"Captain, since Iwagakure is planning to target us, what's our next move?" asked Hatake Sakumo.
Although Mochizuki Hui was younger than everyone else in his team, they had long since grown to trust his leadership completely.
"Our next move? Naturally, we retreat and let Iwagakure play their game alone," Mochizuki Hui replied with a sly grin.
"After all, our mission isn't about conducting deep strikes and assassinations; it's about forming an alliance with the Village of Fog. We've already done more than enough by taking down six Iwagakure ANBU squads and drawing their elites towards us. That's a huge win.
"Now that they're focused on us, we should pull out, leave this dangerous area, and return to the region of the Village Fog.
"This way, while their forces are still chasing shadows, we can take on Village of Fog and complete our primary mission," Mochizuki Hui explained his strategy, causing the others' eyes to light up.
"As expected from the captain! Iwagakure is going to be running in circles thanks to us!" Hunter exclaimed, full of admiration for Mochizuki Hui.
"You're such a sneaky little fox, Hui," Lightning remarked with a chuckle, causing Mochizuki Hui to roll his eyes.
Hatake Sakumo stood by, silently smiling. He had the rare gift of foresight, and whenever he looked at Mochizuki Hui, he saw a radiant future.
Mochizuki Hui was a beacon, a source of light that could bring life and hope to all things.
"Alright, let's take a break. We'll prepare to move out in one hour. I expect Iwagakure's reinforcements will arrive soon, and they'll likely make their move in the next day or so. Stay alert and be cautious," Mochizuki Hui instructed before walking to the cave's entrance, where he leaned against the rocky wall and closed his eyes to rest.
The other three nodded, tidied their gear, and took the opportunity to rest and recover their strength, ensuring they were in peak condition.
An hour passed quickly.
Hui and his squad silently left their hiding spot, making their way out of the region. Meanwhile, Kamizuru Ishigawa, so confident in his hunt, had no idea that his intended prey had already left the game, slipping away and leaving him to play alone.
If he knew, he might have rolled on the ground in rage.
The next day, as expected, Iwagakure began their operation. Teams of two ANBU squads patrolled the area. Kamizuru Ishigawa used all his sensory abilities to try and catch Mochizuki Hui's team.
But by the end of the day, they had achieved nothing.
"This is normal. Since they're moving in pairs, even though they're elite, they must be cautious and gather information before making a move. Tomorrow, they'll likely feel more confident and take action. Make sure everyone is ready," Kamizuru Ishigawa said confidently, unfazed by the lack of progress. To him, it was natural for an elite ANBU squad to act cautiously in enemy territory, especially when the stakes were high.
The other Iwagakure ANBU agreed with his assessment, preparing themselves for what they believed would be the decisive confrontation the next day.
That second day arrived, and the Iwagakure squads continued their patrols in pairs. However, this time, they didn't stick together as closely, leaving gaps in their formations—an intentional strategy to lure Hui's team into attacking.
Yet, as the day ended and night fell, Kamizuru Ishigawa found himself staring at his map with a grim expression, wondering why the Konoha ANBU had yet to make a move.
"It seems the prey is craftier than I thought—they've realized we're targeting them," he mused aloud. "In that case, we'll go back to single-squad operations. If they still don't show themselves, then their entire presence here becomes pointless. And the moment they do appear, that's when we'll kill them."
He calmly issued new orders, confident that he was forcing Hui's team into a corner. To him, it was clear that Konoha had sent this specialized squad with a specific mission: to assassinate Iwagakure ANBU squads and draw attention away from the Village of Fog, allowing Konoha's forces to more easily establish control there.
It was an obvious strategy: lure Iwagakure's forces into focusing on the squad, then take Village of Fog in the meantime. Kamizuru Ishigawa believed his enemy had finally realized they were being targeted and had become overly cautious.
But that wouldn't matter anymore. By restoring normal patrols, he would force them to act, making it impossible for them to escape detection.
To him, it was an open-and-shut case—a classic, unavoidable trap.
But what he didn't know was that Mochizuki Hui's squad was far from ordinary. They operated with great autonomy, and their assassination spree had been a spontaneous decision, not an official mission.
Since Kamizuru Ishigawa had misread Mochizuki Hui's team from the start, his entire strategy was built on flawed assumptions.
His seemingly foolproof plan would ultimately amount to nothing—just an exercise in futility, like trying to catch water in a sieve.
In reality, Mochizuki Hui had simply chosen to leave the game, allowing Kamizuru Ishigawa to battle wits with thin air.
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