Without further hesitation, Miki stood where he was and began to clearly explain the mistakes made during this mission.
As the night breeze brushed past, the gazes of all the Chunin present focused on him.
Mamoru squeezed out from the crowd, scanned his surroundings nonchalantly, and finally found a clean rock to sit on. He rested his chin on his hand in boredom, his eyes lazily sweeping over the Chunin who were listening intently.
"...That's the situation. I will detail my mistakes in this mission in the report I submit later." Miki's voice echoed through the forest, his tone forceful and resonant.
His announcement was so solemn that Mamoru subconsciously began to clap.
The crisp sound of clapping was particularly jarring, and everyone cast puzzled looks his way. Only then did Mamoru realize how inappropriate his actions were. He awkwardly lowered his hands and shrugged as if nothing had happened.
"Captain, what do we do now?" A short-haired Chunin was the first to ask.
"Yeah, are we still attacking that fortress?" Another tall ninja chimed in, his hands unconsciously clenching into fists.
"Shichikon is already dead, do we still need to stay here?"
"What's the next move?"
Faced with the barrage of questions, Miki crossed his arms, his fingers unconsciously tapping his elbow as he fell into deep thought.
His brow furrowed deeper and deeper, and several deep wrinkles appeared on his forehead.
This fortress definitely had to be attacked, the mission couldn't be considered complete without annihilating all the bandits here.
Even though the crisis of being attacked from both sides had been resolved, breaking through this impregnable fortress was indeed a thorny problem.
While they could simply wait it out until the people inside couldn't hold on anymore, organizing a feint attack would mean risking casualties on their side, which really wasn't worth it.
Miki's gaze involuntarily drifted toward the fortress in the distance, where the towering stone walls and watchtowers were faintly visible.
At that moment, Yuya quietly leaned into his ear and whispered, "Miki, since we can't break the fortress's defenses, why not let that Uchiha kid give it a try?"
His voice was so low only the two of them could hear, and his eyes held a hint of testing.
"Him?" Miki frowned in response, the corners of his lips unconsciously curling downward in a look of doubt.
"Exactly." Yuya nodded firmly, continuing his low-voiced analysis. "Dragging this out isn't an option. I think we should ask him."
He paused briefly, observing Miki's expression, before slowly voicing his thoughts. "After all, he was able to take down Shichikon alone, which proves his extraordinary strength. Besides, didn't Hokage-sama give us a hint when we accepted the mission? Go ask the kid, maybe he really does have a way to enter the fortress easily."
Miki pondered for a moment, stroking his chin with his finger, and finally nodded. "Alright then, let him try."
His tone carried a hint of helplessness, yet also a sliver of anticipation.
"Okay, I'll go discuss it with him right away," Yuya immediately replied, turning and walking away quickly.
Yuya quickened his pace, the gravel beneath his feet rolling slightly from his hurried steps. He walked straight toward the youth leaning against the rock wall.
"Mamoru."
Mamoru lazily looked up, and seeing the overly enthusiastic smile on the other party's face, he immediately narrowed his eyes in alertness.
"What is it?" He couldn't help but squint.
He was all too familiar with this kind of smile, it either meant someone was coming to borrow money or there was some trouble they needed help with.
"Cough..."
Yuya cleared his throat and got straight to the point. "The walls of this fortress have been reinforced with Earth Release, and our men are having a hard time breaking through for now."
He paused for a moment, looking at Mamoru with a sincere gaze. "I was wondering... do you have any ideas?"
"Ha!?"
Mamoru intentionally raised his voice, a mocking curve appearing at the corner of his lips. "So many of you can't even take down a single fortress?"
He emphasized the words 'so many' particularly heavily.
Yuya said with a grave expression, "If we force our way in, we will inevitably lose team members. We hope to find a more stable plan without sacrificing our comrades."
"Fine, I get it." Mamoru waved his hand impatiently, then crossed his legs and tilted his head to look at the other party.
"It's not that there isn't a way..." He deliberately trailed off, his finger tapping his knee. "But is this how you ask people for help?"
Several black lines immediately appeared on Yuya's forehead. He looked at this arrogant Genin in disbelief, then turned back toward Miki's direction.
He saw Miki with his head tilted back, gazing intently at the night sky as if he were completely immersed in the vast sea of stars.
Yuya subconsciously looked up—it was cloudy tonight, and the thick clouds completely obscured the starry sky.
He understood instantly, and the corner of his lips twitched slightly. This normally rigorous captain was actually pretending not to see?
As he expected, Miki was indeed deliberately avoiding the commotion over here.
At this moment, he was recalling Hiruzen's advice: "When you encounter a predicament, you can consult with the Uchiha boy..."
At first, he had only taken it as a joke, but now he had to admire Hiruzen's foresight. Now, he didn't care if the other party was just a child. As long as the mission could be completed successfully, what did a little compromise matter?
It was just that thinking about Mamoru's eccentric personality made his temples throb slightly.
Since Yuya had taken the initiative to step forward, he was naturally happy to see it happen. Although Miki appeared calm on the surface, he was secretly praising him, 'This Vice-Captain is truly sensible. Solving my problems and leading the charge.'
"..."
Yuya took a deep breath and refocused his gaze on Mamoru. He leaned forward slightly, his voice tinged with helplessness. "Mamoru, please help us."
Mamoru immediately stood up, patted Yuya on the shoulder, and gave a bright smile. "Now that's more like it. Young man, you'll definitely go far in the future."
He turned to walk toward the fortress but suddenly stopped halfway. Turning his head to look at the wryly smiling Yuya, he blinked. "Later, when we go down the mountain, find someone to carry me. I can't walk anymore."
After saying that, he walked forward without looking back, leaving Yuya stunned in place. His raised foot hung in mid-air, failing to land for a long time.
A few seconds later, he shook his head helplessly and quickly followed the arrogant figure ahead.