is wonderful."
His eyes were full of fascination, as if the body were a beautiful young woman, utterly captivating. "The Rock Ninja will have the Byakugan, too."
Compared to the Sharingan, the Byakugan had greater strategic value. Its vast field of vision and extraordinary range could make the most of an intelligence advantage. A unit with the Byakugan could carry out extremely complex battlefield maneuvers.
It would make surgical-strike tactics a reality instead of mere theory, allowing the Rock Ninja's massive forces to fight with ten times their strength.
The cumbersome delays caused by orders that couldn't be delivered in time would disappear. With the Byakugan's vision, they could see orders from much farther away.
The Tsuchikage had already begun imagining how he would command them...
But he was the Tsuchikage, after all, and quickly came to his senses. He asked Uzumaki Mikayo and her teammate what had happened to them.
Then he sent the two of them off to rest. He personally took the body, left his guards behind, and made arrangements for the front before secretly returning to the village. He handed the body over to the relevant agency for two purposes.
The first was "intelligence": to squeeze every last bit of information out of Hyuga Ken's brain.
The second was the Byakugan. The short-term goal was to use embryonic stem cells to cultivate Byakugan in a targeted manner; the long-term goal was cloning—to create replicas of the Hyuga Clan. A group of researchers was thrilled. "The Hyuga! They're a Byakugan clan!" The Tsuchikage said, "Do your utmost, everyone. The future of the Land of Earth rests entirely on you." Then he left.
By the time the Tsuchikage returned to the front, the Rock Ninja had already penetrated dozens of miles into the Land of Fire, thanks to the deceptive deployment he had arranged.
Using an attack to disguise the fact that the army had no commander had, by chance, exposed how weak the Hidden Leaf's forces really were.
Even the Tsuchikage was a little stunned...
"Tsuchikage-sama, after our forces attacked, we discovered that the Hidden Leaf had transferred most of its troops to Kikyo Mountain.
"The Sand Ninja are already at the Hidden Leaf's doorstep. If this continues, the Hidden Leaf could fall. Should we...?" A staff officer made a stabbing gesture, suggesting they strike Sunagakure hard once more.
The Tsuchikage pondered. "So this was their strategy all along? They put up a smokescreen to keep us tied down here while they dealt with the most dangerous enemy first."
He considered it for only a moment before making his decision. "No. We won't concern ourselves with the Sand Ninja. We'll keep attacking!"
Faced with the Rock Ninja's relentless advance, Minato Namikaze realized how serious the situation was. He summoned the Jonin. Uchiha Kin, a Medical Ninja and special Jonin, was among them. Yakushi Nonō was there as well.
The two of them were the only attending physicians at the hospital, and the only two Jonin among them. The fact that they had been called to the meeting made the dire state of affairs clear!
"Everyone, given the current situation, we have no choice but to take a desperate gamble." Minato Namikaze looked around and explained his plan—
"Our plan has two parts. First, we'll block the Rock Ninja's main force, slow their advance, and make it look as though we're putting up our strongest possible resistance.
"Second, Minato Squad will carry out a covert mission to destroy the Rock Ninja's lifeline—the Kannagi Bridge! Once that supply route is cut, the Rock Ninja will have no choice but to retreat."
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