"He wants to what?" Fuyōna asked, looking at Kōgetsu after listening to his report.
"Is that a bad thing?" Aō then asked, keeping his arms crossed as he spoke.
"Honestly, they are already strong enough and would be a huge help with our forces already stretched so far." Kōgetsu then said, speaking his thoughts.
Mei and Aō seemed to agree before they all looked to Fuyōna to see what he had to say.
"I guess I have no choice. They are all chunin now and who am I to deny them a critical mission and pass it off to someone else." Fuyōna reluctantly said, knowing he couldn't say no to Ganryu's request to take them, but also knowing the danger that could threaten Kimimaro with the Akatsuki looming.
"Very well, it's settled. Now on to the next matter." He then said, knowing he couldn't hold him in the village forever.
"Our reports say that there are at least 200 enemy shinobi from the Stone and Grass trying to lay siege against the Waterfall," Aō said.
"Yes, our scouts report that the main bulk of the force is located from the west side, along their border with the hidden Grass," Mei said, looking at the map that was laid out on the war table, as she placed pointers into the locations.
"Well, I say good look to them. We all know that the hidden Waterfall has never been invaded." Mangetsu scoffed with a smirk, crossing his arms as he said it.
"That may be so, but with that many shinobi blocking their borders, it will be no easy feat for them to move trade, units or their own citizens in and out of their nation," Fuyōna said, interlocking his fingers as he spoke.
"We can only spare about 50 men at a push, and the Hokage said he could do the same, meaning with the forces that the Waterfall already have we should be able to push them back with relative ease." Mei then said.
"Doesn't this all seem a little strange?" Aō said after a moment, not having a good feeling about the whole thing.
"What do you mean Aō?" Fuyōna asked.
"Why would the Waterfall request help from us and the Leaf to only deal with a small force such as 200?" He spoke.
"Surly Shibuki can manage the situation alone?" Aō said, seeming to make sense to the others in the room.
"I understand your concern, Aō. But do not threat." Fuyōna then said.
"Shibuki is no pushover, but the enemy is simply not giving them a fair fight. Instead, they are planning to cut off the Waterfall from the rest of the world, and slowly infiltrate using small units to cause maximum damage." Fuyōna explained.
"Once the Waterfall commits to one area with a large force, smaller units that are spread out will circle and infiltrate the mainland. It's a very well-thought-out strategy." Mei also said, agreeing with Fuyōna.
"So, what? We send help and push back the enemy forces, only to have them continue to assault them in the same way when we leave?" Mangetsu asked, also making sense.
"I guess we will find out once we send our troops." Fuyōna then said, knowing that Aō was right.
"I see... Very well then," Aō said, seeming to drop the issue, realizing that Fuyōna was already aware of the situation.
"Kōgetsu, have Ganryu make the preparations," Fuyōna said after a moment, getting a nod before the Anbu captain vanished.
"All we can do is wait and see what Ganryu and Kōgetsu report back to us, until then, we will do our best to help our ally," Fuyōna said, leaning his chin on his hands as he rested his elbows on his desk.
Haku and Kimimaro had finished their training for the day, having been training for a whole month now with Mei, and having improved a whole lot already.
Both of the boys had been giving it their all in a sparring match against one another, with the result being a tie since they were using only taijutsu. Now they were both enjoying some water and wiping the sweat away before Haku notice Koyuki appear from the tree line.
"Oh, hey look, it's Koyuki," Haku said, getting Kimimaro to look up from where he was lying on the ground.
"Hey, you two," Koyuki said as she approached them, seeing that they had been working hard.
"Is everything alright?" Haku asked, not sure why she was stopping by when he knew she had her own training.
"Well, you could say that. But I'm here because lord Mizukage asked me to tell you something." She said, taking a slight pause.
"Father did?" Kimimaro said, waiting for her to continue.
"We have a mission." She said, with a serious expression on her face, getting both of their attention.
"Yeah... We are being assigned to a large unit that is being taken to help the hidden Waterfall in the war." She said."
Haku and Kimimaro realized the seriousness of the mission, knowing that they would be heading to the front lines of the war effort.
"If that is what father requires of me, then I will do my best to be of use," Haku said with a simple smile on his face.
"This is what we have been training for after all." Kimimaro then said, not seeming bothered.
"We are shinobi. This day was always going to come."
Koyuki nodded, suddenly expressing a large smile on her face.
"I'm glad you both feel the same way about this, because for me personally, I can't wait to put my new training to the test!" Koyuki suddenly said as she punched her hand, getting excited.
Both Haku and Kimimaro stood up and also smiled as they nodded their heads in agreement.
"So, when do we leave?" Haku then asked, putting his hands behind his head.
"Tomorrow," Koyuki replied as she crossed her hands behind her waist and turned around.
"So, make sure you have everything you need because, from the sounds of it, we could be there for a while." She then said before she walked off, leaving both of the boys alone.
"If I'm not mistaken, the Waterfall is located between the Grass and the Stone, meaning it's pretty much surrounded on all sides," Haku said.
"All that matters is that we do our best so that we can make father proud," Kimimaro said, seeming to get fired up about it.
Haku simply nodded in agreement before he picked up his towel off the ground.
"Alright, let's call it a day. Besides, it's probably best if we rest up and prepare for tomorrow."
Kimimaro nodded and grabbed his own belongings before the two of them started heading back towards their home.
Meanwhile, back in Fuyōna's office...
Kaga, Mei and Ganryu were standing in the office with Fuyōna. Each of them was there so he could ask how their training was going.
"I can report that both of them have progressed further than I had expected, but then again I expected nothing less from them," Mei said, seeming very confident in their abilities.
Fuyōna nodded, seeming happy with her report.
"And what about Koyuki and Yuri?" He then asked, looking at Kaga.
"They also improved at a good rate, Koyuki especially, she certainly lives up to her father's name." He said, seeming happy with their progress.
"And what about Hattori?" Fuyōna then asked, looking at Ganryu.
"Well, he managed not to die," Ganryu said, not seeming bothered at all.
"I guess that is an achievement in its own right since you were overseeing his training," Fuyōna said, chuckling a little to himself.
"Anyway, back to business." Fuyōna then said, becoming serious again.
"The 50 chunin have been selected for this mission, being led by Ganryu and Kōgetsu. I wish we had more manpower to spear, but chunin is all we have for the time being." Fuyōna said, knowing that he did not want to use genin if he could help it.
Ganryu nodded not really showing any sign of emotion, knowing that he would take whoever he was given.
"The aim of your mission is to provide relief to the Waterfalls forces, helping to deal with the ambushes and small squads that continue to raid their land and boarders," Fuyōna said, explaining his goal.
"I also don't expect this mission to be over anytime soon, and you could be stationed there for some time." He also added.
"Of course, lord Mizukage, your will be done," Ganryu said, lowering his head in respect.
"Very well then, you move out tomorrow." Aō then said.
"You will also be meeting with the Leaf's forces tomorrow, heading to the Waterfall together as a full unit," Fuyōna said, letting Ganryu know all of the details.
"Understood." He simply replied.
"Very well, good luck with your mission." Fuyōna, Mei and Aō all said, wishing him all the luck they could muster together.
With that Ganryu left the office, leaving Mei, Aō and Fuyōna alone to continue talking about their strategy for the ongoing war.
The details of the mission had been sent out to everyone who would be going, including Kimimaro and the others, who were now resting up at home and making preparations for their new mission.
Suiren had already started making dinner and both of the children were playing in the living room with one another.
"Since you are both going out on an important in the morning, I am cooking you both a large meal, with plenty left over for you to take with you tomorrow, after all, you are both growing boys and need your food." She said to the pair with a large smile.
Haku and Kimimaro both nodded, happy to hear that they would be able to feast tonight when suddenly the sound of the front door opening caught everyone's attention.
"Mummy, daddy!" Both Shōto and Asami yelled as they ran over to greet their parents, diving into Fuyōna's arms.
"Hello, children!" He yelled back, scooping both of them in his arms and giving them a large squeeze, causing they both to yell playfully.
Fuyōna put them both down and they both ran over to Mei, giggling as they jumped on her too, leaving Fuyōna to turn his attention towards Haku and Kimimaro.
"I see you are prepared for tomorrow?" Fuyōna asked.
"Yes, father," Haku said without hesitation.
"Good." He said, turning his attention to Suiren who walked over to him and gave him a kiss.
"Nice of you to use the front door for a change." She said jokingly.
"Well, I fancied a walk through the village this time." He said as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Well, you got here just in time for dinner." She said before heading back over to the oven to check on the final details.
"Father... Can I ask, what is the hidden Waterfall like?" Kimimaro asked suddenly.
"What is it like hmm?" He said as pulled a chair out and sat down, taking a moment to think about it.
"I'm honestly not sure." He then said with a goofy smile.
Mei sighed with a smile at his goofiness while sitting down next to him, having already for both of the children sat down in their seats.
"I can tell you what the hidden Waterfall is like boys." She then said, getting both of their attention as well as Fuyōna's.
"I didn't know you had been to the hidden Waterfall Mei?" Suiren also said, turning around from what she was doing.
"Yes, actually it was around the time that you disappeared from the village, Fuyōna." She said, teasing him a little.
Fuyōna laughed a little as he remembered back to that time.
"Anyway, I believe I was tasked on a mission to assassinate a target from the hidden Grass. It wasn't until I got there that I learned he was hiding out in the remote land of the Waterfall nation. Long story short the Waterfall ninja were not too happy to find me in their land, and of course, we ended up fighting." Mei explained, with a small wave of her hand.
"What are their shinobi like?" Haku asked, remembering the squad that had competed in the chunin exams in the Leaf village.
"The Waterfall is a small nation, but they produce very strong shinobi, and always have," Mei said, seeming to give them credit where credit was due.
"Still, it is good to have them as an ally this time around." She then said before Suiren placed the dinner plate down.
"Alright, let's eat!" Suiren then said, getting a cheer from everyone as they tucked into their food, giving both of the boys a good send-off before their mission tomorrow.
End of chapter...
I hope you enjoyed! Remember to check out my P.atreon page if you want more! Chapter 222 is now live!