Chapter 92: Fight If You Can, Run If You Can’t

"Old man, we just received an intelligence report." Tsunade wasted no time once she got the report. The Hozuki Clan. In Kirigakure, this clan held a status comparable to the Uchiha, Senju, and Hyuga in Konoha. Most members of this clan were proficient in the Hydrification Technique. Whether this technique was strong or not was up for debate, but one thing was certain—it was annoying as hell. They were slippery, impossible to catch alive. Because the Hozuki Clan only feared Lightning Release. And yet… It wasn't that Lightning Release directly countered the Hydrification Technique. Rather, it could paralyze them, disrupting their jutsu and preventing full liquefaction. The Hozuki Clan clearly understood this. So… When facing weaker Lightning Release users, they would kill them. But if they couldn't win, they would flee. Aside from Lightning Release, Genjutsu could work to some extent, but the effect was limited. Not to mention, the Hozuki Clan possessed numerous secret techniques. That meant there was only one reliable way to capture them—overwhelming power. A shinobi strong enough to use Lightning Release, who was also fast enough to prevent them from escaping or reacting. Too harsh a condition! And yet, Kyoichi had done it. The Third Hokage finished reading the report, and his pipe slipped from his fingers, hitting the floor with a crack. A visible fracture formed on the stem. Any other time, he would have been heartbroken over his pipe. But right now… He didn’t even notice. Capturing one alive?! That was an almost impossible feat. After a long silence, the Third Hokage exhaled deeply, his expression serious. "I've heard of Yagura Karatachi. A small-statured kid… I never expected him to be the most likely candidate for the Fourth Mizukage." "Sensei, now isn't the time for sentimentality. Three nations are preparing to attack us. We can't afford hesitation. We need to take the initiative and beat one of them into submission first!" Tsunade's voice was firm and decisive. The Third Hokage hesitated. An offensive strategy… Was it too risky? After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Isn't that too reckless?" "Kirigakure is still waiting for the right moment. They're watching how Kumogakure and Iwagakure move before committing. Even though we've made some preparations, once they fully mobilize, we'll be on the defensive." Tsunade felt frustration boiling inside her. This indecisiveness—this was exactly why she didn’t want to come back! Where was the decisive man who once had the courage to approve the creation of Forbidden Techniques?! The Third Hokage thought for a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Kirigakure is internally divided, making them the easiest target. Fine. You and Kyoichi handle this. If anything happens, I'll take responsibility!" "Have the Police Force dispatch elite units to the eastern front. Put Minato in charge of the northern defenses. Jiraiya will handle Ōnoki. As for Orochimaru, I'll have him deliver Hozuki Chikage to Konoha." Tsunade swiftly laid out a plan. S~eaʀᴄh the Novelƒire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Good." The Third Hokage nodded. The plan was solid. Some parts were indeed risky, but indecision was even worse. In the end… Their strategy was simple—hurt Kirigakure so badly they wouldn't dare make a move! … "Lord Hokage has responded. We're to handle this ourselves. Once we've extracted all the intel from Hozuki Chikage, he’ll be sent to Konoha." Kyoichi relayed the village’s decision. Yamanaka Inoichi's expression turned complicated. On one hand, he was relieved. But on the other… This wasn’t the Third Hokage’s way of doing things. If it were up to Hiruzen Sarutobi, he would have waited and observed rather than attacking preemptively. This was Tsunade’s style! Direct and aggressive. What was there to wait for? They had already captured an infiltrator, and the suspected leader, Yagura Karatachi, had personally appeared. That was enough justification to strike. And that was Tsunade’s call. Kyoichi agreed with this mindset. They’d already been provoked—what were they waiting for? For Kirigakure to coordinate with Kumogakure and Iwagakure first?! Inoichi passed the intelligence report to the others. "Kyoichi-sama, what’s your plan?" His brows furrowed. They were critically short on manpower. Some squads had returned, but they only had ten teams total—far too few. Most shinobi had already been reassigned to the northeastern front due to unrest from Kumogakure. As for Tsunade’s call for reinforcements? That sounded great, but they would take at least two or three days to arrive. Inoichi referred to Kyoichi as Lord out of respect. Kyoichi understood this, so he didn’t act pretentious. Since Inoichi asked, he answered frankly: "Tsunade-sama is having the Police Force dispatch elites here, but that’ll take at least two to three days." "The Police Force… That’s good. Then we’ll wait." Inoichi nodded. The Uchiha Police Force. Tsunade truly was one of the Sannin—she knew how to position her forces. "But in the meantime, I'm not planning to sit around. I’m going after their base." Kyoichi grinned. Everyone present was a jōnin—they immediately understood his intent. "You want to disrupt their retreat?" "Exactly. At the very least, I want to make their evacuation miserable." Kyoichi nodded. If they simply waited for reinforcements, Kirigakure’s forces would be long gone by then, and all their intelligence efforts would have been wasted. "That’s too dangerous." Inoichi frowned. It wasn’t that he was inflexible. It was a simple numbers problem—they had fewer than fifty upper-rank shinobi, including jōnin and tokubetsu jōnin. Meanwhile, Kirigakure had far more. "It’s not an all-out battle. If we can fight, we fight. If we can’t, we run. That’s why I’m only taking those skilled in assassinations and fast enough to escape." Kyoichi explained. Guerilla warfare. Not just tactics—intelligence gathering was just as important. After finishing, he turned to Inoichi and asked, "Are there any Hyuga with exceptional speed?" "Speed…?" That was a strict requirement. "Of course!" a Hyuga shinobi immediately answered. "They need to be at this level." Kyoichi used the Body Flicker Technique, instantly disappearing from the room and reappearing far outside. The Hyuga tokubetsu jōnin was stunned. That fast… "Only Lord Hizashi can manage that." Kyoichi wasn’t trying to be harsh—it was just the reality. The Hyuga could only answer weakly before looking down in silence. Seeing this, the other reconnaissance specialists also stayed quiet. Everyone understood how crucial intelligence gathering was in war. And when fighting Kirigakure shinobi… Pretending to be more skilled than they actually were would only get them killed. Kyoichi scanned the room, then turned to Inoichi. After a brief hesitation, he grinned and said, "How about it, Inoichi-san? Want to go crazy with me this once?" "You actually know you’re being reckless?" Inoichi rolled his eyes. But… He didn’t reject the idea outright. Instead, he asked, "Tell me your plan first." "It’s simple. They’re moving, right? We hit their supply lines. Small squads? We wipe them out. Large squads? We run." Kyoichi laid it out plainly. "If I leave, what about the base?" "I’ll leave a shadow clone here. I can absorb chakra, so I’ll need some donations from time to time." Kyoichi had everything planned out. The others listened, their expressions twitching. This plan… Seemed viable. But somehow, it felt off— If you weren’t fast enough, you were just a chakra battery?!