"All this fortification work and this apparent stalemate posture—it's nothing but a smokescreen. From beginning to end, I've had only one objective..."
Danzo Shimura slammed his fist on the map.
"Decapitation!"
Dan Katō, Hamaki Mimura, and Iwana Akame were all startled by his words.
"You mean you want me to use the Spirit Transformation Technique to directly assassinate Sunagakure's commander Rasa!"
Dan Katō immediately grasped Danzo's intention.
"Exactly."
A flash of killing intent crossed Danzo's face.
"Sunagakure's defenses at Moon Lake are impenetrable, and you've all witnessed the power of their puppet formation. Without an unexpected strategy, victory will be nearly impossible."
Danzo pointed to the ring of defensive markings around Moon Lake New District's perimeter.
"Rasa is the soul of Moon Lake New District's entire operation. Eliminate him, and their defense system becomes nothing more than a headless giant—hardly worth our concern.
Dan Katō, your Spirit Transformation Technique is perfect for this mission. Your spirit form can completely ignore the puppet formation's physical attacks—cut straight through and take Rasa's life!"
"Sir, assassinating Rasa is my duty without question. And as you said, my Spirit Transformation Technique allows me to move freely through the puppet formation. But Sunagakure's defensive perimeter is massive—where am I supposed to find Rasa? If I fail to strike true..."
Assassination demands a single lethal blow—there's rarely a second chance. With Sunagakure's vast defensive depth, who knew how long Dan Katō would have to drift around like a ghost before finding his target? If discovered and the enemy alerted, giving Sunagakure ninja time to devise countermeasures, wouldn't that be throwing his life away for nothing?
"Your concerns are entirely reasonable. I've designed a complete battle plan for this. Hyūga Iroha! Enter!"
Danzo clapped his hands.
A young man pushed through the curtain—well-proportioned build, agile movements, and especially those piercing white Byakugan eyes.
"ANBU Chūnin Hyūga Iroha awaits your instructions."
"Good."
Danzo nodded with satisfaction.
"Brief everyone on the intelligence you've gathered."
"Yes, sir!"
The youth approached the map.
"Based on my observations, all of Sunagakure's puppets are buried underground, connected by countless chakra threads. Ultimately, all these chakra threads converge... here."
The youth picked up red and blue pencils and drew a small circle on an inconspicuous coordinate on the map.
"In other words, this is the control center for Sunagakure's puppet manipulation!"
Hamaki Mimura exclaimed with delight.
"Exactly!"
Danzo confirmed.
"However, this location also has a massive concentration of chakra—by scale, at least eight hundred people."
Hyūga Iroha added.
"Eight hundred people?!"
Dan Katō winced at the news.
Taking a commander's head among eight hundred enemies—that job's difficulty was no joke. Who knew if any of those eight hundred had techniques to counter his own?
"Of course, you won't face the enemy alone."
Danzo said calmly.
"In the coming days, Kōtō Kimoku-jōnin's supply shipments will include fifty-five thousand explosive tags. My plan is this..."
Danzo took the pencil from Hyūga Iroha and drew two massive arrows on the map pointing at Sunagakure's defensive positions.
"Hamaki Mimura, Iwana Akame!"
"Present!"
"On a night in the near future, you'll each secretly lead three thousand ninja to positions on the eastern and western flanks of Sunagakure's puppet formation. I'll give you all our army's explosive tags."
Danzo's eyes showed excitement as he looked toward Hyūga Iroha.
Hyūga Iroha immediately understood.
"That's one hundred and six thousand tags total."
"Yes, one hundred and six thousand. Each ninja will create at least four Shadow Clones, with each clone carrying four explosive tags to charge directly into the puppet formation. Heh, even solid iron couldn't withstand that kind of power..."
"This way, we might completely clear the puppet formation through explosive bombardment."
Iwana Akame also seemed excited.
"It's not that simple!"
Danzo cautioned.
"Once battle begins, Sunagakure's command system will inevitably fall into chaos. At that precise moment..."
"I'll use the confusion to assassinate Rasa with my Spirit Transformation Technique."
Dan Katō immediately guessed Danzo's intention.
"Correct. When we launch such a massive assault, Rasa as commander will inevitably appear at the front lines to personally direct the battle. That's when your opportunity comes, Dan Katō."
Danzo pulled a photograph of Rasa from his jacket, with a large red X marked across it.
Dan Katō took the photo and studied it carefully, as if trying to etch Rasa's appearance into his mind.
Danzo continued,
"Once Dan Katō succeeds in the assassination, Sunagakure's command system will inevitably collapse into chaos. Simultaneously, the puppet formation will have been cleared by explosive tags, allowing our eastern and western forces to strike simultaneously—disciplined troops against leaderless soldiers. We'll have at least a seventy percent chance of victory!"
Danzo raised his head and pointed east with authority.
"After that, we can successfully capture Moon Lake New District. After brief reorganization, we can advance eastward along the Sand-Moon Highway—reaching Sunagakure in as little as five days. Sunagakure's main forces are currently all at Lishi Fortress facing off against Lord Hokage, so the village will be vulnerable. If successful, we can capture Sunagakure before the Eastern Army, achieving unprecedented glory."
This speech left everyone's blood boiling with excitement.
It had to be said—Danzo's proposed battle plan had strong operational feasibility and high success probability.
"I think the overall plan has no major issues, but some details still need refinement."
Dan Katō analyzed calmly.
"I suggest that after the eastern and western assault forces break through the puppet formation, they should establish markers to guide follow-up forces."
"Not only that, we must also prepare for urban warfare with Sunagakure ninja. Moon Lake New District's chief administrator Karuke and deputy Yura are experienced, capable ninja who might very well assume command and continue resistance."
Hamaki Mimura added.
Listening to the generals' discussion, Danzo not only didn't interrupt but listened carefully, nodding frequently.
"Excellent. Everyone's opinions are extremely important and very constructive. Here's what we'll do—in the coming days, we'll continue perfecting our defensive works to deceive Sunagakure while brainstorming together to continuously refine every operational detail and step. Let's aim to achieve decisive victory in one stroke!"
Danzo pounded the table with authority.
"This battle determines the success or failure of the entire war. I'm entrusting this to all of you."
With that, Danzo did something rare—he bowed deeply to everyone present.
Seeing this, everyone hurriedly returned the bow. Danzo was such a proud man—for him to show such an attitude today demonstrated how seriously he regarded this campaign.
"We dare not fail to give our lives!"
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
The story isn't over...
🤔 Want to know what happens next to the characters?
🤫 Eager to explore the untold secrets of this world?
✍️ Ready to read more of my wildest stories?
✨patreon.com/DarkGolds