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Chapter 373: No Flag for Me
🕑 Added 2024-11-19 16:24:22 +0000 UTCAfter thinking for a moment, Sakumo Hatake shook his head and said, "I don't know what the Third Kazekage is planning either. While this doesn’t seem like his style, he really hasn’t touched any of the villages. But we must be careful. We need to inspect these villages to prevent any enemy spies from sneaking in and causing trouble behind our backs once the fighting begins."
Spies, apart from gathering intelligence, also specialized in sowing discord—a daily task for them. If many spies infiltrated villages across the Land of Fire, they could easily stir up a lot of trouble by misleading the uninformed villagers.
"The matter of spies is best handled by the Anbu. Our focus should remain on dealing with Sunagakure's forces," Takuya said, uninterested in dealing with spies. His priority was the Sunagakure army; everything else was secondary.
"Either way, the fact that the enemy hasn't attacked the nearby villages is good news for us. I suggest advancing thirty miles and setting up camp. After we drive out Sunagakure, we can consider moving the camp again. What do you think, Senior?"
"Me?" Sakumo pointed at himself, looking surprised for a moment before laughing. "Haha, you make the decisions; no need to ask me. I'm just a squad leader."
Squad leader my foot! Be serious.
Indeed, once someone's heart is broken, a single bad experience can make them indifferent to everything. Sakumo felt that way, and so did Takuya. If not for Tsunade, he wouldn't be stressing over these matters. Wouldn't being an ordinary Jonin be better? No worries, just doing the tasks you're assigned. After a mission, relax. Have some fun. Unlike now, where you have to care about everything.
Luckily, Nara Shikashige handled most of the logistical nightmares. Otherwise, Takuya really might lose his mind—organizing those things was far from his forte.
"Alright, advance thirty miles and set up camp," Takuya said.
The troops pushed forward, constructing a camp about thirty miles from the border outpost. They needed to establish it before the second wave of ninja reinforcements arrived. With only a thousand men, they couldn't compete with Sunagakure. Konoha had to fight on two fronts, meaning they couldn’t dispatch thousands of ninjas all at once; reinforcements would come in waves.
"Yes, sir!" Sarutobi Shiji followed Takuya’s orders well, even though he didn't entirely approve of him. But Takuya was Tsunade’s chosen man, and neither Sakumo Hatake nor Nara Shikashige had voiced any objections, so what choice did he have? Orders were orders—if things went wrong, at least he wouldn't be the one bearing responsibility.
Both sides' patrols frequently clashed, fighting over advantageous spots and setting up hidden posts—the invisible struggle was just beginning. Constructing a camp wasn’t hard for ninjas. With materials readily available and Earth Release jutsu in play, they built the essential walls of the camp within hours.
Inside a tent serving as the temporary command center, Takuya spoke to Sakumo. "Senior, I'll rely on you to clear out the surrounding enemies."
If Sakumo Hatake didn’t want to manage things, he could at least cause trouble for the enemy.
Though Takuya wasn't a master strategist, he knew how to assign roles effectively. Sakumo was the perfect person to lean on—given his reputation years ago of terrifying Sunagakure, sending him to take care of enemies was a guaranteed success.
"No problem, leave it to me. I'll make sure the enemy can't get near the camp," Sakumo said, gripping his White Fang short sword seriously. Takuya assigning him to clean up the enemy made perfect sense. This was what a leading Jonin was supposed to do—as long as it kept him away from internal power struggles, he was fine with it.
Takuya selected ten Jonin squads and put them under Sakumo’s command. How they proceeded from there was up to Sakumo.
You really know how to delegate, don’t you? Weren’t you supposed to quietly be a guiding Jonin? And now you’re tossing all these people at me? Sakumo thought, exasperated. Still, he didn’t refuse. After resting briefly, he took his men and left the camp.
I may not know how to command, but if I know someone capable, I’ll just delegate. You’ll handle it; you’re dependable. No complaints, right?
Takuya smiled, having effectively put the burden on Sakumo.
"Now, Senior, I’ll leave the rest to you. I’m heading out to scout the enemy and survey the terrain," Takuya said before disappearing, leaving everything else to Nara Shikashige.
"I..." Watching the now-empty command center, Shikashige was stunned, his old face full of disbelief. What was this? I’m losing my mind here!
With Sakumo tricked into leaving and Takuya disappearing without a trace, there was no chance for a reversal. Shikashige was left alone in the command center, wide-eyed and bewildered.
If Sakumo went to do what he did best, and Takuya had bolted, all the responsibilities left behind would fall on Shikashige’s shoulders—inescapable.
"That brat! So sly!" Shikashige muttered after recovering from his shock, though his tone carried an amused smile.
Not that Takuya heard him. By then, he had already left the camp, humming a tune while wandering around the camp's vicinity.
"They want me to carry the flag? No way."
Takuya knew his strengths. He wasn’t going to force himself into handling things he wasn’t skilled at—not only would he mess up, but it could also lead to disaster. Because of Tsunade, Takuya had no intention of allowing a slip-up in this war that would lead to him having to handle everything alone.
His idea was to bulldoze through directly, though he hadn’t voiced that thought aloud. He knew that approach was dangerous, and nobody would agree to it. Despite their reluctance to get involved, both Sakumo and Shikashige would surely jump at him if he proposed it—not out of distrust but out of fear he might do something reckless.
