[This Chapter Is Sponsored by terrance smith! Everyone, please thank him in the comment!]
Under the night sky, at the Konoha ninja base.
Uchiha Yoru sits refreshed in his tent after a full afternoon of training. Even now, people can still see his wet hair.
"Big Brother Yoru is really hard working."
At this moment, Uchiha Shisui in the tent looks at his elder brother who is busy with official duties but still remembers to train, and immediately shows a look of admiration. On the side, Hatake Kakashi also shows a look of shame, nods, and quietly ponders. Yoru's pressure is too great; he must help him as much as he can.
"What information requires us to go out so late at night?"
At this moment, Uchiha Yoru shows curiosity. Hyuga Hizashi, who is usually calm, respectfully hands over an intelligence scroll.
"Lord Yoru, according to the investigation, a Mist ninja elite squad of more than fifty members is preparing to set off from here tomorrow night and then launch a surprise attack from the sea."
Looking at Hyuga Hizashi pointing solemnly at the map, Uchiha Yoru frowns and shows a thoughtful look. "Attacking from the sea is almost like attacking us from behind. Also, if the Mist ninjas realize something is wrong, they can easily escape into the ocean."
It has to be said that in the ninja world, besides the main character, everyone has their strengths. The Mist ninja's operation is completely flexible.
Though the ninja world has not been around for long and has no recorded history, it's essentially a time of wild growth.
The honorable one-on-one battles handed down from samurai have become a thing of the past after hundreds of years of ninja skirmishes.
It's been said in the original story that ninjas are all about deception, so battles in the ninja world are often carried out through espionage, surprise attacks, poisoning, ambushes, and various other means.
Of course, there are also direct attacks, especially when both sides are in desperate need of occupying a particular terrain and under various other circumstances where head-on battles occur.
However, head-on battles mostly happen when there are too many ninjas on both sides. Most ninjas prioritize gathering information and then look for opportunities to set up ambushes and surprise attacks to complete their missions.
"Mist ninja have assembled an elite squad of more than fifty members."
Looking at the topographic map, Uchiha Yoru's long finger traced from the sea behind his base and emphatically tapped on a particular location. A mocking smile crossed his face.
"It seems the Mist ninjas have also gathered information about us. The refined iron and precious chakra metal we've extracted from the mines over the past few months are here. We initially planned to send a squad to escort it back in three days. Yet, they chose not to ambush us en route but to attack here instead."
As he spoke, Uchiha Yoru couldn't help but clap his hands in admiration, "They played this hand beautifully, completely catching us off guard. Most of our defenses were focused on the escort route, never considering a sneak attack here."
"Brother Yoru, this is my oversight," Uchiha Shisui hastily stepped forward, admitting his mistake. Yoru, however, waved his hand dismissively, indicating there was no need to be flustered.
"Although it's a surprise attack, if we are careless, we might suffer significant losses. But what if the enemy deliberately leaked this information?"
A mysterious smile slowly appeared on Uchiha Yoru's face, causing everyone in the tent to look shocked. Hyuga Hizashi spoke solemnly, "Lord Yoru, are you suggesting that the Mist ninjas might be dividing their forces?"
Hearing Hizashi, everyone in the tent showed a look of realization and looked at Hizashi with admiration. Their gazes seemed to say that it was indeed the wisdom of a great clan.
Uchiha Yoru's eyes twitched slightly, admitting that he had overestimated the cultural level of the ninjas in this world. Even the wealthy clans focused mainly on developing strength.
"I'd rather call it a strategy of drawing the tiger away from the mountain."
Looking at everyone, Uchiha Yoru displayed a confident smile and began pointing at the map, "The elite ninjas in our base are like tigers in their lair. If we know the Mist ninjas' information, we'll certainly take precautions, sending at least seventy elite ninjas to set up an ambush. Doing so would leave our base vulnerable; the 'tigers' would be elsewhere, significantly weakening our home base."
"Drawing the tiger away from the mountain!" Kakashi was engrossed in contemplating these four words. Looking up at Uchiha Yoru, his eyes were filled with conviction. He had not misjudged the man; a ninja of such caliber would surely lead them in reviving Konoha.
Although the ninjas inside the tent had not studied the so-called culture of poetry and literature, they were not without discernment. After all, ninjas in this era are also considered cultured people who can read and write.
"Lord Yoru, the phrase 'lure the tiger away from the mountain' is brilliantly used."
"Indeed, Lord Yoru would be considered a learned person if he were in the Daimyo's palace."
For a moment, laughter and praise erupted among the ninjas. Uchiha Yoru responded to the flattery from his subordinates by shaking his head and saying, "Don't flatter me; I won't give you extra rewards."
Instantly, the tent was filled with hearty laughter. They were ninjas who lived on the edge, and their careers were dull. Such casual jokes could easily resonate with them.
They had never seen such an approachable commander before. Many were unknowingly drawn to this charm. It wasn't that they were mindless; it was just that having such a person as their commander made their already stressful ninja missions a bit more relaxed.
In a ninja world that lacks culture, or is even crude, Uchiha Yoru had won over countless hearts by merely employing a bit of wisdom passed down from ancestors.
The Art of War says, 'Love your soldiers like your children.'
While it's almost impossible to achieve this, even for him, in this strict and hierarchical world of ninjas, such an approachable commander is rare.
Especially given that he was both a disciple of one of the Legendary Sannin, Orochimaru, and from the prestigious Uchiha family, he could easily be high and mighty. But he was not, he was approachable, and to say that they were not moved would be inhuman.
At this moment, the women serving as temporary guards outside the tent—Yugao Uzuki, Kurenai Yuhi, and Anko—saw the spirited figures inside and were immediately captivated.
"Alright, laughter aside, the ninjas from the Hidden Mist Village are all crazy. My rule is to sweat more in training so that you bleed less on the battlefield. So, I've come here to primarily adopt defensive measures, but that doesn't mean we're afraid of the Mist ninjas."
Uchiha Yoru looked around the tent and said, "When their troops come, we will block them; when the water comes, we will build a dam. No matter what the Mist ninjas are planning, in a word, we stay still but prepare for all changes. Transfer all the fine iron and chakra metal, and also send an elite team to set traps."
"If the Mist ninjas really send their main force, then we will fight while retreating. The traps along the way are not for show. We will lure this bunch of Mist ninjas into our trap and encircle them."
Uchiha Yoru's words instantly brought smiles to everyone's faces. They had never felt that war could be so relaxed. It wasn't that the enemy could be easily defeated, but the atmosphere was just so light. They had never experienced this before, because any mission would usually only bring pressure and responsibility.
"Yoru, what if it's really as you suspect, that this is the Mist ninjas' strategy to lure the tiger away from the mountain and this place is just a decoy?"
Kakashi looked puzzled, but there was also a curiosity in his eyes that he himself hadn't noticed, as if the person before him was a wise scholar.
Kakashi's words reminded everyone, and immediately all eyes turned toward him with curiosity. However, Uchiha Yoru laughed and waved his hand, saying, "Do we even need to ask? If the Mist ninja are using this as a cover, they must have a plan, probably to attack our base."
Just as everyone's curiosity was piqued, as if Uchiha Yoru at that moment held all the answers, he casually waved his hand and pointed at everyone, saying, "Why are you all looking at me? The Mist ninja won't tell me where they plan to attack. Just go and prepare your defenses. Given the home field advantage, can't you guys take the upper hand by focusing on defense?"
His last sentence, tinged with a joking tone, made everyone burst into laughter again. Everyone felt incredibly relaxed, a feeling they hadn't even experienced when fighting with the Sannin.
"However, it's not polite to only receive and not give back. If the Mist ninja can deploy their main force to attack us, we will be completely defensive and passive. Being passive is not my style," said Uchiha Yoru with a confident smile.
Everyone then realized what he meant. After scanning the room, his gaze finally landed on Kakashi. He lightly tapped his fingers on the table, "I'm planning to have you, Kakashi, lead this surprise attack squad. You are, after all, skilled in reconnaissance and tracking, and are an elite from the Three Great Ninja Wars."
Everyone nodded in agreement when Uchiha Yoru chose Kakashi as the leader of the team. His reputation precedes him; no one has broken the record set by the twelve-year-old jonin, and Kakashi has been a renowned elite ninja for many years now. Especially given his background from the Anbu, he was the most suitable candidate.
After seeing Kakashi nod solemnly, Uchiha Yoru turned to Hyuga Hizashi and Uchiha Shisui and laughed, "Recently, the Hyuga and Uchiha clans have each formed many elite squads. I want to pull two elite squads to join Kakashi's operation."
Basically, he was talking about pulling the elites from the Hyuga and Uchiha clans. Many elite squads had been formed at the front lines, each comprising a ninja from the Uchiha and Hyuga clans, and one other ninja. All these squads were elite units.
Then Uchiha Yoru's gaze fell on the last person, Shiranui Genma, "Genma's squad will also join. I want only the elites for this surprise attack team."
With three squads, that's nine people, plus team leader Kakashi, making it a ten-person elite squad.
"A ten-person squad, Yoru, what is this about?"
The Mist ninja plan to deploy a fifty-person squad, while they are countering with a ten-person squad. Although elite, the numbers seemed insufficient.
Seeing Kakashi's puzzled look, Uchiha Yoru confidently smiled, "I won't do like the Mist ninja and send you to attack their base. Although it would be a surprise, you should know that entering their territory will be filled with traps."
At this moment, everyone was somewhat puzzled, not quite understanding. Uchiha Yoru didn't keep it a secret, after all, he still needed to gradually establish his authority.
"Kakashi, the squad you lead is to be ready for support."
Uchiha Yoru pointed to the map with a cold smile, "No matter what plans the Mist ninjas have, in short, if a battle breaks out here, Kakashi, you just find the Mist ninja territory. Remember not to get too close, set a large fire from a distance and then hide."
"By then, no matter where the Mist ninjas attack from, our Leaf ninjas will loudly announce that we have already attacked the Mist ninja base. As long as the fire is large enough, the attacking Mist ninjas won't be able to miss it, unless they're blind."
"By that time, they'll be confused. The Mist ninjas will definitely choose to retreat, and the exposed Mist ninjas will be our prey. Kakashi, you should be ready for a quick ambush, and we'll perform a pincer attack."
As Uchiha Yoru calmly laid out the military operation, everyone suddenly understood and expressed strong approval.
"Lord Yoru, I'm truly impressed this time."
"Indeed, we've all been through the Second and Third Wars, but this is the first time I've heard of such a strategy. Although we haven't started yet, it already feels exhilarating."
"Haha."
Seeing everyone's relaxed smiles, Uchiha Yoru didn't show arrogance, but shook his head and said, "Don't flatter me. The reason we can be so relaxed is thanks to our Byakugan."
Byakugan? The Hyuga clan?
Everyone looked at the stern-faced Hyuga Hizashi, even he was a bit stunned, wondering how he got involved.
Uchiha Yoru smiled and nodded, "If we didn't have a large number of Hyuga Byakugan on the front lines this time, we wouldn't dare be so casual."
"With the Byakugan present, the Mist ninjas will hardly succeed in an easy ambush. By then, the Hyuga ninjas should be vigilant, not to fall for the Mist ninjas' traps, and if anything seems off, fire a flare. Even a blind person could see a flare in the night sky."
Inside the relaxed camp, everyone showed smiles. Shisui even displayed a look of admiration, admiring the calm demeanor in the face of war as if born to be a Hokage. Even Kakashi showed a look of admiration. It was as if all the qualifications of a natural-born Hokage—proficiency in politics, commanding battles with ease—along with love for the Leaf Village, were all embodied in one person.
Outside the door, three pairs of eyes also lit up. For the first time, they saw Uchiha Yoru so spirited and full of poise, and all displayed looks of admiration.
Ninjas admire the strong, and women admire the strong even more, especially those they hold dear.
A man who works hard is the most attractive.
~~~
The Art of War says, 'Give me your PowerStone!!'
But seriously, thank you guys for the support! This fic is on fire!!