Although Nara Rukawa still opposed Uchiha Sou's approach deep down, launching a proactive attack was, to some extent, the same as luring the enemy in!
But considering some of this world's peculiar customs, he ultimately had no choice but to agree.
What was peculiar about the shinobi world? Strong fighters challenged each other to one-on-one duels!
Of course, these duels were often forced.
But even among jonin, there were differences in skill. If you sent Hatake Sakumo to cut down other shinobi, even jonin, wouldn't it be as easy as chopping vegetables?
So when someone like him was deployed, others of a similar caliber had to go with him to deal with the trouble.
Konoha was actually quite convincing in the "high-end talent market." The Third Hokage of the older generation was in his prime, while the Konoha Sannin of the middle and younger generations were at the height of their fame.
But everyone had their moment of glory. You couldn't mistake a moment for eternity!
Perhaps Konoha simply had too many "high-end talents," which made some people worry that they might be replaced once they grew old.
They also worried that someone who wasn't one of their own might have no chance of moving up the ranks and would turn traitor instead.
Over time, "For the sake of Konoha" became a catchphrase. In practice, it was just a way to eliminate those they considered "traitors."
As it happened, four of the great shinobi villages were now attacking Konoha, leaving its "high-end talent market" stretched thin.
Back when Konoha was at full strength, it could probably have sent two or three people like that to every battlefield.
Take the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, for example. Konoha's top talents probably wouldn't have feared so many of them!
But things were different now. Konoha didn't have that many people. On the Land of Whirlpools front, Orochimaru was the only "high-end talent," and he still had to keep an eye on Karatachi Yagura over in Kirigakure.
Meanwhile, members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist had returned to hunt them down. That meant the only one who could take them on seemed to be Uchiha Sou, who had already defeated two of the Seven Swordsmen on his own.
So Nara Rukawa had no objections. He could only figure out how to "expose" Uchiha Sou and his group's route more discreetly, preferably getting those guys to "deliver themselves right to their door."
Naturally, they couldn't let the fight happen in this small town, since that might alert the enemy.
Elsewhere, the enemy might suspect an ambush, but that would still be better than fighting at their base.
For safety's sake, he suggested that Uchiha Sou bring along the squad Orochimaru had assigned.
After all, by any measure, that squad was elite!
But after thinking it over, Uchiha Sou ultimately rejected the idea. He would certainly bring people, but they had to be more useful than that!
In the end, he chose Shiranui Genma and Might Guy, his two old teammates, along with Shisui Uchiha, Hyuga Tetsu, and—
"Captain, are you sure it's all right to bring him?"
In the forests of the Land of Whirlpools, Shiranui Genma leaped forward, glanced back, and asked in a low voice, the corner of his mouth twitching.
Uchiha Sou looked back too. Two men in green were following meekly behind them.
They were, of course, Might Duy and his son!
After acting as a "guide for the enemy" for a while, Might Duy had been thrown into a temporary guard camp and kept there.
They had already figured out that it wasn't his fault, but as a shinobi, he had been careless enough to nearly endanger everyone. He still deserved some punishment.
Uchiha Sou hadn't planned to keep him locked up for long, but Duy himself felt so guilty that he refused to come out.
This time, when he heard Might Guy mention that they were going on a special mission, he immediately sought out Uchiha Sou and volunteered.
Might Duy had no confidence at all. As a Genin, he was even lower-ranked than his own son.
But his overwhelming guilt had still driven him to approach Uchiha Sou, and he never would have expected Uchiha Sou to accept his request.
He wasn't the only one. Everyone else was just as astonished. No matter how you looked at it, Might Duy was only a Genin.
And he had led them all into trouble. Even if they wanted to give him a chance to redeem himself, surely this wasn't the time?
"Don't worry. I brought him along after giving it a lot of thought." Uchiha Sou turned his gaze forward again and smiled.
The others didn't know what Might Duy was capable of, but Uchiha Sou knew exactly how frightening he could be when he let loose!
It might cost him his life, but Duy really could take seven enemies down with him.
If nothing unexpected happened, Uchiha Sou would handle this mission himself. But this time was different from last time. If he could bring some insurance, there was no way he'd turn it down.
"All right, Captain." Shiranui Genma sighed, then continued, "How are you planning to find them?"
Shisui leaned over to listen as well. He had a lot of confidence in this mission. After all, he knew one thing for certain.
Both he and Uchiha Sou had a pair of Sharingan far beyond what anyone could imagine. With two pairs of eyes like theirs, he was confident they could complete the mission.
"Actually, I don't think we need to look for them at all."
Uchiha Sou thought for a moment before answering.
"We've already interrogated Juzo Biwa. He never had a chance to report our location.
"That means the remaining members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist would have to search our territory like needles in a haystack to find us.
"If you were in their shoes, what would you do?"
What would they do?
Shiranui Genma and Shisui Uchiha began to think it over. A moment later, Shiranui Genma seemed to have an answer.
"Captain, you mean they'll use the most brutal methods to force us to show ourselves?"
"Mm." Uchiha Sou nodded slightly. "They don't need to know where we are. They just need to slaughter every resistance group they come across. And even..."
Uchiha Sou paused briefly, then shook his head and continued.
"Even the civilians who aren't involved in the resistance. If that happened, do you think we could stay put?"
Shiranui Genma nodded at Uchiha Sou's words, while Shisui's expression shifted slightly.
Clearly, they had both considered or agreed with Uchiha Sou's reasoning.
If those guys couldn't find them, the best approach would be to launch a sweeping "cleansing operation." That might even make some members of the resistance groups lose heart.
So rather than let those guys slaughter people at will and spread panic, they might as well take the initiative and let the enemy know where they were!
"I understand, Captain." Shiranui Genma sighed softly, then said seriously, "That really is the best way."
"Senpai, we'll definitely take them down!" Shisui gritted his teeth as he replied. It was clear he deeply loathed these Kirigakure shinobi.
That was only natural. The people of Kirigakure had nearly killed Uchiha Shizuka, and the war they had started alone was enough to make Shisui despise them.
Shisui wasn't exactly softhearted, but as a prodigy, he had experienced the brutality of war far too early. It had left him truly sick of war.
As they continued darting through the forest, looking at the lush green trees, Shisui finally couldn't help asking,
"Captain, why do you think there are so many wars?"
"..."
Before you continue