Chapter 9: Preserving Strength

Late at night, the Hidden Mist front line.

"Lord Ao, intelligence from the front has gone silent. The scout ninja we deployed near the enemy camp may have all perished," two aides held reports, their expressions grim.

Their attack had been detected before it even began—what odds of success could there possibly be? Were they really going to go through with this?

Ao took the reports, his expression calm.

Over the course of one afternoon, he had recalled all ninja from the surrounding area except those monitoring the Uchiha.

"No matter. I will personally lead this operation."

He possessed the Byakugan; his scouting ability surpassed even that of the scout ninja. With him taking action, the men felt somewhat reassured.

"Lord Ao, everyone has assembled. When do we evacuate?"

Someone entered the tent to report; they did not know the purpose of this assembly.

"There will be no evacuation. Tonight, we launch a night raid on the Konoha camp!"

"What?!"

"Shisui, they're really coming!"

Hui Uchiha returned from the front, both excited and bewildered. Though he had been somewhat bored, he truly had not believed the Mist ninja would dare to keep fighting.

"Why on earth?"

Shisui frowned, his head throbbing as he still could not figure out the reason. He looked at Sima Yi, only to see the other shake his head helplessly.

"Never mind why. Since the enemy is coming, let them see what we Uchiha are capable of!"

He rubbed his hands together eagerly. With their forces holding the advantage now, there was no reason to hold back and retreat—just charge in and be done with it!

"No. Until we understand the enemy's intentions, do not act rashly. Go to the front and assemble everyone to fall back according to plan."

Shisui stopped him from seeking battle, then turned his gaze outside the tent.

"Yixing, is everything taken care of?"

As his words fell, a person entered from outside the tent—a member of Shisui's squad, Yixing Shiraki.

"Captain, the arrangements are complete. All squads have been notified, and the Hidden Mist scout ninja have all been dealt with."

"Huh? What notification? How come I didn't know?" Hui Uchiha's eyes went wide, his face utterly bewildered.

Shisui did not answer directly, continuing to instruct: "Go together with Hui. Tell him our plan along the way."

"Yes, sir!"

"Remember, do not engage the enemy lightly!"

"Yes, sir."

The two departed. Shisui continued: "Teacher, the enemy has only one Byakugan killer left—Ao. I will personally intercept him. I leave this place in your hands, Teacher."

Sima Yi nodded. "Go. Just make them abandon their attack. Every member of the Uchiha clan will be your future support—you must preserve your strength."

"Yes, Teacher!"

After Shisui left, Sima Yi was still deep in thought. He had been thinking all afternoon and still could not fathom the enemy's motive.

He had even considered that the enemy might secretly have another unit, that the current attack was merely a feint, and their true aim was to covertly bypass the defensive line and penetrate deep into the heart of the Land of Fire to pillage.

Or, more boldly, the enemy wanted to assault the main force led by Suzaku Nara, or perhaps strike straight at the heart! "Truly, one must never underestimate the heroes of this world!"

Outside the dense forest, the Mist ninja force led by Ao had already reached the border of the Land of Fire. Though his subordinates were dissatisfied with his order to launch an attack, the Mizukage's prestige still endured, and they carried out the mission.

Ao wore his eyepatch, the Byakugan quietly activating. Through the flow of chakra, his expression shifted slightly.

"As expected, they've noticed. To set up this many traps in a single afternoon."

Looking at the densely packed explosive tags and various traps in the forest, Ao reflected inwardly, but did not warn them. Instead, he instructed: "I will lead men to draw attention from the front. Kesshū Taketori will lead men to attack from the flank."

"Hmph, no need. I will kill them head-on!" Kesshū Taketori snorted coldly and shoved Ao aside. He was burly and strange-looking; at this moment, his ferocious grin radiated a fearsome fighting spirit.

"Suit yourself. Watch out for traps."

Seeing the man take the bait, Ao still sighed and offered a word of caution, then led two squads and turned toward the flank, leaving the front to Kesshū Taketori. "Cowards! What's there to be afraid of? Charge with me—kill every last Uchiha!"

"Charge!"

Boom rumble—~ The moment Ao left, a massive commotion erupted from behind. He looked back, his eye twitching, but thinking of his orders, he could only lower his head and press on.

The group advanced swiftly through the forest. With the Byakugan, ordinary traps were utterly ineffective, and they soon closed in on their destination.

"Ah!"

Just then, disaster struck. Several teammates beside Ao suddenly went completely rigid, losing control of their bodies.

"Who?!"

Ao's expression changed. He swept his gaze around, pushing the Byakugan to its utmost, and finally, through layer upon layer of trees, spotted that pair of eyes several hundred meters away.

Crimson eyes, a bloody aura, surging chakra, and terrifying ocular power.

In just an instant of eye contact, Ao was drenched in sweat and averted his gaze.

"Shisui of the Body Flicker—of course it's you again!"

Before those eyes, even he felt only a profound sense of powerlessness.

"It seems retreat is the only option."

After releasing his teammates from the genjutsu, Ao turned and left without hesitation, not daring to linger.

Several hundred meters away, Shisui was somewhat surprised to see Ao retreat once more.

"This man is already the Hidden Mist's acting commander. For him to personally come to the front at this time—there is indeed something wrong."

However, he kept Sima Yi's advice in mind and did not give chase, letting the man go.

An hour later, Hui Uchiha sent word: Kesshū Taketori had died under explosive tags, and the Hidden Mist's frontal force had lost over half its numbers and already retreated.

And apart from Ao, the other Mist ninja had not even seen a single Uchiha.

"So what did they come here for, anyway? To die?"

In the tent, after repelling the Hidden Mist force, Hui Uchiha grumbled.

Shisui's orders were to not allow them to attack proactively; he could only hide in the forest and watch those idiot Mist ninja repeatedly trigger traps and then flee in panic.

Shisui offered no explanation. After sending the other party away, he then raised the doubts he had accumulated today one by one.

"Teacher, from what we can see so far, the Mist ninja don't seem to have any backup plan. Can we take the initiative and wipe them out directly?"

Sima Yi shook his head. Though he also did not understand the enemy's objective, he did understand the temperament of their own side.

"No. Once the Hokage issued the proclamation, the war was already over. If you attack proactively, even if you achieve victory, you will be branded with the crime of provoking the war. Then they will have an excuse to further suppress the Uchiha."

"This would be extremely disadvantageous for the Uchiha's situation."

Shisui was indignant, increasingly dissatisfied with the Village's suppression. His actions were clearly all for Konoha's sake.

"Then tonight it was the enemy who attacked proactively. Why aren't I allowed to pursue them while we have the advantage?"

Tonight the enemy's losses all came from the traps; they had not actively killed even a single Mist ninja, and when the enemy withdrew, they only watched from afar.

Sima Yi looked at Shisui. He knew the other party still had not shifted his perspective to Konoha's point of view.

"When doing things, you must weigh the pros and cons, and moreover have a long-term vision and a clear objective!"

"In this battle, victory brings you no benefit, but if you lose, it will certainly become a point of criticism. By then, both the clan and the Village will find fault with you."

"And your current objective is to help the Uchiha integrate into Konoha. If you are resented by both sides, how will you conduct yourself?"

"Teacher is right. I was being somewhat impetuous." Shisui nodded. He still had not shaken off the mindset of earning merit for Konoha and thereby gaining respect.

"Mm, of course. There is also one most important point: preserve your strength!"

(End of this chapter)