Chapter 85: Planning for the war

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Shisui took a step out of the crowd and said, "I would like to volunteer for this mission, to search for them and rescue them. As far as we know, they have encountered the Raikage and fled after suffering injuries."

Minato nodded and said, "I do also believe you are the most suited for this mission with your speed, Shisui. However, this does not resolve our problem."

Everyone was silent, this was too dangerous of a front. Kumo was fearsome, and all the major clans were already occupied with a front, meaning that whoever went, would essentially be alone with a few forces at best.

Between Konoha and Kumo were two countries, the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Frost. The Land of Hot Water was notoriously pacifistic, and wasn't a good place to defend from.

The Land of Frost however…

Seeing no one was talking, I asked, "Is the Land of Frost still hostile to Konoha?"

Again, every pair of eyes turned to me, and Minato nodded, "A couple of years ago we had a conflict with them, pushing them to ally with Kumo. Why?"

I approached the map, and pointed at the Land of Frost. The Capital was near the Kumo border, while the hidden village was next to the Land of Hot Water.

I, however, pointed to a third center of interest, one directly placed on the border between the Land of Frost and Hot Water, the Arehateta Fortress.

I asked, "Is the Arehateta Fortress still in operation?"

Minato nodded, and said, "Yes, why?"

I took a breath and replied, "Then, I have a plan. One that will only need a small amount of forces to defend the fortress."

Minato looked interested as he said, "Pray tell."

I traced my finger down the Land of Lightning and the Land of Frost, and said, "Even with all his speed, Shisui will need time to find Itachi and Yugao. I will give him that time, as well as slow down their troops, and thin the crowd down. I'll be using guerilla tactics."

Minato leaned back against his seat, and asked, "Kumo must have around 5000 soldiers. That is a lot of soldiers to hold back."

I nodded and said, "I know, but I know I can do it. They won't be able to catch me. And I would be instilling fear into their men before the battle even begins."

Shikaku Nara, Clan Leader of the Nara Clan and Shikamaru's father, said, "This is a 5000 men strong unit, with several Jonins among them, as well as similarly skilled warriors of other professions. This isn't exactly an army a single person can put fear into. Unless you can pull a feat like the Fourth Hokage back in the last war, against Iwa."

This gathered many nods, but I simply replied, "Strength isn't the only mean to scare enemies."

I turned to look at Minato and said, "You know what I am capable of. The decision is yours to take."

Minato frowned, deep in thoughts, while everyone waited for his answer.

After a moment of silence though, a voice rose. One I was very familiar with, as it belonged to my past Jonin Instructor, Amai Kuma.

"I vouch for her, and would like to defend the fortress."

This time, everyone looked at him. He looked at me seriously and explained, "She may be young, but she is one of the greatest Kunoichi I have ever met."

Shikaku mumbled, "We can't really only take a single person's opinion on this."

Amai shook his head and added, "I know her better than anyone else here, I used to teach her. And I can tell you, if there was someone after my head, I would rather be chased by anyone in this room than by her. This includes Lord Hokage."

Shikaku remained silent this time, and looked at me in contemplation. However, it was Danzo who spoke up, and said, "We are wasting time for nothing here. If she says she can do it, then I believe she can. And its not like we have much of a choice anyway, there are only so many troops available to defend against Kumo."

Minato nodded and added, "Fine, then we will do it your way, Sukaina."

Minato got up from his seat, and took a breath before saying, "Those are trying times, and the very fate of your home will play out in the next few days. So before anything, I would like to say it has been an honour to fight with you by my sides."

We all nodded solemnly, and Minato added, "Alright, let's move out. May the Fire prevail."

We all echoed loudly, "May the Fire prevail!"

Everyone dispersed with that, preparing for the war. As for me, I followed closely with Shisui as we left the building.

"About Itachi…" I started, but Shisui shook his head and said, "Don't worry, I'll find him."

I smiled slightly, before sighing.

"If we don't get to see each other again, please tell him that I love the two of you, no matter what."

Shisui stopped, before fiercely crushing me into a hug, and whispering into my ear, "You are not going to die, you hear me?"

I patted his back affectionately, returning the hug as I replied, "I will be buying you as much time as possible. Don't waste it."

Shisui broke the hug and nodded, wiping out a single tear. This made me smile more as I said, "Don't you worry about me, it was about time for me to spread my wings worldwide. Say, what do you think they will call me after I hand Kumo their ass over to them?"

Shisui chuckled slightly, and said, "I don't know. Just be safe, alright?"

I nodded, before saying, "Would you wait for me? I just need to get some of my stuff, and I'll be ready to go."

Shisui nodded and said, "Me too. Let's meet at the northern gate."

I nodded, and we both body flickered away.

As I reached home though, I couldn't help but sigh. How could things turn this bad, this fast? The war had started, and Itachi was seen on a mission, fought the Fourth Raikage, and his situation was unknown.

I had to stop to take a deep breath, forcing myself to ignore my anxiety. Now wasn't time for that.

I had a mission, and an important one. And there wasn't anything I could do to change what happened with Itachi and Yugao, or the war. It was done, and I could only rely on others to do their job.

As for me, I had my own job to do.

I slowly straddled in my Anbu outfit, sheathed my sword to my hip, before putting on my mask. However, as I was about to disappear, I felt something… strange, like a snap.

Turning around, I found Minato to have appeared at my door.

"You marked my house?"

Minato nodded slowly, and I didn't say anything. There wasn't really anything wrong with it, I was more curious than anything really.

After a moment of silence, Minato sighed and said, "Be safe, will you?"

I nodded and replied, "I always am."

Minato snorted, "Right. I just would like to know, are you really confident about this? If not, I would rather send more men to the fortress, Iwa and Suna should be able to spare some…"

I shook my head and said, "No, I am sure. As long as neither the Raikage or Eight Tales manage to join their troops, then they will lose."

Minato frowned and asked, "But what about you?"

I shrugged and replied, "It isn't time for me to die yet. I will be fine."

Minato sighed, and moved out of the door. He muttered, "Good luck." and disappeared.