"Will they die?"
"Not completely, but they'll lose their plasticity."
Kabuto pushed the microscope aside and picked up another set of notes.
"Just two days ago, they could maintain activity for at least forty-eight hours. Now it's less than twenty-four. Unless—"
He stopped mid-sentence.
Jūgo asked, "Unless what?"
"Unless there's so higher-level linkage between these White Zetsu individuals."
"You an they affect one another?"
"Not one another."
Kabuto narrowed his eyes.
"It's more like they're all being regulated by the sa source."
Jūgo was completely lost. "You suspect Black Zetsu is controlling them?"
"Black Zetsu may not be capable of such fine control." Kabuto tapped his fingers lightly on the table. "But if the White Zetsu cultivation system itself has a 'mother body,' or so kind of central node, then it makes sense."
Kimimaro sat not far away, slowly flexing his wrist. Hearing that, he raised his head.
"If such a thing exists, would it be in Black Zetsu's hands?"
"Eighty percent chance."
Kabuto smiled.
"Or rather, even if it isn't in Black Zetsu's hands, it must be sowhere Black Zetsu knows about."
Jūgo frowned. "You're not thinking of stealing it again, are you?"
"Stealing?"
Kabuto pushed up his glasses.
"That's too crude. I prefer to understand sothing first, then make my move."
Jūgo stared at him. "But you've already sent out three waves of snakes over the past few days."
Kabuto's expression didn't change. "That's just normal intelligence gathering."
"You even lie to yourself?"
"Hmm?"
"You're obviously already targeting Black Zetsu."
Kabuto looked at him, then suddenly smiled a little deeper.
"Is it that obvious?"
Jūgo was expressionless. "Very obvious."
Kimimaro listened quietly from the side. After a while, he suddenly said, "If you go to et Black Zetsu, I'll go too."
Kabuto shook his head. "Your eyes were only just replaced, and your body is still recovering. There's no rush."
"I'm not going because of the eyes."
"Then why?"
Kimimaro was silent for a mont.
"To make things clear."
Kabuto looked at him. A mont later, he smiled.
"You really are unexpectedly simple."
Kimimaro didn't argue.
Kabuto didn't say anything else either. He turned back and continued adjusting the cultivation tank.
For the next dozen days or so, Konoha's rhythm still did not fall into disorder.
Training grew heavier by the day. Patrols beca denser by the day. More and more intelligence ca back from the borders.
The allied forces really were gathering.
The daimyō of the three countries seed terrified that others might not know how many people they had. While recruiting ninja, they also loudly spread slogans everywhere like "punish the violent tyrant of Absolute Justice" and "remove this disaster for the shinobi world." Among rchant caravans, so people were even secretly saying that the Land of Fire's good days were over, that Konoha would soon be trampled flat, and that the Land of Fire's grain, mines, and trade routes would be redistributed afterward.
Strangely, however, when those words spread into Konoha, they did not cause the panic people might have imagined.
So were furious. So sneered. So cursed those daimyō in private for indulging in fantasy.
But most people simply lowered their heads and continued doing their own work.
The hamring from the blacksmith shops grew more frequent.
At the hospital, the dical ninja's shifts grew a little longer.
The Special Mobile Unit trained during the day and ran surprise-attack drills in the middle of the night.
Even the academy children had their teachers watching them closely, adding a great deal of basic physical training.
Half a month later, late one night, the Hokage's office was still lit.
Tsunade sat behind the desk. In front of her was a stack of freshly delivered border reports. Shizune had already fallen asleep on the small table beside her, breathing softly, still holding a pen in her hand.
The moonlight outside was faint. Inside, the only sound was the rustling of paper.
Just then, there was a very soft knock at the door.
Tsunade raised her head. "Co in."
The door opened, and Uchiha Chizumi walked in.
He did not co see her openly during the day as he usually did. Instead, he had chosen this hour, and even his footsteps had been deliberately softened.
The mont Tsunade saw him like this, her brows knitted together.
"I knew it."
Chizumi gently closed the door. "Knew what?"
"That if you ca to find in the middle of the night, it definitely wouldn't be anything good."
Shizune was startled awake by the sound and raised her head groggily.
"Lady Tsunade… Chizumi?"
Tsunade waved her hand. "Go rest next door."
Shizune looked at the two of them, wanted to say sothing, then held it back. She picked up her clipboard and left, closing the door for them on the way out.
Once the door shut, Tsunade leaned back in her chair and stared at Chizumi.
"Go on. What are you planning this ti?"
Chizumi walked to the desk, but did not sit down.
"I'm preparing to lead a team in a preemptive strike."
The room fell silent for an instant.
Tsunade's gaze sharpened abruptly. "Say that again."
"I said, I'm preparing to lead a team in a preemptive strike."
"A team?" Tsunade gave a cold laugh. "Didn't you say half a month ago that nothing needed to change? Now you suddenly run over here in the middle of the night and tell you want to strike first. Do you think I'm just decoration?"
"Nothing changed half a month ago because they hadn't stabilized yet."
Chizumi's voice remained calm.
"Now it's different."
Tsunade stared at him. "What's different?"
"The allied forces have gathered more than half their strength. Their montum is growing, and communication between the daimyō of each country is becoming more frequent. At this stage, what they care about most is continuing expansion and maintaining a surface-level unity, not guarding against soone striking first."
Tsunade tapped the desk. "So you want to hit them first before they react."
"Yes."
"Hit where?"
"Not directly at the main camp of the three-country daimyō alliance."
Chizumi raised his hand and pointed at the map on the desk.
"First, hit their forward assembly lines, supply junctions, and several relay bases responsible for linking the small countries' forces."
Tsunade looked at where his finger landed and narrowed her eyes.
"You've already seen the latest map?"
"I have."
"When?"
"Just now."
"…"
Tsunade took a deep breath.
"You really aren't polite at all."
Chizumi did not respond to the joke. He only continued, "The biggest problem with the allied forces right now isn't numbers. It's bloat. The direct forces of the three countries, ninja cobbled together from small countries, and the temporarily recruited rogue ninja, samurai, and rcenaries are all mixed together. Once this kind of allied army has its supplies suddenly cut off, its command disrupted, and panic manufactured, it will collapse faster than we expect."
Tsunade said in a low voice, "So you intend to personally break through their nodes?"
"I'm not fast enough alone."
"Didn't you always say one person was enough?"
"In a direct confrontation, one person is enough."
Chizumi looked at her.
"But a preemptive strike is different. What I want is for several places to fall into chaos at the sa ti, so they won't be able to judge, in the shortest possible window, how many people Konoha sent, where the main force is, or where we'll strike next."
Tsunade's frown deepened. "Then who do you want to bring in this so-called 'team'?"
Chizumi paused.
"I'll choose a group from the Special Mobile Unit, then draw so elites from Anbu, the Police Force, and the jōnin corps."
Tsunade answered without thinking. "No."
Chizumi seed to have expected that. His expression did not change.
"Reason."
"Reason?"
Tsunade nearly laughed from anger.
"The reason is that you're now trying to take Konoha's strongest fighters out of the village and run into the enemy's assembly lines for a raid! Do you know what will happen if you get pinned down? Do you know the allied forces are already watching the Land of Fire's borders? If you make such a big move, do you think they won't notice?"
"Even if they notice, it'll be too late."
"Chizumi—"
"Tsunade."
For the first ti in this kind of setting, Chizumi directly interrupted her.
Tsunade's voice caught. She looked up at him.
Chizumi stood before the desk. The lamplight fell across his shoulders, stretching his shadow long across the floor.
"If we wait for them to advance step by step a month from now, the battlefield will be stretched out, the border will be repeatedly contested, and the civilians within the Land of Fire will begin to panic. Even if we win in the end, there will be many losses that never needed to happen."
Tsunade stared fixedly at him and said nothing.
Chizumi continued, "But if we strike first now, everything changes."
"What makes you so sure?"
"Because there are too many of them, and they are too mixed."
Chizumi tapped a point on the map with his fingertip.
"Here is where the Land of Earth and several small countries' personnel converge. Here is the route used by the Land of Lightning daimyō to transport ninja tools and supplies. And here is the transfer zone where the Land of Wind and foreign rcenaries are most likely to clash."
His finger moved downward.
"As long as these places all have problems at the sa ti, they'll fall into internal disorder first. The three daimyō will suspect one another. The small-country daimyō will suspect they're being used as cannon fodder. The temporary recruits will be the first to think of fleeing. The more people they have, the faster they'll fall into chaos."
Tsunade said coldly, "Easy to say. But how do you make it happen 'at the sa ti'?"
Chizumi looked at her. "That's why I ca to you."
"So you do rember you ca to ."
"I need your authorization."
Tsunade was silent for several seconds. Then she suddenly stood, circled the desk, and walked to the map.
"Tell the whole plan."
Chizumi nodded.
"First, no public announcent. Only covert mobilization. Those selected will continue training and rotating duties as usual. Until the mont before departure, nothing on the surface changes.
"Second, the number cannot be large, but they must be fast enough. This isn't a large-force advance. We split into several small teams, each with its own target.
"Third, I personally lead the main team and cut directly into the hardest node. The other teams are only responsible for disruption, amplifying panic, and severing communication. They do not fight large troop formations to the death."
Tsunade crossed her arms over her chest. "Tell the specific composition."
Chizumi looked at the map, his voice frighteningly steady.
"I need Hyūga Byakugan reconnaissance, Inuzuka tracking, Abura long-range disruption, Nara battlefield control, and several fast jōnin suited for sudden assaults. I'll choose a group from the Special Mobile Unit. The total number won't be large—between a dozen and twenty."
Tsunade sneered. "You sure picked a full set."
"Not full. Just right."
"Then what about the village? What about the border?"
"The border remains defended as usual. The village operates as usual."
Chizumi looked up at her.
"The people I'm taking are those suited for fast battles. I'm not taking everyone. What Konoha lacks most right now isn't people who can defend, but people who can break the rhythm of this war."
Tsunade stared at him for a long ti before saying, "You started thinking about this half a month ago, didn't you?"
Chizumi did not deny it.
"Yes."
"And you deliberately made wait half a month."
"Because the timing wasn't right then."
Tsunade ground her teeth. "You really know how to pick your monts."
Chizumi's voice remained level. "Right now, the allied forces' confidence is at its highest, and their guard is at its loosest. If we wait until they truly begin advancing, they'll naturally enter warti condition. By then, catching them off guard will be much more difficult."
Tsunade did not answer imdiately.
The wind outside lifted the paper pages slightly, and the lamp on the desk flickered.
After quite so ti, she finally spoke in a low voice.
"Do you understand what it ans if you go?"
"I do."
"If you win, the allied forces will be punched apart before they even enter the Land of Fire."
"Mm."
"If you lose—"
"I won't lose."
Tsunade's temple twitched.
What annoyed her most was this kind of answer from Chizumi.
It wasn't empty boasting. He truly felt that "I won't lose" was sothing that did not require further explanation.
She stared at him for a long ti. In the end, she only let out a heavy breath.
"Draft the personnel list. I'll approve it."
Chizumi's eyes moved slightly.
"You agree?"
"Do I have another choice?" Tsunade glared at him irritably. "You've already thought through the routes, nodes, and composition, and you only ca to find in the middle of the night because you were afraid I'd curse you out in front of everyone during the day, weren't you?"
Chizumi was silent for a mont.
"That was part of the consideration."
Tsunade nearly punched him.
"At least you're honest."
Chizumi nodded lightly. "That is a virtue."
"Shut up."
Tsunade turned back behind the desk, pulled out a fresh mission sheet, dipped the brush in ink, and said, "Give the list before sunset tomorrow. Also, before departure, I must see the complete operation plan."
"Fine."
"Also."
Tsunade looked up at him, her gaze heavy.
"Since this preemptive strike is your proposal, rember one thing."
Chizumi looked at her.
"The people you take out with you—none of them are to be casually abandoned."
The room went still.
Chizumi looked at her. After a mont, he said, "I know."
Tsunade stared at him. "Not 'I know.' You must do it."
"…All right."
"And no one is allowed to leak this right now. Don't even tell Jiraiya for the mont."
Chizumi nodded. "Understood."
Tsunade wrote a few strokes, then looked up again.
"When do you plan to move?"
"In three days."
"That soon?"
"Speed is what gives it aning."
Tsunade snorted coldly. "You really don't leave anyone room to breathe."
Chizumi turned to leave. Just as he reached the door, Tsunade suddenly called him again.
"Chizumi."
He stopped and looked back.
Tsunade sat behind the desk, the lamplight casting her expression in deeper shadow.
"This preemptive strike isn't only about attacking the allied forces, is it?"
Chizumi was quiet for an instant.
"No."
"I knew it."
Tsunade stared at him.
"You also want to use this battle to make the entire shinobi world understand that Absolute Justice is not sothing they can stop by piling up more people."
Chizumi said nothing.
But Tsunade had already found her answer in his silence.
"…What a troubleso brat."
She cursed under her breath, but did not stop him again.
Chizumi stood by the door. After a mont, he spoke.
"Tsunade."
"What now?"
"Thank you."
Tsunade froze.
By the ti she recovered, the door had already been gently closed.
~~~
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