allendalepharm Chapter 299 Steady Improvement Amidst the Chaos
Chapter 299 Steady Improvement Amidst the Chaos
Chapter 299 Steady Improvement Amidst the Chaos
On the vast ocean, an island floats alone, surrounded by strange currents that hold the island in place, preventing it from moving freely.
On the ice island, a large number of Konoha ninjas were seizing every minute to rest, and were stuffing soldier pills into their mouths without regard for the consequences.
After all, the Mist Shadow reinforcements behind them were only a few dozen kilometers away, and they might catch up at any time.
The sooner they recover, the sooner they will be safe.
On the Icelandic side, Taiyi and the other two gazed back in the direction they had come from, remaining on guard while talking to each other.
Fugaku Uchiha did not hesitate at all upon hearing Taiichi's reminder.
As top experts, it's only natural that they would have their own unique teaching methods, and they certainly wouldn't have any objections to that.
Since you've become an apprentice, you have to listen to your teacher.
"Then it's settled. When we get back to the village, I'll have Itachi come and become my apprentice."
As if afraid that Taichi might change his mind, Fugaku Uchiha immediately finalized the matter.
This made Hiashi, who had been watching from the sidelines, extremely envious. Having a teacher like Taichi would be a great support for him in both Konoha and the ninja world.
Unfortunately, although he was married, he had no children; otherwise, he would have definitely joined in the fun and given his child to Taiyi as a disciple.
I don't expect to learn any amazing skills; the relationship itself is good enough.
Haven't you seen any of the Second Hokage's disciples? Everyone still in office is a high-ranking member of Konoha.
The decision to become an apprentice was quietly reached on this temporary island at sea, but no one could have imagined what kind of impact this decision would have on the ninja world in the future.
An hour later.
All the ninjas set off again; even though many ninjas had not fully recovered, they could not wait any longer.
If the Hidden Mist ninjas catch up with us from behind, the results of this battle will be greatly diminished.
Fortunately, the journey was smooth sailing. Even though they took a long detour, the Konoha ninjas did not rest once along the way and reached land in one go.
Konoha Camp.
Upon receiving news of another great victory, Tsunade clenched her fists tightly. Though her face remained impassive, she was overjoyed inside.
Good news is meant to be shared, so Tsunade handed the battle report to the staff officer next to her. After everyone read it, they all looked excited.
It's unclear who was the first to break down in excitement, but they shouted, "Complete victory!"
Immediately afterwards, shouts of "Complete victory!" echoed throughout the tent, eventually gathering together and reaching the outside.
The ninjas in the camp soon learned the outcome of the battle, and shouts of "Complete victory" gradually filled the entire camp.
Tsunade looked at everyone and smiled, inwardly praising their capable people.
Three consecutive major battles were enough to establish Konoha's absolute advantage on the Eastern Front.
Even if they play it safe and steady, it will be enough for Konoha to remain undefeated here.
But why would she want to settle for a stalemate? A complete and resounding victory is what she desires.
When Fugaku, Taichi, and Hiashi led their team back to the camp, they were greeted by eager eyes.
No one dislikes a victorious army, and this is even more true for the commander who leads them to victory.
As for the way his fellow village ninjas looked at him, Fugaku Uchiha felt it the most. When had the Uchiha ever been so adored by his fellow village ninjas? At least since he became a ninja, he had never enjoyed such treatment.
The battlefield is indeed the best place for ninjas to make a name for themselves.
The elder was right. He should experience the battlefield firsthand. Only by being stained with blood and fire can the Uchiha clan truly lead the entire clan through this increasingly complex environment.
After arranging their subordinate ninja troops, Taiichi and his two companions led a group of Jonin who had participated in the battle to the central command tent, where a post-battle report awaited them.
Previous battle reports only provided a rough outline of the results, but now that the participants have given their own accounts, everyone understands just how lucky they were to have won this battle.
"I never expected that Kirigakure's reinforcements would arrive so quickly. You've really escaped death."
Tsunade sighed, saying that war is like that, full of unknowns. No one can be sure that the victor one moment may lose everything the next because of a small mistake.
"But now that we've won, it's a blessing for Konoha. I was hoping for a few days of peace and quiet, but it looks like we'll have to throw ourselves into the next battle."
Tsunade looked down at the people standing below and said in an excited tone, "Gentlemen, I have recorded your contributions and will send them back to the village later."
Everyone wore a joyful smile; wasn't all the fighting and killing for this moment?
Fortunately, the Jonin of Konoha were of a very high standard, and there was no loud noise. Everyone listened respectfully to Tsunade's next instructions.
"Now that the Kirigakure reinforcements have arrived, what are your thoughts on the next phase of the battle? Let's all share our opinions and brainstorm!"
A brief silence fell over the tent as everyone pondered how to respond.
"The Hidden Mist Village has come from afar and just suffered a crushing defeat. They should at least rest before attacking again."
The speaker was a Jonin from the Akimichi family, a massive figure who occupied the space of two people.
Many people nodded in agreement, agreeing that the troops had suffered a recent defeat, their morale was low, and they were indeed not suited to continue fighting.
However, there are those who agree and those who disagree.
"The defeated were only the previous Mist Ninja. This reinforcement force has 1000 men. They can fight on their own and don't need to pay any attention to the original Mist Ninja."
These words were spoken by a Jonin from the Inu clan. Even while he was in a meeting, he had a small brown dog tucked into his arms. At that moment, only the dog's head was sticking out, its big, watery eyes looking at everyone in a daze.
Everyone shared their opinions, listing out all the possibilities they could think of.
At the forefront, Tsunade, Taichi, and the other two listened quietly, carefully analyzing each possibility.
As everyone's conversation gradually quieted down, Tsunade turned her gaze directly to Nara Kaoru. As a member of the Nara family, he inherited the Nara family's high intelligence, as well as their laziness.
The meeting has been going on for so long without a single word being spoken; it's really unacceptable.
Receiving Tsunade's warning, Nara Kaoru was helpless. He just wanted to be the last to speak, not to slack off.
Of course, if others have already said everything they can say, then it's no wonder he might slack off for a while.
He cleared his throat, adopting the demeanor of a leader giving a speech, and noticed several guys below glaring at him with anger.
"Gentlemen, you may have overlooked something." He looked around at everyone and continued, "In the previous battle, our troops completely destroyed the Mist Hidden Camp with a single wave of ocean waves. I heard from the two commanders that not a single tile was left, right?"
He looked at Fugaku and Hiashi ahead and received their affirmative nods.
At this point, some of the more intelligent people had already realized something, but others were still completely confused.
"That means all the supplies that Wuyin stored in the camp disappeared into the sea with the waves."
This includes not only combat supplies, but also daily food. The supplies carried by support troops cannot sustain this level of rations.
"Kaoru, just give me the conclusion. This is confusing me." Choza Akimichi rubbed his head and urged him directly.
Nara Kaoru wasn't annoyed by the urging. Although he and Choza weren't a fixed pair, they had been childhood friends.
"What I mean is that the Hidden Mist Village will not only not slow down its attack, but will actually speed it up."
Their own supplies won't last long. During the gap before the next supply arrives, the Hidden Mist will inevitably come to seize our supplies, and may even plunder the small towns along the coast.
"They dare! Attacking cities is a tacitly accepted rule in the ninja world. Does Kirigakure intend to isolate itself from the entire ninja world?!"
The speaker had a large beard, and anyone who knew him would recognize him as a Jonin from the Sarutobi clan.
"You said it's just a default rule, whether or not to follow it is entirely up to your conscience."
When their supplies truly run out, this rule will only be an excuse for wrangling at the negotiating table.
Everyone looked at each other, clearly agreeing with Nara Kaoru's judgment.
It seems they will have to be wary of the Hidden Mist's endless tricks in the battles to come.
Gentlemen.
Seeing that everyone had said their piece, Tsunade, who was at the head of the table, finally spoke.
"Kigakure is, after all, one of the five great ninja villages. Don't let a few victories make you look down on it."
The battles to come will be even more brutal. You must be fully prepared mentally. Kirigakure may land from anywhere on the coastline, or even bypass neighboring countries and enter the Land of Fire from other directions.
Therefore, I command!
Everyone stood up and listened attentively to Tsunade's instructions.
"With Hyuga as the main force, form a maritime reconnaissance unit to take the initiative to go out to sea for reconnaissance and try to find the enemy on the sea."
With Aburame and Inuzuka as the main force and Hyuga as the assistant, a land reconnaissance unit was formed to patrol the inland areas, especially the former site of the Land of Whirlpools and the direction of the Land of Hot Springs, striving not to let any Hidden Mist ninja who had infiltrated escape.
Led by the Uchiha clan, 20 mobile units of 10 people each were formed to provide support to various battlefields at any time.
Furthermore, reconnaissance ninjas should prioritize reconnaissance; they should not engage the enemy without complete certainty of victory. That concludes the above.
Below, all the ninjas immediately shouted, "We obey your command!"
"Alright, go out and get to work. Taichi, stay here." Tsunade waved her hand and said to everyone.
Everyone looked at Taiyi, who was standing at the front, with envy and admiration in their eyes, but no bad feelings. Taiyi's performance was so outstanding that no one wanted to even think of hostility towards him.
As everyone left the tent one by one, Taiyi approached Tsunade with a grin and asked, "Teacher, did you have any instructions for asking me to stay?"
Tsunade rolled her eyes at Taiichi and scolded him, "Don't give me that unreliable look."
She gathered her thoughts and continued, "Did you capture a group of medical ninjas this time?"
Taiyi, upon hearing the music, immediately understood Tsunade's intention.
"Does the teacher intend to use these ninjas?"
Tsunade nodded, her tone as matter-of-fact as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"There aren't many people with medical talent to begin with, and even fewer who are willing to become medical ninjas. Now that we have such a ready-made group of medical ninjas, wouldn't it be a waste not to take them in?"
Taiichi gave a thumbs up and praised, "Teacher is indeed bold. However, they were Kirigakure ninjas before. We have to be careful if they cause trouble for us."
Tsunade stared intently at Taiichi with a look that seemed to see right through him, her expression clearly saying: "You little brat, still pretending."
"With the illusion technique you cast on me that ignores blood, plus your mastery of sealing techniques, I don't believe you can't handle those prisoners who are at most Chunin level."
When Tsunade said that, Taiyi remembered that he had shown this skill to Tsunade before.
It's amazing that Tsunade could connect them all like this; she truly lives up to her title as one of the Legendary Sannin!
"I didn't expect the teacher to see through my plan; I was hoping to slack off a bit!"
Taiyi scratched his head. He didn't really want to get involved in these things. He had too many things to do: training, developing ninjutsu, scientific research, and missions.
I don't even have enough of my seven shadow clones, and I don't want to take on any more time-wasting tasks.
That's right, it's 7 shadow clones. As Taiyi's strength has increased, he can now create an additional permanent shadow clone to handle tasks, which is truly commendable.
"Alright, stop joking with me. I'll leave this to you. With a few more medical ninjas helping out, things will be easier for you at the medical camp."
Tsunade didn't waste any words with Taiichi; she made the decision immediately and, without allowing Taiichi any objection, kicked him out of the tent.
"That brat, he got the benefit and he's still acting innocent."
After leaving the central command tent, Taiyi looked completely bewildered. He wanted to try again, but he was unexpectedly forced out the door.
After haphazardly scratching his messy hair, Taiyi looked up at the blue sky, sighed deeply, and then slowly walked towards the prisoner camp.
There's nothing we can do; we can't fight city hall.
Prisoner camp.
It's not just those logistics and medical ninjas who were just captured and brought back that are being held here.
Since the start of the war a month ago, especially in the two previous battles, Konoha has captured quite a few Mist Ninja, and there are at least seventy or eighty of them imprisoned here.
Before Taiyi arrived at the prisoner camp, the captain of the guard saluted respectfully, but still reached out to stop Taiyi from advancing.
"Lord Taiichi, you need Lady Tsunade's warrant to enter this place."
The guarding ninjas were dutiful and responsible, and Taiichi was not an unreasonable or domineering person, so he took out the warrant that Tsunade had just given him from his ninja tool bag.
"I need to go inside and retrieve the Hidden Mist medical ninja who was just imprisoned."
The guard captain took the warrant, checked it carefully, and after confirming that it was correct, immediately called his subordinate to take over his duty.
He stepped aside, bowed to Taiyi, and said, "This way, Lord Taiyi, please. I will show you the way."
Taiichi politely said "Thank you!" and followed the guard into the camp.
This was Taiyi's first time visiting the prisoner camp. It didn't look as dirty and chaotic as he had imagined; it was similar to a regular rest camp.
However, the curtains of each tent were lifted, allowing a clear view of what was inside.
The prisoners inside the tent had their chakra usage restricted, their hands and feet were shackled, and they even had special collars around their necks.
The neck ring was covered with dense runes. As soon as a prisoner stepped out of the designated area, it would explode with a loud "boom," shattering the prisoner's head into pieces.
When Taiyi arrived at the designated spot for his group, several guards were preparing to put neck rings on them as well.
Upon seeing Taiyi's arrival, along with the captain of the guards beside him, they all stopped what they were doing and bowed to Taiyi.
Taiyi returned the greeting, then looked at the captives of the Mist Village with great interest.
Tsk tsk tsk, she really is pitiful to behold.