Meeting Terumi Mei Again

Two days later, at the Konoha camp.

"Shikaku-sensei."

Shintaro was in charge of receiving Shikaku, who had come from the Western Front, and they both walked towards the command camp where Fugaku was.

"How have you been lately?" Shikaku asked with a smile.

"Not bad, but after all, we're on the battlefield. How comfortable can we really be?"

"Haha, forget it. I was on the Western Front, and sometimes I sneaked deep behind enemy lines into the Land of Wind. The environment was so harsh that I could eat two bowls of sand a day."

Even though they hadn't seen each other for a long time, they were very familiar with one another and there was no sense of alienation at all.

"Captain, Shikaku-sensei has arrived."

Shintaro and Shikaku entered the camp.

Fugaku stood up and exchanged a few words with Shikaku, and Shikaku quickly inquired about specific matters.

After all, he had just been transferred from the Western Front and wasn't yet aware of the situation.

"The current situation on the Eastern Front is like this. There are 1,000 troops in the rear, and we have 1,357 troops under our command."

"These forces were previously commanded separately, but as you can see, they were nearly defeated by Kirigakure one by one. So, I propose that we join forces to ensure the security of the defense line."

Fugaku sought Shikaku's cooperation, something the Hyuga Clan wouldn't easily agree to.

The idea of combining forces under one roof sounded good, but whose orders would the troops follow when going into battle?

After all, Fugaku had more troops remaining, and more people would definitely follow his orders. Perhaps even ninjas from other clans would follow his orders.

Shikaku stroked his beard and muttered, "That's because we don't have enough troops anymore... In this case, combining forces for defense is our only option."

Seeing Shikaku agree right away, Fugaku couldn't help but smile, "Excellent!"

Shikaku suddenly asked, "I heard from Shintaro that you seem to want to launch a counterattack against Kirigakure?"

Fugaku nodded, "Yes, Konoha has always been on the defensive. Now that the battle has reached a stalemate for so long, it's time to launch a counterattack."

Shikaku continued stroking his beard, "I don't mind, but before launching a counterattack, we need to learn more about the enemy's specific layout, and intelligence work is crucial."

"Do you have a suitable candidate?" Fugaku asked.

"Isn't the candidate right next to you and me?" Shikaku spread his hands and showed a mysterious smile.

The two of them then looked at Shintaro simultaneously.

"Shikaku-sensei, it's not appropriate to treat me like a laborer as soon as you arrive, is it?"

Shintaro joked with a smile.

"No choice, who's the most suitable person for this task?"

Shikaku looked into his eyes and said meaningfully.

Fugaku asked, "Shintaro, how about it? Do you accept this mission?"

"Since both the captain and Shikaku-sensei have spoken, of course, I have to comply." Shintaro chose to accept the task and left the camp.

"Asuma, call Tetsuo and Hamasu, we have a mission."

Asuma then summoned the other two.

Shintaro began giving instructions for the mission, "This is a reconnaissance mission. We need to cross the buffer zone to detect Kirigakure's specific deployment."

"It's been a long time since we carried out a reconnaissance mission." Asuma sighed emotionally.

"Yes, the last time we carried out a reconnaissance mission together was on the Northeastern Defense Line." Tetsuo nodded and said.

"Let's go." Shintaro led the three of them towards the buffer zone.

On the way, his Six Eyes kept flashing, continuously scanning the surrounding area.

Although no troops were stationed in the buffer zone, there were often small teams sent by both sides.

The forest in the Land of Fire was tall and dense, providing good cover. Without using Six Eyes or other perception methods, the enemy might not be seen until they were face-to-face.

The four of them headed towards the coast.

At the same time, a Kirigakure patrol team came from the opposite direction.

"Miss, our patrol route has ended, and we should head back."

A middle-aged ninja earnestly persuaded.

"You go back, I'll investigate further. This is also a contribution to the village."

The young woman replied earnestly.

"This…"

"Don't worry, I won't go far."

This eldest woman was naturally Terumi Mei.

Terumi left her three teammates and ventured deeper into the buffer zone alone.

"Oh, I finally got rid of them. It's so boring to follow a fixed route. I need to change things up."

Terumi liked new things and hated sameness. Such a personality could at best be described as determined and enterprising, but at worst, it was like a little girl's mentality of loving the new and hating the old.

Of course, deliberately changing routes on the battlefield showed that Terumi had full confidence in her own strength.

She was only twelve years old, had mastered the Water element very well, and had two Kekkei Genkai: Futton and Yoton.

Unless she was unlucky...

"Uchiha... Shintaro!"

Terumi was startled by the white-haired boy who suddenly appeared before her.

The young man smiled mischievously and said, "Why, no greeting after so long?"

Terumi's expression was quite extraordinary. First, she was slightly surprised, then realizing this was the battlefield, she immediately showed a wary expression and backed off a little.

"What are you up to?"

Hearing Terumi's wary question, Shintaro smiled faintly and said, "Just asking for directions."

Terumi showed a sudden realization and nodded heavily.

"I see…"

"[Kirigakure no Jutsu!]"

Terumi formed a seal and released a thick mist, then... ran!

"If you can't beat me, you can't run away, hehe."

Terumi was very proud of her intelligence. However, she soon realized that no matter how fast she ran, she couldn't move one step forward.

She turned around, and the thick mist behind her was being absorbed by a blue orb in Shintaro's hand, then casually thrown aside to disperse.

Behind Terumi, there was a blue orb absorbing her body, preventing her from moving forward.

Now Shintaro's mastery of [Blue] had even surpassed his previous life, allowing him to control the direction and intensity of the pulling force quite freely.

For the first strike, Shintaro controlled the pulling force to only absorb the water vapor in the surrounding air.

For the second strike, Shintaro controlled the pull and the direction of the pull simultaneously, making it impossible for Terumi to move one step forward, yet without causing any injuries.

Terumi was shocked but quickly calmed down and showed a smile.

"Misunderstanding, I remembered I still have some tasks to complete. Can you let me go back first?"

She lowered her head and asked while clasping her hands together. "No need to rush back. It won't be too late to answer a few of my questions before going back."

Shintaro still had a playful expression.

Terumi swallowed nervously and said, "What do you want to ask?"

"The specific deployment of Kirigakure's fortress, how many people are there, who's the commander, what's your troop transport route, and what's the war's purpose?"

Shintaro asked a series of questions in quick succession.

Terumi smiled and said, "I'm just an ordinary ninja. How could I know so much... How about... you let me go back and ask?"

Shintaro calmly activated his Three Tomoe Sharingan, which frightened Terumi, who closed her eyes in panic.

"I don't want to!"