Neiki looked at the Flying Thunder God kunai in his hand, his expression gradually calming.
Originally, he planned to wait until his analysis progress reached a higher level and then use the full power of the Void Space during a direct confrontation with the Kamui Sharingan user from Kirigakure to complete the final stage of the Flying Thunder God Technique.
But now, it seed he couldn’t save even this bit of Byakugan essence.
…
The ship cut through the waves, sailing on the sea.
The island was already in sight. Without the need for binoculars, the desolate docks and the people on the shore were clearly visible. Shizune's face showed so confusion:
"Why are we fighting the Kirigakure ninjas in the Land of Waves?"
"Surrounded by the sea, and Kirigakure ninjas are proficient in Water Release. Wouldn’t that be disadvantageous for our overall battle?"
"Because we have no choice," before Tsunade could answer, Nara Suzaku, a Jonin from the Nara Clan, shook his head with so helplessness, "Kumogakure hasn't made a move yet, and we can't afford to fight on three fronts. So we have to create a ti gap by defeating Kirigakure first."
"This terrain, if we don’t yield it to Kirigakure, they might not choose to engage us now."
This was the crux of the issue. Ti wasn’t on Konoha’s side. If Kirigakure chose to wait until Kumogakure attacked before making their move, Konoha could be overwheld by a three-front assault.
Among the Five Great Shinobi Villages, Sunagakure was the weakest, but it was an ally of Konoha. Although its loyalty was uncertain, it should remain stable for now, so it wasn’t considered an enemy.
The next weakest was Kirigakure, followed by Iwagakure. Konoha, having lost both the Hyuga Clan and the Uchiha Clan and suffering consecutive blows, was significantly weakened. The title of the strongest village would undoubtedly go to Kumogakure.
For Konoha, their biggest threat was Kumogakure.
Whether Konoha would be destroyed depended on their ability to effectively counter Kumogakure’s assault.
Thus, Konoha’s high command decided on a five-step strategy: stabilize Sunagakure, resist Iwagakure, repel Kirigakure, and finally defeat Kumogakure.
Repelling Kirigakure was a crucial part of this plan. Tsunade’s eastern front unit needed to withstand the pressure, achieve a swift victory, and quickly return because Kumogakure might take advantage of Konoha’s divided forces and launch a direct attack.
"But if we fight in the Land of Waves, wouldn’t it endanger many innocents?" a young genin participating in the war for the first ti suddenly asked.
"It would, but this is war." Suzaku didn’t elaborate, simply stating it coldly.
A ninja village was a military organization.
The ninja academy was a military school.
Ninjas were the war machines produced by ninja villages.
As weapons, ninjas didn’t need to consider whether those whose lives they took were truly innocent.
They only needed to focus on completing their missions.
Shizune glanced at Suzaku, then at Tsunade’s indifferent expression, feeling conflicted.
Knowing Tsunade well, she figured Tsunade wasn’t keen on such aggressive tactics, but Konoha’s situation was dire. They had no choice but to act swiftly against the Kirigakure ninjas. ṟἈＮóBЁŠ
Even if fighting on foreign soil would result in many deaths, and Tsunade’s hemophobia hadn’t fully been overco.
"We’re nearing the Land of Waves, Tsunade-sama," Shizune gently reminded her.
"Hmm," Tsunade, who was lost in thought while watching the waves, snapped back to reality and then instructed, "Bring Neiki over."
"Yes."
Soon, a white-eyed boy, with his hands and feet tightly shackled, was brought to the bow of the ship.
Tsunade glanced at him, her brow furrowing slightly before sweeping her gaze over the surrounding Konoha ninjas.
No one t her eyes.
Tsunade understood.
This was another "group" decision.
Tsunade felt a bit disheartened and asked, "Do you need help getting those shackles off?"
"No, it’s fine," Neiki gently shook his head as if he had beco accustod to such treatnt.
Tsunade frowned. This was the second ti she had seen Neiki.
The first ti was before their departure when she ordered the removal of his shackles, but they were back on him shortly after.
Neiki wasn’t angry, remaining calm, which made Tsunade feel sowhat guilty. She then said publicly, "I’ve always disagreed with them treating you like a criminal. That’s your brother’s cri, not yours."
At the ntion of his "brother," Neiki was silent for a mont before shaking his head:
"Haichi-senpai read my mories before. He was right."
"Neiki gave many hints before he acted. I should have realized his plans against the Hyuga main family, but because of my hatred for the main family and my trust in Neiki as my brother, I chose to blind myself and didn’t alert Konoha’s higher-ups in ti."
"So, while the cri was my brother’s, I also enjoyed the sudden ‘freedom' from the destruction of the Hyuga main family. Thus, I’m not innocent either."
Tsunade was surprised, watching Neiki.
She couldn’t tell if he was sincere or just trying to survive, but his words would likely ease the hostility of the surrounding Konoha ninjas.
In war, mistrust among allies was dangerous. Given Neiki’s circumstances, he had to be especially cautious to avoid lethal animosity from behind.
Regardless, he managed to defuse the situation well.
"If that’s how you feel, then make ands by giving your best in the upcoming battle. Your Byakugan will be crucial in our fight against Kirigakure. Once this war is over, I will personally remove your shackles," Tsunade declared firmly, causing many ninjas to frown.
"Personally removing shackles" was a form of endorsent and protection.
In this context, it was akin to saying, "I’ll look after this person from now on."
"Okay." Neiki exhaled and nodded lightly.
He finally got Tsunade-sama's promise.
It was worth the risk of stealing the shackles and locking himself up again…
Neiki’s thoughts were mixed.
But he had no choice. As one of the last two mbers of the Konoha Hyuga Clan, he needed to latch onto a powerful ally to survive.
Next, he had to cooperate and wait for the war to end…
"Now, tell , how many Kirigakure ninjas are ambushing us on the shore?" Tsunade pointed towards the island.
"Two." Neiki activated his Byakugan and replied softly.
"It seems they aren’t much faster than us." Nara Suzaku chuckled.
Two ant they were scouts.
Tsunade nodded and waved her hand, issuing the command:
"Alright, let's land."
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