Chapter 259: Iwagakure's War Strategy
After training, the five of them met up at the dumpling shop again.
"Kakashi, where did you run into Minato-senpai this morning?" Obito asked as soon as they sat down. "You did ask him about Mugetsu-sensei's likes, right? You didn't forget, did you?"
Today was the last day they had set aside for deciding on a group gift, so they had to settle it no matter what.
Kakashi gave him a flat look. "Do you think I'm like you? I was a bit later than usual because of that."
Hearing this, the other three also looked at him expectantly, but Kakashi's next words made them all a little disappointed.
"I asked, but Minato-senpai didn't know the kind of thing we were looking for," Kakashi said.
"Even Minato-senpai doesn't know? Then Mugetsu-sensei probably really only has two hobbies, calligraphy and teaching, and nothing else hidden," Obito sighed. "Makes sense. Even we don't know, and we're with him every day. What could Minato-senpai know?"
"But I think what Minato-senpai said makes sense, just like what Rin said before," Kakashi said seriously. "As long as we convey how we feel, that's enough. Mugetsu-sensei didn't teach us just so we could give him gifts. As long as we keep getting stronger, he'll be happy."
The group went quiet, each remembering something Mugetsu had said to them.
"Your growth is the best return for me."
Might Guy's eyes lit up as that memory surfaced. That was what Mugetsu told him the first time he got first place in the practical exam. Mugetsu had never sounded like he was saying it out of politeness.
"That's right. The most important thing is to show our feelings!" Guy said, giving Kakashi a thumbs up.
"Mm. If we spend too long choosing a gift and neglect training, Mugetsu-sensei definitely wouldn't want that," Shisui added.
"Then let's decide now," Obito said, no longer hung up on it.
Rin looked at the four of them, thought for a moment, and suddenly smiled. "Then how about we make small statues? Each of us makes one of ourselves, based on how we usually train. Then at the end we all work together to make Mugetsu-sensei's and put them together."
Kakashi thought for a moment and nodded. "That's a good idea."
"That's too good, Rin, you're a genius," Obito said with a grin.
Might Guy and Shisui both nodded. It was a good idea: meaningful, and everyone could participate.
"I just thought, even if we aren't with Mugetsu-sensei later, these can stay with him," Rin said with a smile.
The proposal passed right away. They decided to spend the first three days making their own statues, then use the last two days to make Mugetsu's together.
But Obito soon ran into a real problem.
After buying tools and material and returning home, Obito looked at the statue he had carved of himself, let out a long sigh, and threw it straight into the trash.
"Shadow Clone Technique!"
He still chose to rely on Ninjutsu. This was going to be placed in front of Mugetsu, so it didn't have to be perfect, but at least it needed to look like him.
He had bought more carving tools in advance, and the Shadow Clones didn't talk nonsense. As soon as they appeared, they started practicing.
Besides the group gift, Obito didn't forget his own personal gift. Before going to bed, he finally finished the blueprint for the inkstone.
"Good thing Rin thought of something good, or I really wouldn't have had enough time," Obito lay down thinking.
Practicing carving also helped with making the inkstone. If he had to switch gifts midway, he would definitely mess one up.
"I wonder how the others are doing?" Obito thought as he fell asleep.
Rin had given him a stone carving before, so hers would definitely be good. Kakashi and Shisui both knew Shadow Clone Technique, so their progress should be okay. As for Guy… Obito wasn't sure.
Three days passed quickly. On the fourth day, the five of them gathered with the things they made and got ready to make Mugetsu's statue.
Since they were making something, they didn't meet at the dumpling shop but at Kakashi's house instead.
"Kakashi, this is amazing. How did you do it?" Rin's eyes lit up as soon as she saw the statue on the table.
She leaned in to look. Kakashi had carved himself in full detail, wearing a mask, holding the White Fang short sword in his right hand, body leaning forward in a slashing pose. It really looked like him.
"Let me see," Obito rushed over when he heard Rin praising Kakashi.
After taking one look, all the lines he had prepared to mock Kakashi disappeared. At this level he really couldn't nitpick.
"Obito, what do you think? I think it really looks like Kakashi," Rin asked with a smile.
"It's okay, quite similar. There's still room for improvement," Obito said stiffly.
If it had been Rin's carving, he would have said "perfect, invincible." But since it was Kakashi, he could only say this much.
Kakashi: …
"You've said so much, Obito. Why don't you show yours?" Kakashi asked calmly.
He had carved with the help of Earth Release and didn't believe Obito could do better.
"Ahem, mine is a different style from yours. Mine's a bit more rugged," Obito said, feeling Rin's gaze, and also placed his statue on the table.
Kakashi looked over. Obito had carved himself using Fire Release, with both hands forming the Tiger seal, the most common finishing seal for Fire Release. The hand seal was quite clear.
But the face was very rough, and the goggles he wore every day weren't even there.
"I think it's very good. That hand seal is very standard," Rin still praised with a smile.
"It can't compare to yours, Rin. I haven't done much of this before," Obito scratched his head and laughed.
"Only the hand seal pose is okay. Everything else is too rough. And where are your goggles?" Kakashi commented without mercy.
Since his was only "okay," he would use Obito's standard to judge Obito.
"I sculpted myself on a day I didn't feel like wearing goggles," Obito said stubbornly. In truth, he couldn't carve that detail properly, so he left it out—and had spent most of his time perfecting the hand seals instead.
"Is that so? I was thinking if you couldn't do it, I could help," Kakashi said with a hint of regret. "But if that's the case, never mind."
Despite his sharp tone, Kakashi still wanted the gift for Mugetsu to be as perfect as possible. Each statue should at least resemble its maker.
"Uh… I…" Obito wanted to see how Kakashi would handle it, but he couldn't bring himself to ask. Swallowing his pride felt worse than defeat.
"Actually, I guess I forgot to wear them that day," Obito finally admitted. "Please… help me with it, Kakashi."
Although pride mattered, the gift for Mugetsu was far more important.
"My best friend, I've been waiting!" Might Guy's loud voice echoed as he entered, greeting everyone with his usual energy.
Kakashi turned to him and nodded in response before glancing back at Obito. "What was that? I didn't hear you."
Obito froze. Guy's timing was the worst possible. Saying it once was already hard enough—now he had to repeat it?
"I said, please help me. The statue forgot its goggles. Thank you," Obito forced out, his entire face twitching.
Kakashi's lips curved into a smirk. He'd heard him perfectly the first time but had asked again on purpose.
Seeing the teasing glint in Kakashi's eyes, Obito felt completely duped but could only glare and mutter a silent "you owe me" before watching him work.
Kakashi formed several quick hand seals, pressing his hand onto a block of earth. With Earth Release, he shaped a perfect pair of goggles, then carefully adjusted their size and placement until they seamlessly merged with the statue.
"So you used Ninjutsu!" Obito said in disbelief, feeling as if he'd spent hours struggling with an assignment only to watch someone cheat their way through it in seconds.
"What's wrong with that? Do you think it's easy to control Earth Release at this level of precision?" Kakashi replied evenly.
Obito couldn't argue. Using Ninjutsu skillfully was still a skill.
When everyone finally placed their finished sculptures on the table, Obito's confidence returned—until he saw Might Guy's.
Guy's statue was even rougher than his. It depicted him mid–Leaf Whirlwind, one leg kicked high in the air.
"Guy, maybe refine the face a little more? It looks kind of blurry," Obito suggested.
"No need. I think it looks plenty like me," Guy said proudly.
"True. Thick eyebrows and a bowl cut—you can tell it's Guy right away," Kakashi said approvingly.
Guy's statue was rough, but its distinct features made him instantly recognizable—unlike Obito's had been before the goggles were added.
Shisui's statue depicted him mid-practice, thrusting a short blade forward with graceful precision.
"Shisui, your weapon's really detailed," Rin said in admiration, noticing the intricate carving of the small blade.
"It took a lot of time," Shisui nodded. The blade was modeled after the short sword Mugetsu had given him as a birthday gift, and he had poured most of his effort into it.
"The head will be done by Kakashi, the hands by Obito…" Rin assigned tasks based on everyone's strengths.
Aside from Mugetsu's figure, there were other components to complete—the base and the surrounding scenery. Rin decided to add a broken tree next to her own statue to recreate the feel of their training grounds.
After several hours of combined effort, their masterpiece was finished. The scene looked vivid and full of life.
At the center stood Mugetsu, smiling gently, surrounded by his students. To the north was Shisui, his short blade cutting through a wooden dummy. To the south stood Obito, scorch marks covering the base near his feet. To the west, Might Guy was mid-kick, breaking several trees. To the east stood Kakashi, his short sword slicing through a wooden stake. And to the southeast, Rin stood beside a splintered tree.
"It's finally done… but something this big is impossible to carry around," Obito said, wiping sweat from his forehead.
"Then let's leave it in the South Border Forest," Kakashi suggested. "We can bring Mugetsu-sensei there for the surprise."
Everyone agreed. Carrying such a large piece would only give it away early.
That night, the five of them quietly transported the finished work to the South Border Forest. Kakashi used Earth Release to conceal it inside a large box buried beneath the trees.
...
Land of Earth, Iwagakure – Tsuchikage's Office Conference Room
"Third Tsuchikage, are you certain this move will make the Hidden Cloud increase their pressure on Konoha?" an elder with a long beard asked, frowning in confusion.
Both of their Jinchuriki had been sent out, and a large number of shinobi were being hidden within the village.
Ōnoki sat calmly in his chair, smiling. "Don't worry. Based on my understanding of Kumogakure, they'll believe we truly lack the strength to continue fighting Konoha. To prevent us from withdrawing, they'll send even more forces to attack."
His eyes gleamed coldly. "Once Kumogakure, Konoha, and Sunagakure are fully locked in conflict—that's when we strike with full power."
"But our relations with Kumogakure aren't good," another elder interjected. "They'll stay wary of us."
Ōnoki nodded slightly. "Exactly. That's why we must make them underestimate us. Kumogakure is reckless by nature—they'll never imagine that we still have an army of tens of thousands waiting."
He leaned forward, explaining the strategy in full. The Land of Earth's natural terrain made invasion difficult. Even if they pretended to be weak, enemies would hesitate to attack. Faced with a supposedly weakened yet unassailable Iwagakure, Kumogakure would turn its attention toward the Land of Fire instead—clashing directly with Konoha.
Once the other great villages exhausted their strength, that would be Iwagakure's moment to strike.
"Sunagakure is weak, Kumogakure is reckless, and Konoha is already showing cracks," Ōnoki said, confidence radiating in his voice. "Iwagakure will be the ultimate victor of this war."
Once, Iwagakure had gone to Konoha seeking an alliance and been humiliated—both Ōnoki and his teacher, the Second Tsuchikage Mu, had been severely injured.
This time, he vowed to make Konoha witness the true might of Iwagakure—to make them kneel and beg for peace.
"Until then, we can't withdraw," Ōnoki ordered. "Keep sending troops. If we stop now, the other villages will grow suspicious."
The elders nodded in understanding as the Third Tsuchikage's calculating gaze swept across the room, already envisioning the coming storm.
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