After listening to Chiba's analysis of timing, terrain, and unity, the atmosphere inside the council hall grew heated almost instantly. Blood surged through every vein, and the confidence born from clarity and conviction spread through the room like wildfire.
"Kirigakure will prevail!"
The declaration echoed again and again within the elders' chamber, voices overlapping as the same words were repeated with rising fervor. Chiba raised a hand and smiled faintly, signaling for calm.
"Alright," he said evenly. "Strategically, we may despise the enemy,but tactically, we must never underestimate them."
He paused briefly before continuing, his tone turning firm and decisive. "Sunagakure has split its forces into two routes. One army is personally led by Kazekage Rasa. I will take command and intercept that force myself."
His gaze shifted slightly as he addressed the second front. "The other army is commanded by one of Sunagakure's founding pillars,the puppet master Chiyo. That old woman cannot be taken lightly. We must treat her as a serious threat and respond with equal care."
Chiba was speaking nothing but the truth. Against Rasa, he was completely confident,so much so that he scarcely considered him a genuine concern. But Chiyo was different. No one understood her strength better than Chiba himself.
Her ultimate trump card, the Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu, was a forbidden secret technique rumored to possess the power to conquer an entire city on its own. Beyond that, Chiyo's battlefield experience was staggering. She was a shinobi who had truly walked through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, having fought countless life-and-death battles over decades.
She had clashed multiple times with Hanzō of the Salamander, the shinobi once hailed as a demigod. She had also faced Konoha in several major wars. In terms of sheer combat pedigree, she was the very definition of a veteran,and could easily be called Sunagakure's strongest remaining pillar.
Genji nodded gravely. "Chiyo's name has echoed throughout the shinobi world for many years," he said. "Even Hanzō himself treated her with caution. And it's not just her puppetry,her poison techniques are terrifying as well. We must remain vigilant."
"Agreed," Chiba replied.
Mei Terumī tilted her head slightly, a sharp glint flashing through her eyes. "Chiyo, huh?" she said with a faint, confident smile. "I wouldn't mind testing myself against a living legend of the shinobi world."
That was exactly what Chiba had been considering. Mei's Lava Release and Boil Release, when matched against Chiyo's puppetry, might prove unexpectedly effective,especially Lava Release, whose corrosive properties could dissolve nearly anything. Even Susanoo and Wood Release techniques were not immune to it, let alone hardened puppets forged from chakra-enhanced materials.
"You can go," Chiba said decisively, "but you won't be enough on your own."
He turned toward two figures nearby. "Ao. Bi. The two of you will accompany her."
Ao and Bi straightened immediately. "Yes, Mizukage-sama!"
"In addition," Chiba continued, "Mangetsu and Kisame of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist will join that force as well."
He then shifted his focus. "Zabuza. Ringo Ameyuri. You'll follow me on the other route."
"Yes, Mizukage-sama!"
These four were the fully grown members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. As for Haku, Chōjūrō, and Suigetsu Hōzuki, they were still too young. After Chiba reopened the Ninja Academy, all three were technically still students,even though, in truth, each of them already possessed strength no less than that of an average chūnin.
"Pakura," Chiba added, turning toward her, "you'll come with me as well."
Pakura nodded without hesitation. "Yes, Mizukage-sama."
Finally, Chiba addressed the defense of the village itself. "As for Kirigakure, I'll leave it in the hands of Elder Genji."
He glanced toward two more elders. "Gonbei. Nakichi. The two of you will remain behind and assist him."
"Yes!"
With the orders issued and responsibilities clearly divided, the first war of the new Mizukage was set into motion. The reborn Kirigakure was no longer waiting to be tested,it was stepping forward to claim its place on the battlefield.
Chiba's gaze then shifted toward the Sanbi jinchūriki, Yagura's successor Miru, and the Rokubi jinchūriki, Utakata.
"You two are still in a critical phase of cultivation and improvement," Chiba said calmly. "There's no need for you to take part in this war."
Miru and Utakata exchanged a brief glance before nodding in unison.
"Yes, Mizukage-sama."
Chiba rose to his feet, his presence instantly commanding the room. "Good," he said simply. Then his voice rang out, sharp and decisive,
"Commence the war!"
...
At once, the entire Kirigakure began to move, the village shifting seamlessly into full wartime operation. Orders were transmitted at high speed, personnel reassigned, and squads mobilized with disciplined efficiency, as the reborn Hidden Mist revealed the foundation of its true strength.
Mei Terumī, Ao, and Bi took command of a portion of the regular forces, joined by several ANBU units under Kisame Hoshigaki's direct leadership. Alongside them were Mangetsu Hōzuki and elite shinobi drawn from the Hōzuki Clan, the Kaguya Clan, and other major families of Kirigakure. Once assembled, the force boarded more than twenty warships dispatched by the village, forming an imposing fleet that surged forward to counter Sunagakure's invading army.
Meanwhile, the second route moved simultaneously. Chiba personally led another contingent composed of his regular forces and ANBU units, accompanied by Pakura, Zabuza Momochi, and Ringo Ameyuri, among others. Their fleet, likewise numbering over twenty ships, departed from Kirigakure's southern harbor, cutting across the sea to intercept the force led by Kazekage Rasa.
Mei Terumī's fleet advanced through the dense fog surrounding the Land of Water, the natural mist providing perfect concealment. In these conditions, Ao's Byakugan proved invaluable, transforming the battlefield itself into Kirigakure's greatest ally. With unparalleled visual range and precision, he carved a safe path through the fog for the Mist shinobi while constantly scanning for any sign of enemy movement.
While the Byakugan might appear inferior to the Sharingan in direct, individual combat, on a true battlefield it was a strategic weapon of overwhelming value,one that far surpassed the Sharingan in large-scale warfare. It was precisely for this reason that both Kirigakure and Kumogakure had long coveted it. After acquiring a single Byakugan by chance, Ao treasured it as his greatest asset, while Kumogakure, despite countless schemes, had never succeeded in obtaining one.
On the third day of travel, Ao's expression suddenly changed. Within the far-reaching vision of his Byakugan, enemy silhouettes finally emerged.
"Mei Terumī-sama," Ao reported sharply. "Enemy ships have appeared off the forward flank!"
"There are approximately twenty vessels," he continued. "The total size of the shinobi force is estimated at around twelve hundred."
Mei's lips curved into a faint smile, her confidence now clearly mirroring Chiba's. As the saying went, those who stayed close to vermilion were stained red,his influence was unmistakable.
"Twelve hundred, huh?" she said calmly. "For Kirigakure, that already counts as a large-scale engagement."
During the Fourth Great Ninja War, the combined Shinobi Alliance,formed by the Five Great Nations and the Land of Iron,had fielded roughly eighty thousand troops. Divided evenly, each major village contributed just over ten thousand, a number that included samurai and shinobi from smaller nations. Even then, Konohagakure and Kumogakure far surpassed the others in population and military strength.
Kirigakure and Sunagakure, in contrast, were among the weakest in terms of sheer numbers. At full mobilization, Sunagakure could deploy only a few thousand shinobi at most,and that figure included chūnin. Given that Sunagakure had only just concluded a war with Iwagakure, the fact that they had split their forces and still sent over a thousand shinobi on this route meant they were already fighting at near full capacity.
Mei glanced at the thick fog enveloping the sea around them and smiled softly. "Heaven itself is on our side."
"Let me deliver the opening strike."
With that, she ordered the release of a specially designed small speedboat. Only Mei, Ao, and Bi boarded it, with Ao using his Byakugan to guide their approach. Under the cover of mist, the vessel rapidly closed the distance to Sunagakure's fleet.
Then,
Riding upon the rolling fog itself, Mei Terumī activated her bloodline limit.
One of the two kekkei genkai she possessed,
"Boil Release: Skilled Mist Technique (Futton: Kōmu no Jutsu) )!!!"