Orochimaru clearly understood that Ren had answered on Obito's behalf to protect him.
He also saw the dissatisfaction written across Obito's face.
He simply did not care.
In Orochimaru's eyes, Obito was a former dead last who had required more than a year after graduating from the academy to become a Chūnin. Even within the Uchiha clan, he had spent most of his childhood being ignored or ridiculed.
What qualifications did someone like that possess to criticize a strategy devised by one of the Legendary Sannin?
If Ren or Shikaku questioned the operation, Orochimaru would patiently listen. Both had demonstrated enough intelligence that their observations might expose a genuine flaw in his plan.
If necessary, he would even alter part of the strategy based upon their advice.
But Obito?
Orochimaru's eyes briefly narrowed.
The wisdom of an ordinary fool.
Explaining himself to someone incapable of understanding would only waste time. Arguing with Obito would be even worse—doing so would mean Orochimaru had already lost.
He dismissed the interruption and turned toward Shikaku.
"I have considered the uncertainties you mentioned."
Shikaku looked up from the map.
"To ensure Sunagakure follows the route we have prepared, Konoha must first confront them directly at the border," Orochimaru continued. "Our forces will resist long enough to convince the enemy that the battle is genuine, then withdraw at the appropriate moment."
He traced the defensive line near Wildfire Outpost.
"The retreat must appear disorganized enough to encourage pursuit, but not so chaotic that our own forces collapse. The timing and route will determine whether the entire operation succeeds."
Orochimaru withdrew his hand.
"I intend to meet Jiraiya and discuss the details with him. If you have no urgent responsibilities here, accompany me. Between the three of us, we should be able to create a plan that accounts for every major possibility."
Strictly speaking, Orochimaru considered Jiraiya another low-intelligence idiot.
Many of Obito's objections would probably appear again once Jiraiya heard the plan. The difference was that Jiraiya possessed enough authority and battlefield experience that Orochimaru could not simply ignore him.
Bringing Shikaku would make the discussion easier.
Rather than spending hours explaining every detail to Jiraiya personally, Orochimaru could allow Konoha's finest strategist to handle the more tiresome persuasion.
Shikaku understood the real reason behind the invitation.
After a moment of silence, he nodded.
"Understood. I'll accompany you."
"Good."
Orochimaru then turned toward Ren and the remaining ninja.
"Your assignment is to conduct a thorough survey of Mount Kikyō and the surrounding region."
He pointed toward the elevated ground and narrow passes marked upon the map.
"Identify suitable locations for traps along the highlands, passes, and every route Sunagakure might use to advance or retreat. Once the battle begins, we will not have time to correct mistakes in the terrain assessment."
Orochimaru removed another rolled map and handed it to Ren.
"I completed a preliminary survey before your arrival. Use this as a foundation, but do not assume every marking is accurate. Examine the terrain yourselves and determine which locations are best suited for deployment."
His gaze shifted toward the elderly Genin standing nearby.
"Consult Kosuke Maruboshi whenever necessary. His experience will be valuable."
Kosuke nodded with a warm smile.
"Leave whatever you need to know to me. These old legs have walked through plenty of battlefields."
That was an understatement.
Kosuke had personally participated in both the First and Second Shinobi World Wars. He had survived battles that killed countless ninja from his generation and would, in theory, remain alive until Naruto reached adulthood.
Very few people in Konoha possessed comparable frontline experience.
That was precisely why Orochimaru had assigned him to this unit.
With Kosuke's true strength, he could easily have been placed in direct combat. Keeping him behind to guide the younger ninja was a deliberate choice, not an accident caused by his Genin rank.
Once all assignments had been distributed, Orochimaru ordered Shikaku to remain for further discussion.
Ren accepted the map and led the others from the abandoned stone chamber.
Obito remained silent until they were far enough away that Orochimaru could no longer hear ordinary conversation.
Then he rushed toward Ren.
"Hey, Ren! Why did you stop me?"
His voice echoed between the weathered stone walls.
"That plan is obviously unreasonable!"
Ren stopped and looked at him.
"First, you should address him as Lord Orochimaru."
Obito's face twisted.
"That isn't the important part!"
"It becomes important when the person you're insulting is one of the Legendary Sannin and the commander of this operation."
Obito opened his mouth, but Ren continued before he could argue.
"Second, you believe his strategy is wrong. Do you have a better one?"
Obito answered with surprising honesty.
"No."
The others stared at him.
Obito clenched his fists.
"I don't have a better plan. I just know there's something wrong with this one."
He pointed back toward the stone chamber.
"What gives us the right to sit safely in there and decide that the ninja defending the border should die?"
His frustration deepened with every word.
"Lord Orochimaru used a few reasonable-sounding explanations and turned their deaths into a 'necessary sacrifice.' But those ninja don't even know they're supposed to be sacrificed!"
Obito's voice grew louder.
"If our positions were reversed, wouldn't we become the ones abandoned at the border? We might fight and die without ever knowing that our commanders planned to lose from the beginning."
He looked from Ren to the others.
"How is that fair?"
Asuma and Kurenai exchanged glances.
Neither had dared to challenge Orochimaru openly, but Obito's words reflected many of their own thoughts.
Asuma felt the question more sharply than the others.
He was the Third Hokage's son.
His rebellious personality often brought him into conflict with Hiruzen, and he hated being defined by his father's position. But that same position might still be protecting him in ways he had never considered.
If he were not Hiruzen's son, where would he have been deployed?
Would he still have been assigned to an elite unit operating under Orochimaru? Or would he already be standing on the border, unknowingly preparing to become one of the sacrifices required to sell Konoha's false defeat?
If his father had influenced the assignment, was that protection—or an abuse of power?
The possibility left a bitter taste in Asuma's mouth.
Ren looked at their troubled expressions.
"Don't let yourselves become trapped by the question of fairness."
Obito glared at him.
"How can you say that?"
"Because war has never been fair."
Ren's voice remained calm.
"Everyone who enters a battlefield faces the possibility of death. The only thing a commander can do is choose a plan with the greatest chance of victory and the fewest overall casualties."
"That doesn't make those deaths meaningless, and it doesn't mean we should accept them casually."
He looked directly into Obito's Sharingan.
"But unless you can offer a better strategy, rejecting this one accomplishes nothing. We can only examine every stage carefully and reduce the number of people who might die because of it."
Obito's jaw tightened.
Ren pointed toward the southwest.
"If you possessed enough strength to defeat Sunagakure's entire army alone, then you could reject every sacrifice. No one would argue with you. We would all follow your decision."
"But none of us possesses that kind of power."
At present, there was probably no one in Konoha capable of single-handedly destroying Sunagakure's entire military force.
Even Minato could not guarantee such a feat.
His Flying Thunder God allowed him to eliminate dozens of enemies in an instant, particularly when using the Spiralling Flash Super Round Dance Howl Style Three.
But Minato's chakra was not infinite.
Against hundreds or thousands of Sand ninja attacking simultaneously, even he might exhaust himself before killing them all.
More importantly, Minato was currently confronting Kumogakure upon the northeastern front. He could not abandon that battlefield to rescue the southwest.
Obito remained unconvinced.
His face flushed with frustration, but he could not find an argument capable of defeating Ren's reasoning.
Eventually, he turned away.
"Fine."
His voice became quieter.
"I still don't like it."
"You don't have to like it," Ren said. "Just remember how it makes you feel."
Obito looked back at him.
"If you ever become strong enough to change how wars are fought, then change them."
That answer did not eliminate Obito's dissatisfaction, but it gave him something to hold on to.
He fell silent and joined Rin in beginning the terrain survey.
For the rest of the day, Ren's group explored Mount Kikyō and its surrounding region.
They compared every valley, ridge, river, and narrow trail with Orochimaru's map. Where the terrain differed from the original survey, Ren added new markings.
Kosuke explained how to identify ground suitable for explosive traps, which slopes would collapse after heavy rainfall, and where a retreating army would naturally gather when forced through the mountain.
He also warned them about the difference between a route that looked defensible on a map and one that could actually be held by tired, frightened ninja.
By sunset, they had examined most of the main battlefield.
Ren spread the map across a flat stone and added several final markings.
"Mount Kikyō's overall terrain resembles an irregular U."
He traced both elevated sides with one finger.
"Lord Orochimaru wants Sunagakure's main army to advance into the center. Once they're inside, Konoha will seal the entrance and cut off their retreat."
Kakashi crouched beside the map.
"A smaller force positioned upon the narrow pass could delay Sunagakure's reinforcements."
"Exactly."
Ren marked the most defensible position.
"With the high ground under our control, Konoha can attack the trapped force from both sides. Meanwhile, their supply lines will be severed, preventing food, medicine, and weapons from reaching them."
The longer the Sand ninja remained inside the encirclement, the weaker they would become.
"Then Konoha concentrates its main force here," Ren continued, tapping the center of the U-shaped formation. "We eliminate the army inside the trap before the units outside can break through the pass."
Kurenai studied the drawing.
"So the false retreat isn't merely intended to create an opportunity for a counterattack. It's meant to divide Sunagakure's army into separate parts."
"Yes."
Once divided, the Sand army could be destroyed piece by piece.
Ren had to admit that Orochimaru's strategy was not a reckless idea conceived on the spot. The placement of troops, the predicted route of pursuit, and the selection of Mount Kikyō had all been carefully considered.
The plan contained risks, but its probability of success was high.
Something still bothered him.
Rin, who had been studying the outer edge of the map, suddenly touched several inconspicuous ink marks.
"Ren, the areas we passed earlier contained villages, didn't they?"
"Yes."
"And there's a larger settlement here."
Her finger moved toward a location not far from the planned battlefield.
"Kikyō Town."
The others followed her hand.
Rin's expression grew increasingly troubled.
"These settlements are too close to the U-shaped encirclement."
She looked toward the valley below, where thin trails of cooking smoke could be seen rising in the distance.
"If Konoha and Sunagakure begin a battle involving hundreds—or perhaps thousands—of ninja…"
Rin's voice faded.
She did not need to finish.
Explosive tags would not distinguish between soldiers and farmers. Fire Release would consume wooden homes as easily as battlefield fortifications. Poison clouds could drift far beyond the intended target.
And if Sunagakure's army discovered the trap, it might seize nearby civilians as hostages—or slaughter them for supplies.
Obito stared toward the distant smoke.
His earlier anger returned, now carrying something colder beneath it.
Orochimaru's map showed every road, ridge, and defensive position around Mount Kikyō but it did not mark a single evacuation route for the civilians living there.
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