Chapter 243: The War is Coming
Everything had been arranged clearly by Mikasa. Although Eren was reluctant, he had nothing to say.
It was a fact—his combat power was low. It was also a fact that he was a burden.
But because of this, the urgency in his heart to gain power grew even stronger.
He even... wanted to throw himself into danger, to force out his potential—just like Ryosuke said!
However, by the time Eren and his companions reached the cave, the old cat still hadn't shown up. No signal. No response.
Behind them, the crackling of sparks drew closer and closer, almost distorting their hearing.
The wind howled past, shrill like the ringing of tinnitus.
Mikasa's heart sank. "...That damn cat didn't run off, did it?"
Truthfully, when they had neared the Hidden Cloud Village, she could still sense the old cat's presence behind them.
But now? Nothing.
"You stinky woman, talking smack behind my back?"
A moment later, a fat gray cat suddenly appeared at Mikasa's side, matching her pace exactly. Even their breathing rhythm synced instantly.
So fast! Where had he been hiding?!
Mikasa was stunned.
She hadn't expected the lazy cat, who had slacked off the entire way, to be this stealthy.
Is this the difference between ninjas from major villages and those from small ones?
She felt a growing unease about the upcoming clash with the Hidden Cloud Village ninjas.
Though she'd joked with Eren, Mikasa had never underestimated them.
"We've completed the mission. It's time to withdraw from the Land of Lightning."
Looking at the old cat beside her, Mikasa spoke seriously. "You didn't take part in the mission. The Hidden Cloud ninjas don't know you exist."
"I'll take responsibility for drawing their attention so they don't have time to search for you. Please take Eren and leave the Land of Lightning."
"No time."
The old cat moved effortlessly, as nimble as a deer. "Please. I'm not your babysitter. Your job's done. I have other tasks to handle."
The cat beside them could leap surprisingly far, and despite his short legs, he didn't seem embarrassed at all to run at full speed.
"Can—"
Mikasa tried to say more.
"Good luck to you. I've got other things to do. I'm out."
Cutting her off, the old cat turned sharply and bolted in the opposite direction.
Huh?!
Mikasa paused, but without wasting time, she resumed her sprint toward the cave.
She deliberately slowed her pace, feigning exhaustion.
She'd already guessed the old cat wouldn't help. Although she was annoyed, she didn't let it break her focus.
What really bothered her was that the cat had headed directly toward the oncoming Hidden Cloud forces.
Could he be... planning to stop them himself?
But soon, Mikasa learned the truth.
When she and Eren reached the cave, their pursuers didn't stop—didn't even slow down.
Apparently, like her, the Cloud ninjas couldn't detect the old cat's presence.
She was curious about his so-called "other task," but now wasn't the time to worry about others.
"Stay alive, Eren."
Without any further words, Mikasa threw Eren into a barrier that had been set up inside the cave.
She then backtracked and began erasing their tracks.
Mikasa didn't begin her retreat until she was several hundred meters away.
And again, she carried an "Eren" on her back.
Only—this Eren was her water clone.
"It's almost time."
Roughly a hundred meters into her retreat, the pursuing Hidden Cloud Chunin appeared—right on cue.
From where he stood, he could clearly see Mikasa running.
Her speed picked up the moment he showed himself.
"I found you!"
The Kumogakure Chunin roared, lightning dancing wildly across his body.
His speed surged, and the flare in his hand launched high into the air.
One chased. The other fled.
Mikasa and the Chunin quickly left the cave area behind.
Less than three minutes later, another group of Kumogakure ninjas arrived.
They lingered briefly, but the noise ahead gave them all the direction they needed. Without hesitation, they followed the trail left behind.
Lying under a pile of fallen rocks, Eren didn't move.
He stayed still, listening to the noise fade, eyes blank as he stared at the sky—like a corpse.
One by one, Mikasa's arrangements played out in his mind.
Although this place had better cover than any other stop along the way, Mikasa had allowed their pursuer to "see" them escape.
That way, the Chunin would pass right by without suspicion.
Even if the Kumogakure ninjas wanted to check the area, they'd be caught in the illusion barrier, conduct a brief search, and continue the chase.
To avoid arousing suspicion about how she suddenly caught up again, Mikasa had deliberately slowed down earlier. She kept the Chunin within range, calculating the perfect distance.
Judging by the departing footsteps, Eren was certain the ninja hadn't suspected a thing.
Maybe seeing Mikasa escape was enough to erase all doubts.
The same went for the others who later followed.
Even if the Hidden Cloud forces couldn't comprehend it, Mikasa had planned everything from the start to ensure her safe retreat.
That kind of planning required deep mission experience—and absolute control over one's strength.
If I were a ninja... could I have done what Mikasa just did?
Eren took a deep breath and sat up from the pit.
Power matters. But so do the mentality and wisdom to wield it.
His earlier desire to throw himself into danger had faded.
There was no point risking two lives for a gamble.
He knew that if he were ever in true danger, Mikasa would save him—no matter the cost.
And if he failed to live up to Ryosuke's expectations... she'd die.
If that ever happened, he'd never forgive himself.
Not even in death.
---
"It seems we were wrong. Akatsuki's target isn't Konoha Village... it's Iwagakure!"
The vast ocean stretched endlessly across the horizon.
On its surface, less than a week's sail from the Land of Water, a fleet of over a dozen massive ships cut through the waves.
On one of the massive warships,
A charming woman with a curvaceous figure slowly crushed the black hawk in her grasp to death.
In her other hand, she held a scroll shaped like a small key.
As top-tier villages, both Konoha and Kirigakure had their own messenger beasts to transmit intelligence—and Iwagakure was no exception.
The hawk was a communication ninja beast from the Hidden Stone Village.
However, before it could reach Iwagakure and deliver its message, it was intercepted by Kirigakure's forces, who got ahead by a crucial step.
According to the latest intel on Akatsuki, a masked man—suspected to be Uchiha Madara—had launched a surprise assault on Iwagakure, wiping out nearly all remaining shinobi stationed there.
Even the scroll bore faint bloodstains, as though its contents were written at the cost of someone's life.
"Just pretend this never happened. Say the hawk died en route," Mei Terumi murmured coldly.
Beside her, Denji raised his withered arm—thin as dry wood—gripping his cane as he rapped it lightly on the deck.
"Or... we could blame the Hidden Cloud Village."
This development was a dire one for the Allied Shinobi Forces.
If Ōnoki received news that Iwagakure had fallen, he would most likely pull back his forces to defend what little remained of his village.
After all, the village's survival took precedence—even over the Akatsuki threat.
But if Iwagakure had already fallen… the Akatsuki crusade might become nearly impossible.
"Perhaps... we don't need to surrender to Konoha after all," Mei said, her eyes flickering with hesitant resolve.
"After the battle with Akatsuki, we might have a real chance to rebuild the Hidden Mist Village ourselves."
Originally, they had considered joining Konoha post-war, based on the assumption that Kirigakure's strength would be decimated—losing eight to nine-tenths of its fighting force.
Such a loss would reduce them to a minor power among the Five Great Nations.
Though their combat techniques and secret arts were still formidable, rebuilding would take time—and time was dangerous.
Other powers could strike while they were still weak, which made surrender seem logical.
But now, Iwagakure had been decimated too.
If other major villages also suffered severe losses, wouldn't that level the playing field?
Everyone would need time to recover.
There'd be no need to kneel under anyone else's banner.
They could rise again—stronger, more united, and more independent than ever.
"Falsify the cause of the hawk's death. Then use it to send this scroll to the Hidden Cloud intact."
"For this plan to work, the Fifth Raikage must make the same choice as us: conceal the truth."
"Once the war is over, we'll release this information to Ōnoki—make him break off all ties with the Hidden Cloud."
"We just need to rope Konoha into this as well… Then all three can turn on each other once the crusade ends."
She laid it all out quickly, each word sharp and calculated.
Once Mei Terumi had a goal and a strategy, her mind moved fast and efficiently.
A moment later, a brilliant scheme unfolded before Denji's cloudy eyes.
"You may proceed," came his hoarse voice, aged but approving.
He looked at Mei—the Fifth Mizukage he had once appointed—and felt deeply satisfied.
"But in that case," he added slowly, "we may need to preserve the lives of certain individuals in the next battle."
"Even if they betrayed us… their memories are invaluable."
His words carried the weight of foresight.
If the ultimate goal was Kirigakure's revival, then more than strength was needed.
They would need knowledge, strategy, and foresight—qualities buried deep within key individuals.
Regardless of whether they won or lost this war, the Land of Water and Kirigakure would bear the brunt of the destruction.
And yet, few in the Mist Village saw this clearly.
Most were still lost in the illusion spun by Akatsuki.
They believed in their Fourth Mizukage's strength.
They clung to the fantasy that he had secretly cultivated a force strong enough to shake the shinobi world.
They even believed that the Allied Shinobi Forces were attacking because they feared Kirigakure.
Or worse… maybe Akatsuki never told them the truth at all.
Perhaps they were planning to reveal it only once the bloodshed began.
After all, information from the Land of Water had been tightly controlled by Akatsuki.
News that spread throughout the world may not have even reached the ears of those living inside it.
High above, Ryosuke saw everything clearly.
He shook his head quietly and soared past the Allied Fleet, heading directly for the Land of Water.
Though he'd left a month later than the Shinobi Alliance, he was flying—while they rode ships.
In terms of speed, there was no contest.
What would take the fleet days to travel took Ryosuke half a day.
Looking down from the sky, he saw that the entire Land of Water was wrapped in a massive, translucent bubble.
A high-level barrier technique—its range covering the whole nation.
Right now, the Land of Water was the most dangerous battlefield in the entire ninja world.
Nearby island nations had already fled the area.
Some had even relocated their entire populations to avoid the inevitable chaos.
But while others ran, Ryosuke came eagerly.
To him, this war was a spectacle.
Maybe he would get to witness Uchiha Madara firsthand.
Maybe—just maybe—Kaguya Ōtsutsuki would appear after the dust settled.
He looked forward to the battle with genuine excitement.
He even entertained the idea that Shanks might be here too.
After all, even if Akatsuki had blocked all information leaving the Land of Water, it was impossible to stop someone like Shanks—
A fearsome pirate who walked the land as though he were just a regular man.
Shanks had long been fascinated by the upper echelons of shinobi power.
He would never miss this kind of event.
Of course, that barrier would never stop someone like Ryosuke.
Silver light flickered in his eyes.
The space in front of him twisted like ripples in water.
In the next instant, he stepped forward—and silently appeared inside the Land of Water's barrier.
After all, if he could use his Tenseigsn to travel between celestial bodies…
Then bypassing a barrier like this was nothing.
<><><><><><>
Read Advanced Chapters on:
~ [email protected]/FanficLord03
~ Every 100 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter!
~ Push the story in the rankings using your
[Power Stones]
~ https://discord.gg/MntqcdpRZ9