Whether the attention was positive or negative, one thing was certain: all three factions now had their eyes on Rokuro's assault squad. Aside from Hyūga Hizashi, everyone else was simply waiting for them to die.
Even people like Danzō and the Fourth Raikage believed that in a few days at most, news of the squad's complete annihilation would reach them.
The Fourth Raikage in particular had absolute confidence in the strength of his own shinobi. With Mabui's plan in place, he was certain that Rokuro and his few dozen men would never escape.
Yet reality slapped them hard. Three days passed, and not only was there no report of the assault squad being wiped out—there wasn't even a trace of their movements.
"What is going on, Mabui? Have the sensory-ninja still not located that Konoha team?"
The Fourth Raikage was losing his patience. To eliminate this Konoha squad, he had assigned Mabui a thousand Kumogakure ninja, leaving the main front unable to press their advantage against Konoha. Instead, both sides remained locked in a stalemate.
He had invested so heavily for one reason: the assault squad was overflowing with bloodline users.
Twenty Uchiha.
Six Hyūga.
Members of the Inuzuka and Aburame clans.
These were some of the most elite kekkei genkai lineages in the entire shinobi world.
If they could capture them alive, Kumogakure might even develop a brand-new shinobi clan.
After all, in the current era, many minor clans consisted of only a handful of people.
As for bloodline dilution—while it weakened individual ability, it had little effect on the survival of an entire clan. Every few generations, bloodline families produced throwbacks with restored traits. As long as they weren't wiped out entirely, their lineage would endure—though perhaps weakened.
For the sake of acquiring the Sharingan and the Byakugan, the Fourth Raikage had invested enormous resources. Yet after three days, nothing—not even a shadow of the enemy. No wonder he was furious.
Mabui stood before the large map, a puzzled look on her face.
"That shouldn't be possible… I've already dispatched teams to seal off every escape route. Even the eastern coastline is guarded, including a specialist who recently received transplanted Byakugan. There's no way they could have escaped. Unless…? No, that can't be right."
"What is it? What did you realize?"
For the first time, Mabui's face showed shock. Before she could speak, a Kumogakure shinobi burst into the room.
"Raikage-sama! An urgent report from the rear! Our supply ship—used for transporting provisions—has been destroyed! All supplies are lost! The escorts were wiped out!"
"What did you say?! Who did this?!"
The Fourth Raikage snatched the report and skimmed it. His blond hair practically stood on end—like a Super Saiyan.
Mabui took the report from his trembling hand, read it carefully, and let out a soft sigh.
"So it really was them… I didn't expect those Konoha shinobi to be this extreme. We truly underestimated them."
"Mabui—you know who did it?"
She nodded, pointing toward the map.
"It was only a theory before, but now I'm almost certain. The reason we haven't found their trail these past three days is because they never intended to escape back to the Land of Fire. They went north instead—straight for our supply line. That supply ship was most likely destroyed by them."
"What?! Are they insane?! This is bad!"
The Fourth Raikage, though brash, had a sharp strategic mind. He wasn't as analytically precise as Mabui, but when it came to seeing the bigger picture, he was anything but slow.
Mabui continued marking several points on the map.
"Yes. By attacking our supply ship and seizing a large quantity of provisions and equipment, they've become a far greater threat."
"When they had no supplies, their only options for survival were:
returning to the Land of Fire, or raiding civilians in the Land of Hot Water.
Either route would have led them straight into the traps I prepared."
"But now? With their supply problem solved, they can attack or retreat at will. They don't need to raid locals anymore, making them much harder for us to locate. Even with our numbers, finding a shinobi squad determined to stay hidden is extremely difficult."
"Worse, if they continue targeting our supply lines, they have countless options—ports in the Land of Hot Water, coastal towns in the Land of the Moon, or even our own harbors in the Land of Lightning. There are simply too many ambush sites. We cannot defend them all."
"And the most troublesome part is the Hyūga in their team. With Byakugan, they'll spot our forces long before we see them. Drawing them into an ambush will be nearly impossible."
The Fourth Raikage's face darkened. He slammed the table—splitting the heavy hardwood desk clean in half.
"I want solutions! Not a list of problems!"
Mabui remained calm. After a moment of thought, she looked up at him.
"Given the current situation, sending a large force would be wasteful. We should change tactics and respond with an elite unit. I recommend deploying Yugito-ni or Killer B—or even having you take the field personally."
"What? You want to deploy the jinchūriki already?"
The Raikage hesitated. Jinchūriki were a village's trump card—rarely used unless absolutely necessary.
Once they were deployed, it meant total war.
"Raikage-sama, this is a battle we absolutely cannot lose. The jinchūriki will have to act sooner or later. Now that our supply line is threatened, using large forces to protect every supply ship will severely weaken our frontlines. Instead, we can place a jinchūriki aboard a supply ship. If they encounter the Konoha squad, the power of a tailed beast will ensure their destruction."
"And there's an additional advantage. No one will expect us to go all-out from the start. By the time they realize it, we'll already have the upper hand."
The Raikage still looked unsure. This war had begun as a solution to the Land of Lightning's financial crisis—he had no desire to escalate it into a full shinobi world war.
But once jinchūriki were used, the conflict would reach that scale. And as the aggressor, Kumogakure would face not only Konoha, but also Iwagakure—who already held a grudge against them.
"Raikage-sama, consider this: Konoha's Nine-Tails jinchūriki is still a child—no combat value whatsoever. As for Iwagakure, although they have two jinchūriki, I've heard the Four-Tails' host doesn't get along with Ōnoki. There's no guarantee he'll appear on the battlefield. Meanwhile, Sunagakure and Kirigakure are at their weakest points in history. This is an opportunity."
After Mabui's analysis, the Fourth Raikage finally made his decision.
"…Fine. Deploy Yugito and Killer B. Eliminate that Konoha squad at all costs. The supply line must remain secure."
END OF CHAPTER
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