Chapter 150

— Of course, I'm glad you managed to take care of Momi-chan too, but we are a team, and I really don't want to leave you alone, — Rotaro shook his head, frowning, — after all, four months isn't such a long time.

— Exactly! Why did you make decisions for us!? — Tsume growled, ignoring Kurumaru, who was whimpering from the wave of KI and had also settled in my tent during the general assembly. — Even though you're the leader, our opinions matter when making such important decisions!

— That's right! So, you're going to Meido-san right now and negotiate to cancel our departure, got it!? — the guy joined in.

— Exactly, no one is planning to leave you here alone!

— Quiet!!! — I couldn't stand the commotion created by my teammates.

The suppressed source flared for a second, escaping control, and the surge of chakra, perceptible even to those with poor sensory skills, made everyone fall silent. The dog, still whimpering, hid behind its owner and covered its face with its paws, while the second kunoichi, who was sitting a bit apart from our gathering, tried even harder to blend into the tent wall.

— So, let's all shut up and listen to me now, — I shot a furious look at my teammates. — You might think I just made these decisions on a whim, but that's not quite true—there is a pretty significant reason for doing so.

— Reason? — Tsume looked at me skeptically, her arms crossed over her chest.

— Exactly! Let's think a bit—what recently happened and how does it affect the current situation on the front? — I sighed wearily.

And why do I sometimes have to spell out such obvious things when they should have understood the implications on their own? Fine, Rotaro is a newcomer, but Tsume should have been raised properly as a future clan head. Though, what am I saying, this is Tsume, who acts first and thinks later. Of course, this pair lacks my decades of life experience, but they should still use their brains sometimes!

— Uhhh… The attack on Konoha? — the guy muttered uncertainly, glancing at his neighbor.

— Exactly! Such a surprise attack not only allowed Iwagakure no Sato to inflict significant material damage on us, not to mention the killed residents and defenders, but also…

I paused, waiting for someone present to finish the sentence. But the blank looks from the trio made me hide my face in my hands—how can it be so hard to think!

— It dealt a huge blow to our fighters' morale, morale! It seriously undermined our fighting spirit! Or do you think the screaming of the recently captured kunoichi hasn't stopped all morning for no reason? The people vented their anger and despair on the nearest available victim! — I enlightened my teammates.

— And what does that have to do with it? — Inuzuka looked puzzled.

— It means that the Hokage now has only two options—either press Iwa as quickly as possible or force them to sign a surrender, with the second option possibly following the first. So, as soon as the situation in Konoha starts to stabilize, Sarutobi will consolidate all forces and pounce on the remnants of Oonoki's army, hoping to resolve the war as quickly as possible before anyone can dislodge his somewhat shaky throne.

Tsume snorted at the mention of direct command.

— And to do that, all available forces will be needed, so almost certainly all the jounin and tokubetsu jounin from our camp will be recalled, — I continued, — and the remaining chuunin and a handful of genin will patrol a much larger area, replacing those recalled.

— With a quite natural increase in losses among the remaining ones, — the girl nodded understandingly, — even if we consider an even greater decrease in Iwa's activity during the offensive.

I've got more interesting stuff on patreon (+ 200 chapter)

patreon.com/Chill76