I Have a Plan

"What kind of ninjutsu is it?" Hyuga Tenpu asked urgently. He had been watching from above for quite some time, but still hadn't gleaned a thing about the technique. All he knew was that it allowed its user to teleport. He couldn't determine its activation requirements, limitations, or chakra consumption.

Hyuga Tamamo pointed with a jade-like finger at the kunai scattered across the ground. "Haven't you noticed? His teleportation seems completely random, but there's one thing every location has in common: a kunai at his feet. Wherever he teleports, there's always one of the kunai he scattered.

"I've been watching him for a long time. When he killed those Chunin, he seemed to appear right beside them, but in fact, some were closer and some farther away. The distance depended on where the kunai were. The two Chunin who escaped had left the area covered by the kunai, so he stopped pursuing them. And when he killed the last Chunin, he threw a kunai and it was dodged, then he appeared behind him without warning. That only strengthens my theory. If he could teleport anywhere at will, why bother throwing the kunai in his hand?

"So that's why he scattered kunai everywhere at the start. I see now. The Uchiha Clan's prodigies really shouldn't be underestimated."

"Princess, now that we know how this technique works, is there a way to counter it? At his current speed, we can't even touch the hem of his clothes!" Hyuga Tenpu kept his eyes fixed on the battle, his Byakugan locked onto Uchiha Shin and never leaving him for a moment.

Hyuga Tamamo sighed. "I don't know whether he came up with this technique himself, but it's practically perfect. He can actually use space to move. If he were any stronger—even if he were only a Jonin—this technique would make today's situation very difficult to handle. One wrong move and all of you could be in danger. Fortunately, his actual strength is only at the Special Jonin level, so the technique has a tiny flaw."

"What should we do?" Hyuga Tenpu didn't even ask what the flaw was. He simply asked what action to take, trusting his princess completely.

"It's simple. Since he needs kunai to teleport, we just have to clear away the kunai he scattered. That will gradually shrink the space he can teleport to, until he has nowhere left to go. With your strength as Elite Jonin, you'll be able to kill him easily.

"But there's a problem with that plan. We don't know how many kunai he has on him. If he brought enough Ninja Tool Scrolls, he could keep scattering kunai as he teleports. No, this won't work. He must have considered that possibility. We also don't know whether his teleportation has a range limit. What if he planted kunai somewhere else before coming here? We could spend all that time clearing them away, only for him to leave whenever he pleased. Wouldn't that make fools of us?" Hyuga Tamamo unconsciously bit her fingernail again, looking thoughtful.

"If this technique really has no range limit—or a very long one—where's the most likely place he would have planted kunai...?"

As she pondered, she glanced at the battle. Her clear, bright eyes narrowed gradually, and for a moment she looked a little like Shin when he was deep in thought. A moment later, she returned to normal and called softly, "Kazama!"

"Princess!"

A man dressed in Hyuga Clan attire appeared from the shadows nearby and bowed respectfully to Hyuga Tamamo.

Hyuga Kazama was a personal bodyguard chosen by the Hyuga Clan's head to protect his daughter. He was a Jonin, and wherever Hyuga Tamamo went, he had followed close behind for years.

So although Hyuga Tamamo had appeared to bring three Elite Jonin and seven Chunin to Fujiwara Mine, she also had her personal bodyguard with her. In fact, if she hadn't needed Chunin to gather the bandits and deliberately reveal their strength, she would have brought only the three Elite Jonin and her bodyguard.

Hyuga Tamamo ordered, "Leave at once for the Uchiha Clan's outpost here. Kill every Uchiha ninja there. If Uchiha Shin suddenly appears, kill him too. I suspect he left kunai there. If he doesn't show up, return to the Hyuga Clan after dawn. Don't linger."

"Yes!"

Hyuga Kazama nodded in agreement and left, turning into a streak of black as he headed into the distance.

"Princess, isn't this unnecessary? No matter how talented Uchiha Shin is, he's still only five years old. Unless he knew in advance that we'd ambush him here, how could he have prepared a fallback beforehand?" Hyuga Tenpu watched Kazama disappear into the distance. He thought the princess could be overly cautious at times.

Hyuga Tamamo didn't seem bothered. She smiled lightly. "I'm only eight myself, and I never underestimate an opponent. Isn't preparing for the worst what shinobi believe in? But there's no need to discuss that now. Let's figure out how to kill this slippery eel."

Hyuga Tenpu fell silent. Since the princess had said that, she must already have a plan. All he had to do was listen.

She pointed at the battle, where one man was still fleeing with two pursuing him. "Assuming he really did prepare a fallback, why hasn't he escaped? He shouldn't be able to hurt any of the Elite Jonin, let alone kill them."

Hyuga Tenpu replied, "That's why I think he didn't prepare any escape route. There'd be no point in dragging things out otherwise."

Tamamo shook her head. "That means he's waiting for an opportunity—one that could let him ignore the gap in strength and turn the tables."

Hyuga Tenpu said, "There's no such opportunity. He's far too weak. Maybe he could do it in a few years, but not now."

Tamamo smiled. "There is such an opportunity. If he can take me hostage, he might win."

Hyuga Tenpu was startled. "I'll make sure the princess stays safe."

Tamamo shook her head. "No. We have to give him that opportunity. If he really did plant kunai somewhere else in advance, or has enough scrolls on him, then clearing away the kunai won't work. What a terrifying technique. There's no way to counter it with other ninjutsu! In that case, we can only use human nature against him."

She looked at the kunai lying not far from her feet. Shin had scattered it there at the start. She hadn't thought anything of it then, but now it seemed to carry a deeper meaning.

"I have a plan..." she said softly, laying it out. A faint smile curved her lips. In the moonlight, she looked like a snow-white, cunning fox.