Chapter 105: Arrangements
"Can it be confirmed?"
Inside the Hokage's office, Kei looked at Danzo, the faint smile on his face already gone.
"So Kumogakure has really made its move?"
"In all likelihood, yes."
Danzo nodded.
"My men have already investigated Kumogakure's movements. Large numbers of Kumogakure shinobi are mobilizing, and they are heading toward the Land of Whirlpools."
"When did this news arrive?"
Kei followed up at once.
"Roughly ten days ago."
"Then I'm afraid it may already be too late."
Kei shook his head.
"If ten days have already passed, then barring any accidents, Kumogakure has likely finished its preparations and is ready to act."
"Then what should we do?"
Danzo asked, "Should we declare war on Kumogakure?"
"That would be a bit excessive."
Kei spoke calmly.
"Either way, let's gather everyone first and discuss it."
He sent someone to notify the others. A moment later, Kagami and the rest hurried over.
Kagami, Homura, and Danzo, who was already present, essentially formed Konoha's current high command.
Over the past two years, it was precisely because these people had worked alongside him and carried much of the burden that Konoha had been able to develop into what it was today.
As soon as Kagami and the others entered the Hokage's office, they were briefly surprised to see Danzo there. But the moment they noticed Kei's serious expression, they immediately realized something had happened.
"What happened?"
Koharu was the first to ask.
"Kumogakure has moved."
Kei did not waste words.
"Danzo's men detected troop movements from Kumogakure heading toward the coast of the Land of Fire."
"With such a large scale mobilization, they are either preparing for war against the Land of Fire or moving against the Land of Whirlpools."
"It is most likely the Land of Whirlpools."
Danzo added, "If they were preparing to attack the Land of Fire, they would not be taking this route."
"So they are finally making their move."
Hearing this, everyone present frowned.
In truth, none of them were particularly surprised. They had been mentally prepared for this ever since Kei warned them two years ago.
What truly caught them off guard was how soon it was happening.
Only two years had passed since the rebellion of the Kinkaku Brothers, and Kumogakure was already this impatient to make another move.
"No matter what, the Land of Whirlpools must be saved."
Kei spoke directly, setting the tone at once.
"Koharu, how many people do we currently have stationed at the base near the Land of Whirlpools?"
"A total of one thousand."
Koharu answered immediately.
"Following your earlier orders, Hokage sama, they are all well trained Chunin."
"If we exclude those who must remain behind on guard, the force we can mobilize is around eight hundred."
"Eight hundred?"
Kei nodded slightly.
"That should be enough."
Because of the distance and the lack of time, even if he decided to support the Land of Whirlpools, it was impossible to bring too many troops with him.
But the size of an army was always relative.
The number Konoha had stationed near the Land of Whirlpools was not large, yet Kumogakure was launching a long distance raid. They likewise could not deploy too many troops there without difficulty.
As long as those eight hundred men were used properly, they would be enough to buy Konoha a great deal of time.
If they could just hold on until Konoha's main force arrived, then everything would still be salvageable.
"The commander at that base is Kawaaki, correct?"
Kei turned to Kagami.
"And Setsuna and the others are there as well?"
"Yes."
Kagami nodded.
"That was your personal arrangement, Hokage sama."
Stationing Kawaaki near the Land of Whirlpools had been a decision made entirely on the basis of strength.
After all, that base existed specifically to guard against a surprise attack from Kumogakure. If the commander there were too weak, then the entire arrangement would lose much of its value.
Relatively speaking, Kawaaki's strength was quite solid.
As the former head of the Uchiha Clan, he possessed top tier Sharingan, and when that was combined with his own ninjutsu and genjutsu, his strength was enough to step into the threshold of Kage level.
With someone like him in command, supported by elite Uchiha Jonin like Setsuna, they should be able to stall any Kage level opponent for a long time unless they happened to face the Third Raikage himself.
"Pass my orders to Kawaaki."
Kei spoke without hesitation.
"Tell him to act according to the situation and pay close attention to all intelligence from the Land of Whirlpools."
"Once Kumogakure truly makes its move, he is to stall them for as long as possible."
"No matter what, Kumogakure must be pinned down in the Land of Whirlpools for at least three days."
"After that, Konoha's reinforcements will arrive, and the situation will improve."
"Yes."
Kagami's expression grew solemn.
"But... what if they really cannot hold them back?"
"Then they buy time for the Uzumaki Clan to evacuate."
Danzo answered coldly.
"Even the Uzumaki Clan's bloodline and sealing techniques, I would rather see them destroyed than fall into Kumogakure's hands."
"If it comes to that, then they will become Konoha's sinners."
The words were cold enough that several people present frowned the moment they heard them.
Kagami turned to look at Kei, clearly waiting for his real decision.
"It will be fine."
Kei's expression remained calm.
"Tell Kawaaki and the others to do their utmost."
"If it truly becomes impossible, then I will personally head to the battlefield."
"Kawaaki and the others only need to hold the line for as long as they can."
He did not think it was an impossible task.
The Land of Whirlpools was isolated overseas, and the nation itself was protected by the Uzumaki Clan's barriers.
Under those circumstances, with the addition of the Uchiha elites led by Kawaaki, stalling for three days should not be too difficult.
Of course, Kei had never liked forcing others to do the impossible, nor did he enjoy pinning his hopes entirely on others.
If Kawaaki and the others truly could not do it, then he would simply go himself.
The Flying Thunder God kunai had already been prepared. If it truly came to that, he could use the Flying Thunder God Technique to arrive at the Land of Whirlpools at any time.
When that time came, there would naturally be other ways to deal with the situation.
At that thought, something stirred in his heart.
"The experiments involving the Nine Tails should be ready for their first real trial by now..."
During these past two years, aside from the Chimera Technique and the Reincarnation Jutsu, he had never relaxed his research into the power of the Nine Tails' chakra.
And judging from the current progress, that research was just about ready for the first proper test.
After leaving the office, he returned straight to the laboratory and walked deep into its innermost section.
There, a Nine Tailed Fox lay quietly on the ground.
It looked as though it were training, lying prone with an oddly harmonious aura about it.
With each breath, strands of invisible Natural Energy were drawn into its body, fusing with its own power and amplifying it.
"You're here."
Before Kei even fully approached, the Nine Tails had already sensed him and opened its eyes.
As the Natural Energy continued to flow into its body, much of the hostility that once surrounded it seemed to have faded. Its entire presence now carried a different feeling altogether.
Compared to how it had been two years ago, the Nine Tails' condition was clearly much better now.
.....
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