Proactive Attack

In the center of the military tent where Terumi Mei's troops were stationed, the three core members of this Kirigakure force were gathered around a map of the ninja world, discussing their next move.

Aside from Terumi Mei and her trusted subordinate Ao, the third person present was Uesugi Shinji, who had played a significant role in the recent battles against Namikaze Minato.

In terms of raw personal strength, Uesugi Shinji was still slightly weaker than Terumi Mei under normal conditions, and there was a clear gap between him and Namikaze Minato.

However, thanks to the assistance of his Light Brain, he could precisely intercept Namikaze Minato's Flying Thunder God technique on a small-scale battlefield, making him irreplaceable and, in terms of importance to Kirigakure, even more vital than Terumi Mei.

As Namikaze Minato's fame skyrocketed following his battles against Kumogakure, Uesugi Shinji's reputation rose in tandem, making him a well-known figure throughout the ninja world—his renown even surpassing that of his superior, Terumi Mei.

Terumi Mei did not harbor any jealousy or dissatisfaction over Uesugi Shinji's rapidly rising prestige within the village; instead, she relied on him even more, frequently consulting him and seeking his advice before making decisions on many operations.

At this moment, Terumi Mei had already received intelligence from Kirigakure regarding the news that Iwagakure had launched an offensive against the Land of Fire.

The situation had changed, and the strategy for the troops she led needed to be reconsidered, which was why she had asked Ao to bring Uesugi Shinji in for a discussion.

"As I mentioned, not only has the main army led by the Mizukage stabilized their position, but Iwagakure has also invaded the Land of Fire from the northwest. Now, I want to hear your advice: should we continue to passively contain Namikaze Minato, or should we launch an active offensive to increase the pressure on Konoha?"

After Terumi Mei finished speaking, a look of surprise immediately appeared on Ao's face: "So the Mizukage had already reached an alliance with Iwagakure? Previously, I thought the Mizukage's decision to launch the war was a momentary lapse of—ahem, please forgive my slip of the tongue. In any case, it seems the Mizukage had a plan all along."

Terumi Mei raised an eyebrow at this, a strange glint flashing in her eyes, though she said nothing more.

Uesugi Shinji did not know what Terumi Mei was thinking, but he still had significant doubts about the Fourth Mizukage's plan.

While Kirigakure and Iwagakure joining forces to crusade against Konoha was certainly better than Kirigakure attacking alone, in his view, this war held little significance for the Land of Water, which was located overseas.

If they failed, they would inevitably suffer heavy losses, and even if they won, there would be almost no benefit to be gained from the Land of Fire.

On the contrary, the other three great nations bordering the Land of Fire would be the ones to reap the rewards, meaning Kirigakure was essentially doing the dirty work for the others.

However, Uesugi Shinji saw no need to voice his skepticism regarding the Mizukage's decision; he simply focused on the current battlefield situation, pondered for a moment, and said slowly: "We must take the initiative."

Ao shook his head upon hearing this, asking with some confusion: "The village currently holds the advantage in the overall situation. As long as we can contain Namikaze Minato's unit, that is the greatest victory. Why take the risk of an active offensive? If we are careless and suffer a setback here, it might prove counterproductive."

Uesugi Shinji said calmly: "He is the Yellow Flash."

Ao frowned, not quite understanding the meaning behind Uesugi Shinji's words. Terumi Mei, standing to the side, seemed to have a sudden realization, nodding as she said: "You mean that if Namikaze Minato is only feigning a standoff with us here, while actually using the Flying Thunder God technique to support other Konoha fronts, then we are the ones being pointlessly tied down!"

Hearing Terumi Mei's addition, Ao also grasped the crux of the matter and couldn't help but sigh.

"It is said that back then, Kumogakure surrounded the main Konoha force without annihilating them, forcing the Second Hokage Senju Tobirama, who also mastered the Flying Thunder God technique, to stay behind to cover their retreat, which ultimately gave them the opportunity to kill him."

"The Yellow Flash is so troublesome; how to deal with him in the future will truly be a headache for all the major ninja villages!"

In the end, Terumi Mei adopted Uesugi Shinji's suggestion, and Ao had no objections; the three decided to launch an active offensive against the troops led by Namikaze Minato.

After a detailed deployment, Terumi Mei had Ao leave first, keeping only Uesugi Shinji in the tent.

Looking at the calm and unchanging Uesugi Shinji, Terumi Mei asked with a smile: "Are you not curious why I kept you behind?"

Uesugi Shinji said calmly: "It must be to check on the progress of Mangetsu's Ice Release training, right? Though the situation might disappoint you."

Terumi Mei shook her head, her expression turning serious: "You guessed wrong this time. The village has an important mission for you."

As she spoke, Terumi Mei pulled a scroll from her robes and handed it to Uesugi Shinji. Uesugi Shinji unfolded it, a look of surprise appearing on his face, though he quickly suppressed it.

"This mission was issued personally by the Mizukage. It must succeed; failure is not an option," Terumi Mei said slowly.

Not far from the camp of Terumi Mei's troops, on the trunk of a tree, the figure of Black Zetsu slowly emerged. By now, he already knew the upcoming operational plan of Terumi Mei.

Whether it was Black Zetsu himself or his subordinate White Zetsu, they possessed extremely powerful stealth capabilities, and their intelligence-gathering prowess could be called the best in the ninja world. It was precisely because of this massive intelligence advantage that Uchiha Madara could grasp information others could not imagine, and use it to manipulate various factions from behind the scenes.

"I was having a headache about how to leak the information that Namikaze Minato has already left to her, but it seems this woman has quite a bit of nerve after all!"

"Next, the 'plan' can finally begin!"

Hidden within the tree trunk, a fanaticism flickered in Black Zetsu's eyes that he had never revealed in front of Uchiha Madara, and the plan in his heart was something Uchiha Madara could never have dreamed of.