"Old man, we just received an intelligence report."

  Tsunade wasted no time once she got the report.

  The Hozuki .

  In Kirigakure, this held a status parable to the Uchiha, Senju, and Hyuga in Konoha. Most members of this were profit in the Hydrification Teique.

  Whether this teique was strong or not for debate, but ohing was certain—it was annoying as hell. They were slippery, impossible to catch alive.

  Because the Hozuki ly feared Lightning Release.

  A…

  It wasn't that Lightning Release directly tered the Hydrification Teique. Rather, it could paralyze them, disrupting their jutsu and preventing full liquefa.

  The Hozuki clearly uood this.

  So…

  When fag 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 possessed numerous secret teiques.

  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 esg or reag.

  Too harsh a dition!

  A, Kyoichi had do.

  The Third Hokage finished reading the report, and his pipe slipped from his fingers, hitting the floor with a crack. A visible fracture formed oem.

  Any other time, he would have beebroken over his pipe.

  But right now…

  He didn’t even notice.

  Capturing one alive?!

  That was an almost impossible feat.

  After a long silehe 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 didate for the Fourth Mizukage."

  "Sensei, now isn't the time for seality. Three nations are preparing to attack us. We 't afford hesitation. We o take the initiative a one of them into submission first!"

  Tsunade's voice was firm and decisive.

  The Third Hokage hesitated.

  An offerategy…

  Was it too risky?

  After a moment of ption, he said, "Isn't that too reckless?"

  "Kirigakure is still waiting for the right moment. They're watg how Kumogakure and Iwagakure move before itting. Even though we've made some preparations, ohey fully mobilize, we'll be on the defensive."

  Tsunade felt frustration boiling inside her.

  This indecisivehis was exactly why she didn’t want to e back!

  Where was the decisive man who once had the ce to approve the creation of Forbidden Teiques?!

  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 hahis. 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 id out a pn.

  "Good."

  The Third Hokage nodded.

  The pn 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 hahis ourselves. Once we've extracted all the intel from Hozuki Chikage, he’ll be sent to Konoha."

  Kyoichi reyed the vilge’s decision.

  Yamanaka Inoichi's expression turned plicated.

  On one hand, he was relieved.

  But oher…

  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 attag preemptively.

  This was Tsunade’s style!

  Dired 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 mi.

  They’d already been provoked—what were they waiting for? For Kirigakure to coordih Kumogakure and Iwagakure first?!

  Inoichi passed the intelligence report to the others.

  "Kyoichi-sama, what’s your pn?"

  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 reassigo the northeastern front due to u from Kumogakure.

  As for Tsunade’s call for reinforts?

  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 uood this, so he didn’t act pretentious. Sinoichi 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."

  Inoiodded.

  The Uchiha Police Force.

  Tsuruly was one of the Sannin—she knew how to position her forces.

  "But in the meantime, I'm not pnning to sit around. I’m going after their base."

  Kyoichi grinned.

  Everyone present was a jōnin—they immediately uood his i.

  "You want to disrupt their retreat?"

  "Exactly. At the very least, I want to make their evacuation miserable."

  Kyoiodded.

  If they simply waited for reinforts, 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 fight, we fight. If we ’t, we run. That’s why I’m only taking those skilled in assassinations and fast enough to escape."

  Kyoichi expined.

  Gueril warfare.

  Not just tactitelligehering was just as important.

  After finishing, he turo Inoichi and asked, "Are there any Hyuga with exceptional speed?"

  "Speed…?"

  That was a strict requirement.

  "Of course!" a Hyuga shinobi immediately answered.

  "They o be at this level."

  Kyoichi used the Body Flicker Teique, instantly disappearing from the room and reappearing far outside.

  The Hyuga tokubetsu jōnin was stunned.

  That fast…

  "Only Lord Hizashi mahat."

  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 reaissance specialists also stayed quiet.

  Everyone uood how crucial intelligehering was in war.

  And when fighting Kirigakure shinobi…

  Pretending to be more skilled than they actually were would only get them killed.

  Kyoichi sed the room, then turo 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 ht.

  Instead, he asked, "Tell me your pn first."

  "It’s simple. They’re moving, right? We hit their supply lines. Small squads? We wipe them out. Large squads? We run."

  Kyoichi id it out pinly.

  "If I leave, what about the base?"

  "I’ll leave a shadow e here. I absorb chakra, so I’ll need some donations from time to time."

  Kyoichi had everything pnned out.

  The others listeheir expressions twitg.

  This pn…

  Seemed viable.

  But somehow, it felt off—

  If you weren’t fast enough, you were just a chakra battery?!

  Gcell