In the command tent at the center of Terumi Mei's encampment, the three core members of the Kirigakure force gathered around a map of the Shinobi World to discuss their next move.
Besides Terumi Mei and her trusted subordinate Ao, the third person was Uesugi Shinji, who had played a major role in several recent battles against Namikaze Minato.
In terms of his current individual strength, Uesugi Shinji was slightly weaker than Terumi Mei under normal circumstances, and he fell far short of Namikaze Minato.
However, with the help of the Light Brain, he could precisely intercept Namikaze Minato's Flying Thunder God Technique across a limited battlefield. That made him irreplaceable—and even more important to Kirigakure than Terumi Mei.
As Namikaze Minato's fame soared during his clashes with Kumogakure, Uesugi Shinji's reputation rose along with it. He became a household name throughout the Shinobi World, and his fame even surpassed that of his superior, Terumi Mei.
Terumi Mei wasn't wary or resentful as Uesugi Shinji's standing in the village rapidly grew. On the contrary, she relied on him even more. She discussed many decisions with him in advance and sought his advice.
Terumi Mei had just received word from Kirigakure that Iwagakure had invaded the Land of Fire.
The situation had changed, and she needed to reconsider how her force should act. So she had Ao invite Uesugi Shinji to discuss it with them.
"As I said, not only has the army led by the Mizukage stabilized its position, but Iwagakure has now invaded the Land of Fire from the northwest. Should we continue to passively tie down Namikaze Minato, or launch an active attack to put more pressure on Konoha? I'd like to hear both your opinions."
When Terumi Mei finished speaking, Ao's face immediately brightened with delight. "So the Mizukage had already formed an alliance with Iwagakure. Earlier, I thought the Mizukage had started this war on a whim—cough, cough, I misspoke. In any case, it seems the Mizukage had everything planned from the start."
Terumi Mei raised an eyebrow, a strange look flashing through her eyes, but she said nothing.
Uesugi Shinji didn't know what Terumi Mei was thinking, but he still had serious doubts about the Fourth Mizukage's plan.
Kirigakure and Iwagakure joining forces against Konoha was certainly stronger than Kirigakure attacking alone. But in his view, this war offered little to the Land of Water, so far removed from the mainland.
If they lost, they would suffer heavy casualties. Even if they defeated the Land of Fire, they would gain almost nothing.
Meanwhile, the other three great nations bordering the Land of Fire stood to profit considerably. In other words, Kirigakure was doing all the work for the other great nations.
But Uesugi Shinji had no reason to openly question the Mizukage's decisions. He focused on the battle at hand, considered it for a moment, then said slowly, "We have to take the initiative."
Ao shook his head, puzzled. "The village has the upper hand overall. If we can keep Namikaze Minato's force tied down, that alone will be a great victory. Why risk launching an attack? If anything goes wrong and we suffer a defeat here, it could backfire."
Uesugi Shinji replied calmly, "He is the Yellow Flash."
Ao frowned. He didn't understand what Uesugi Shinji meant. Terumi Mei, however, seemed to catch on. She nodded and said, "You mean that if Namikaze Minato is only pretending to confront us here while using the Flying Thunder God Technique to support Konoha's other fronts, then we're the ones being tied down for nothing!"
After Terumi Mei explained, Ao understood the crux of the matter too. He couldn't help sighing.
"They say that back then, Kumogakure surrounded Konoha's main force without destroying it, forcing the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, who also wielded the Flying Thunder God Technique, to stay behind and cover their retreat. That finally gave them a chance to kill him."
"The Yellow Flash is such a formidable opponent. Figuring out how to deal with him will give every ninja village a headache from now on!"
In the end, Terumi Mei accepted Uesugi Shinji's proposal, and Ao had no objections. The three of them decided to launch an attack on the force led by Namikaze Minato.
After making detailed arrangements, Terumi Mei sent Ao away, leaving Uesugi Shinji alone in the tent.
Looking at Uesugi Shinji's calm, unchanged expression, Terumi Mei smiled and asked, "Aren't you curious why I asked you to stay behind?"
"Is it to ask about Mangetsu's progress in learning Ice Release?" Uesugi Shinji replied evenly. "If so, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed."
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 inside her robes and handed it to Uesugi Shinji. He unrolled it, and a hint of surprise crossed his face before quickly disappearing.
"The Mizukage personally assigned this mission. It must succeed," Terumi Mei said slowly.
On a tree not far from Terumi Mei's camp, Black Zetsu's figure slowly emerged from the trunk. By then, he already knew Terumi Mei's next move.
Both Black Zetsu himself and the White Zetsu attached to him possessed exceptional concealment skills. Their intelligence-gathering ability was arguably the best in the Shinobi World. It was this enormous advantage that allowed Uchiha Madara to learn things others could never imagine and manipulate various forces from behind the scenes.
"I was wondering how to let her know that Namikaze Minato had already left. Looks like this woman has some nerve after all!"
"Now," the "plan" was finally about to begin!
Black Zetsu's eyes, hidden in the tree trunk, gleamed with a fervor he had never revealed in front of Uchiha Madara. The plan in his heart was something Uchiha Madara could never have dreamed of.
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