Steady Progress Amid the Chaos

On the vast ocean, an Ice Island floats alone, surrounded by strange currents that hold the island in place, preventing it from moving freely.

On the Ice Island, a large number of Konoha Ninja were seizing every minute to rest, and were stuffing Military Ration Pill into their mouths without regard for the consequences.

After all, the Mist Village reinforcements behind them were only a few dozen kilometers away, and they might catch up at any time.

The sooner they recover, the sooner they will be safe.

On the Ice Island side, Taiichi other two gazed back in the direction they had come from, remaining vigilant and talking to each other.

Fugaku Uchiha did not hesitate at all upon hearing Taiichi's reminder.

As top experts, it's only natural that they would have their own unique teaching methods, and they certainly wouldn't have any objections to that.

Since you've become an apprentice, you must listen to your teacher.

"Then it's settled. When we get back to the village, I'll have Itachi come and become my apprentice."

As if fearing that Taiichi might change his mind, Fugaku Uchiha immediately finalized the matter.

This made Hiashi, who had been watching from the sidelines, extremely envious. Having a teacher like Taiichi would be a great support for him in both Konoha and the Ninja World.

Unfortunately, although he was married, he had no children; otherwise, he would have definitely joined in the fun and given his child to Taiichi as a disciple.

I don't expect to learn any amazing skills; the relationship itself is good enough.

Haven't you seen any of the Second Hokage's disciples? Everyone still in office is Konoha High Command.

The decision to become an apprentice was quietly reached on this temporary Ice Island at sea, but no one could have imagined the impact this decision would have on the Ninja World in the future.

One hour later.

All the ninjas set off again; even though many had not fully recovered, they could not wait any longer.

If the Mist Ninja catch up with us from behind, the results of this battle will be greatly diminished.

Fortunately, the journey was smooth sailing. Even though they took a longer route, the Konoha Ninja did not rest once along the way and reached land in one go.

Konoha Camp.

Upon receiving news of another great victory, Tsunade clenched her fists tightly. Though her face remained impassive, she was overjoyed inside.

Good news is meant to be shared, so Tsunade handed the battle report to the staff officer next to her. After everyone read it, they all looked excited.

It's unclear who was the first to lose their composure and shout, "Complete victory!"

Immediately afterwards, shouts of "Complete victory!" echoed throughout the tent, eventually gathering together and reaching the outside.

The ninjas in the Camp soon learned the outcome of the battle, and shouts of "Complete victory!" gradually filled the entire Camp.

Tsunade looked at everyone, a smile appearing on her face, inwardly praising their capable hearts.

Three consecutive major battles were enough to establish Konoha's absolute advantage on the East Front.

Even if they play it safe and steady, it will be enough for Konoha to remain undefeated here.

But why would she seek such a stalemate? A complete and resounding victory is what she wants.

When Fugaku, Taiichi, Hiashi led their team back to the Camp, they were greeted by eager eyes.

No one dislikes a victorious army, and this is even more true for the commander who leads them to victory.

As for the way his fellow village ninjas looked at him, Fugaku Uchiha felt it the most. When had the Uchiha ever been so adored by his fellow village ninjas? At least since he Jonin, he had never enjoyed such treatment.

The battlefield is indeed the best place for ninjas to make a name for themselves.

The Great Elder was right. He should experience the battlefield firsthand. Only those Uchiha have been stained with blood and fire can truly lead the entire clan through this increasingly complex environment.

After arranging their subordinate Shinobi Army, Taiichi and his two companions led the Jonin had participated in the battle to the Central Army Tent, where a post-battle briefing awaited them.

Previous battle reports only provided a rough outline of the results, but now, with firsthand accounts from those involved, everyone understands just how fortunate this victory was.

"I never expected the Mist Village reinforcements to arrive so quickly. You've really escaped death."

Tsunade sighed, "That's how war is. It's full of unknowns. No one can be sure that the victor one moment might lose everything the next because of a small mistake."

"But now that we've won, it's a blessing for Konoha. I was hoping for a few days of peace and quiet, but it looks like we'll have to throw ourselves into the next battle."

Tsunade looked at the people standing below and said in an excited tone, "Gentlemen, I have recorded your contributions and will send them back to the village later."

A joyful smile appeared on everyone's face. Wasn't all the fighting and killing for this moment?

Fortunately, the Jonin of Konoha were quite disciplined, and there was no loud noise. Everyone listened respectfully to Tsunade's next instructions.

"Now that the Mist Village reinforcements have arrived, what are your thoughts on the next phase of the battle? Let's all share our opinions and brainstorm!"

A brief silence fell over the tent as everyone pondered how to respond.

"The Mist Village has come all this way, and they've just suffered a crushing defeat. They need to rest and regroup before launching another attack."

The speaker was Jonin the Akimichi Clan; his massive frame took up the space of two people.

Many people nodded in agreement, agreeing that the troops had suffered a recent defeat, their morale was low, and they were indeed not suited to continue fighting.

However, as there are those who agree, there are also those who disagree.

"The defeated were only the previous Mist Ninja. This reinforcement force has 1,000 men; they can fight on their own and don't need to pay any attention to the original Mist Ninja."

These words were spoken by Jonin from the Inuzuka Clan. Even while he was in a meeting, he had a small brown dog tucked into his arms. At that moment, only the dog's head was sticking out, its big, watery eyes looking at everyone in a daze.

Everyone shared their opinions, listing all the possibilities they could think of.

At the forefront, Tsunade, Taiichi, and the other two listened quietly, carefully analyzing each possibility.

As everyone's conversation gradually quieted down, Tsunade turned her gaze directly to Nara Kaoru. As a member of the Nara Clan, he inherited the Nara Clan's high intelligence, as well as their laziness.

The meeting has proceeded without a single word being spoken so far; this is truly unacceptable.

Receiving Tsunade's warning, Nara was helpless; he only wanted to speak last, not to slack off.

Of course, if others have already said everything they can say, then it's understandable that he might slack off for a while.

He cleared his throat, adopting the demeanor of a leader giving a speech, and noticed several guys below glaring at him with Kakkou.

"Gentlemen, you may have overlooked something." He looked around at everyone and continued, "In the previous battle, our troops directly destroyed the Mist Village Camp with a single wave of ocean waves. I heard from the two Command Post that not a single tile was left, is that right?"

He looked ahead at Fugaku and Hiashi, and received affirmative nods from them.

At this point, some of the more intelligent people had already realized something, but others were still completely confused.

"That means all the supplies that Mist Village stored in the Camp disappeared into the sea with the waves."

This includes not only combat supplies, but also daily food. The Resupply carried by the support troops cannot sustain this level of rations.

"Kaoru, just get to the conclusion. This is confusing me." Akimichi Choza rubbed his head and urged him on.

Nara Kaoru wasn't annoyed by the urging; although he and Choza weren't a fixed pair, they had been childhood friends.

"What I mean is, the Mist Village will not only not slow down its attack, but will actually speed it up."

Their own Resupply won't last long. During the gap before the next Resupply arrives, the Mist Village will inevitably come to seize our Resupply, and may even plunder the small towns along the coast."

"They dare! Attacking cities is a tacitly accepted rule in the Ninja World. Does Mist Village intend to isolate itself from the entire Ninja World?!"

The speaker had a large beard, and anyone who knew him would recognize him as Jonin from the Sarutobi Clan.

"You said it's just a default rule, whether or not to follow it is entirely up to your conscience."

When their Resupply are truly cut off, these rules will just be an excuse for wrangling at the negotiating table.

Everyone looked at each other, clearly agreeing with Nara Kaoru's assessment.

It seems they will have to be wary of the Mist Village's ever-evolving tactics in the battles to come.

Gentlemen.

Seeing that everyone had said their piece, Tsunade, who was at the head of the table, finally spoke.

"The Mist Village is, after all, one of the Five Great Ninja Villages. Don't let a few victories make you look down on it."

The battles to come will be even more brutal. You must be fully prepared mentally. Mist Village may land from anywhere along the Coastline, or even bypass neighboring countries and enter the Land of Fire from other directions.

Therefore, I command!

Everyone stood up, awaiting Tsunade's instructions.

"With Hyuga as the main force, form Maritime Reconnaissance Unit to proactively conduct reconnaissance at sea and strive to discover the enemy on the high seas."

With Aburame and Inuzuka as the main force Hyuga as the assistant, Land Reconnaissance Unit was formed to patrol the inland areas, especially the former site of the Land of Whirlpools and the direction of the Land of Hot Water, striving not to let any Hidden Mist Ninja had infiltrated escape.

Led by the Uchiha, 20 Mobile Unit of 10 people each were formed to provide support to various battlefields at any time.

Furthermore, reconnaissance ninjas should prioritize reconnaissance; they should not engage the enemy without complete certainty of victory. That concludes the above.

Below, all the ninjas immediately shouted, "We obey your command!"

"Alright, go out and get to work. Taiichi, stay here." Tsunade and said to everyone.

Everyone looked at Taiichi, who was standing at the very front. Their eyes held a mixture of envy and admiration, but no negative emotions. Taiichi's performance was so outstanding that no one even wanted to harbor any hostile thoughts towards him.

As everyone left the tent Taiichi approached Tsunade with a grin, "Teacher, did you have any instructions for asking me to stay?"

Tsunade rolled her eyes at Taiichi and scolded him, "Don't give me that unreliable look."

She gathered her thoughts and continued, "Did you capture a group of Medical Ninja this time?"

Taiichi, upon hearing the music, immediately understood Tsunade's intention.

"Does the teacher intend to use these ninjas?"

Tsunade nodded, her tone as matter-of-fact as ever.

"There aren't many people with medical talent to begin with, and even fewer who are willing to become Medical Ninja. Now that we have such a ready-made group of Medical Ninja, wouldn't it be a waste not to take them in?"

Taiichi gave a thumbs up and praised, "Teacher, you really have guts! But they were Mist Ninja before, so we have to be careful if they cause trouble for us."

Tsunade stared intently at Taiichi with a look that seemed to see right through him, her expression clearly saying, "You little brat, still pretending."

"With the blood-ignoring Genjutsu you cast on me, plus your Sealing Jutsu, I don't believe you can't handle those prisoners who are at most Chunin level."

Tsunade Taiichi that, Taiyi remembered that he had shown this skill to Tsunade before.

It's amazing that Tsunade could connect all these things; she truly lives up to her title as Sannin Princess Tsunade!

"I didn't expect the teacher to see through my plan. I was hoping to slack off a bit!"

Taiichi scratched his head. He didn't really want to get involved in these things. He had too many things to do: training, developing Ninjutsu, scientific research, and missions.

I don't even have enough of my seven Shadow Clones, and I don't want to take on any more time-wasting tasks.

That's right, it's seven Shadow Clones. As Taiichi's strength has increased, he can now create an additional permanent Shadow Clone for tasks, which is truly commendable.

"Alright, stop joking with me. I'll leave this to you. With a few more Medical Ninja helping out, things will be easier for you at the Medical Camp."

Tsunade didn't waste any words with Taiichi; she made the decision immediately and, without allowing Taiichi to object, kicked him out of the tent.

"That brat, he got the benefit and he's still acting innocent."

After leaving the Central Army Tent, Taiichi looked completely bewildered. He wanted to try again, but he was unexpectedly forced out the door.

After haphazardly scratching his messy hair, Taiichi looked up at the blue sky, sighed deeply, and then slowly walked towards the Prisoner Camp.

There's nothing we can do; we can't fight city hall.

Prisoner Camp.

It's not just those logistics Medical Ninja who were just captured and brought back that are being held here.

Since the start of the war a month ago, especially in the two previous battles, Konoha has captured quite a few Mist Ninja, and there are at least seventy or eighty of them imprisoned here.

Before Taiichi arrived at the Prisoner Camp, the Captain of the guard saluted respectfully, but still reached out to stop Taiichi from advancing.

"Lord Taiichi, you need Lady Tsunade's authorization to enter this place."

The guarding ninjas were dutiful and responsible, and Taiichi was not an unreasonable or domineering person, so he took out the warrant that Tsunade had just given him from his Ninja Tool Pouch.

"I need to go inside and retrieve the Mist Village Medical Ninja was just imprisoned."

The guard Captain took the warrant, checked it carefully, and after confirming that it was correct, immediately called his subordinate to take over his duty.

He stepped aside, bowed to Taiichi, and said, "This way, Lord Taiichi. Let me show you the way."

Taiichi politely said "Thank you!" and followed the guard into the Camp.

This was Taiichi's first time visiting the Prisoner Camp. It didn't look as dirty and chaotic as he had imagined; it was similar to a regular rest Camp.

However, the curtains of each tent were lifted, allowing a clear view of what was inside.

The prisoners inside the tent had their Chakra usage restricted, their hands and feet were shackled, and they even had special collars around their necks.

The neck ring was covered with dense runes. As soon as a prisoner stepped out of the designated area, it would explode with a loud "boom," shattering the prisoner's head into pieces.

When Taiichi arrived at his group's designated spot, several guards were preparing to put neck rings on them as well.

Upon seeing Taiichi's arrival, along with the Captain of the guards Taiichi, they all stopped what they were doing and bowed to Taiichi.

Taiichi returned the greeting, then looked at the captives of the Mist Village with great interest.

Tsk tsk tsk, truly pitiful to behold!