In the distance, Nara Shikaku and Uchiha Fugaku were discussing battle deployments in a tent, the atmosphere appearing harmonious.
Meanwhile, Shine took his fifty Clan Members to a corner of the camp for rigorous training. The sounds of Chakra clashing and the roar of Ninjutsu were incessant, forming a unique sight.
The arrival of reinforcements made the situation on the Kirigakure Battlefield even more subtle.
The strength of the Konoha Allied Forces increased greatly, and the Hidden Mist's offensive would inevitably be checked.
Within the Uchiha, Shine's rise and Fugaku's persistence also caused the scales of power to begin tipping.
A greater storm was quietly brewing beneath this seemingly calm surface.
A week after the reinforcements arrived, the Kirigakure Battlefield fell into a state of intense stalemate.
Yagura was clearly unwilling to let the Konoha reinforcements disrupt his plans, launching several fierce attacks almost every day.
In the early morning mist, Kirigakure Ninja used the advantage of Water Release Ninjutsu to launch surprise attacks on the camp's outskirts from the river and deep within the forest.
Under the midday sun, the light of clashing Ninjutsu illuminated the sky, and the roars of Fire Release and Water Release were deafening.
In the shadows of late night, the Anbu squads of both sides infiltrated each other. The cold glints of daggers and Kunai flashed between tents; someone fell every moment, and every place was stained with blood.
Nara Shikaku's tactical deployment was indeed seasoned. He split the 1,300 Ninja clan elites into key defensive lines, relying on the complementary Secret Techniques of each clan to stubbornly hold off the Hidden Mist's powerful assault.
The 1,700 civilian Ninjas were responsible for transporting supplies, treating the wounded, and reinforcing the defensive lines. Though their combat power was slightly inferior, they formed a stable support system.
Uchiha Fugaku finally broke free from his previous passivity, leading the remaining Clan Members to guard the eastern defensive line. The insight of the Three-Tomoe Sharingan rendered many of the Hidden Mist's sneak attacks futile.
Meanwhile, Shine, with his fifty elites, became a wandering "sharp blade" on the battlefield.
He never followed the fixed deployments of the Allied Forces, specifically targeting the Hidden Mist's weak points—when the Kirigakure Ninja gathered, he would lead his team in a surprise attack from the flank and rear, combining Genjutsu and Taijutsu to catch them off guard.
When the Hidden Mist retreated, he would lead his men in pursuit, harvesting the stragglers. In just one week, he achieved a record of killing over twenty Hidden Mist Chunin and three Jonin.
"Lord Shine's tactics are too ruthless!" an Uchiha Jonin following Shine praised sincerely. "Every strike hits the vital spot; the Hidden Mist is now terrified just seeing our Clan Crest!"
Shine wiped the blood from his tachi, his eyes indifferent: "On the battlefield, mercy is cruelty to oneself."
He knew that these victories were not just for the Allied Forces, but also to firmly establish his footing in the hearts of the Clan Members—only by letting the Uchiha see tangible results, seeing that he could lead everyone to victory better than Fugaku, could he truly unite the Family's strength.
Although the Konoha Allied Forces held the advantage of reinforcements, the Hidden Mist's combat power was still not to be underestimated.
Although Yagura's Three-Tails Jinchuriki power had not fully erupted, it had deterred the battlefield many times.
The Seven Swordsmen of the Mist were each masters of unique skills, their Water Release Ninjutsu reaching perfection, breaking through Konoha's temporary defensive lines several times and causing significant casualties.
After a week, casualties on both sides were comparable. Although the Konoha Allied Forces held the line, they were unable to launch a counterattack.
Although the Hidden Mist could no longer suppress Konoha as before, they still held one of the initiatives on the battlefield.
The wails in the camp never ceased, and long lines formed outside the medical tents. The Hien sisters were recalled by Shine to the front line to assist in treatment. Their "Twin Life Healing Pulse Technique" saved many heavily injured Ninjas and earned them much praise within the Allied Forces.
Amidst this daily bloody offense and defense, a sudden piece of news exploded throughout the camp like a thunderbolt—an urgent report came from the Iwagakure battlefield: Uchiha Obito had died in battle.
The news was delivered by a Konoha messenger. The handwriting on the scroll was scribbled and hurried, clearly stating: "Uchiha Obito was besieged by an Iwagakure Elite Squad while performing a mission on the Iwagakure front. He died after a fierce battle, and his remains were not found."
When Nara Shikaku read the news in the command center, the tent instantly fell into a dead silence.
Uchiha Fugaku's face instantly turned dark.
Although Obito was not the top combat power in the clan, he was an outstanding member of the Uchiha's younger generation and a junior Fugaku highly valued.
He remembered Obito's high spirits before setting out, that boy who always smiled and said he "wanted to become Hokage," and felt a suffocating annoyance in his chest.
He suddenly clenched his fist, the crimson Three-Tomoe Sharingan spinning wildly in his eyes, the anger and grief in his heart almost overflowing—another clan member dead, another young life fallen on the battlefield, while the Konoha High Command only cared about whether the defensive line was stable and whether victory could be achieved.
When Shine heard the news, he was instructing Clan Members on cultivating Genjutsu on the training ground.
"Dead?"
When the news of Uchiha Obito's death reached his ears, Shine was wiping the bloodstains from his tachi. His movements didn't stop for a second, his tone so flat it was as if he were discussing an insignificant trifle.
There was no trace of sadness on his face, not even a ripple; only the coldness surging deep in his eyes, like a ten-thousand-year-old frozen pond.
Konoha never cared about the life or death of the Uchiha. Obito's death was nothing more than a "necessary sacrifice" in their eyes—this realization, long etched in his heart, became even clearer now.
But Shine's indifference was not entirely due to Konoha's cold-heartedness.
"He's just another Weasel like Uchiha Itachi." He let out a low sneer, his finger tracing the cold blade, his tone full of unabashed contempt.
Obito's naive appearance of "becoming Hokage and protecting everyone" seemed utterly foolish to him.
The Ninja World was originally a jungle where the strong preying on the weak. So-called "justice" and "protection" were just lies used by the strong to whitewash peace.
The reason he never thought of killing Obito himself was not out of mercy, but because he was wary of Uchiha Madara—that monster sleeping in the shadows. If Madara sensed something had happened to Obito, he would inevitably jump out regardless of everything. At that time, with his current strength, he might not be able to escape unscathed and would instead disrupt his entire plan.
Now, Obito was dead.
Shine slowly closed his eyes, a series of images flashing through his mind: Uchiha Madara watching coldly from the shadows of the Iwagakure battlefield as Obito was besieged by the Iwagakure Elite Squad, yet never taking action;
The aging Third Mizukage of the Hidden Mist Village, whose body had long since collapsed and whose life was nearing its end;
And that ambitious man waiting for an opportunity to rise—Yagura Karatachi, and the girl destined to become a tragic sacrifice, Rin Nohara... A cold arc curved at the corner of his mouth, and Shine opened his eyes, which were now filled with the calculations of a master strategist...
Advance chapter available on pãtrêon Got1808