28, The Trap

Regardless of where the war between the two nations ultimately heads, placing the battlefield within one's own territory is a situation no ruler wishes to see.

Especially for a special branch of service like ninjas, who can cause massive destruction with individual power, the outbreak of large-scale combat is bound to have a devastating impact on the surrounding area.

...The destruction of infrastructure and the commercial environment goes without saying. Even with the reduction of the population, the volume of mission requests and the efficiency of replenishing fresh blood will be greatly compromised!

These are key resources sufficient to shake the rule of a ninja village, and the Third Hokage cannot afford to be careless!

From this perspective, the potential value carried by the Jingu Forest Field Hospital is likely far more than just a simple medical transit station.

"Is the Hokage using the Jingu Forest Field Hospital as a fulcrum, planning to establish a forward base for Konoha ninjas closer to the border?"

"That is correct." As the resistance in the boy's words gradually faded, Nara Motonari also released his grip on the other's arm: "The construction of the field hospital is just the beginning. The Third Hokage hopes to build this place into a fortress stronghold similar to Kikyo Castle. In this way, the path for the village to support the front line will be greatly shortened, and the combat capability of the vanguard will naturally increase accordingly. Even if a major war breaks out, the flames of war will not spread within the Land of Fire."

"So that's it, which is why the Hokage would go to such great lengths to make arrangements for both possibilities..." Soji reached into his bosom, gripped the Superman Drug, and silently weighed the gravity of Teacher Motonari's words.

--Actually, analyzing it from a rational level, he did not believe that building a forward base in the Jingu Forest area could support Konoha ninjas in pushing all the way into the Land of Wind.

Although the vast, boundless desert restricts the development prospects of the Sand Ninja, it objectively also serves as an important barrier against the invasion of external forces.

Given the personality of the Third Hokage, his true thought is likely not to push the front line into the enemy's territory in one go, but to form a standoff with the enemy in the relatively mild Land of Rain, and defeat the opponent head-on by relying on the deep foundation accumulated by Konoha Ninja Village since the era of the Second Hokage.

In this way, the territory of the Land of Fire will not be ravaged, and Konoha's vital strength will not be wasted in the vast desert where it is difficult to advance.

The only ones bearing the losses would be the people of the Land of Rain, who are caught between the three major powers and have no choice in the matter...

But these arrangements, which everyone knows in their hearts, are ultimately not suitable to be brought to the table for discussion.

Therefore, the boy skipped the speculative content and started directly from a relatively objective analysis: "Regardless of whether the potential enemy really launches an attack on the frontline medical team, as long as the Jingu Forest Field Hospital is successfully built, we have achieved our strategic goal. Conversely, even if we encounter a sneak attack, the construction plan for the forward base must be firmly executed; there is no room for maneuver."

Under the appreciative gaze of Nara Motonari, Soji took a deep breath and added the final summary: "The essential goal of the Frontline Support Battalion is not to act as bait, but in order to increase the success rate of the mission, arrangements for a bait operation were made in advance."

"A very good analysis. Perhaps I should stand up and applaud you?" Motonari raised his hands and clapped them twice in the air, without actually making a sound.

"That won't be necessary—Teacher, you can now lay out the specific content of the operation."

Having straightened out the cause and effect, the tension and anxiety in Soji's heart were also largely resolved.

It was not that he lacked a firm stance or was fickle, recklessly risking his life for a mere bottle of secret medicine.

It was just that with the elevation of his strategic vision, the boy realized that the countermeasures against the attack currently faced by the Frontline Support Battalion had shifted from forced confrontation to a carefully planned operation.

--This is not just a change in mentality brought about by the shift in status between hunter and prey!

Since the Hokage had long since cast his net, the assistance that the Frontline Support Battalion could quickly obtain could never be limited to reinforcements called from the village via the Summoning Scroll.

Soji believed that the Konoha armed forces responsible for casting the net were either secretly following around the battalion or were simply hidden among the medical staff. They would naturally appear to save the day as soon as the unwelcome guests arrived.

In other words, the boy himself was only playing a supporting role in this grand drama; the business of breaking formations and killing enemies had nothing to do with him, and the danger coefficient and mission difficulty were still within the range that an ordinary Genin could handle.

Since that was the case, he certainly wouldn't let the fat meat at his mouth slip away.

"How do you need me to cooperate with the work?"

"It's very simple. Since the first batch of assassins sent by Takigakure has been dealt with by us, the balance of the game has been broken. If the enemy really has the heart to continue trying, they must act before the reinforcements from the village arrive!"

"Although as bait, we have been on high alert and strictly guarding from now on, which counts as neither merit nor fault, in order to turn passive into active and minimize losses, I have decided that it is better to take the initiative to show a flaw."

"How exactly should we operate?" Soji pressed.

"Four words." Motonari spread out four fingers, then clenched them into a fist: "Lure the wolf into the house."

"How to lure them?"

"The other side must guess that we are waiting for support from the rear, so give them a chance to disguise themselves as the support troops sent by the village and mix into the camp~"

"The logic holds up... but how to control the implementation details?"

"These are my tasks." Motonari waved his hand, using body language to stop Soji from further advice: "What you need to do is to act as a guide for the other party at the appropriate time... and by the way, use your best bloodline secret technique to add an extra layer of insurance to this operation."

"Only the student goes? If we fall out, wouldn't I be trapped in the middle of the enemy?" Soji frowned.

He was not very bold and would not easily take risks; he had to have Teacher Motonari explain the supporting measures clearly before he would give up.

And after spending time together, the latter had more or less figured out his disciple's temperament. Therefore, facing Soji's counter-question, Teacher Motonari was not angry, but instead let out a few mocking chuckles.

"Hehe... rest assured, starting tonight, an old acquaintance will be responsible for ensuring your personal safety—counting it up, you two have been working together for half a year, there won't be any problems."

"..."

Soji was a smart man.

Once the words reached this point, he said no more, clearly having insight into the mystery.

...One has to admit that those in high positions truly have unique eyes.

To avoid an overflow of combat power, the Third Hokage even took into account the little schemes of the boy and Director Inoue when arranging the mission!

That mysterious ninja who had long acted as a messenger to help the boy pass information indeed had extraordinary means. With him providing assistance in the dark, the success rate of this special operation could indeed be improved quite a bit.

"Then, the student has one last question."

"About the usage of the Superman Drug?" Teacher Motonari squinted, anticipating the question again.

"Please enlighten me, Teacher."

"Easy. The medicine bottle given to you has a net capacity of about 20ml. When using it, first use a dropper to take a small amount and place it on the tip of your tongue, then wait for 15 minutes. If there are no adverse rejection symptoms, you can drink the medicine in the bottle in one gulp. After about ten seconds, you will reach the optimal effect."

"Many thanks..."

Soji bowed respectfully before taking his leave.

Just as he lifted the tent flap, he happened to run into Inoue Reina, who had been tasked with delivering intelligence earlier.

The capable, short-haired kunoichi took a half-step back and nodded to the youth, after which the two went their separate ways to attend to their respective duties.

Meanwhile, an invisible net had already been cast over the encampment.

It was only waiting for the lost moth to seek its own demise...