Chaos in the Land of Whirlpools

On this day, such scenes were playing out in more than one location across the Land of Whirlpools.

Moreover, this trend began to intensify, and in the following period, Kirigakure received various loss reports every single day.

Whether it was supply squads being ambushed, resulting in materials failing to reach the front lines, or supply routes being sabotaged, preventing deliveries from arriving on time.

These incidents left the Kirigakure commanders with splitting headaches, and it was not as if they hadn't taken measures.

However, these measures could hardly be called effective; at the very least, they were completely useless.

Because from the moment Uchiha Sou issued his orders, those ten thousand-plus civilians capable of combat had all left their villages and entered the nearest resistance organizations.

Under the command and guidance of the Konoha ninja responsible for training them, these resistance organizations dispersed their camps throughout the vast jungles.

Although this approach caused them to suffer quite a bit—after all, hiding in the jungle could hardly compare to living in a town—it did everything possible to avoid being wiped out in one fell swoop by Kirigakure.

Furthermore, the Konoha ninja responsible for their respective "war zones" strictly adhered to what Uchiha Sou had demanded of them before the war began.

That was, unless absolutely necessary, never to engage Kirigakure in a head-on confrontation, but rather to use every possible method to harass them!

Guided by this strategy, at least within this region, the ninja of Kirigakure could be said to be having a miserable time.

If they wanted to retaliate with a grand display of force, the Mist Ninja were short on manpower, as the front lines were already stretched thin.

And finding them was no simple matter; after all, the Land of Whirlpools was quite large, and heaven knows which corner they were hiding in.

But to simply sit and wait for death, ignoring them, meant that loss reports would continue to arrive every day, which made the Mist Ninja grit their teeth in frustration.

However, these Mist Ninja were not without gains; although the various resistance organizations had done very well and were very careful, they were, in the end, just a group of ordinary people.

"That a group of civilians could resist to this extent is truly mind-boggling."

At the Kirigakure headquarters in the Land of Whirlpools, Karatachi Yagura frowned as he looked at the report in his hand, his mood clearly poor.

Although he appeared to be only twelve or thirteen years old, this was merely due to his naturally "baby face."

At this time, he was not yet the Fourth Mizukage, but as a disciple of the Third Mizukage and a member of the Karatachi Clan, he was a key figure being groomed for greatness.

And this war was his first as the supreme commander in the Land of Whirlpools!

"Lord Yagura, there is the shadow of Konoha ninja behind this." A middle-aged Mist Ninja seemed somewhat afraid of Karatachi Yagura, but he still gathered the courage to speak.

"Of course I know there is the shadow of Konoha behind this. Without Konoha, could these people have achieved this much?"

Karatachi Yagura let out a cold snort and then tossed the report onto the table.

"The key is that they managed to do all this in such a short time; that is not a simple matter."

"Lord Yagura, do you think these people might be related to the previous attacks on the prisoner camps?"

At this moment, another Mist Ninja could not help but speak up.

Over the past six months, the management of Kirigakure's prisoner camps had been problematic, with small camps being attacked repeatedly.

Although this was not a major issue in the context of the war, it had caused a certain number of casualties.

The Mist Ninja had once paid attention to this, but the targets were too small, and since there were no results, it was eventually left unresolved.

War always brings death, and besides, Kirigakure had already investigated; the enemy was just too cunning, leading to no results.

But now, it seemed there might be something different about this matter.

"Attacks on prisoner camps?" Karatachi Yagura pondered for a moment before nodding: "Perhaps there is indeed a connection, but that is all the better; at least it leaves behind some clues."

Having said this, Karatachi Yagura turned around and picked up a map, speaking as he studied it intently.

"Although we cannot be certain where those scattered resistance organizations are hiding, every resistance organization must have a command structure.

I do not believe the Konoha ninja leading these resistance organizations are acting independently; that would easily lead to major problems, just like how we command our own troops in battle.

Therefore, our primary goal is to find this command post. Once we find it, those resistance organizations will once again become nothing more than a rabble."

As he spoke, he picked up a pen and quickly drew on the map, then tossed it to the Mist Ninja beside him.

The Mist Ninja took the map and opened it, his brow furrowing quickly as several areas were marked on the map.

"Search these areas."

Karatachi Yagura said calmly, though his expression looked exceptionally cold.

"Especially those villages and towns. Although their operational locations are widely spaced, we cannot rule out that the local civilians are providing them with information.

However, this time it is best to send people who are strong and ruthless. On one hand, the enemy's command post will likely have many ninja guarding it.

Secondly, if the news leaks, they might be ambushed, so I need people who understand the situation and know exactly what needs to be done."

"I understand, Lord Yagura." The Mist Ninja nodded upon hearing this.

He did not feel there was anything wrong with this; after all, in times of war, who cares about the lives of civilians, especially when these civilians do not belong to one's own country.

Kirigakure had done plenty of bone-crushing and marrow-sucking in the Land of Whirlpools; otherwise, there wouldn't have been so many resistance organizations appearing.

Moreover, for a ninja, intelligence is the key. Exposing intelligence and causing one's own people to die is simply not very polite.

"Lord Yagura, currently Lord Kiba and Lord Juzo Biwa are both resting." The Mist Ninja seemed to recall something and spoke up immediately.

"Kiba and Juzo Biwa?" Karatachi Yagura thought for a moment and then said directly: "That will do. Two members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist should have no problem. However, to prevent any accidents, have them take a squad with them."

"I understand, Lord Yagura." The Mist Ninja nodded, then prepared to leave to deliver the notification.

"Wait a moment." Just as he was about to leave, Karatachi Yagura suddenly called out to him again: "Leak this news to Konoha. Let them know that someone in the Land of Whirlpools is actually cultivating and training the local civilians."

"This..." The Mist Ninja was stunned. He didn't know how to respond for a moment, but in the end, he still nodded: "Yes, Lord Yagura."

After saying this, the Mist Ninja turned and left the command room, while Karatachi Yagura sat back down, a smile involuntarily appearing at the corners of his mouth.

"Training civilians, what a whimsical idea. I don't believe for a second that your Konoha would issue such an order."

"Otherwise, Konoha wouldn't have just watched us land back then and allowed us to wipe out the Uzumaki clan entirely."