"Spread out, scout thoroughly, and if you find traces of the enemy, do not engage. Report back first."
Uchiha Fugaku instructed the clan members to disperse and act in three-person squads.
Although Takuya was the leader, to avoid unnecessary scrutiny, he handed this task over to Uchiha Fugaku.
After all, everyone in the group was from the Uchiha clan. As their clan head, Uchiha Fugaku could handle these things himself—Takuya wasn't interested in the details.
As long as no one tried to pull any sneaky moves, Takuya had no complaints.
And to his surprise, once Fugaku issued the orders, the members of the Uchiha clan moved swiftly and efficiently.
"I didn't expect that this Uchiha clan head had such high respect," Takuya remarked.
"What are you talking about!"
Uchiha Mikoto gave Takuya a playful push, laughing: "Disagreements are bound to happen during normal times, but in the midst of war, everyone sets their differences aside and follows the clan head's commands."
So the things you were guessing simply don't exist. Don't think of the Uchiha as being that dysfunctional.
"Can't blame me for guessing like that—you Uchihas always have so much internal drama."
Takuya shrugged, looking innocent.
Mikoto could only roll her eyes at him adorably.
"Captain."
Uchiha E pointed to a hidden trap on the ground, and Uchiha Ikki narrowed his eyes, gesturing with his hand.
The team members quickly spread out to scout the area. Uchiha Ikki approached the trap carefully, examined it for a moment, then smirked in disdain:
"Such a useless setup."
Squatting down, Ikki quickly dismantled the trap. In his eyes, it was no different from a child's toy.
However... finding a trap set by the enemy meant they had entered the enemy's infiltration zone.
"E, I'll take the others and continue scouting. You go back and report this to the clan head."
"Yes, Captain."
Uchiha E decisively turned and left.
Waving his hand, Ikki instructed:
"Continue scouting, but don't spread out too much. Stay hidden, and don't let the enemy spot you. Anyone who embarrasses the clan will have to deal with me personally!"
"Yes, Captain."
"Let's get started."
Already found something?
When Uchiha Fugaku approached Takuya, Takuya was a bit surprised.
After all, they had only entered the Land of Bears an hour ago.
Though the Land of Bears wasn't large, it still seemed a bit quick to come into contact with the enemy.
Looks like the Mist Ninja's infiltration point wasn't far from the border.
"Keep searching. We need to find their hiding spot as soon as possible."
Damn Orochimaru—if only he had sent a couple of Hyuga to help. This scouting is way too troublesome.
Cursing under his breath, Takuya expanded his powerful sensory perception, continuously searching the area.
His sensory abilities were strong and far-reaching, but no one wants to go around constantly using their sensory abilities for no reason.
Takuya was no exception—it was exhausting.
So he placed the blame on Orochimaru. If he had just sent a couple of Hyuga members to assist, Takuya wouldn't have been stuck in this position.
Luckily, finding the enemy was just a matter of time.
As long as they hadn't crossed into the Land of Fire yet, his mission was still on track.
How many enemies they could actually kill would depend on fate.
The first team to locate the enemy was Uchiha Ikki's squad. Following the traps, they managed to discover a Mist Village patrol team.
Although the enemy was hidden, they couldn't escape the Sharingan's detection.
The Sharingan might not be the best for reconnaissance, especially compared to the Byakugan.
But without the Byakugan around, the Sharingan's abilities were certainly formidable.
"Takuya, we've found traces of the enemy. They're hiding about twenty miles from the Star Ninja Village, in the forest. They seem to be lying low, with no signs of advancing toward the border."
Uchiha Fugaku approached Takuya.
"What should we do next?" he asked.
In most other places, the best approach would be to eliminate the lookout and patrol teams, gradually encircling the enemy for a decisive blow.
But unfortunately, this was the Land of Bears, and they didn't have enough manpower to form an effective encirclement.
Trying to encircle hundreds of enemies with just a few dozen men? That was nothing short of an international joke.
Sitting on a rock, Takuya stretched lazily and said unhurriedly:
"Have everyone rest for half an hour. After that, activate your Sharingan if you have one, prepare your jutsu, and then we all charge at them."
"..."
You've got to be kidding, right?
Uchiha Fugaku was stunned, and even Mikoto, who stood beside him, was bewildered. This was a battle, not some game where you clear stages.
Just charging in?
Is that really how we're going to fight?
"Isn't this a bit reckless?"
Fugaku was at a loss. It was his first time encountering someone like Takuya, who used such a simplistic and crude command style. Just charge in? Surely you must be joking!
"Takuya."
Mikoto was worried that Takuya might be teasing Fugaku and trying to make him lose face.
She spoke up to remind him that now wasn't the time to joke around—this was war.
Am I joking?
Takuya felt speechless. He was serious, but why didn't anyone believe him?
Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Takuya explained:
"Our mission is to eliminate as many enemies as possible, but we're short on numbers. Therefore, traditional tactics won't work well for us. The enemy has been in the Land of Bears for two days without advancing into the Land of Fire, which means they're waiting for something.
"What exactly they're waiting for, I don't know."
"Another important point is that the enemy has been waiting here for two days, which means they must have prepared for sudden engagements."
"At this point, sneaking in or just attacking head-on doesn't make much of a difference."
"But attacking directly might lead to heavy losses, I..."
Fugaku still felt it would be better to proceed cautiously. After all, all the ninjas involved were Uchiha.
If there were too many casualties, the pressure on him as the clan head would be immense.
Classic Fugaku—always overthinking.
Takuya looked at him, speaking firmly:
"Follow my command. We charge together!"
This is an order, not a discussion. Remember your position. Just because I gave you the authority to direct, it doesn't mean everything needs your approval.
Uchiha Fugaku's breath caught, and his face turned grim: "Understood."
Takuya didn't care whether this would offend Fugaku or even the entire Uchiha clan.
So what if they got offended? It's not like his relationship with them was all that great to begin with.
"You stay with me. Don't go running off."
Takuya grabbed Mikoto's arm, keeping her close.
"Alright."
Mikoto nodded obediently, staying by Takuya's side.
"What? We're just going to attack directly?"
"Clan head, you can't be serious?"
"Follow the orders!"
Fugaku scowled, snapping:
"Orochimaru-sama entrusted command to Takuya, so our job is to follow his lead. That's all there is to it."