CHAPTER 265
Menma, who had been relieved that he had finally persuaded both Shibuki and Ajun, paused slightly upon hearing Shibuki's words.
A wry smile appeared on his face as he quickly waved his hands.
"No, no, Shibuki-san, you're being too serious. I completely understand Ajun-san's concerns. Logically speaking, I'm the one who should be apologizing."
Just because certain things were left unsaid didn't mean everyone failed to understand them.
Sometimes, understanding without exposing the truth was the wisest and most appropriate course of action.
Especially for Menma, Shibuki, and Ajun.
Between trust and suspicion…
The distance was often only a single step.
Only those directly involved truly understood just how delicate and fragile that balance was.
To put it bluntly, Menma's current approach was indeed somewhat impatient.
If handled poorly, it could easily destroy the trust and goodwill he had painstakingly built with Shibuki, Ajun, Fū, and the rest of Takigakure.
That was the last thing Menma wanted.
Unfortunately…
Reality had left him with no alternative.
Failure meant only one thing.
Death.
Since they had already prepared themselves for the worst possible outcome, choosing a more aggressive path was entirely understandable.
In this matter…
Menma simply had no better choice.
Advancing carried risks.
Retreating carried risks.
Even standing still was merely another form of gambling.
When every path was dangerous…
The correct answer became obvious.
"It's all for the sake of the village."
Menma's voice grew noticeably firmer, as though reaffirming both his own resolve and his commitment.
"…Yes."
A complicated emotion flickered deep within Shibuki's eyes before he nodded heavily.
"It's all for the village."
He slowly stood up.
"Then… I'll leave the planning for this operation to you, Menma-kun. As for the village itself, I'll do everything in my power to coordinate our forces and give you my full support."
Having finished speaking, Shibuki bowed deeply toward Menma with complete sincerity.
"This is simply my responsibility."
Menma immediately rose to his feet and returned the bow without hesitation.
Shibuki nodded slightly.
"Then I'll return first and begin making the necessary arrangements."
With that, he turned and strode out of the room.
Watching Shibuki's departing figure, Menma slowly pressed his lips together.
He understood this better than anyone.
This operation could only succeed.
Failure was unacceptable.
Even a prolonged stalemate was something they could not afford.
If that happened, Takigakure would immediately fall into a massive crisis.
At the same time…
Menma's own standing within the village would become extremely precarious.
There were only two possible outcomes to this campaign.
Either…
They would achieve an overwhelming victory, allowing Menma to reveal himself openly to the shinobi world while leading Takigakure against the coming storm.
Or…
They would suffer a crushing defeat.
In that case, Menma would either be forced to flee Takigakure in disgrace once more…
Or die on the battlefield.
"So…"
"It's no different from before."
Menma inhaled deeply as his fists slowly tightened.
"The situation hasn't changed at all."
"It doesn't matter, Menma."
Karin, who had remained quietly behind him the entire time, seemed to sense the turmoil within his heart.
She stepped forward, her crimson eyes filled with unwavering trust.
"I know you can do it."
"I believe you'll be just as invincible this time as you've always been."
Her voice carried absolute confidence, without the slightest trace of hesitation.
A faint smile finally appeared on Menma's face.
"Thank you, Karin."
He nodded gently.
"Don't worry. I haven't lost faith in myself."
Then Menma turned toward Utakata, who had remained silently seated nearby.
There was a trace of apology in his expression.
"Utakata-san…"
"I'm sorry to trouble you again."
"I originally hoped you could finally enjoy a peaceful life after coming to Takigakure…"
"No, it's nothing. It's simply the promise we made to each other. As long as your goal never changes and remains exactly as you told me before, Menma-kun, then I will follow you without hesitation."
Utakata shook his head lightly, his expression just as serious as before.
"Please rest assured, Utakata-san. That is not merely a promise it is my conviction. Unless I die, I will never stop, nor will I ever change the path I have chosen."
Menma met Utakata's gaze directly, his voice carrying unwavering resolve.
"That is enough for me, Menma-kun."
A faint smile, rare for Utakata, appeared on his face as he answered softly.
With the decision made, the next phase of the plan immediately began.
Through their prearranged covert communication channels, Menma quickly transmitted his latest decisions and the updated intelligence to Orochimaru, who was currently operating within the Land of Tea.
According to the original plan, they were supposed to wait a little longer.
But circumstances had changed.
Menma now needed Orochimaru to begin cooperating immediately.
To the outside world, Menma was still believed to be staying at one of Orochimaru's hidden bases.
Even Obito had never learned otherwise.
White Zetsu simply could not approach Menma unnoticed.
With the Kagura Mind's Eye and the Nine-Tails' negative emotion sensing working together, Menma possessed an overwhelming sensory advantage. Unless someone possessed a space-time ninjutsu like Kamui, secretly approaching him was nearly impossible.
After arranging the order of operations and taking advantage of this final preparation period, Menma personally led Karin, Suigetsu, and several members of Takigakure's Barrier Team to strengthen the eastern defensive line of the village.
One after another, they established numerous small-scale defensive barriers and sensory barriers throughout the region.
Objectively speaking, these barriers were not exceptionally powerful.
The defensive barriers, in particular, could be shattered by repeated bombardment from several A-rank techniques.
However, for ordinary Taki-nin, they were invaluable.
At the very least, they prevented isolated outposts from being overwhelmed by surprise attacks.
This defensive arrangement was nothing unusual.
Konohagakure had long employed similar barriers to protect important border strongholds.
Even Sunagakure, despite its weakened military strength, maintained a large-scale defensive barrier along its northern frontier as protection against Iwagakure.
Given Menma's current proficiency in fūinjutsu and barrier techniques, constructing far stronger barriers would not have been difficult.
The real limitation was Takigakure itself.
There simply were not enough skilled barrier specialists capable of maintaining advanced barrier formations.
As a result, Menma could only deploy higher-quality barriers around the three most strategically important sectors.
Afterward, roughly two to three hundred Taki-nin were dispersed throughout those defensive positions.
Unless an overwhelmingly powerful elite strike force appeared, any invasion from another hidden village would be detected almost immediately.
Even if they could not defeat the enemy outright, those barriers would provide valuable time allowing the stationed Taki-nin to relay intelligence and withdraw in an orderly manner if necessary.
While these preparations were being completed, the political confrontation throughout the shinobi world reached an even more dangerous stage.
Along the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Hot Water, Konoha and Kumogakure had already begun engaging in increasingly fierce clashes.
Although neither side had escalated into full-scale warfare, limiting themselves to skirmishes involving squads of a dozen to several dozen shinobi, the sheer frequency of those battles made the situation extremely volatile.
Less than a week had passed since the Fourth Raikage issued his orders.
Yet both Konohagakure and Kumogakure had already suffered nearly one hundred casualties each.
Of those losses, more than one-third consisted of fatalities or warriors too severely injured to continue fighting.
During an era when another Great Shinobi World War had not officially begun, those casualty figures were already enough to shock the entire shinobi world.
Unlike the political posturing that had characterized previous confrontations, these two great hidden villages were now exchanging real blood and steel.
The surrounding smaller nations inevitably began trembling in fear.
The Land of Hot Water suffered the most.
Nearly half the country had become an active battlefield.
Yugakure had not enjoyed a single peaceful day.
Although most battles officially occurred along the border, reality was far more complicated.
Konoha reconnaissance teams frequently infiltrated deep into the country to gather intelligence, inevitably leading to combat throughout the interior of the Land of Hot Water.
Even when no direct fighting occurred nearby, the war still affected the nation as a whole.
The shinobi of Yugakure found themselves trapped in an impossible situation.
Remaining neutral was no longer a viable option.
Yet siding with either Konoha or Kumogakure carried equally disastrous consequences.
Such was the tragedy of every small nation caught between great powers.
Menma, however, had no time to concern himself with their predicament.
If anything, the intensifying conflict between Konoha and Kumogakure was precisely what he wished to see.
Every additional day those two villages remained locked in conflict bought Takigakure more precious time.
Thus, in July of Year 61 of the Konoha Calendar, Menma once again departed from Takigakure's eastern gate with a carefully selected group of companions.
Alongside Karin and Suigetsu were several promising young members of the Barrier Team.
Each possessed at least chūnin-level strength.
None of them could be considered exceptional fighters individually, but they were among the Taki-nin Menma trusted the most.
Because of the special nature of the operation, additional manpower was unavoidable.
Utakata, meanwhile, remained inside Takigakure.
His presence was insurance.
Should Konoha or Kumogakure react faster than anticipated and launch a sudden assault, Utakata and Fū together would still possess enough strength to repel the initial probing attack.
Neither great village would immediately commit its full military force without first testing Takigakure's defenses.
The possibility of an outright invasion without prior reconnaissance was virtually nonexistent.
Therefore, leaving Utakata and Fū behind was more than sufficient.
"If everything proceeds according to plan, the operation should conclude within five days. Please mobilize the troops according to that timetable. There is no need to send too many five hundred shinobi will be enough."
Before departing, Menma once again carefully confirmed every crucial detail with Shibuki.
Timing.
Intelligence transmission.
Troop deployment.
Nothing could be too early, and nothing could be too late.
Everything depended on the speed of communication and whether any unforeseen variables appeared.
After all, Kusagakure was still a legitimate hidden village.
No matter how thorough Menma's preparations had been, no one could guarantee that everything would unfold exactly as planned.
"Are five hundred really enough? Even divided into separate factions, Kusagakure still possesses well over that number of combat-capable shinobi."
Shibuki's expression remained filled with concern.
Originally, he had believed they would commit at least half of Takigakure's military strength around two thousand shinobi.
Even now, hearing Menma insist on deploying only five hundred, Shibuki found it difficult to accept.
Kusagakure possessed two to three thousand active shinobi.
How could such a small force possibly maintain control over them?
"If my plan fails, then sending more people would accomplish nothing, Shibuki-san."
Menma shook his head calmly.
"But if everything succeeds, these five hundred shinobi will be more than enough to stabilize the situation."
From the very beginning, Menma had never intended for the Taki-nin to wage the main battle.
He refused to sacrifice them in a costly war.
Ideally, only a small supporting force would be necessary.
"…Very well."
Shibuki inhaled deeply before speaking with complete seriousness.
"Then I wish you victory."
"Thank you."
Menma smiled confidently.
"Just wait for my good news, Shibuki-san."
He immediately raised his right hand.
"Move out!"
Whoosh!
Without hesitation, Menma became the first to disappear into the forest.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Karin, Suigetsu, and the others followed closely behind, rapidly vanishing into the dense woodland as they headed toward the Land of Grass.
Meanwhile, as Menma's group departed Takigakure, events elsewhere in the shinobi world continued unfolding.
Far to the south of the Land of Water lay a remote archipelago.
Hidden deep within its primeval forest stood a massive underground fortress.
This secret installation had originally been constructed by Madara Uchiha during his lifetime.
Inside were enormous reserves of strategic supplies, countless forbidden research records, and various contingency resources.
As Madara's successor, Obito frequently used this location.
Years earlier, while secretly controlling the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, this underground base had even served as Obito's primary headquarters.
At this very moment, Obito stood within its dimly lit chambers.
"So there is still no trace of the Six-Tails?"
His single visible eye narrowed with icy killing intent as he looked toward Black Zetsu.
"We've already lost contact for an entire week. Could Orochimaru really have captured Utakata? Zetsu."
From the One-Tail through the Nine-Tails, Obito had long ago arranged for surveillance over every jinchūriki.
His objective was simple.
When the Eye of the Moon Plan officially began, he wanted every tailed beast's whereabouts already mapped out, allowing the Akatsuki to capture them with maximum efficiency.
Naturally, that surveillance was never constant.
No one could monitor a jinchūriki twenty-four hours a day.
Most jinchūriki rarely left their villages anyway.
The lone exception had always been Utakata.
As a missing-nin from Kirigakure, his movements remained unpredictable.
Since the time to capture the tailed beasts had not yet arrived, Obito had never insisted upon maintaining uninterrupted surveillance.
Consequently, it took nearly two full days after Utakata disappeared before the information finally reached him.
The moment he learned of it, Obito immediately ordered Black Zetsu and White Zetsu to conduct a full-scale search.
Knowing every jinchūriki's exact location was unnecessary for now.
However, determining their general area of activity remained essential for the Eye of the Moon Plan.
"There is still no conclusive intelligence."
Black Zetsu's expression darkened.
"However, based on the information gathered so far, the possibility that Orochimaru captured him remains extremely high. After all… Uzumaki Menma, Yakushi Kabuto, and Uchiha Sasuke are all operating under Orochimaru."
"…Has that snake discovered something?"
Obito frowned thoughtfully.
"Could he be conducting research on the Six-Tails?"
To Obito, who currently possessed the Six-Tails was not especially important.
As long as its location could eventually be confirmed, retrieving it later would not be difficult.
What truly concerned him was something else entirely.
Had Orochimaru uncovered a secret connected to the tailed beasts that even he himself had yet to discover?