Deploy Troops

"The Mist Shinobi is about to make a big move..."

Even without information about the Terumi Family, Kato Osamu seemed to sense a chilling atmosphere growing stronger in the air above Mist Shinobi.

With her eyes slightly closed, she sat upright in the second-floor attic, her blue eyes gleaming like fire in the darkness.

In the mental space, Kato Osamu lightly touched the blue light ball with her fingertips, and in an instant, her eyes flashed with light, and a series of images came through, Terumi Family.

"Well, it seems so..."

The changes in the Terumi Family have been drastic. Although there is no sign of anything unusual from the outside, anyone who enters the house will immediately notice the sparse number of people and their vigilance.

Exiting the mental space, Kato Osamu, frowning, slowly took out a red scroll containing classified information from his robes.

As if he had thought of something, a special hand seal flashed by, and the bright red seal, like blood, flickered and gradually faded away.

Such a powerful Sealing Jutsu had long since rendered it ineffective against him. He had never intended to pry into the scroll's secrets, but he never expected the Mist Shinobi's actions to be so sudden.

"I see..."

Kato Osamu could imagine that Akiba Gekko, who possessed the Transparent Escape, had been infiltrating Mist Shinobi for ten years and must have mastered countless Mist Shinobi secrets, but the contents of the scroll also surprised him.

If not for a stroke of luck, even after living in Konoha for more than ten years, he would have had great difficulty learning about the Tailed Beasts and their Jinchuriki. Yet, Akiba Gekko seemed to know a great deal about the Tailed Beasts of Mist Shinobi, and even deduced from the slightest clues that Mist Shinobi was about to send the Three-Tails Isobu into the Mist Shinobi battlefield.

"However, the previous Mizukage of Mist Shinobi didn't seem to value the Tailed Beasts as much as Konoha did..."

The intelligence reports contained detailed information about the Tailed Beasts before Karatachi Yagura took office, but after he came to Karatachi Yagura, they were mostly brief.

"Karatachi Yagura..., Tailed Beasts..., Jinchuriki..."

Kato Osamu frowned as he pondered. If he was right, Karatachi Yagura was not as strong as the previous Mizukage, which was why he valued the power of the Tailed Beasts.

No one fears a power that poses no threat to them, just as the First Hokage easily distributed the Tailed Beasts to various villages, because even if all the Tailed Beasts were combined, it would be difficult for Hashirama Senju to take them seriously.

"Could it be that Karatachi Yagura will become Jinchuriki and use the power of the Tailed Beasts to win the war?"

Kato Osamu understood that this was highly likely. He had a general understanding of the situation in Mist Shinobi these past few days, and if Karatachi Yagura was truly lacking in strength, he probably wouldn't have an easy time.

"Teacher Xu..., dinner's ready..."

Iruka's voice came slowly from the doorway. Before he could knock, Kato Osamu had already pushed the door open and come downstairs, his eyes falling on the three kids.

Iruka was carrying large and small plates of food from the kitchen. Itachi Uchiha sat at the dining table, seemingly noticing Kato Osamu's gaze, and looked over with a hint of doubt. Uzuki Yugao sat blankly on the sofa, her arms trembling slightly, as if she had exerted too much force.

"Is Yugao learning swordsmanship from Akihamaru?"

"Ah? Yes... yes..., Ms. Xu..."

Seemingly at a loss, Uzuki Yugao's face also showed a hint of awkwardness.

"Hmm... he's a master swordsman..."

"Itachi seems to have something on his mind. Has the clan contacted you again?"

"Um..."

Slightly raising his eyes, Itachi Uchiha didn't deny anything, but looked at Kato Osamu with a somewhat strange expression.

"Iruka has gained weight recently..."

Without saying anything more, Kato Osamu quietly savored the food in her mouth, seemingly tearing apart her peaceful life little by little and swallowing it into her body.

Are we leaving?

There seemed to be an indescribable atmosphere at the dinner table, making only Kato Osamu feel at ease. Itachi Uchiha, who rarely spoke, suddenly broke the silence.

"No, it's you who are leaving..."

Let's leave this afternoon...

"And you, Ms. Nao?"

Uzuki Yugao raised her head, staring at Kato Osamu with wide eyes, her tone tinged with dissatisfaction.

"I have things to do, I'll see you off first..."

"No, I want to stay and fight alongside Teacher Hexu!"

"I want to fight alongside Teacher Xu too!"

Iruka slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly, his voice trembling with excitement.

"The Uchiha Clan has never feared anything..."

Three pairs of eyes were fixed on Kato Osamu. He slowly put down his cutlery and smiled gently.

"The Mist Shinobi is about to dispatch a large army to the front lines. Do you really want to stay here?"

"Deploying a large army?!"

The three little devils frowned, and a hint of urgency showed in their Chunin.

"This intelligence is crucial to the battle on the front lines, and I imagine you wouldn't want Konoha to suffer heavy losses..."

Kato Osamu shook his head slightly, his heart unmoved. His feud with Danzo was destined to have a resolution. He was well aware of the relative importance of Danzo and himself in Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart. Thus, he was destined to be an enemy of Konoha.

This is also why he didn't want to get more involved with them and chose to let them roam freely.

Not to mention...

He seemed to have few reasons left to stay in Konoha...

"Alright, now as the captain, I give the order: Genin Itachi Uchiha will lead the team, Genin Uzuki Yugao and Genin Umino Iruka must obey the captain's orders and deliver the information back to Lord Orochimaru!"

"Did you understand?"

Iruka, who wanted to say something more, stopped abruptly, his face becoming serious.

"Yes!"

"We swear to complete this mission, even at the cost of our lives!"

"Let's eat. After we finish, I'll send you away from Kirigakure..."

The guards at Mist Shinobi were even more stringent, but Kato Osamu and his companions, backed by the Terumi Family, didn't seem to face much trouble and easily walked out of Kirigakure's gates.

There's probably a reason why they didn't want to reveal the news of the large-scale troop deployment in advance, and didn't want the spies mixed in with the villagers to sense anything obviously different, which is why they didn't completely block it.

They arrived in a hurry, and the three little devils seemed to have done nothing before hurrying away again. The beach, shrouded in night, always carried a chilly breeze.

As he watched the three kids disappear into the sea under the cover of night, a strange light flickered in Kato Osamu's eyes.

"You want them dead..."

The darkness revealed the man's silhouette, his eyes filled with scrutiny and sharpness. He simply carried his knife quietly and slowly emerged from the darkness not far away.

"What, is it any of your business?"

"The intelligence report should mention that a portion of Mist Shinobi's Anbu have disappeared, and they've likely already been lying in wait along the coastline. If they go there now, they'll have no chance of escape..."

"How I act is none of your business..."

"As expected of someone from the Root, they're ruthless enough..."

A sharp glint flashed in Akihamaru's eyes, and the long sword in his hand seemed ready to be drawn.

"Don't forget that your life and death are still in that person's hands; you can't control others..."

"Have you obtained the intelligence I need?"

"Snort..."

The sound of something cutting through the air came from the darkness as the scroll flew at breakneck speed, shooting straight towards Kato Osamu like Kunai.

"Smack!"

Kato Osamu took the scroll with one hand and remained silent, slowly browsing through it. The sea breeze blew gently, and only the sound of the waves echoed between the two of them.

"So that's how it was..."

Kato Osamu was lost in thought when Akihamaru's chilling voice suddenly rang out.

"Don't forget your promise..."

"And that girl, Uzuki Yugao, cannot die..."

"If I die, you'll pay with your life..."

"Hahaha, this is really interesting. Do you think you can kill me?"

"Or do you want to fight me here?"

Akihamaru gave a soft snort and said no more. Kato Osamu slowly walked towards him, his five fingers igniting with blue flames that flickered in the night like ghostly fire.

"The Cursed Seal, it really is a good thing..."

Akihamaru offered no resistance, only coldly staring into Kato Osamu's eyes. The waves roared, and the wind whipped her hair through the churning spray of the sea. Her eyes, against the backdrop of the pitch-black sky, reflected the intense light of blue flames.

"If you want to fight me, I'd love to..."

Under the penetrating blue light, the fine black chains seemed to be drawn out from his mouth and nose, spreading out and disappearing into the flames along with Kato Osamu's hands that were pressed against Akihamaru's neck.

Akihamaru seemed to be enduring immense pain as the Cursed Seal that had been planted in his body for over ten years slowly withdrew. His entire body was tense as he suppressed the trembling within.

A short while later, Kato Osamu slowly turned around. Covered in sweat, Akihamaru, who had collapsed to the ground, looked at the strange smile on Kato Osamu's lips, seemingly unsure how much of the soul-piercing pain was intentional on the part of the boy.

She was panting heavily, her eyes filled with gratitude and a complex mix of emotions, as she quietly watched the boy's figure gradually disappear into the darkness.

"Your swordsmanship... she will learn it very well..."

There was no one in front of him, only faint sounds echoing in the air. Akihamaru couldn't help but hum a soft hum and a smile appeared on his lips.

"That damn brat, he really holds a grudge..."

(Finally, one hundred chapters! Everyone stand up!)