"Calling all Jonin for a meeting—could it be about the Iwa-nin?" Qing Ming murmured, watching the retreating figure of the Konoha Chunin outside the door.
The reason for his suspicion was straightforward: in the current situation, without something major related to the Iwa-nin, Daemura Yuito would never summon all the Jonin together.
Besides, in recent days, there had been rumors that the Iwa-nin might be preparing to resume hostilities. Qing Ming also noticed from daily patrols and reports from his subordinates that the infiltration squads from Iwagakure had indeed become more active.
All signs pointed to the high likelihood that Iwagakure was preparing to launch a new offensive.
This wasn't good news for Qing Ming. War meant chaos, and a disrupted environment would certainly hinder his training progress.
Closing his eyes, Qing Ming estimated that his body still needed roughly three to four days to accumulate enough base strength for transformation.
"What a pity," he sighed quietly.
Qing Ming then refocused, quickly forming hand seals to activate the Healing Palm Technique, channeling a refined Yang Release chakra throughout his body.
After a few rounds, he figured the timing was right and went out to find Yamanaka Kiku, giving him some instructions before heading down the mountain to the meeting.
Arriving at the Fengliu Town base and entering the meeting room, he was just on time. Shortly after, Daemura Yuito arrived, and the meeting began. The contents of the discussion were indeed what Qing Ming had anticipated—it was about the recent unusual movements of the Iwa-nin.
What surprised him, however, was that the Iwa-nin were apparently not planning to target their base as their primary objective. Instead, they aimed to disperse their forces and launch attacks on several nearby strongholds.
"Is this information accurate?" one Jonin questioned, expressing the doubt that lingered in others' minds, their eyes fixed on Daemura Yuito.
In response, Daemura Yuito nodded confidently. "This information is absolutely reliable."
Though he didn't disclose the source, everyone present, being Jonin, wasn't slow to pick up on the implications. There was clearly an inside source within the Iwa-nin ranks, trusted by Daemura or the village leadership enough for him to assert the information with certainty.
In other words, the dispersal of the Iwa forces was almost certain.
'Why would they do that?' everyone wondered silently.
Qing Ming was quick to find an answer. It wasn't that his reflexes were faster but because the strategy was so familiar.
Their own retreat from a front-line stronghold in the past had been due to similar tactics—the surrounding strongholds were isolated, forcing them to retreat. Now, it seemed history was repeating itself.
Evidently, Iwa-nin intended to employ the same strategy: first, eliminate the nearby outposts surrounding Fengliu Town, isolate it, and then intensify the pressure.
If they succeeded, Fengliu Town's current situation could indeed lead them to withdraw.
Qing Ming even suspected that the Iwa commander in charge now was the same one responsible for their previous retreat; the strategy seemed so rehearsed.
But the question was, what should they do next?
Even if the others hadn't immediately thought of this, a brief reflection allowed them to guess the Iwa-nin's intention, and they, too, were mulling over countermeasures.
The root of their passivity lay in their lack of manpower. The past two years of war had inflicted significant losses on Konoha, leaving a shortage across all fronts.
Were it otherwise, assigning hundreds or even a thousand shinobi to each stronghold would render Iwa-nin's scattered strategy ineffective.
Unfortunately, Konoha lacked such numbers.
Over the past month, several neighboring outposts had already been stripped of some personnel to support the Fengliu Town base, leaving them especially vulnerable.
In the end, the only solution was to divide their forces accordingly, to protect the surrounding bases and ensure that Fengliu Town wouldn't become isolated.
The meeting concluded, and Qing Ming returned to the West Mountain outpost. He gathered some familiar personnel, along with those Daemura Yuito had assigned, forming a group of nearly a hundred to reinforce a base twenty kilometers southeast of Fengliu Town.
Yes, Qing Ming was assigned to support another stronghold.
He wasn't the only one; several other capable Jonin were given similar tasks, as Daemura Yuito clearly aimed to balance the disadvantage of Konoha's lower numbers by leveraging the strength of these skilled fighters.
Qing Ming had no objections. Leading the reinforcements under cover of night, he circled around, secretly arriving at the designated outpost by dawn.
This outpost, known as Kogani Village, had been established in a small village of the same name. Kogani was a medium-sized settlement, capable of housing seven to eight hundred people.
With the outbreak of the Great Ninja War, the village's civilian population had left, leaving only about 150 Konoha shinobi stationed there.
With Qing Ming's hundred men, the outpost's strength rose to 300. If Iwa-nin remained uninformed and proceeded with their planned attack, they'd be in for a nasty surprise.
This was the advantage of timely intelligence.
The next day passed uneventfully as the reinforcements maintained a low profile. Patrolling and guard duties were carried out by the original stationed personnel to ensure the outpost's outward appearance remained unchanged.
It was now a waiting game.
The day dragged on as the sun rose and fell, and Iwa-nin didn't show up. But Qing Ming wasn't worried.
According to Daemura Yuito's intel, Iwa-nin's attack wouldn't be delayed beyond three days. All he had to do was wait patiently.
He continued to fortify himself during this final stretch of peace.
Another day passed.
Just as everyone thought they might be waiting in vain, a sudden explosion shook the night, shattering the silence and bringing the village to life.
Though startled, no one panicked thanks to their readiness.
Meanwhile, outside the village, an Iwa Special Jonin glared at the charred remains of a Konoha Chunin whose body had been torn apart by an explosion tag.
His task had been to take out this lookout quietly—a task he'd thought foolproof. But the lookout's heightened awareness had foiled his efforts, ending in mutual destruction.
If not for his quick reflexes, he'd have been caught in the blast.
With the explosion, however, their plan had been exposed.
Still, they had prepared well, and their numbers were double that of the defenders, so they were confident in overpowering the enemy.
With this in mind, the Iwa Special Jonin ordered his team to advance at full speed.
Hearing the explosion, the other Iwa-nin squads knew they'd been exposed. Wasting no time, they surged forward toward Kogani Village.
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