I'm an Uchiha and have Tobirama's talent!

In the chaotic melee where both sides' ninjas clashed densely, taijutsu ninjas had a tremendous advantage.

And as it happened, every member of the Uzumaki clan was a taijutsu expert. There was nothing to be done about it, the talent was simply there.

While Kumo also had many taijutsu experts, once Tsunade joined the battlefield and with the added disparity in troop strength, the battle, although intense, inevitably began drawing to a close.

Just as the northern battlefield was nearing its end, on the southwestern front, the Suna and Iwa ninjas were in complete disarray. They hadn't encountered any serious resistance. But that was precisely what made it so frustrating.

On the southern front, Tsunade had given the former ninjas only one order: Delay the enemy at all costs.

A thousand ninjas, following Shin's command, split into small units and used guerrilla tactics to harass the enemy. They appeared as if out of nowhere, tossed a few kunai with explosive tags, and vanished.

If the enemy sent small squads to pursue them, the Uzushio ninjas would, under central command, encircle and annihilate them.

They would simply retreat, if large enemy forces pursued them.

And throughout, they strictly followed a strategy: If the enemy advances, we retreat; if the enemy tires, we strike; if the enemy camps, we harass; if the enemy retreats, we pursue. If the enemy shits, we observe... Wait, the last one sounded wrong, probably made up by some weirdo.

Could be a White Zetsu in disguise...

Anyway, this kind of fighting had continued ever since the Suna and Iwa troops had set out.

War was a contest of resources, but no one had expected Uzushio to be so well-supplied. Explosive tags and kunai were thrown around like they were free, hurled madly without restraint. Under this constant harassment, the two great ninja villages were actually held back.

Chiyo and Kitsuchi were going crazy.

They had considered splitting their forces to give chase, letting the rest push forward regardless.

But they feared falling into the enemy's divide-and-conquer trap.

Based on the intel, Kiri had done just that, split its forces, only to be picked off one by one, eventually ending in total defeat.

Chiyo and Kitsuchi had no desire to repeat that tragedy. And after being harassed for an entire day, they estimated that about 1,000 enemy ninjas had appeared. The remaining 2,000 Uzushio ninjas were nowhere to be seen.

They wondered if those missing ninjas had gone to ambush Kumo. But they didn't want to gamble on that!

What if they were the real target?

During this time, Chiyo and Kitsuchi even almost broke into a fight because each wanted the other to send a special squad to break through toward Uzushio. But neither was willing to risk their own men.

That was the downside of venturing deep into enemy territory with no support, the intelligence system becomes severely compromised.

In the past, they never felt this kind of pressure. Wherever they fought, it was standard practice to send out plenty of scouts to gather intel. But ever since they entered the Land of Whirlpools, they had become blind. Because none of the scouts they sent out ever returned.

But you don't need a full hundred-man team to gather intel, right? And even if you do send a hundred, is it really safe?

You see, Shin was monitoring the movements of all major ninja villages at all times. If any chakra signatures left the main forces, he would instantly relay the information to nearby units, and someone would take care of them.

Just when Suna and Iwa were already overwhelmed, they received even worse news: Their rear camps had been attacked, and all their logistical supplies were looted.

Chiyo and Kitsuchi were dumbfounded.

Did Uzushio have balls of steel?

Faced with superior enemy forces, they still split their troops again. Were they not afraid that their enemies might throw caution to the wind and charge straight ahead?

But in war, intelligence was everything. Without reliable intel, even the most experienced commanders could make mistakes.

Those who calculated thoroughly won more often; those who calculated less often lost. And those who didn't calculate at all, what hope did they have?

A blind person, unless they could grab hold of their opponent in close combat, would never beat someone with normal vision.

Well, except for Matt Murdock, Marvel's Daredevil.

Now, a grave problem lay before Chiyo and Kitsuchi: They had brought only three days' worth of rations.

But unlike what they had expected, they were not able to "feed off the land" through conquest, there wasn't a single civilian along their route. Once their food ran out, and they still hadn't reached Uzushio, it was easy to imagine what awaited them.

"It looks like we don't have a choice anymore," Kitsuchi finally found Chiyo and shared his thoughts. "The enemy is clearly trying to stall us, but now they can afford to drag things out, we can't. There's only one option in front of us now: a full-force push forward, rushing toward Uzushio at top speed."

Chiyo frowned deeply and said, "Have you considered that this could be a trap?"

"Of course I have," Kitsuchi replied calmly. "But don't forget, there's still a large army up north. Even if Uzushio's main target is us, they couldn't possibly ignore Kumo and those smaller ninja villages. If you were the commander, how many troops would you leave up north to defend?"

"At least a thousand, right? Any less and it would be suicide," Chiyo answered.

"That's what I think too," Kitsuchi nodded in agreement. "Which means, at most, Uzushio has around 1,500 troops available to deal with us. If we throw everything into a desperate charge, they won't be able to hold us back."

"But wouldn't that just benefit Kumo?" Chiyo asked, hitting the core issue.

Kitsuchi froze.

She was right. If they went all-in against Uzushio and forced its forces to rush back and engage them, who would ultimately benefit?

"Kumo," Chiyo said softly. "They'd be the ones to profit."

"So what do you think we should do?" Kitsuchi had run out of ideas himself.

At the heart of it, all the major ninja villages had conflicting goals from the very beginning. They might look grand and imposing on the surface, but to call them a true alliance, no, not even a proper gan, would be a stretch.

From the outset, each village treated this as a zero-sum game. No one ever thought about mutual benefit or win-win outcomes. Everyone was focused on minimizing their own losses while maximizing their own gains. And at the same time, increasing others' losses and minimizing their benefits.

The only reason Suna and Iwa were still cooperating was because Suna had made concessions. Because Suna was dirt-poor and could barely sustain itself, they had no other choice but to compromise in some areas.

The Third Kazekage even spent the New Year mining in the desert, passing his own home three times without going in, all in the hopes of this "big meat" from the Land of Whirlpools to rescue them. They simply couldn't afford to stall anymore.

But did you think the other villages would compromise?

Did the Third Tsuchikage seem like someone who compromised?

Did the Third Raikage seem like someone who compromised?

They were the kind who would rather go hungry themselves than let someone else eat.

And don't even mention the Third Mizukage, he didn't even bother showing up. He sent just a representative to the original negotiations and never appeared in person.

"There is one other option," Chiyo sighed helplessly. "We could choose to retreat."

"What did you say? Retreat?" Kitsuchi thought he'd misheard. "We mobilized such a massive force, and now we're going to leave without gaining a thing?"

"It's not a real retreat," Chiyo shook her head. "Because of the lack of intelligence earlier, we underestimated Uzushio. I suggest we propose reinforcement to our own village, and agree to let the other ninja villages send reinforcements as well. We'll station our forces temporarily in the Land of Tea and restock supplies. Let Uzushio and Kumo fight to the death. Judging by the strength and tactical discipline Uzushio has demonstrated, I don't believe Kumo and those rabble forces can win alone. If both sides wear each other down, we swoop in and reap the rewards. If Uzushio wins decisively, then we lie low and wait for reinforcements before launching an all-out attack. At that point, we'll be the ones who've preserved our strength, and that makes us the final victors."

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200 = +1 bonus chapter

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70+ Advance chapters!

[email protected]/Malphegor