Open Battle Against Bai Chang, Secretly Cross Through Ishida

After all the ninja clans had gathered, Sarutobi Hiruzen delivered a pre-battle speech. It was impassioned and stirring, leaving everyone's blood boiling with excitement.

Once he finished, he motioned for Shimura Danzo to step forward. Danzo was not particularly gifted with words, so he offered a few perfunctory remarks before concluding.

The crowd understood Danzo's temperament, yet they still offered their support and applause.

Finally, something entirely unexpected occurred. Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly spoke up, "Everyone, nearly eight thousand ninja is no small number. Therefore, I have decided to temporarily appoint two vice-commanders: Uchiha Xiao and Nara Rokumei!"

Uchiha Xiao was stunned. It had been agreed that he would help Shimura Danzo pad his battle record, so why was he being pushed into the spotlight now?

Shimura Danzo remained silent, though he had no objections. With the entire Uchiha Clan participating in the battle, how could he possibly complain? Besides, as the commander-in-chief, he would reap the greatest rewards regardless of how the battle turned out.

"Uchiha Xiao and Nara Rokumei, we obey!" The two men quickly knelt on one knee to accept the order.

The other clans wore varied expressions. The Hyuga Clan frowned; as fellow masters of ocular jutsu, they wondered why the Uchiha had a vice-commander while they did not. They refused to believe that the previous commander in the Land of Rain had been Uchiha Xiao.

The Senju troops, however, breathed a sigh of relief. They looked at their clansmen with smiles; this battle would be much easier to fight now.

The Ino-Shika-Cho trio was also quite excited. Since Nara Rokumei was one of their own, it meant they would be able to share in the glory.

"Move out! Warriors of Konoha, repel Sunagakure and shatter their wolfish ambitions!" Shimura Danzo waved his hand and shouted loudly.

The troops marched out of the village in an orderly fashion, heading southwest. The battlefield this time was the Land of Rivers, and it was estimated that Sunagakure had already occupied its territory.

After all, Sunagakure was one of the Five Great Shinobi Nations, while the Land of Rivers was merely a small country. Even if Sunagakure ranked lowest among the Five Great Nations, their strength was still something a small country could not contend with.

The current concern was whether they had already entered the Land of Fire. If they had, where would they set their ambush?

That night, as Danzo was deep in thought, Uchiha Xiao approached. "My Lord Danzo!"

Shimura Danzo started, looking toward the voice to find Uchiha Xiao. He nodded. "Xiao, speak your mind. There is no need for such formal titles."

These words were meant to be taken with a grain of salt; only a fool would actually believe them.

"My Lord Danzo, I believe the enemy has already crossed into our borders." He pointed to the areas of Mt. Kikyo, Mt. Domi, Kashiwagi, and Choga on the map.

"Oh? What makes you say that?" Shimura Danzo's interest was piqued as he looked at Uchiha Xiao.

Uchiha Xiao did not waste words. He pointed to the map. "Mt. Kikyo and Mt. Domi are perfect for ambushes. Once our army passes, falling rocks and shuriken will rain down from above. That is the first point."

"Kashiwagi and Choga are still on our border—or rather, still within our territory. Their invasion was premeditated, while we are two to three days behind."

"Those two to three days are enough for them to enter our borders from the Land of Wind. The fact that the messenger who brought the news recently came from the capital of the Land of Fire, rather than from Kashiwagi or Choga, suggests that these areas have already been occupied, or that the communication lines between them and other regions have been severed by Sunagakure."

"Therefore, in summary, Sunagakure has already entered our borders and set traps in Kashiwagi and Choga." Uchiha Xiao's reasoning was clear and his logic impeccable. He had analyzed the situation so thoroughly that Danzo couldn't help but want to praise him.

"Hmm, continue. If it were you, how would you fight this?" Shimura Danzo knew of Uchiha Xiao's capabilities, so he was willing to listen to his suggestions.

"Fight openly at Kashiwagi and Choga, but cross secretly at Ishida," Uchiha Xiao said with a smile, pointing to Ishida.

"Explain in detail." Shimura Danzo's eyes brightened as he waited for the rest.

"On the surface, we send troops to fight at Kashiwagi and Choga, led by you, My Lord. We defend without attacking. Given our superior supplies and the terrain, our resources will be endless, while the enemy's mountain roads are rugged and long. It won't be long before they run out of supplies. That is our first victory."

"In secret, I will lead the Uchiha Clan to take a detour through Ishida and climb Mt. Dayu to cut off their food supply. Once successful, I will fire a signal flare, then attack the Sunagakure troops on Mt. Kikyo and Mt. Domi from the rear. At that moment, you will need to lead the entire army to engage them on the mountains simultaneously. In this way, we can annihilate the Sunagakure dogs!"

"This will minimize casualties. The ninja under your command will suffer almost zero losses. As for us Uchiha, that will depend on your speed, My Lord!" Uchiha Xiao smiled.

Shimura Danzo looked deeply at Uchiha Xiao. This man was handing him such a great achievement and even placing his own life in his hands.

He hadn't expected Uchiha Xiao to trust him so much. Perhaps the Uchiha Clan wasn't as the teacher had described? With these thoughts turning in his mind, he spoke.

"Rest assured, Xiao-kun. We will do as you say. As soon as the signal flare rises, our army will charge immediately. We will arrive in ten minutes at most!" Shimura Danzo said earnestly.

At this moment, he needed this achievement, and the strategy Uchiha Xiao proposed would result in the fewest casualties and the greatest victory! What reason did he have to refuse?

If this were the elderly Danzo, Uchiha Xiao would never trust him. But the Danzo who had just received power from Senju Tobirama was a hot-blooded youth! Though a bit radical, he was a young man with ambition.

"Oh, right, My Lord Danzo. There might be explosive tags at the entrances to Kashiwagi and Choga. Have the army use Shadow Clones to run through first; it will be safer." After saying this, Uchiha Xiao began to gather the Uchiha ninja to follow him.

Nara Rokumei wanted to follow, but Uchiha Xiao shook his head. "We need a clever person to hold the fort here. Do you understand, Rokumei?"

With that, Uchiha Xiao and the Uchiha ninja took advantage of the night and their black attire to detour toward Ishida.

Shimura Danzo ordered the army to set up camp and wait for dawn to advance. He looked toward Ishida and thought to himself, Xiao, if this succeeds, when we return to the village, I will certainly drink three cups with you.

Uchiha Xiao yawned. A ninja emerged from below and said hurriedly, "Sixth Elder, please keep warm. The temperature is low at night; you mustn't catch a cold!"

"Don, I'm fine. I suppose someone is just thinking of me." Uchiha Xiao smiled.

He suddenly turned to the Uchiha ninja. "This mission is the most dangerous, but if we succeed, the rewards will be the greatest. The village will remember our contributions. From this day forward, the Uchiha will be a glorious clan."

"I will do my best to ensure everyone's safety, but I cannot guarantee we will be unscathed. If anyone is afraid of death, return to Lord Danzo's troops now; there is basically no danger there." Uchiha Xiao's words reached the ears of every Uchiha ninja.

The Uchiha ninja activated their Sharingan. "Sixth Elder, we do not fear death; we only fear dying without value. Now that we know how important this mission is, what is there to fear?"

Everyone nodded. Under the moonlight, Uchiha Xiao looked at the thousand Uchiha ninja and smiled. "Good. Everyone, I, Uchiha Xiao, promise you that I will charge at the front. If we are to die, I will die before any of you!"

With that, the group entered Ishida.