Uchiha Sou realized that when you couldn't figure something out, a few casual words from someone else could sometimes give you a sudden flash of inspiration.
It reminded him of the lyrics from a TV show he'd watched as a child: "A few careless words dispelled my doubts."
Shiranui Genma's little complaint had sent Uchiha Sou sinking into thought.
He carefully reviewed the mission from start to finish, broke down the common tactics they could use, identified the differences between the two villages, and focused on the dynamics of the current war.
At last, he understood!
The biggest problem with the mission was that they had to venture deep behind enemy lines.
The three of them were just small fry, running around in enemy territory. It was like sleeping on the floor of an outhouse—never far from shit.
Second, there were too few of them.
The enemy-controlled area was vast. Finding their targets would take a long time—so long they might as well be on the other side of the world.
And with no reliable way to share information, they had no idea which places had already been hit and which were still standing.
With so few people, honestly, they might as well lie low.
Of course, lying low wouldn't be easy. This was enemy territory, after all, and troop movements and routine patrols were no joke.
Besides, Uchiha Sou couldn't imagine a hot-blooded guy like Might Guy, or Shiranui Genma for that matter, choosing to lie low.
Even if they agreed, the two of them could get away with doing nothing until the war ended. As their team leader, Uchiha Sou couldn't.
If he just coasted until the end, he'd return to the village disgraced, and might even be saddled with the charge of "delaying the war effort."
What could they do in such a dire situation?
The answer was simple: find more people.
Uchiha Sou's idea was simple enough. If the mission was to sneak behind Kirigakure's main forces and launch surprise attacks and sabotage, and Orochimaru had sent out multiple teams to carry out a coordinated saturation attack, then why not bring all those teams together and manage them as one, assigning missions collectively?
That would make them more efficient and help them stay organized. If they ran into a large-scale encirclement, they could even shield one another!
"Especially those Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. What, you think I'm scared of you just because I'm outnumbered?"
Of course, this plan came with considerable risks.
For instance, if Orochimaru learned what Uchiha Sou had in mind, he'd probably refuse. After all, there was a risk of everyone getting wiped out in one fell swoop.
But there was a saying that applied just as well in this world: "When a general is in the field, he need not obey every order from his ruler."
As the leader of Team 6, Uchiha Sou had the authority to make certain decisions. Might Guy and Shiranui Genma were his classmates, his friends, and his subordinates.
Even if they objected, they'd probably end up being pushed into supporting him.
As long as he could deal with the Konoha Ninja he found, the rest would be easy to work out.
"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 had once been something of a protector to the Land of Whirlpools.
There had been a few minor hiccups along the way—like during the Second Shinobi World War, when Konoha "couldn't get there in time," allowing Kirigakure to nearly wipe out the Land of Whirlpools.
But all in all, the Land of Whirlpools still leaned toward Konoha.
What's more, once Kirigakure's forces came ashore, they hadn't followed any principle of sustainable harvesting. They'd plundered the place relentlessly.
They'd worked this little patch of land so thoroughly that they'd left the people of the Land of Whirlpools utterly dumbfounded.
If Uchiha Sou and the others could gather a force, wouldn't their ragtag band seem like reinforcements from heaven to the local people?
Then they could sweet-talk the people who hated Kirigakure with a passion, saying things like, "A madman sharpened his blade in the night, and the Whirlpool banner flies high once more!" Wouldn't the locals help them right away?
As the saying went: "Konoha's ninja called on me to join them, so I brought my whole family along!"
"Even if the locals can't fight, they know the Land of Whirlpools—or rather, the terrain around where they live—far better than we could imagine."
Uchiha Sou's eyes grew brighter and brighter. He genuinely felt that this idea had real potential.
After all, Kirigakure's control of the Land of Whirlpools was limited to the big cities. They didn't have such strong defenses in the villages and small towns.
That gave Uchiha Sou and the others a real opportunity. They could use those little villages as cover and bases, and make life difficult for the Kirigakure forces!
"Still, why didn't Orochimaru and the others do this?"
Uchiha Sou couldn't figure that out. His idea was based on the guerrilla tactics he'd learned about before he crossed over.
But guerrilla warfare wasn't some secret discipline. Even America—across the ocean, a country that believed in bombarding the enemy with artillery and sending wave after wave of troops to crush them—had learned to use guerrilla tactics against the Japanese in the Philippines.
And they'd done a pretty good job of it, too.
"Could it be that differences in world cultures led to different ways of fighting?"
Uchiha Sou didn't know why this world didn't use tactics like these, but he couldn't be bothered to think about it. He had an answer now!
He was sure that if they could find the other teams, they'd be able to make a difference and band together for mutual support.
"Wait..."
Just as Uchiha Sou had been brimming with confidence, he suddenly spotted a serious problem.
"Where the hell am I supposed to find all those Konoha teams hiding out?"
Uchiha Sou could feel the deep malice of both Konoha and Orochimaru. This mission was giving him a massive headache.
He even started wondering whether Orochimaru's cryptic demeanor and parting words before the mission had been a veiled hint.
"Captain, there's movement!"
Just as he was feeling utterly troubled, Might Guy rushed in from outside the cave and spoke in a hushed, urgent voice.
"A group is approaching. We don't know how many, and we're not sure who they are."
"Hm?"
Perhaps it was the muscle memory he'd built up over years of physical training at the hands of Inu-chichi. Uchiha Sou immediately cast aside his thoughts, his gaze sharpening.
He could think about his troubles later. The problem at hand had to be dealt with quickly.
Strictly speaking, the area they were in belonged to neither Konoha nor Kirigakure. It was a free-for-all battleground.
A team from any village could appear here. Since they didn't know whether the newcomers were friends or foes, they'd be better off preparing for anything.
"Hide first. Don't engage," Uchiha Sou ordered. "We need to confirm who they are. If anything seems wrong, be ready to fight at a moment's notice."
"Yes, Captain," Might Guy replied at once. Shiranui Genma had already gotten to his feet, his gaze just as sharp.
In the blink of an eye, the three of them disappeared from view and took up concealed positions.
Uchiha Sou hid in the shadows behind a huge boulder. At the same time, he activated his Sharingan, and three black Tomoe slowly spun in his crimson eyes.
He steadily adjusted his breathing, bringing himself into the best condition he could.
But just then, several shadowy figures had already started making their way into the cave.
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