Thoughts and Plans

Uchiha Sou discovered that when you are stuck on a problem, a few words from someone else can truly provide a massive spark of inspiration.

This actually fulfilled the lyrics from a television show he watched as a child: a few careless words, unraveling my confusion.

Shiranui Genma's minor complaint caused Uchiha Sou to fall into deep thought involuntarily.

After carefully reviewing the flow of this mission, deconstructing the common tactics used throughout, identifying the different competitive tracks between the two villages, and focusing on the current confrontational ecology of the war.

Finally, he understood!

The biggest trouble with the current mission was one thing: it was deep behind enemy lines.

For the three of them to be scurrying around in enemy-controlled territory like small fry, it was truly like sleeping on a floor mat in a latrine—not far from the crap.

The second was that there were too few of them.

The enemy-controlled territory was vast; to say they had a long way to go to find their mission objective was an understatement—it was as far away as the horizon.

Moreover, without good information exchange, they had no idea which places had already been hit and which remained intact.

With only this many people, honestly, they might as well just lay low.

Of course, laying low wasn't easy either; this was enemy-controlled territory, after all, and the movement of troops and daily patrols were no joke.

Furthermore, Uchiha Sou didn't think that a hot-blooded man like Might Guy, combined with Shiranui Genma, would actually choose to lay low.

Even if they agreed, they could only drift until the end of the war without achieving anything, but Uchiha Sou, as the captain, could not.

If he just drifted to the end and returned to the village, he would inevitably be disgraced and might even be saddled with the charge of "delaying the war effort."

How should one act under such dire circumstances?

The answer was simple: why not just find more people?

Uchiha Sou's idea was actually quite simple. Since the mission was for them to run to the rear of the main Kirigakure force to conduct sneak attacks and sabotage.

And Orochimaru had dispatched more than one team, with the goal of launching a saturation-style sneak attack.

Then why didn't he gather all these teams together, then unify their management and distribute tasks uniformly?

This would be efficient, maintain organizational structure, and if they encountered large-scale encirclement, they could act as each other's shields!

"Especially that Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, do you think I'm afraid of you just because I have more people?"

Of course, the risks of doing this were also exceptionally high.

For instance, if Orochimaru knew of Uchiha Sou's plan, he likely wouldn't agree, as there was the risk of being "wiped out in one go."

But there was a saying that held true in this world as well: "A general in the field is not bound by the orders of his sovereign."

As the captain of Team 6, Uchiha Sou had the authority to make certain decisions, and Might Guy and Shiranui Genma were his classmates, friends, and subordinates.

Even if they opposed him, they would eventually be pushed to support him.

As long as he could handle the Konoha ninja he found, the rest would be easy to manage.

"Especially since this is the Land of Whirlpools!"

The Land of Whirlpools and the Land of Fire had always had a good relationship, and Konoha was once considered the guardian deity of the Land of Whirlpools.

Although there were some small flaws in between, such as during the Second Ninja World War when Konoha "didn't have time" to provide support, allowing Kirigakure to almost wipe out the Land of Whirlpools.

But overall, the Land of Whirlpools still leaned toward Konoha.

What's more, after the people from Kirigakure landed, they didn't follow any principles of sustainable development or avoiding overfishing.

They farmed this small patch of land so intensely that they completely stunned the civilians of the Land of Whirlpools.

If Uchiha Sou and his team could assemble a force, wouldn't they be like divine soldiers descending from heaven to these civilians?

When the time came, if they swindled those civilians who hated Kirigakure to the bone, saying something like "Suddenly a madman sharpens his blade at night, the leaf flag rises high over the Land of Whirlpools," wouldn't those civilians immediately help them?

As the saying goes, the Konoha ninja recruits me, and I bring my whole family to join the cause!

"Although these civilians have no combat power, their familiarity with the Land of Whirlpools, or rather, the environment surrounding where they live, is far beyond imagination."

Uchiha Sou's eyes grew brighter and brighter; he truly felt that this kind of thing had great potential.

After all, Kirigakure's control over the Land of Whirlpools was limited to large cities; they didn't have such powerful defensive measures for some villages and small towns.

This gave Uchiha Sou and his team a perfect opportunity; they could use these small villages as cover and strongholds to really turn up the intensity on the Kirigakure forces!

"But, why didn't Orochimaru and the others do this?"

Uchiha Sou couldn't quite figure this question out. In truth, his idea was based on the guerrilla tactics he learned before transmigrating.

But guerrilla warfare wasn't exactly a secret science; even the Americans across the ocean, who believed in carpet bombing and overwhelming force, started learning to fight as guerrillas when facing the Japs in the Philippines.

And don't tell me, they actually fought quite effectively.

"Could it be that the differences in world culture caused this?"

Uchiha Sou didn't know why this world lacked such tactics, but he was too lazy to think about it too much, because he knew he truly had an answer now!

He believed that as long as they could find other squads, they would inevitably be able to achieve something and huddle together for warmth.

"Only..."

Uchiha Sou, who had been full of confidence just a moment ago, suddenly discovered a very serious problem.

"Where the hell am I supposed to find those hidden Konoha squads?"

Uchiha Sou now deeply felt the profound malice coming from both Konoha and Orochimaru; this mission was truly giving him an immense headache.

He was even starting to wonder if the cryptic look on Orochimaru's face and the words he had spoken before his departure were meant to imply something.

"Captain, there's movement!"

However, just as he was feeling incredibly distressed, Might Guy suddenly ran in from the cave entrance, his voice low and urgent.

"A squad is approaching, the number of people is unknown, and it's unclear who exactly they are."

"Hmm?"

Perhaps due to the muscle memory instilled in him by his father's rigorous physical training over the years, Uchiha Sou immediately cast his thoughts aside, his gaze turning sharp.

Troublesome matters could be pondered slowly, but the problem at hand had to be dealt with quickly.

The area they were currently in did not strictly belong to either Konoha or Kirigakure, as it was considered a free combat zone.

Squads from any village could appear here, so it was best to be fully prepared when it was unclear whether they were friends or foes.

"Hide first, do not engage." Uchiha Sou issued the order directly: "We must identify them first; if the situation turns sour, be ready to fight at any moment."

"Yes, Captain." Might Guy answered immediately, and Shiranui Genma had also stood up by now, his gaze becoming equally keen.

In the blink of an eye, the three of them vanished from where they stood, each taking up an ambush position.

Uchiha Sou hid in the shadows behind a giant boulder, and at the same time, he activated his Sharingan, three black tomoe slowly rotating within his scarlet pupils.

He continuously adjusted his breathing, bringing his state to the best possible condition.

However, just at that moment, several dark figures had already begun to walk into the cave.