"Captain Ishido?"
Hardy looked at one of the newcomers in surprise.
"Kurokawa-sensei?"
Maki was equally delighted.
This Jōnin, Kurokawa, had been Maki's mentor during his genin days; it was Kurokawa who first taught him wind-style ninjutsu and swordsmanship.
Ishido had been seriously injured during the White Fang incident, which had led to the temporary disbandment of the third squad of the Sixth Puppet Troop.
After several months of recovery, he had finally healed.
Hardy had also encountered the other Jōnin, Kurokawa, before. When Sunagakure's ninja returned to the Land of Rain and were attacked by Amegakure and Konoha forces, Kurokawa and elite jōnin like Kazakami Chiran had held off Orochimaru for a while, buying time until Rasa and Karura arrived to reinforce them.
In that battle, Kurokawa was badly injured—he hadn't been in the Land of Rain for more than a few days before he was seriously hurt and had to return to the village to recover for three months.
Neither of these two had appeared on the front lines for quite some time. In fact, to keep their involvement secret for this mission, Sunagakure had left stand-ins using transformation jutsu back in the village, and even after arriving in the Land of Rain, they hadn't entered the main camp, all to avoid being discovered by spies from other villages.
"Haha, you rascal! Elder Chiyo told me you've reached near-jōnin strength. Looks like I had a good eye for talent back then!"
Ishido grinned and patted Hardy on the shoulder.
"Captain Ishido, you look like you've made a full recovery," Hardy said with a smile.
To Hardy, Ishido was something of a benefactor.
After all, it was Ishido who first recognized his talent, leading to his entry into the Puppet Troops and subsequent encounters with Sasori, Ebizō, and Chiyo.
Maki also chatted with Kurokawa for a while before the group got down to business.
"This time, we're on a classified S-rank mission. Our objective is to do everything we can to destroy Konoha's logistics and storage bases, in order to weaken their long-term war potential."
Before the operation began, Ishido reiterated the mission.
Since Konoha was transferring Orochimaru away, with Amegakure's forces weakened, if Konoha still wanted to win, they had only one option—drag things out.
Hanzo's Amegakure had home-field advantage, while Konoha had deep resources, abundant troops, and ample supplies; neither side feared a war of attrition.
Of course, Hanzo might not be happy about this, because the longer the war dragged on, the more damage it would do to the Land of Rain.
But a small country can't match a great power in strength. When they can't win head-on, their best chance is to rely on home advantage and strategic depth to prevail in a prolonged conflict.
The Land of Rain isn't very large and lacks strategic depth, but with Hanzo's strength, they could still hold out against Konoha for a long time.
If this mission succeeded in destroying a large amount of Konoha's logistical supplies, it would have a significant impact.
Even if it wasn't enough to make Konoha abandon the idea of a protracted war, it would at least force them to shorten their front lines due to supply shortages.
Not to mention, once Konoha's ninja learned their logistics had been attacked, morale would take a hit.
"This is our planned route for the operation. Rather than speed, what we need most is stealth. So during our initial travel, don't use transformation jutsu for disguise at all, to avoid Konoha's sensors detecting chakra fluctuations. Use only conventional disguise techniques."
Kurokawa then took out a few photographs.
"These are our disguise targets—a minor noble family from the Land of Rain. Each person's facial structure is very similar to ours, making it easier to impersonate."
Hardy picked up a photo and saw that the resemblance was indeed close.
Kurokawa and the others had even prepared detailed identity documents and supporting materials.
"This major battle will require at least a day of preparation on both sides. From probing each other to the actual engagement and then to the conclusion, it will take at least three days. Our mission is to reach the border of the Land of Fire and destroy Konoha's storage base within those three days.
Mission briefing complete. Begin disguises and prepare to move out!"
Kurokawa gave the order.
Most orders came from Kurokawa, while Ishido only supplemented when necessary. It seemed the two had already agreed that Kurokawa would be the main commander for this mission.
…
…
One day later.
Dressed in extravagant, flashy clothes and made up as a wealthy young master, Hardy fanned himself as he walked into a casino in Huoluo City, on the Konoha border.
This was the largest city on the Land of Fire's border. Even though it wasn't as prosperous as before due to the war, it was still bustling compared to most places.
The casino was packed as usual.
Here, it was perfectly normal to get bumped into by someone.
Hardy's shoulder was knocked by a staggering drunk.
"Hey! Brat, don't get in my way next time!" the drunk slurred, burping as he staggered off.
Hardy felt a slip of paper suddenly appear in his palm. He made a show of looking annoyed at the drunk, then went to play a couple of rounds at the gambling table before heading to the restroom to read the note.
That man was a covert agent Sunagakure had placed in Huoluo City.
"So the fighting has already started… Orochimaru, Shimura Danzo, and Jiraiya have joined forces with Hanzo. Princess Tsunade has not been seen…"
Traces... So that's how it is. So the logistics warehouse of Huoluo City is located behind the restaurant in the west of the city. People often go out there to buy ingredients, so even if large quantities of supplies are frequently moved in and out, it won't arouse too much suspicion from others."
After reading the intelligence, Hardy tore the note into pieces and swallowed it.
Burning it would produce smoke, and flushing it down the drain might get discovered—no matter how slim the chance, even if it's one in ten thousand, it's not worth the risk.
Eating it after tearing it up is the safest option.
"Tsunade-hime's whereabouts might just be here."
Hardy walked out of the restroom and immediately saw a blonde girl sitting at a gambling table.
A blonde girl gambling in a casino is rare, but that alone doesn't mean it's Tsunade.
But someone who has lost sixty-four rounds in a row, losing over a million ryo, that has to be Tsunade.
Tsunade had clearly disguised herself to some extent; her appearance was somewhat different from the intelligence reports.
More importantly, at this time, Tsunade shouldn't have such a large bust, yet the Tsunade here had at least a D-cup figure.
Having already received the intel from the contact, Hardy had no intention of staying here any longer.
Nor did he intend to make contact with Tsunade-hime.
She was indeed beautiful, and would only become more so in the future, but they were on opposing sides.
After all, Tsunade was one of the Legendary Sannin, an experienced veteran. Staying here any longer risked being discovered. It was best to leave while she was still happily... losing money.
Leaving the casino, Hardy walked on, turned a few corners, and, after making sure he wasn't being followed, entered an inn.
This was their rendezvous point.
Thanks to book friends Hei Zi Wu Xiang and Shu juj for the 100 Qidian coins reward!
I'll try to get the next chapter out before midnight.