The lives of those in power are always worth a little more

With the Signal Flare launched, Yurui and the Hozuki squad, who had been causing chaos within Souta Village, began withdrawing at once.

A few minutes later, Yoru rendezvoused with the others.

Following the retreat route Yukiko had prepared in advance, they began to withdraw.

The dense fog infused with Chakra blocked the detection of living beings, leaving ninja hounds and insects helpless.

The Byakugan was activated, yet there was nothing in sight. The Konoha ninja who wanted to pursue them were left at a loss and could only stay behind to clear the area and tally their losses.

"Hehe, Konoha isn't all that impressive after all."

Beneath a towering tree more than ten kilometers from Souta Village.

As Yurui wiped the lingering bloodstains from the ninja blade at her waist, she grinned. "I really don't know what those idiots on the front lines have been doing. I heard they attacked more than a dozen times and got driven back by Konoha every time. What a bunch of useless freeloaders!"

"Konoha cannot be underestimated. If not for Yukiko's Red Eye interfering with the Byakugan, along with the huge commotion Lord Yoru caused drawing their attention, we would never have succeeded so easily."

Hozuki Mangetsu shook his head, his wrist trembling slightly.

During the battle just now, he had encountered an exceptionally powerful Uchiha.

Whether in ninjutsu or taijutsu, that man had been incredibly strong. Coupled with the enhancement of a Three-Tomoe Sharingan, if not for his subordinates' assistance, he might not have been able to retreat from Souta Village at all.

Yoru's gaze paused briefly on Mangetsu's Kirigakure ANBU vest, which was covered in wounds. Obvious Fire Release burns, as well as marks from steel wire and Kunai, marred its surface.

"Mangetsu, it seems you ran into quite the opponent."

"Yes. An Uchiha with a Three-Tomoe Sharingan. I nearly died there." Hozuki Mangetsu nodded. There was nothing to hide, and as though recalling something, he frowned. "Actually, I think he could have killed me. But I always had the feeling that he was wary of something and didn't go all out."

"Someone capable of killing you? There was actually such a monster in that village?!"

Yurui muttered in disbelief.

Although she and Hozuki Mangetsu did not get along particularly well.

As subordinates personally recruited by Yoru, Yurui knew Mangetsu well enough and greatly acknowledged his strength.

This man was hailed as the most outstanding genius of the current Hozuki Clan. Not only had he mastered exceptionally powerful Suiton, but his own Hydrification Technique was also used to perfection.

Most crucially, there was his swordsmanship!

Even Lord Yoru had nothing but praise for this man's swordsmanship.

With a powerful "blade" in hand, Hozuki Mangetsu could even contend with Lord Yoru.

Among all the Jonin in the village, those who could reliably defeat Hozuki Mangetsu—

Aside from the Mizukage, the Ninja Swordsmen, and Lord Yoru, there were fewer than could be counted on one hand. Even Yurui had to admit that she was slightly inferior to the man before her.

Yet Hozuki Mangetsu, who possessed the combat strength of an elite Jonin, had nearly died during the earlier operation?

Ringo Yurui found it hard to believe. The Jonin she had encountered had not even been as strong as those back in the village. With the Kirigakure Technique, she had easily slaughtered several of them.

"If I'm not mistaken, that man should be the current Clan Head of the Uchiha Clan mentioned in the intelligence reports—Uchiha Fugaku."

Yoru said solemnly, "You did well enough just surviving an encounter with him. He is one of the Third Hokage's main combat forces stationed at the front lines, and he is extremely troublesome."

If he used the Mangekyo, his combat strength would at least rank among Konoha's current top three!

"The Uchiha Clan's Clan Head..."

"Yoshino and the others all died at that man's hands as well..."

Hozuki Mangetsu's expression darkened.

Yoshino had been a member of his squad.

The special Bloody Mist Policy enacted by the Third Mizukage had made the relationships between Kirigakure's ninja extremely distant. Yet within ANBU's First Squad, there was a different kind of bond.

The four of them had all been personally selected by Yoru, while the members of each squad had been personally chosen by their respective squad leaders.

Now that every member of Hozuki Mangetsu's First Squad had perished, it was only natural that their captain felt some turmoil in his heart.

"Oh, right, Lord Yoru!"

But Hozuki Mangetsu's expression swiftly changed, and he said gravely, "All the members of my squad were lost in this operation. I failed to bring them back, so Konoha may very well obtain our intelligence from their heads."

Konoha's intelligence-gathering methods were among the finest in the Ninja World.

Not only did they have ninja beasts, insects, and Byakugan that could swiftly collect information from the battlefield, but they could even extract useful information from captives—and even corpses.

"Once we stepped onto the battlefield, exposing our intelligence was only a matter of time. Besides, while they may learn our intelligence, Konoha's intelligence isn't nearly as mysterious as that."

Yoru reassured him.

As he spoke.

He took out a Scroll from his robes and handed it to Hozuki Mangetsu.

"This is..."

"These are the Konoha Frontline Troop Deployment Details. Mangetsu, I need you to deliver them to Lord Yagura as quickly as possible. Before Konoha can react, seize the advantage."

Konoha Frontline Troop Deployment Details?!

At those words, everyone's expressions turned solemn. None of them had expected Lord Yoru to have gained something like this as well!

This scroll was immensely valuable. If used well, it could easily alter the course of the front-line battle—but they had to move quickly.

Once Konohagakure caught on, what lay within the scroll would likely cease to be spoils of war and become a trap instead.

"Yes, Lord Yoru!"

Hozuki Mangetsu composed himself, solemnly accepted the scroll, slipped it into an inner pocket against his chest, and immediately departed with the Body Flicker Technique.

Before the age of Gundams had arrived, aside from brutes like the Third Raikage, war had never been merely a head-on clash between two sides.

Resources, intelligence, top-tier combatants, and the deterrence of tailed beasts.

Those were the true themes of war!

"Everyone, rest where you are. Yumi Squad, begin treatment. We move out again in one hour. We must draw the attention of this batch of Konohagakure ninja entirely onto us."

"Yes, Lord Yoru!"

The group rested in place while the members of Yumi Squad swiftly treated the wounded.

Although this ambush had achieved considerable results, that alone was not enough to fully draw their attention.

To ensure the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist had sufficient room to act, Yoru needed to make an even bigger commotion.

Ideally, the Konohagakure ninja in Souta Village would feel an overwhelming threat—perhaps even prompting the Konohagakure ninja on the front lines to come reinforce them!

After all.

This was not only the core logistical hub of the Kirigakure Front; it also housed people like the Uchiha Clan Head and the Third Hokage's son!

The lives of those great clan members were exceedingly precious...