Genma caught on fast. As he read over Ebisu's notes, he realized the entire combat strategy seemed to revolve around him.
'So this is it,' he thought, a thrill running through him. 'My chance. After the war, I could finally get promoted to Chunin and stop being a genin for good. Who knows? If I do well enough, I might even make Tokubetsu Jonin.'
A dopey grin spread across his face, and a quiet chuckle escaped him.
Meow
"Hehehe... Sensei, do you think I could really get promoted to Tokubetsu Jonin after this?" Genma asked, his excitement spilling over.
The black cat tilted his head, then his paw seemed to stretch, growing larger as it came to rest on Genma's shoulder with a soft pat.
"If you're tired, you should get some rest," Takeshi said, his voice flat. "And maybe dream a little less. Meow."
"Hahahaha!" Guy and Ebisu howled with laughter. Genma's smile froze on his face, a muscle twitching in his cheek.
Genma's shoulders slumped. "So that's not what he meant?"
Ebisu cleared his throat. "I think what Sensei wants is for us to focus on staying alive. We're only genin, after all. On a mission this dangerous, just doing our part and making it back in one piece will be more than enough to earn us credit."
"Meow!" Takeshi gave a slight nod.
'Now this one gets it,' he thought. 'His grasp of the obvious is strong enough that I don't have to waste my breath.'
Genma's face fell. Guy looked crestfallen too. His skill with kunai and shuriken was poor, and he'd focused on taijutsu his entire life, with only the Summoning Jutsu to his name in the way of ninjutsu.
'So what am I supposed to do?' he wondered, his earlier resolve deflating. 'I can't just run in and kick someone, if I get poisoned, I'll just be a burden. They'd waste time and resources trying to treat me, and who knows if they could even save me. It almost seems like I'd be more helpful just staying out of the fight entirely.' A frustrating thought took root. 'Then what am I even doing here?'
"Guy," Takeshi said, his tone shifting slightly. "You need to master a weapon. Once you have, you can keep pouring all your effort into your taijutsu. As for why..."
Takeshi lifted a paw and dragged it across the dirt, leaving only a faint line. Then, with a soft *snikt*, his claws extended. He repeated the motion, and this time, deep gouges appeared in the earth.
Guy stared at the marks, his eyes widening in understanding. "Weapons..." he murmured. "Sensei, do you mean a weapon would let me fight at close range without making direct contact with the enemy?"
"Meow!" Takeshi glanced pointedly at Ebisu, as if to say, 'See? Why can't you be more like him?' He then rose to his paws, seemingly done with the conversation.
Ebisu took the cue and began to explain the concept in more detail. Guy listened, nodding every so often with a sheepish expression.
Genma sighed quietly. 'If only my chakra control was better,' he thought. 'I could have learned an A-rank ninjutsu by now. The Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu would be perfect for a battle like this.'
While Takeshi was giving his students a lesson in survival, Orochimaru's strategy meeting was also coming to a close. The clone Takeshi had sent in his place hadn't retained much, only the parts relevant to its original: they were to coordinate with Minato's squad, and their primary targets were Rasa and Chiyo.
Konoha's advantage was so significant that they could afford a direct assault. The finer points of the plan were Orochimaru and Shikaku's problem, not his. In that respect, Tsunade wasn't much different from Takeshi, she'd also dozed off during the meeting. The main difference was that Tsunade actually understood the strategy, she just chose not to get involved in planning.
The mission was for tonight. Sunagakure was in a weakened state. The Third Kazekage's death had left a void in their high-level fighting force, and the new Kazekage, Rasa, had only just taken power. His grip on the village wasn't yet firm, and he relied heavily on the elder Chiyo for support. Capturing either of them would throw the Sand into chaos. Rasa would be a difficult target, but Chiyo... as long as Takeshi could find where she was hiding, he was confident he could take her.
--**--**
As night fell over the Konoha camp, the forces began to mobilize. Shinobi gathered in silent groups. Aside from the patrol and reconnaissance squads left to guard the perimeter, everyone else was assembled and waiting for the order to move out.
"I'm so nervous." Ebisu's hands were trembling. He knew all the theory, but out here, with the tense silence pressing in on him, his body refused to listen. The battle hadn't even begun and he was already on edge.
"Just remember the key points," Genma muttered, his own nerves frayed. He was nothing like Kakashi's team. Kakashi, Guy, Obito... they had all faced down powerful enemies and stared death in the face. He hadn't. The last war had offered chances, but Tsunade had been adamant about keeping younger shinobi off the front lines. Even a seasoned chunin like Kakashi had been kept back, to say nothing of genin like them. This was their first real war.
"Right," Ebisu whispered. "Let's go over what Sensei told us."
The three of them began murmuring in low voices. Even Guy joined in. He'd seen skirmishes before, but nothing on this scale, and the pressure was getting to him too, he'd just been better at hiding it.
But no matter how quietly they spoke, they were surrounded by shinobi with sharp ears. The mention of "Sensei" drew the attention of those nearby. Guy's team had been in camp for less than a day, but word had already spread about the squad led by a cat. What could a cat possibly teach its students? They were about to find out.
Guy murmured, "Prioritize hiding, with sneak attacks as support. Prioritize ranged combat, with close quarters as support..."
It sounded a little cowardly at first, but the more the surrounding shinobi thought about it, the more sense it made. Wasn't that the core of being a shinobi? Besides, these three were only genin. It would be suicide for them to fight the Sand shinobi head-on. Hell, even the jonin and chunin present avoided direct confrontations when they could. Several of them found themselves nodding in agreement.
Takeshi had been standing in the row ahead. When he heard their voices, he glanced back and saw the three of them chanting his survival guide like a sacred text.
'Are they serious?' he thought, a wave of secondhand embarrassment washing over him. 'My personal sideline strategy, recited out loud for everyone to hear? This is ruining my reputation.'
'Worse,' he realized, 'if everyone starts following this advice and stays on the sidelines, Konoha's next generation of shinobi will be completely useless. And it will be all my fault.'
In a flicker of movement, Takeshi used the Flying Thunder God technique to appear behind Guy and deliver a light slap to the back of his head. Guy blinked, turning to look at Takeshi with a confused expression. It was only then that he noticed the others staring. He still wasn't sure what was happening, but at least the sudden shock had chased away his nervousness.
"Recite it in your head, meow," Takeshi hissed.
"Yes, Sensei!"
Takeshi was speechless. 'Honestly,' he grumbled to himself, 'if we weren't about to march into battle, I would give that kid a proper thrashing.'
"Fufufu... Takeshi-kun's advice is quite sound." Orochimaru's voice slithered out from the shadows as he materialized beside them. "However, against a puppet master, once your kunai and shuriken have forced them to reveal their true position, you must strike their main body with overwhelming speed."
Guy, Ebisu, and Genma all jumped. Takeshi, however, remained calm. He was stronger now, and the fear Orochimaru once inspired had faded.
'If there weren't so many people around,' he thought, idly flexing his claws, 'I'd be tempted to swat him right in his smug face. That would probably be worth a lot of points.'
Orochimaru leaned in to whisper a few more words to them, then straightened up, his hand raised high. "Move out!" he commanded.
*Swish.*
With a whisper of displaced air, the assembled shinobi vanished into the night. Guy and his teammates hesitated for a second before scrambling to follow. Takeshi took the lead, guiding them swiftly through the darkness until they rendezvoused with Minato's team.
"You're slow," Kakashi commented, not moving from his position leaning against a tree.
"It's their first time in a mobilization this large. A little nervousness is to be expected," Takeshi replied easily, hopping onto Minato's shoulder. "Let's go."
"Right." Minato nodded, and then he was gone, leading the charge into enemy territory.
===============
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