As the soundproof barrier was removed, both Hatake Kaede and Nawaki looked unusually gloomy as they silently led the group away from the camp.
However, the moment they stepped out of the camp, an emergency combat meeting was immediately convened inside the Konoha camp.
The atmosphere inside the command tent was heavy and solemn.
Uchiha Masaru sat in the main seat, flanked by several high-ranking members of the Uchiha clan.The leaders of the other camps also took their seats, and a tense atmosphere permeated the entire tent.
After everyone had arrived, Uchiha Masaru slowly began to speak: "You all witnessed it with your own eyes just now, didn't you?Those two brats from the Senju and Hatake clans actually came to ask for help."
Then, Uchiha Masaru continued, "Although I didn't agree to provide them with aid, I still gleaned a crucial piece of information from their few words.Kirigakure and Kumogakure are massively looting explosive tags, clearly preparing for the upcoming war!"
Uchiha Masaru's words immediately caused a stir among the officials present.
Uchiha Masaru sat expressionlessly in the main seat, his fingers rhythmically tapping lightly on the table in front of him, producing a crisp sound.
Although the sound was not loud, it struck the hearts of everyone in the tent like a heavy hammer, instantly interrupting their whispers.
The previously noisy sounds inside the tent ceased abruptly, and everyone turned to look at Uchiha Masaru, who sat in the main seat.His cold gaze swept over everyone, then he slowly stood up and walked straight to the map in the center of the tent.
After Uchiha Masaru stopped, he pointed to two small islands on the map without hesitation, emphasizing one of them.
"Gentlemen," his voice was low and serious, "our main purpose here is to defend against an attack from Kirigakure." He paused, then continued, "However," his finger moved again, landing on another small island, "this place, and this place, are the Land of Whirlpools and the Land of Waves, respectively."
His gaze lingered on the location of the Land of Whirlpools for a moment, then he continued, "The Whirlpool Clan members are short-tempered, but since they are stationed in the Land of Whirlpools, we don't need to worry about them too much."
At this point, Uchiha Masaru's tone became slightly more serious."However," he tapped the Land of Waves' location forcefully with his finger, "this area is currently undeveloped.If Kirigakure occupies this place, we will inevitably find ourselves in an extremely passive situation."
His words echoed like a warning bell in the tent, making everyone's faces turn solemn.
Uchiha Masaru looked around at everyone, then slowly said, "Therefore, I have decided to increase the defensive forces in the Land of Waves.This will not only allow us to advance our battle lines a bit, but more importantly, it will buy us more time to react."
After saying that, Uchiha Masaru sat back down in his seat.
While everyone else remained silent, Jonin Uchiha Kikufu, who was in charge of the camp's logistics, suddenly stood up, his voice ringing out loudly in the quiet meeting room.
"Commander-in-Chief, our current supplies are only enough to sustain the needs of this one camp.We simply don't have enough resources to build a new one!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than another high-ranking member of the Uchiha clan sitting next to him chimed in, "Can't we ask the Land of Waves to do something?We could have a 'good' talk with those nobles and wealthy merchants in the Land of Waves!"
When he said the word "good," he emphasized it, as if it had a deeper meaning.
However, Uchiha Kikukaze shook his head helplessly and sighed, "If we could really plunder some supplies from those nobles and wealthy merchants, that would be ideal.But the problem is, the Land of Waves is so poor it's practically urinating blood.Where are you going to find those so-called nobles and wealthy merchants?"
After saying that, Uchiha Kikukaze turned his gaze to Uchiha Masaru, who was sitting in the main seat, and continued, "Therefore, Commander-in-Chief, you must consider this carefully!"
Uchiha Kikufu's words drew nods of agreement from all the leaders present.After all, they were the ones specifically in charge of camp affairs and were intimately familiar with the actual situation of the camp.
Just then, Uchiha Masaru suddenly interjected, "Kikufu, I am well aware of what you are saying."
"However, I think you may have misunderstood me.I do not intend to start a new camp in the Land of Waves, but rather to set up a temporary outpost there."
The people present: ?!
Seeing this, Uchiha Masaru quickly explained, "Please don't be surprised, everyone.Let me finish.My idea is that we only need to send a few small teams to the Land of Waves to carry out surveillance missions.We don't need too many people, two or three teams will be enough."
(PS: Team size: 3-4 people)
Uchiha Masaru continued, "Once we discover any trace of Kirigakure, if their numbers are small, our team is fully capable of wiping them out."
"But if the enemy has a large number of people, our team doesn't need to fight head-on.We can temporarily avoid their attacks and quickly send intelligence back here to buy more time for the camp to respond."
Upon hearing this, everyone present suddenly realized what was going on and unanimously agreed with Uchiha Masaru's suggestion.
However, after a brief silence, Uchiha Kikufumi began to ponder in his heart.
He carefully considered the feasibility of the plan.After weighing the options, he realized that if only two or three small teams were sent to the Land of Waves, the cost would not be too high, and the camp could easily afford it.
Therefore, Uchiha Kikufu finally nodded in agreement.
"Since that's the case,"Then let's send two small teams to the Land of Waves for now!" Uchiha Masaru made a decisive decision."You should also be prepared; the Land of Waves is only there for surveillance.Our battlefield is the most important one."
"yes!"
After everyone left, Uchiha Masaru ordered, "Someone, call the Kaze Team and the Aokawa Team over to see me."
A short while later, the five people entered the commander-in-chief's tent one after another.
The two leading figures are members of the Uchiha clan, namely Uchiha Kaze and Uchiha Aokawa, both of whom have reached the level of Jonin.
The remaining three are: Uchiha Fujino, who excels in communication and sensory perception and is one of the few sensory ninjas in the Uchiha clan; Uchiha Komura, who excels in Earth Styleand Lightning Style and is relatively effective against Kirigakure ninjas; and the last ninja is named Uchiha Natsuki, a medical ninja.
The three of them are quite strong, belonging to the elite group among Chunin.
After the five entered, Uchiha Masaru immediately formed them into a combat team, with Uchiha Kaze as the captain.Uchiha Masaru picked up a scroll and handed it to Captain Uchiha Kaze, solemnly instructing them not to open it until they reached the Land of Waves.
Once the team was assembled, at the command of Captain Uchiha Kaze, the five rushed out of the camp and headed towards the Land of Waves.
......
In a corner of the logistics camp, there is a simple tent, which is the residence of Uchiha Kikufu.
After a busy day, he had just finished taking inventory of the supplies and was getting ready to take a good rest.
However, as he stepped into his tent, a strange feeling suddenly struck him.His body felt as if it were tightly bound by an invisible force, instantly becoming stiff, and then he collapsed to the ground without warning.
Lying on the ground, Uchiha Kikufu had a pained expression on his face, as if he had suffered great torment.
His eyes involuntarily opened, revealing his previously hidden Sharingan.Those blood-red pupils seemed to contain endless pain and struggle.
However, this pain did not last long.After only a few minutes, the intense pain receded quickly like a tide, and Uchiha Kikufu's body gradually returned to normal.
He struggled to his feet, sat on the edge of the bed, and looked around with a somewhat dazed expression.
In those brief few minutes, countless images and memories flashed through his mind—some painful, some bewildering, and some moments that brought him sudden realization.
When he finally came to his senses from these chaotic thoughts, the Sharingan in his eyes closed again, and he returned to his usual calm.
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