Late at night, on the Hidden Mist Front Line.
"Ao-sama, we've lost contact with our scouts in the enemy camp. The reconnaissance Ninjas near the enemy's base may have all perished," two assistants said, their expressions grim.
They hadn't even started their attack before being detected. Was there any chance of success left? Should they really continue?
Ao took the intelligence report, his expression calm.
In just one afternoon, he had recalled all the Ninjas in the area except those monitoring the Uchiha.
"It doesn't matter. I will personally lead this operation."
He had the Byakugan, which gave him reconnaissance abilities superior to those of the scouting Ninjas, so his involvement reassured everyone.
"Ao-sama, everyone has assembled. When do we withdraw?"
Someone entered the tent to report, unaware of the purpose of this assembly.
"We're not withdrawing. Tonight, we will launch a night raid on the Konoha camp!"
"Nani?"
"Shisui, they're really coming for us!"
Uchiha Kai returned from the front, both excited and bewildered. Although he found things a bit dull, he truly didn't think the Mist Ninjas would dare continue fighting.
"What could be the reason?"
Shisui frowned, his head pounding as he struggled to understand the situation. He looked to Sima Yi, who also shook his head helplessly.
"Don't worry about the reason. Since they're coming, let's show them the power of the Uchiha!"
He cracked his knuckles. With their superior numbers, there was no reason to hold back; they could just go all out!
"No. We shouldn't act rashly until we understand their intentions. You go ahead and gather everyone to retreat according to the plan."
Shisui halted the other's eagerness to fight and instead looked outside the tent.
"Yoshiyuki, has everything been arranged?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a person walked in from outside—the member of Shisui's squad, Shiroki Yoshiyuki.
"Squad Captain, everything has been set up. Each team has received their orders, and the Mist Ninjas have been dealt with."
"Huh? What orders? I had no idea!" Uchiha Kai's eyes widened, looking bewildered.
Shisui didn't answer directly but continued, "You and Kai go together and inform him of our plan along the way."
"Understood!"
"Remember, don't engage unless necessary!"
"Yes."
As the two left, Shisui continued, "Sensei, the enemy only has one Byakugan user left, Ao. I'll personally go intercept him. I leave this place in your hands."
Sima Yi nodded. "Go ahead. As long as you can make them give up the attack, every member of the Uchiha Clan is an asset for your future. You must preserve your strength."
"Yes, Sensei!"
After Shisui left, Sima Yi continued to ponder. He had been thinking for an entire afternoon and still couldn't understand the enemy's motives.
He even considered that the enemy might secretly have another force; the current attack could just be a decoy, with their true goal being to bypass the defenses and raid deep into the Land of Fire.
Or, more boldly, they might be planning to ambush the main forces led by Nara Suzaku or even strike directly at the heart of Konoha!
"The heroes of the world must not be underestimated!"
Outside the dense forest, Ao led the Mist Ninja forces to the border of the Land of Fire. Although his subordinates were somewhat dissatisfied with his order to attack, the prestige of the Mizukage was still intact, so they carried out the mission.
With his eye patch on, Ao activated his Byakugan. As he observed the flow of Chakra, his expression changed slightly.
"As expected, they've noticed us. They've set up so many traps in just one afternoon."
Looking at the dense array of explosive tags and various traps in the forest, Ao felt a sense of admiration but chose not to warn his men. Instead, he commanded, "I will lead a team to draw their attention from the front, while Kaguya Jubei will lead a side attack."
"Hmph, no need for that. I will kill them from the front!" Kaguya Jubei coldly snorted and pushed Ao aside. His tall, muscular frame and peculiar appearance gave him a fierce look, and his smile was menacing, exuding a strong sense of bravado.
"Do as you wish, but be careful of the traps."
Seeing that the other party was falling for the bait, Ao sighed and reminded him, then turned to lead two teams toward the flank, leaving the front to Kaguya Jubei.
"Cowards! What's there to be afraid of? Charge with me and kill all the Uchiha!"
"Charge!"
Boom! Boom!
As Ao left, a huge commotion erupted behind him. He turned back to see the chaos, his eyelid twitching, but knowing he had given the order, he had no choice but to press on with his mission.
A few of them swiftly advanced through the forest. With the Byakugan active, ordinary traps were ineffective against them, and they quickly approached their target destination.
"Ah!"
At that moment, an unexpected turn of events occurred. Several teammates beside Ao suddenly stiffened, losing control of their bodies.
"Who?!"
Ao's expression changed as he scanned the surroundings, activating his Byakugan to the limit. Finally, through the layers of trees, he spotted a pair of eyes hundreds of meters away.
Crimson pupils, a bloody aura, surging Chakra, and terrifying visual prowess.
In just an instant of eye contact, Ao broke into a cold sweat and quickly averted his gaze.
"Body Flicker Shisui, so it's you again!"
In front of those eyes, even he felt a profound sense of helplessness.
"It seems I can only retreat."
Without hesitation, Ao turned to help his teammates dispel the Genjutsu, not daring to linger.
Hundreds of meters away, Shisui was somewhat surprised to see Ao retreat once more.
"This person is already the temporary commander of the Hidden Mist, and his personal presence at the front line at this time definitely indicates something is wrong."
However, he recalled Sima Yi's advice and did not pursue, allowing Ao to leave unimpeded.
Half an hour later, Uchiha Kai relayed the news that Kaguya Jubei had died beneath an explosive tag and that the Hidden Mist's front-line forces had suffered over half their losses and had retreated.
Except for Ao, the other Mist ninjas didn't even see any Uchiha.
"So what exactly did they come here for? To die?"
Inside the tent, after repelling the Mist forces, Uchiha Kai grumbled.
Shisui's order was to prevent them from initiating an attack, so he could only hide in the forest and watch as those idiots from the Mist continually triggered traps and then fled in panic.
Shisui didn't explain. After sending Kai away, he finally began to voice the doubts that had accumulated throughout the day.
"Sensei, it seems that the Mist ninjas don't have a backup plan. Shouldn't we take the initiative to eliminate them directly?"
Sima Yi shook his head. Although he was also unsure of the enemy's intentions, he understood the nature of their own situation.
"No, since the Hokage issued a notice, the war is over. If you initiate an attack, even if you win, you will be labeled as the one who provoked the war. At that point, they will have justification to further suppress the Uchiha.
This would be very detrimental to the Uchiha's situation."
Shisui felt indignant, increasingly dissatisfied with the village's oppression, especially since his actions were clearly for the sake of Konoha.
"Then why not allow me to take advantage of their active attack tonight and pursue them?"
The enemy had suffered casualties on the traps tonight, yet they hadn't actively killed even a single Mist ninja. They had merely watched from a distance as the enemy retreated.
Sima Yi looked at Shisui, knowing that he still hadn't shifted his perspective.
"When doing things, one must weigh the pros and cons and have a long-term vision with clear goals!"
"This battle offers you no benefits in victory, but if you lose, it will leave you vulnerable to criticism. At that point, both your family and the village will have issues with you."
"Your current objective is to integrate the Uchiha into Konoha. If you are despised by both sides, how will you handle future matters?"
"Sensei is right; I've been a bit impatient." Shisui nodded, still struggling with the mindset of wanting to earn respect through achievements for Konoha.
"Indeed, and most importantly, preserve your strength!"
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