Hinata Haruki had been training for a long time, working up a heavy sweat. Finally, he decided to head back.
He had barely taken a few steps when he froze and stopped in his tracks.
By the roadside, beneath the shade of a tall tree, Tsunade stood with her arms folded, eyes closed, as if she had been waiting there for him all along.
Haruki didn't so much as glance at her. He walked straight past.
"Wait, Haruki," Tsunade's voice called after him.
"What is it, Lady Tsunade?" Haruki replied, his face cold and distant, warning others to keep away.
"Hinata Haruki, I think there are many misunderstandings between us. Could we talk things through properly?" Tsunade said, looking at him intently.
"Is that so, Lady Tsunade? I don't think there's much to talk about…" Haruki turned, ready to leave.
"Haruki, I know you won't listen to explanations right now. Maybe you don't acknowledge me as your teacher—but even if you aren't my student, you're still a child of the Leaf. Your mother was of the Senju bloodline, too. Like it or not, I'm still your elder!" Tsunade called to his back, raising her voice.
She knew Haruki didn't want to talk. It seemed he had already made up his mind to side with Danzō.
"If you don't want to be my student, then so be it! I won't force you. It was my wishful thinking from the start. When I return to the village, I'll tell everyone myself—it's all my fault, and it has nothing to do with you.
But you're still young. There are some things you can do, and some things you must never do. I don't want to see you walk down the wrong path! Haruki, can you promise me that?"
Haruki stood with his back to her, silent. Then, with a single Body Flicker, he vanished without a trace.
Tsunade remained there, shoulders heavy with disappointment. This time, she might have truly lost him as a disciple. But more than that, she couldn't bear to see him involved in Danzō's shadowy dealings, betraying the Third Hokage for personal gain. Some paths, once taken, would haunt a person for life. No matter what, he was still a child of the Leaf.
A guard landed beside her, kneeling on one knee. "Lady Tsunade, Lord Hatake Sayun requests your presence in the command tent."
"…Understood." Tsunade came back to herself and followed the guard toward the camp.
Haruki returned to his quarters, took a shower, and then went to look for Shikaku.
"Haruki, what brings you to me?" Shikaku asked, puzzled. They'd only seen each other that morning.
"Of course I'm here to discuss something with you. You heard that Lord Hatake Sayun arrived today, right?" Haruki said with a slight smile, sitting down.
"Yeah. I'm guessing we'll be launching a major operation soon—finally give Sunagakure a hard hit! I've been waiting to avenge Dan-sensei." Shikaku nodded.
"Exactly. I've got a battle plan I want to run by you."
"Oh? Let's hear it." Shikaku's interest immediately sharpened. By now, he was used to Haruki's way of thinking—brilliant, if a little frightening.
The two began their discussion, going over details until late into the night. Haruki finally left, yawning.
The next day, all jōnin received a notice to attend a strategy meeting in the command tent.
Because of his sharp intellect, Shikaku was also summoned. Tsunade had sent someone to inform Haruki as well, but he didn't show—claiming he had stomach troubles. Tsunade was quietly disappointed.
The meeting began, with discussion on how to counter Sunagakure's attacks.
Shikaku stood, raising his hand. "Everyone, I have a counterattack plan. If we can carry it out successfully, it will leave Sunagakure in chaos, crush their morale completely—and our own losses will be far less than they are now."
"Go on," Hatake Sayun said, intrigued. The gathered jōnin turned their eyes to Shikaku, curious.
Taking a deep breath, Shikaku began, "When Sunagakure learned we were short on blood supplies, they began using injury-for-injury tactics against us, forcing mutual damage. This has cost us dearly and nearly collapsed our medical stations. They even lured us into a false supply depot, costing us eight elite shinobi. Dan-sensei is still unconscious."
At his words, anger flared in the hearts of all present.
"My plan," Shikaku continued, "is to turn their own strategy against them—to break Sunagakure with their own methods, so they never dare to look down on Konoha again."
"That's not quite right… Are you saying we should also launch reckless attacks, ignoring our own casualties?" one jōnin asked doubtfully.
Shikaku shook his head. "No. We'll use Sunagakure's strategy, not their shallow tactics. Let me explain."
"In their recent battles with us, Sunagakure's injury-for-injury approach actually caused them greater losses. Their logistics and medical corps are under even more strain than ours. I don't know exactly how much they have stored in their main supply depot, but it won't be more than ours. And I know how to drain it dry."
"Oh? How?" Tsunade asked with interest.
"It's simple. On the front lines, Lady Tsunade, you'll lead the charge—holding off their top fighters. Our forces will attack ferociously, but here's the key: we don't aim to kill the enemy, only to injure them."
"What? If we don't kill them, won't they just come back to kill us?""What if they're healed and return to battle?""Not killing the enemy—how is that even a fight? Sounds like a sparring match!" The tent buzzed with confusion.
"Listen to me," Shikaku said. "When I say 'injure,' I mean disable their combat ability. If you kill one enemy, that's the end of it—they're dead, cremated, and buried. But if you wound one badly enough, it takes three others to treat, care for, and guard them."
"That drains Sunagakure's manpower and medical resources at an exponential rate. Their logistics will feel even heavier strain. Meanwhile, Konoha's losses will decrease because:First—without aiming to kill, we can focus more on defense.Second—their available fighters will drop dramatically as more are injured.Third—their supply consumption will skyrocket, weakening their attacks.Fourth—fear of injury will make them overly cautious in battle."
The jōnin mulled it over, many nodding.
"To further drain their blood stores and medicines," Shikaku said, "I propose we use these kunai." He held up a wooden-handled weapon. Unlike a standard kunai, its blade was triangular with three blood channels—similar to a triple-edged dagger.
"These cause massive bleeding, and the wounds are difficult to stitch or heal. Coat them in a toxin that causes tissue decay, and every injury will consume huge amounts of blood, medicine, bandages. Once their supplies are gone, their medical corps will collapse. Morale will plummet, fear will set in, and Sunagakure will be forced to retreat."
"In the enemy's rear," Shikaku continued, "Lord Hatake Sayun will direct assassination and harassment squads. The assassination squads will target mid- and low-ranking officers—the hardest to replace and far easier to reach than top commanders. Kill enough of them, and orders from the top will go unexecuted, while the lower ranks become leaderless.
The harassment squads will focus on their supply lines and transport convoys—ambushing, sabotaging, trapping, using any jutsu necessary. The goal is to slow delivery, spoil stockpiles, and ensure front-line troops never receive what they need—late or in insufficient quantities—until Sunagakure's logistics collapse entirely."
"No medical care. No supplies. No command structure. With morale broken, they'll have no will to fight. That's when we'll crush them in one decisive blow."
When Shikaku finished, the jōnin looked inspired.
"What do you all think?" Sayun asked.
"I think Shikaku's plan is excellent—completely feasible," Tsunade said.
"As expected of Shikaku, always sharp! I'm on board," another jōnin said.
"A battle won through attrition—brilliant. This will humiliate Sunagakure!" another added, giving a thumbs-up.
Shikaku scratched his head with a wry smile. Most of this plan came from Haruki… That guy just had to make me present it, and forbid me from mentioning him. What a troublesome fellow.
"Alright then—we'll move according to this plan," Tsunade said firmly.
"Yes!" the jōnin replied in unison, turning to discuss the finer details of execution.
The shinobi of Konoha were filled with fighting spirit. The counteroffensive against Sunagakure was about to begin.
Sunagakure had no idea—they were about to step into a nightmare.