Hunting down the supply convoy

After resting on a small island in the Land of Waves for two days, Kakashi finally woke up, and the four began discussing their next move.

The battlefield changed in an instant. Although their current mission was complete, returning to Konoha now to await new orders was hardly a wise choice.

After discussing it, the four unanimously decided to remain in the Land of Waves and continue operating until the war ended or they received new orders.

They spread a map of the eastern waters on a reef, and the four sat cross-legged on the ground, discussing in low voices.

Uchiha Douyang drew a circle on the map to mark Team Kakashi's location and said solemnly:

"We're currently wedged between Kirigakure's vanguard and Kirigakure itself. This position means endless danger.

But for every day we stay here, we'll remain a thorn in Kirigakure's side, keeping them from advancing in force.

From that perspective, although there are only four of us, we're worth a shinobi force of dozens, or even a hundred."

They had destroyed one of Kirigakure's secret logistical supply points and killed four to five hundred defenders and reinforcements.

They had dealt the Mist Ninja a devastating blow.

No matter how aggressively the Mist Ninja advanced, they had to take Kakashi and his three companions seriously.

As long as the four remained active in the waters of the Land of Waves, Kirigakure's offensive would inevitably slow.

Kakashi considered it for a moment, then nodded slightly.

He was extremely weak and could barely fight.

Guy had external injuries all over his body, and his combat strength had likewise dropped considerably.

Shisui had severely overused his Mangekyō Sharingan and probably had sixty to seventy percent of his combat strength left.

Only Douyang had no obvious injuries, with his combat strength almost at its peak.

It wasn't that Douyang's constitution differed from ordinary people's. His ability to remain in peak condition depended entirely on the Ōtsutsuki Isshiki template.

The four's combat strength had fallen considerably.

But Kirigakure didn't know their true condition. As long as they hid it well enough and showed themselves from time to time, they could serve as a deterrent.

Kakashi asked Shisui and Guy for their opinions. Seeing that neither objected, they reached a consensus to remain in the Land of Waves for the time being and harass Kirigakure's army.

Before that, however, they still needed to plan their route back to Konoha.

Looking at the map, Shisui said, "Kirigakure's army has occupied almost all of the Land of Waves, and plenty of lookouts are hidden nearby. This is the best route back to the village."

Shisui drew a line on the map. By racing along the Land of Waves' coastline for over a hundred li, they could return to the Land of Fire.

Almost the entire route lay in uninhabited waters teeming with wandering shinobi and rogue shinobi.

For that reason, Kirigakure's army lacked the capacity to control it, making it ideal for retreat.

Kirigakure's main camp, on the eastern coastline.

After the Intelligence Division communicated with Genji, the Six-Tails Jinchuriki Utakata, Hozuki Mangetsu, and Suikazan Fuguki understood why the Fourth Mizukage had ordered them to hold their positions.

Reading the intelligence Genji had sent, Utakata's handsome face could not help darkening.

Konoha's special operations team had raided the logistical supply point in the Land of Whirlpools. All three hundred shinobi of the garrison and nearly two hundred reinforcements had died in battle.

The enemy had escaped unscathed!

Suikazan Fuguki, carrying a large sword on his back, sneered, "Konoha can't defeat us on the front lines, so all they do is resort to these dirty tricks."

Hozuki Mangetsu coughed twice, his brows knitting tightly.

"Cough, cough. With Konoha's intelligence network, I'm not surprised at all that they located the logistical supply point.

But there were a full three hundred or so shinobi guarding it, plus two hundred reinforcements. To wipe out that force, the raiding team must be something special."

Utakata pondered for a moment, then nodded slowly.

Wiping out four to five hundred people and routing four to five hundred people were entirely different things.

Anyone below Kage Level would absolutely be incapable of it.

Utakata turned his head and asked, "Konoha's famous experts can be counted on one hand. Who could it be?"

The Intelligence Division Jonin in the tent said solemnly, "The only ones capable of leading a raid are the Uchiha Clan Head and the Third Hokage. But the Uchiha Clan Head is confronting us on the eastern border, and our spies planted in Konoha reported that the Third Hokage is stationed there!"

Konoha had originally possessed the most Kage Level experts in the Shinobi World.

But over the years, Minato Namikaze and his wife had died, Orochimaru had defected, Jiraiya had traveled the Shinobi World, and Tsunade had vanished without a word. The only people left in all of Konoha who could hold their own were the Third Hokage and Uchiha Fugaku.

Uchiha Fugaku had fought a fierce battle against Utakata not long ago and was indeed on the eastern border. He couldn't possibly have raced a thousand li to plan the attack.

The Third Hokage remaining in Konoha was very much in keeping with the Shinobi Hero's style.

After all, back during the Third Shinobi World War, when Konoha was fighting on every front and its situation was precarious, the Third Hokage had still remained firmly in Konoha. Thus, it was unlikely to be him either.

Just then, a Mist Ninja rushed into the tent in a panic and shouted, "Our spies planted in Konoha have sent intelligence!"

Hearing this, Utakata hurriedly took the intelligence scroll, opened it, and glanced at it. His brows immediately furrowed slightly.

The force that had raided the logistical supply point was Konoha's special operations team, consisting of only four people.

At this, Utakata's brows furrowed slightly.

Four people had killed four to five hundred Mist Ninja and escaped unscathed. It was far too incredible.

He continued reading, and when he saw the team's members, his brows knitted tightly.

"The White Fang's son, Kakashi, Uncanny Doctor Uchiha Douyang, Body Flicker Technique Shisui Uchiha, and the civilian genius Might Guy?"

"Three of these four are genius shinobi who have been famous for years."

"No wonder they could pull off something like that."

After pondering for a moment, Utakata said coldly, "This four-man team cannot be underestimated. For the village's future, we must kill them."

"Cough, cough."

Hozuki Mangetsu coughed twice and said, "Utakata, you still need to oversee the main camp. Let me handle it."

Utakata glanced at Hozuki Mangetsu's pale face and incessant coughing, but ultimately did not refuse.

Hozuki Mangetsu was a genius among the Mist Ninja who had become one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist at a young age. His future should have been limitless.

Who could have imagined that he would contract an incurable illness and have little time left?

All one could say was that heaven envied the gifted.

Utakata patted Hozuki Mangetsu on the shoulder and cautioned him, "Mangetsu, don't push yourself."

An unnamed island near the waters of the Land of Waves.

"Something's happening underwater."

"Watch out! Enemy attack!"

"Hold him off! Fire a signal flare."

Amid the panicked shouts of a squad of Mist Ninja, Douyang shot out of the water with a black chakra rod in hand, charging straight at the Mist Ninja's supply convoy.

The squad leader, a Kirigakure Jonin, instantly drew his short sword and lunged forward.

"Heh heh..."

A cold sneer curled Douyang's lips.

Another fool courting death, trying to clash head-on with a black chakra rod using a short sword.

In terms of hardness, Douyang's black chakra rods far surpassed ordinary short swords forged from refined iron.

Merely touching them would disrupt chakra and cause rapid breathing.

They were even more powerful than Pain's and Obito's black chakra rods.

They were somewhat like weakened Truth-Seeking Orbs.