[This Chapter Is Sponsored by terrance smith! Everyone, please thank him in the comment!]
The ruins of the Whirlpool Country, after the Mist ninja experienced a failed surprise attack, it seemed they went into hiding. Although they didn't make large-scale movements again, small skirmishes constantly played out in these forests.
The stretching mountain ranges and the dense rainforests are full of dangers; calling it the Forest of Death wouldn't be an exaggeration.
The Leaf Village's ninjas and the Mist Village's ninjas probe each other daily in squad formations, with the large-scale battles having evolved into small skirmishes.
Ambushes, assassinations, traps, blockades, and poisonings are all taking place. This time, both sides seem to have an unspoken agreement not to harm ordinary people.
Both sides started to sabotage each other's logistics, employing every trick in the book. Although there hasn't been a large-scale battle, daily skirmishes continue. This kind of unending torment is especially tough for the ninjas on both sides.
Both ninja villages chose not to escalate the conflict, but the restricted nature of this war has brought frustration and continuous torment to the ninjas on both sides.
One could say this is a condensed version of war. Those in power merely speak for their own interests, while those below must fight bloodily every day.
The forest is the battlefield. It has become the epitome of the war between the Leaf and the Mist. Both sides send out ninjas daily, exemplifying the attrition warfare between major nations – to see who breaks first, who finds it not worth the effort, and then chooses to call for a truce.
In the Hidden Leaf village, inside a tent.
"Brother Yoru, our medical resources have been consumed heavily recently, especially the tourniquets and various antidotes."
Uchiha Shisui respectfully presented a statistical report, and said with a pause and a lowered voice towards the end, "The consumption of medical resources reported to the village has been inflated by three percent."
Oh, my! Who would have thought that the honest Uchiha Shisui would adopt such a tactic? Where did the extra resources go?
Uchiha Yoru, sitting at his desk, raised an eyebrow at the report. Meanwhile, Kakashi, with one eye exposed, nonchalantly said, "Recently, the consumption of smoke bombs, shuriken, and explosive seals has been massive. Especially since this is jungle warfare, the resources needed for traps are considerable. I've added thirty percent to the report sent to the village."
Damn!
Uchiha Shisui, hearing this, was stunned, looking at Kakashi in disbelief. It seemed as if he was saying, "How could you, with those thick eyebrows and big eyes, exaggerate so much?"
Facing Uchiha Shisui's shocked gaze, Kakashi showed no shame and remarked, "In tropical jungle combat, mist shinobi are experts in assassination techniques. I think we can add at least fifty percent to the medical resources. After all, we have many injured, but few casualties. Much of this is thanks to you, Yoru."
Kakashi then glanced subtly at Uchiha Yoru, "I never realized your proficiency in medical ninjutsu was so profound."
Witnessing Kakashi's calm demeanor amidst the discussion of embezzlement, Uchiha Shisui, a straightforward shinobi, felt a weight in his heart. The gap between their cunning was evident, and Shisui was both shocked and impressed by Kakashi's audacity.
Uchiha Yoru, looking at Kakashi and Shisui, let out a wry smile and shook his head. He said, "Shisui, you should discuss this more with Kakashi."
Uchiha Yoru then addressed Kakashi, "We can inflate the losses in logistics and supplies a bit. If there are any discrepancies, we can lure the mist shinobi to destroy a couple of our supply points."
Kakashi's eyes sparkled with realization, while Shisui looked puzzled.
Uchiha Yoru's intention was clear: to create legitimate reasons for the inflated numbers.
Shisui took a moment to understand the strategy, then looked at the two of them with widened eyes, as if realizing the brilliance of the plan.
"We must safeguard these funds, as their families will need them because of the war," Uchiha Yoru said solemnly.
Uchiha Yoru then decided to divide the funds into four parts, to be overseen by Kakashi, Shisui, Hizashi, and himself.
Upon hearing this, Uchiha Shisui immediately protested, "Brother Yoru, you can oversee all the funds. I don't need to be involved."
However, before Shisui could finish, Uchiha Yoru raised his hand to stop him, and Kakashi nodded in agreement, saying, "Yoru, I think Shisui is right."
But Uchiha Yoru chuckled and countered, "This is a battlefield, and even if it weren't, you should understand, Kakashi, that there is no invincible shinobi. If something happens to one of us, do you want these funds to disappear?"
Shisui, filled with rage, retorted, "Brother Yoru, anyone who wants to harm you will have to step over my dead body."
Uchiha Yoru smiled and waved off Shisui's pledge, while Kakashi, after a moment of silence, nodded solemnly in agreement.
In Kakashi's eyes, Shisui's strength is very strong. Even now, he's not confident in defeating this young man. However, Shisui is still naive in his thinking. The enemy may not necessarily come from foreign lands; it could also come from within.
Yoru is obviously worried. If something were to happen to him, all the funds would not be completely lost.
"Ah, although the Hyuga branch family has escaped its fate, such a large group lost its way out when it joined Team 7. The branch family members, who are like caged birds, are often at the forefront of the most dangerous battles. There are too many widows and orphans within the branch family. It's a heavy burden."
Once you take the money, you're in the same boat. Moreover, the Hyuga branch family also needs these funds.
In the eyes of Kakashi and Shisui, escaping the fate of being like caged birds has been a long-standing wish of the Hyuga branch family. But the actions of the Hokage's higher-ups are hard to stomach.
They divided the Hyuga clan, but then treated the branch family like trash and discarded them. This seems a bit excessive, even though politics have always been brutal.
Are you saying this is because of the Root? Without the collective approval of the Hokage's higher-ups, would the Root even have this much influence? Now, not only Kakashi, but even Shisui can see clearly how terrible Orochimaru's incident was. Yet, despite being dismissed, Danzo was reinstated because the situation in Konoha was tense, and the Root needed a leader who could quickly grasp the overall situation.
From the perspective of outsiders like Kakashi and Uchiha Shisui, the Root is nothing more than a glove used by the Hokage's higher-ups to do their dirty work, and naturally, the glove does its job under the control of its owner.
"By the way, Kakashi, based on the actual situation, slightly exaggerate the injuries of some of the injured in the report. But do it gradually and not hastily, after all, they haven't been home for many years."
Hearing Uchiha Yoru's words, the politically astute Kakashi instantly understood. He nodded solemnly and said, "I understand. I will implement this step by step, allowing these frontline heroes to return to the village as injured."
To put it plainly, it's just about exaggerating the injury reports a bit. Not too many at once, as it could be easily detected. These ninjas have been bleeding on the front lines for so long, and they have families waiting for them.
Shisui, on the other hand, seemed to react a bit slower but eventually got the gist. He showed dissatisfaction, "Brother Yoru, almost all the shinobi from the Sarutobi clan hold important positions. There aren't many on the front lines, and they've been there for so long, shouldn't they...!"
Uchiha Yoru raised his hand to stop Shisui's outburst, sternly warning, "Shisui, your words are dangerous. Watch your mouth. Keep these things to yourself. Don't you know that trouble starts with words? Do I need to teach you this?"
The genius Uchiha Shisui held back his frustration and lowered his head, but the anger building inside him grew. One day, it would erupt like a volcano.
"Alright, Shisui. With the stabilization of the frontlines, the village's clans have sent news. Itachi and the younger generation of elites from the clan will be dispatched. You'll handle this transfer."
Clearly, the Uchiha clan is training their younger generation. This might be a privilege of a prestigious clan, but it also supports the front line.
Kakashi, who was nearby, sighed secretly. The most ancient and prestigious families knew how to support the front line. Although part of the reason was to train their young members, it was support nonetheless.
The increasingly influential Sarutobi clan, on the other hand, was assigned more stable missions. The battlefield might be dangerous, but it's also where talents rise.
No wonder the Uchiha clan always produces a stream of geniuses. In contrast, the Sarutobi clan, which has grown powerful and is catching up to the Uchiha's prestigious stature, doesn't have any strong figures to boast.
Sarutobi Shinzo? Thinking of him, Kakashi couldn't help but smirk. His strength was barely adequate for the Anbu chief position. He's probably only slightly stronger than the Barrier Department's chief.
It's acceptable for him to be an Anbu chief, but as a village leader, even Kakashi found it laughable, let alone others.
No wonder the Sarutobi clan, despite its solid foundation, doesn't have a young powerhouse. If there were, they'd probably have already chosen the Fifth Hokage.
"Is Itachi coming?" Even though he had known beforehand, Uchiha Shisui took a deep breath and nodded solemnly when he heard the news. "Don't worry, Brother Yoru. I'll handle the family matters."
After all, Uchiha Yoru is now responsible for frontline command, so Shisui naturally has to help with family affairs.
"Also, the next batch of reinforcements for the village will arrive. Kakashi, you'll be in charge of selecting the escort team. With the arrival of reinforcements, our injured should return to the village to rest."
"Yes."
Holding a scroll report, when Uchiha Yoru saw the list of arrivals, a sarcastic smile appeared on his face. This didn't escape the eyes of Shisui and Kakashi.
"Brother Yoru, is there a problem with this batch of reinforcements?"
Facing Shisui's question, Uchiha Yoru looked at Kakashi and sighed, "Be careful in the future. The village higher-ups still don't trust us. There are traces of Root members. Be cautious and don't give them anything to use against you."
"Also, you can trust Team Genma. Their loyalty is unquestionable." Hearing Yoru's words, Shisui coldly snorted in annoyance, "Again with the rats that hide in the shadows and only target their own."
As a ninja who once served in the Anbu for many years, Kakashi was well aware of the existence of Root. He sighed and said, "Yoru, you should be careful too."
Root! They aren't ordinary ninjas anymore. They are emotionless machines who would do anything for their mission.
"Don't worry, both of you need to be careful as well. It's better to handle some things personally to avoid mistakes."
"Yes."
Shisui and Kakashi understood the implication, especially when they had to falsify or underreport nearly half of the supplies.
Uchiha Yoru looked at the list and noticed a name: 'Yakushi Nonou'. Though it wasn't prominent, he recognized it immediately.
It seems Danzo's Root wants to gather information about the Uchiha clan. It's harder to act within the village, but on the battlefield, where many young Uchiha ninjas are present, it's relatively easier to gather intelligence.
Unfortunately, he already knew this name and had grasped the other party's weakness.
She's known as Konoha's strongest spy ninja, "The Wandering Witch." Danzō truly respected him. To deal with him, Danzō even dispatched her. But it's unknown by what means. Nonetheless, Yakushi Nonō didn't reveal the secret that he already knew her identity.
Does the Root now aim to deal with him? Or are they being cautious of him? Is it because he's both Orochimaru's disciple and an Uchiha? Or is the Root, hiding in the shadows, planning something?