Still a Direct Assault!

Tsunan Town, Konoha Camp.

Jiraiya looked toward the jonin gathered before him, his gaze settling on Nara Enshui, who stood at their center.

"Enshui, what do you think—how will the Mist attack next?"

After Nara Shikaku and Nara Suzaku were killed by Yoru, Jiraiya had transferred Nara Enshui, originally stationed in Souta Village, here to serve as a temporary commander.

This wasn't a desperate scramble for any available hand. Every member of the Nara Clan was practically a born strategist, and since Enshui had been stationed in Souta Village, he had a solid grasp of the frontline situation. That was why Jiraiya had called him in.

Nara Enshui stared at the sand table before him, his expression grave. He didn't speak rashly.

After a long pause, he finally spoke with solemnity.

"In my opinion, Lord Jiraiya, the Mist won't resort to any particularly special tactics or tricks from here on out. They'll launch a direct assault! And they'll keep their main offensive focused on our Tsunan Town!"

"How so?"

"At present, our defensive line against the Mist is centered on Tsunan Town, spreading north and south in a fan shape. The five main positions are Higashimatsuyama, Misawa Bridge, the Oami Shirasato Mine, Tsunan Town, and Kazama Valley. But the Mist has consistently applied minimal pressure on the other four locations, hammering Tsunan Town alone."

"Based on the intel we extracted from Suikazan Fuguki's mind, the Mist wants to blitz our main force at Tsunan Town while the Iwagakure and Kumogakure fronts are still unresolved, allowing them to drive straight into the heart of the Land of Fire."

"However, because our defenses have been tenacious and their main force hadn't yet arrived, their plan has never been fully executed."

Nara Enshui's hand traced across the sand table, finally stopping at Tsunan Town.

"And now, with the Mist's main force here and the battles at Kumogakure and Iwagakure still ongoing, I conclude the Mist won't change their strategy. They'll keep pressing Tsunan Town hard, aiming to break through us in the shortest possible time."

"Is that so."

Uchiha Fugaku's gaze turned heavy. "Then we're likely to face unprecedented pressure..."

With the Mist's main force arriving, even without the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, that man's combat power—in Fugaku's view—could fully compensate for their absence, and was even more threatening than the swordsmen themselves.

That Cross Ice Flower that had frozen the Susanoo that day... had left an indelible impression on him.

"This will indeed be a tough battle, but there's no need for everyone to feel too pressured."

Jiraiya clapped his hands, raising his voice to draw everyone's attention.

Beside him, a toad had appeared without anyone noticing, and in his hand, a scroll had materialized just as quietly.

Reading the information on the scroll, a smile spread across Jiraiya's face.

"Our reinforcements are on their way!"

As Yoru accepted his appointment, his own expression remained quite calm.

But behind him, Yumi and Yukiko were already waving their little hands in excitement, while Yurui and Mangetsu wore broad smiles.

ANBU Vice Director—this was an absolute high-ranking position within the Mist.

And most crucially, Yoru was only fourteen years old!

It wasn't just the few under his command; nearly everyone in the tent looked at Yoru with varied expressions, watching this unparalleled genius who, at just fourteen, had stepped into the Mist's upper echelons.

Their minds even began to speculate just how far Yoru could go in the future.

The second-in-command of the Mist's ANBU at fourteen—what about the future?

ANBU Director?

Mist Elder?

Or even...

Unimaginable.

Many were already considering investing early, seeking to build a good relationship.

But off to one side of the tent, the members of the Yuki Clan wore expressions of deep complexity...

Yagura took in the varied reactions of everyone present without surprise. What did give him pause, however, was Yoru's calm demeanor.

Faced with such a meteoric rise to power, he could still maintain this composed and collected attitude—his little junior brother possessed a capacity no less than his own!

"Appoint Terumi Mei, Squad Leader of ANBU Second Squad, as ANBU Captain, responsible for all frontline intelligence operations."

Following Yoru's appointment came Terumi Mei's.

Clearly, the Mist's high command was well aware of how abysmal their intelligence network was. But with the war ongoing, they couldn't properly overhaul it themselves, so they handed full authority to Terumi Mei.

This appointment brought smiles to the faces of many elites from the Terumi Clan.

The position of ANBU Captain was not low. For instance, two of the original Seven Ninja Swordsmen had held the role of ANBU Captain (or Vice Captain).

More importantly, beyond the title of ANBU Captain, there was the phrase "responsible for all frontline intelligence operations."

With those words, Terumi Mei's authority took on a different dimension.

On a smaller scale, she was the head of the ANBU Intelligence Unit.

But on a larger scale, Terumi Mei could effectively manage every intelligence department in the entire Mist!

"Terumi Mei accepts the appointment!"

Terumi Mei stepped forward and accepted the position.

"Appoint ANBU First Squad member Hozuki Mangetsu as deputy commander of the Mist's First Unit (a force primarily composed of ninjas skilled in hidden weapons and tools)."

"Appoint Mist Jonin Kaguya Tetsuya as commander of the Mist's Second Unit (a force responsible for eliminating large numbers of enemies, fighting on the front lines)."

"Appoint Mist Jonin Yuki Hyōji as deputy commander of the Mist's Second Unit."

"Appoint Mist Jonin..."

One by one, the transfer orders were issued by Yagura. The many ninjas present wore expressions of utmost seriousness on the surface, but the looks in their eyes varied widely.

Some had crooked smiles at the corners of their mouths from promotions.

Some had gloomy faces from demotions.

Some were ostensibly promoted but actually demoted, holding no real power and no chance to skim benefits—their expressions were a mix of forced smiles and barely concealed bitterness, truly a sight to behold.

Faced with this group of people whose bodies and minds had been corroded by power and authority, Tetsuya had nothing to say. This was the current foundation of the Mist. This village, seemingly shrouded in the Bloody Mist, possessed top-tier elites, but the individuals raised under such high-pressure environments pursued and craved things that were even more twisted and distorted.

Bonds, emotions—those things meant nothing to them anymore. What they craved more was power and desire!

Tetsuya glanced at Terumi Mei beside him, who was stern and brimming with fighting spirit, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

"If these people aren't all purged, the Mist will probably always be at the bottom among the Five Great Villages..."

"And the cause of this twisted distortion is clearly the Bloody Mist, and the Bloody Mist is obviously Madara Uchiha's handiwork."

"Little lady, your ideals are set against Madara!"

Before long, the new position appointments came to a close, but the meeting was far from over.

Setting down the appointment documents, Yagura swept his gaze across everyone present. The crowd also reined in their emotions, readying themselves for the real meeting.

Or rather.

The pre-battle mobilization!