Chapter 168 - Military Tactics

The two Leaf ninja were on their way back to the village. Watching Daichi find the root of the woman's illness and create a treatment so quickly still amazed Kakashi. It was yet another reminder that the boy was the apprentice of one of the Sannin.

"How did you diagnose her condition so quickly?" The Jonin asked out of curiosity.

Daichi had a small smirk when he heard the question. "My medical ninjutsu techniques are far more precise and thorough than everyone else's. The only one who could match my skills or have even greater proficiency is Lady Tsunade. The second I scanned her body, I knew there were foreign particles inside her. Those particles are almost impossible to detect by anyone else. It's why the other medics failed to recognize what was wrong with her. And during my scan I found that her veins started clogging up first and her chakra system was being attacked after. That narrowed down the cause and the rest… Well, you saw."

Kakashi nodded and looked ahead. 'People dedicate their whole lives to learn and become proficient in a certain field. But this kid… To him, it was as if learning Medical Ninjutsu was just a side project…'

The man still remembered the day he met the boy and the discussion he had with the Hokage after. 'An immeasurable talent with a rapid growth rate… He could very well become kage level in a few years if he keeps going at this rate.'

The duo moved through the trees without stopping. They didn't encounter any resistance or bandits on their trip. Several hours later they reached the village gates and notified their arrival at the gate guards.

—-

Hiruzen was listening to the mission details. Kakashi recalled everything that happened and quickly gave an oral report.

Once the Jonin was done the kage nodded his head in approval. "I see. So that's how it went huh. Well done Daichi. You've completed the mission and you saved someone's life. Tsunade would be proud."

Daichi smiled and gave a short bow. He received the quest completion notification and soon the two of them left the Hokage's office.

[Quest 'Delivery Mission to Tonika Village' Completed.]

[Rewards:]

[7000 Exp.]

[1050 Exp.]

[Reputation slightly increases with people of Tonika Village.]

[You have leveled up.]

'Yes. Level 51. I need to complete high ranking missions and increase my experience… I also need to think about the next dungeon I want to enter.'

As Daichi was making plans Kakashi spoke.

"Take a day off to rest. The day after tomorrow, meet me at the training ground at 7am. We'll go over some battle tactics and team formations." Kakashi said those words and the next second vanished in a puff of smoke.

'So military tactics and strategies huh. Hmm… I'm looking forward to it.'

Daichi headed back home and spent the remainder of the day just enjoying himself. He visited Naruto and the gang the next day and spent some time with his friends catching up.

—-

It was almost 10am and Daichi's senses picked up the scent of his teacher entering the forest. He opened his eyes and stopped his meditation when Kakashi got near.

"So what are we doing today?" Daichi asked the man.

"You're not even curious as to why I'm late?" The Jonin looked at the kid.

"Nope." Daichi shook his head and kept a straight face.

Kakashi sighed seeing his student's lackluster response. 'Maybe this will be more fun with my next team.'

He decided to get down to business. "The academy gives their students survival, evasion, resistance and escape training. You've been away from the academy for two years but I'm sure Lady Tsunade has taught you these lessons during your time with her."

"Yeah." Daichi nodded. "The curriculum I received during those two years were even more comprehensive and advanced than the standard ones given in the academy. I Learned about survival techniques, recovery methods, rescue techniques and various signals." He continued.

The Jonin nodded. 'So Lord Hokage wanted to make sure he was ready huh.'

"Today you're going to learn team formation training and military tactics. I'm going to teach you some general form of warfare. Now these are things you only learn when you become a Chunin or during wartime but circumstances have forced our hands." The Jonin looked at Daichi and knew the boy took the situation seriously.

Daichi knew what Kakashi meant. Powerful people had taken an interest in him and he needed to be prepared.

Kakashi and Daichi sat down and the Jonin began his lesson with Daichi paying close attention.

"Like I said, there are several forms of warfare. The first is exploiting the weather. The tactical use of weather as a force multiplier has influenced many battles throughout history. Using the terrain to our advantage also falls into this category."

At this, Daichi thought about the 'Sasuke vs Itachi' battle. The way Sasuke used fire to create a lightning cloud and used its power to use one of the strongest lightning attacks.

Kakashi continued. "Next comes forced concentration. It's the practice of concentrating a military force against a portion of an enemy force."

"To take out high profile targets or important bases right?"

"Yes. Only when we stand to gain something significant of value would we employ such a tactic." Kakashi recalled the missions he completed during the last war.

"Now comes night combat. As the name suggests it is combat that takes place during the night."

"But it would have tactical advantages and disadvantages to both attacker and defender wouldn't it.?" Daichi questioned.

"Yes. If we employ such a tactic without proper information on the enemy, then we could be the ones in trouble. And night combat requires more preparation than combat during the day. One needs to have all their senses on high alert during such a battle."

"The next is Reconnaissance. The mission to obtain information on the enemy by any detection methods. In such a mission one would need to find out the activities and resources of the enemy, their routes, potential and even the meteorological, hydrographic and even the geographical characteristics of their location."

"Man, that's a lot of things. The chances of getting caught during such a mission are high." Daichi spoke. He knew he would one day be sent on a mission like that but with his cloak he wasn't all that worried.

"Yes. It's an extremely dangerous mission. We're talking about spying in hostile territory with enemies that have who knows what abilities. It is why most reconnaissance missions consist of Hyuga clan and Aburame clan shinobi. Since they can spy on enemies from a long range. They will also be aided by someone who's good in close combat."

Daichi nodded his head. He had read several books on strategies so he already had an idea as to what Kakashi was talking about. 'Listening and reading about this stuff is entirely different from experience and actually doing it. I need to train these tactics during my next dungeon run.'

Giving Daichi a basic idea Kakashi moved on to the next topic. "Now these are some of the general tactics used. There are much more but for now this should do… Next we move on to standard warfare maneuvers."

"You're talking about penetration of the enemy center, defensive attack, single and double envelopment, Feigned retreat and delayed approach." Daichi remembered the techniques used by Kensei during his time in the war.

Kakashi was surprised. Information like that wasn't easily available to ninjas below Chunin rank. "You know about that?"

The boy nodded his head. "Old man Kensei told me about the various strategies he used during the war." Daichi recalled that day.

Flashback.

Daichi and Kensei were having a Shogi match.

"The only way to get smarter is if you play a smarter opponent. And Shogi is the perfect tool to help with that. It will help you in coming up with strategies to get out of tight situations." Kensei said as he moved his piece on the board.

Daichi moved his piece and spoke. "In war it won't be just me fighting. I may be part of a large team-"

"Or you may be the one leading a team. Either way you'll no doubt find yourself in a difficult situation. It's not a matter of if, only when." Kensei said as a matter of fact.

"So how do I prepare?... How did you do it? I'm sure you've led a team or two in your time. What kind of strategies did you use?" Daichi asked his grandfather.

"Hmm… Well. In a war there are several maneuvers one can use to overcome the enemy forces. The first is 'Penetration of the center'. We exploit a gap in the enemy line and go directly to the enemy's command or base of operations. There are two ways to accomplish this. Can you take a guess as to how?"

At Kensei's question Daichi thought about how he would do such a thing. "We separate the enemy forces and use a reserve to exploit the gap. Or we attack their weak spot with overwhelming force."

Kensei smiled as he heard that answer. "Precisely. Just like this." He moved his Shogi piece and captured Daichi's piece.

"Damn it." Daichi cursed and looked at the board. His grandfather had forced him to concentrate his pieces to two locations and thereby creating a path directly to one of the more valuable pieces. Daichi looked at the scene and his eyes widened as he understood what happened. 'His battle senses and wisdom are incredible.'

"We use Chunin ninjas and Special Jonin to hold the line while our elite forces smash down the weak spots and continue forward exploiting the gap." Kensei spoke as if from experience.

Daichi nodded and took every word to heart. Kensei continued.

"Now the next is Defensive attack. We establish a strong defensive line and attack the enemy. But this strategy has a problem. A prolonged defensive battle can become too passive and it could ultimately lead to our defeat and deaths. If you are in such a situation, try to change the tides or escape. Those are the two options."

"I understand grandpa."

"Now for single envelopment we attack with a strong flank. Holding the front line while the enemy gets demolished from the rear."

"What happens if there is someone extremely strong behind the weak front." Daichi asked.

"If that's the case, it might prevent our allies from successfully completing the maneuver. Or it could even result in total failure. But it only happens in the case of a strong enemy present." Kensei said to the boy. The next moment he moved his piece and ended the match.

"Checkmate." Said Kensei with a smile, capturing Daichi's king. "You're getting better. You lasted much longer this time." The old man complimented the boy.

"But I still have a long way to go." Daichi grumbled.

"Patience Daichi. It is a virtue."

"What are the other maneuvers used?" Daichi was more than curious now. He wanted to know the different kinds of strategies to outsmart his enemies.

Kensei leaned back and replied. "Well, the next is Feigned retreat. The frontal forces fake a retreat forcing the enemies to chase us."

"Drawing them out in pursuit and then attacking them. Is that what you're getting at?" From the very name of the technique Daichi had an idea as to what it entailed.

The old veteran ninja nodded his head. "Yes. We attack with a strong force at the location of our choosing. But in some cases the Feigned retreat may devolve into a real one… Now the final one is Delayed approach. We wear down the enemy with a minor force and then launch an attack with a majority. In this case there will be unavoidable sacrifices."

"Is there any way to minimize the casualty?" Daichi asked.

"Information is key. Information on the enemy strength, the number and Rank and we also need to be prepared for the unexpected. Utilizing this information and arranging our forces accordingly, we can reduce the number of deaths to our forces."

"I see…"

Flashback End.

"So you have an understanding of the techniques used in war. Good. Seems we can skip that part."

Kakashi began moving on with the next topic. Team formations.