Chapter 185
2-in-1-chapter
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"The mission failed?"
"It was my incompetence. I await your punishment, Tsuchikage-sama."
"…The border defense unit reported earlier that a squad of Konoha shinobi had infiltrated our territory. The border forces suffered considerable losses at their hands. Were those infiltrators there to rendezvous with the spy?"
Inside the command tent, Ōnoki sat behind a low table, lifting his gaze to the kneeling Bun'ya.
"Tell me. Who did Konoha send that you returned empty-handed?"
"Konoha's reinforcements numbered four. Leading them was Hatake Kakashi, the son of the White Fang.
Another was an Uchiha—her exact identity is unknown, but she's skilled in Wind Style and kenjutsu, and also uses genjutsu with the Sharingan. A difficult opponent.
The third did not show himself directly but used a peculiar secret technique, manipulating ink to create creatures that fought Kabachi Kamimizu to a stalemate. As for the fourth…"
"The son of the White Fang, an Uchiha, and one who manipulates ink… no wonder."
Ōnoki's expression remained calm. "And the fourth? What was so unusual about him that you can barely say it?"
"The fourth was a Mist shinobi," Bun'ya answered quietly.
"A Mist shinobi?"
Ōnoki's brows lifted slightly. "Are you certain it was truly a Mist shinobi and not some kind of deception by Konoha?"
"I can't say with complete certainty whether she was genuinely from Kirigakure, but I am sure of one thing—it was definitely the Thunder Blade: Kiba, one of the Seven Ninja Swords of the Mist."
Most Iwa shinobi would not recognize such a weapon even if it were pressed against their throats, but Bun'ya was a high-ranking member of the village's ANBU and privy to many classified details. That was one reason he had chosen to retreat once the situation turned against him. A failed mission was acceptable; having his corpse fall into Konoha's hands would have been a true disaster.
And so, Bun'ya had decisively ordered the withdrawal.
He regrouped halfway with Rinba and Kurotsuchi, and together they followed the original route back. The next morning, they encountered the southbound main army, were brought to the command tent to report, and had no choice but to deliver this bad news to the aging Tsuchikage.
"The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist…"
Ōnoki muttered the name with a deep frown.
The mission's failure itself did not trouble him much. In truth, whether they caught the spy or not was of little importance. Even if information on the southern army's composition, marching routes, and supply lines had all been leaked, what of it? At worst, they would suffer another defeat.
That was all.
Otherwise, he would not have allowed Kurotsuchi to accompany the force in the first place.
His foolish son Kitsuchi believed he was being too harsh in Kurotsuchi's training, but Ōnoki had never viewed the situation as grave. The leak of such intelligence only slightly reduced Iwagakure's already slim chances of victory.
However, the fact that Kirigakure had involved itself—that was the truly troublesome part.
"Mist shinobi… Mist shinobi… What trick are they playing? Why would they be entangled with Konoha?"
No one could answer the Tsuchikage's question. Inside the tent, Kitsuchi and the others were as startled and confused as he was.
"Do we have no intelligence from our spies in Konoha?"
Ōnoki looked around and asked.
"There's been no new information," Kitsuchi replied, breaking the silence because no one else would. "A short while ago, Konoha fell into brief disarray over the change of Hokage. Our spies used the opportunity to gather some intelligence. One of the gains was the list of Konoha's agents embedded within Iwagakure. But because of that, Konoha later launched several purges, making it much harder for our spies to operate."
There was gain, but also loss.
Not just Iwa's, but agents from every village and organization had been unusually active during the transition between Hokage administrations. At the time, the Fifth Hokage—still acting—had been too preoccupied consolidating power to deal with the swarm of infiltrators. But once things settled, the reckoning came.
One purge after another swept through Konoha's underworld. Many hidden spies were captured or eliminated. Perhaps not all were rooted out, but with the Uchiha and Yamanaka clans working in tandem, few managed to escape detection. The more active the spies had been before, the quieter they became afterward.
Thus, even now, Ōnoki had received no intelligence suggesting an alliance between Konoha and Kirigakure.
"Bun'ya, go rest. Submit a detailed report later. Kitsuchi, you and the others should see to your duties. Leave me to rest a while."
Ōnoki did not lose his temper.
He dismissed everyone, not even keeping his beloved granddaughter behind for a private word. When the tent was empty, he sat alone in silence. Even his chronic back pain seemed forgotten. Contrary to what his subordinates might expect, he was not worrying about the coming battle.
What was there to think about? What was there to worry over? If they could win, they would fight. If they couldn't, they would yield. There was no need for anxiety.
With those fools in Kumogakure drawing the enemy's attention, Iwagakure would not face the worst of it. That was the conclusion Ōnoki reached from all the intelligence at his disposal.
Yet deep down, he could not truly find peace of mind. Unable to bear exchanging meaningless words with anyone, he could only sit in silence.
.............
....
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Outside the tent, Bun'ya lowered his head, unable to conceal the look of discouragement and frustration on his face. The mission had failed, yet he had not received any punishment. Another person might have felt only relief, but Bun'ya was not such a man. Possessing a deep sense of responsibility, he believed firmly that merit should be rewarded and mistakes should be punished.
Because this failed mission had brought him no reprimand, his heart felt uneasy.
In his eyes, this was not right.
Yet if he were to go to the Tsuchikage and request punishment, would that not be the same as questioning the Tsuchikage's judgment?
"Bun'ya."
Kitsuchi approached his friend with quick steps. "What exactly happened with the Mist shinobi?" In the eyes of many Iwagakure ninja who knew him, the Tsuchikage's son was a man of great ability—steady, capable, and straightforward, a fine superior officer. Only a few close friends knew that Kitsuchi was not always as calm and composed as his public image suggested.
"It's as I already said," Bun'ya replied absentmindedly, still weighed down by his dejection.
"What I mean is, how do you see the relationship between the Mist and Konoha?"
"That's something we should be asking the spies we planted in Konoha," Bun'ya said, his tone still dull.
"But those spies haven't sent back any intelligence. If the Mist and Konoha have really joined forces, I'm worried this war with Konoha will not go well for us. We launched this campaign precisely because Konoha appeared weakened by the abnormal transition of the Hokage, and because the Cloud shinobi had already gone to war with them and won battle after battle.
"Based on those conditions, we formed our plan to attack Konoha. But if the Mist have allied with them, that means there's been a major flaw in our strategy from the start—and that mistake could prove fatal."
By this point, Kitsuchi's intent was clear.
He had never supported the decision to go to war with Konoha. But one man's opinion could not outweigh the will of the majority. In Iwagakure, those who opposed the conflict were a small minority, unable to change the village's course and forced instead to go along with it.
That did not mean Kitsuchi had given up. If a chance arose, he would still fight for it.
And now, he saw such a chance. If Konoha and the Mist had truly formed an alliance, Iwagakure would not be facing Konoha alone but also the Mist. In that case, even the radical faction dreaming of riches from invading the Land of Fire would be forced to reconsider.
Konoha alone had already dealt Iwagakure countless defeats over the decades. If they now stood alongside their old enemies from the Mist, even victory on paper would become much harder to imagine.
"I don't know," Bun'ya said after forcing himself to refocus. He thought for a moment, then shook his head.
"Kitsuchi, I understand what you're thinking. But to be honest, at this point the arrow is already nocked and must be released. The army has mobilized; we can't simply turn back without throwing even a single shuriken. Doing that would shatter morale, and the village would fall into chaos."
"I know. I know everything you're saying," Kitsuchi replied with a deep sigh, a weary, bitter smile on his face. "I just can't accept it. Our strength hasn't recovered, and yet we're going to war with Konoha now… the odds are far too small."