"Qingming, Tiehuo, over here!"
At the command center.
Inside the meeting room.
As soon as Qingming entered, he heard someone calling out to him. He followed the voice and saw Uchiha Shisui sitting by the table.
Shisui's injuries had long since healed. However, since they were not assigned to the same unit and were responsible for different defense areas, their interactions had been rare. Moreover, Shisui was extremely diligent and preferred handling matters personally, unlike Qingming, who often delegated tasks to others.
It was Uchiha Tiehuo, who frequently went on missions, that had become more familiar with Shisui over time. Thus, without waiting for Qingming to speak, Tiehuo gave him a nudge and walked him over to the table.
Qingming didn't refuse and followed him.
Once they were seated, the three of them began talking quietly. For the most part, it was Uchiha Tiehuo and Shisui who spoke, with Qingming listening attentively and offering little input.
Time passed, and soon half an hour had gone by.
When everyone who was supposed to be there had arrived, Heize Chengshu finally walked in.
Unlike when he was at the Forward Base, Heize Chengshu wasn't as sharp and swift as Uchiha and Xiong; instead, he took the time for some pleasantries before the meeting began.
Although Qingming felt it was a waste of time, no one voiced any objections, so he patiently endured it.
After nearly a quarter of an hour, Heize Chengshu finally stopped talking and became serious, starting the meeting.
"I'm sure everyone has already heard the news," he began. "Since noon today, all patrol teams have reported sightings of mist ninjas."
Immediately, whispers filled the room.
Heize Chengshu knocked on the table to restore silence and then continued, "This is indeed true."
"To add another piece of news, it's not just our northern defense line—patrols along the central and southern defense lines have also seen traces of mist ninjas."
"Do you all know what this means?" he asked.
At that, a special jonin immediately spoke up, "It seems that the Mist Village has already absorbed the Forward Base and is preparing to launch a second wave of attacks."
"Yes, Jonin Tachikawa is right. The Mist Village is conducting preliminary reconnaissance," another person agreed.
"Exactly. We must reinforce the patrols as quickly as possible and prevent their reconnaissance teams from getting too close," someone else added.
The room erupted in a flurry of voices as everyone shared their opinions.
After a long while, Heize Chengshu finally summarized, "I've heard all your points."
"Bottom line, everyone must be cautious in the coming period. We must stay on guard against a surprise attack from the Mist Village."
"Yes, the team leader is right. The Mist Village is particularly skilled at surprise attacks, so we need to be extra careful," someone said below.
The others nodded in agreement.
Heize Chengshu then continued, "In order to prepare for the Mist Village's sudden attack, some teams will see changes in their assignments. Now, I'll go over the new arrangements."
At these words, Qingming immediately had a bad premonition.
Sure enough, the first person Heize Chengshu mentioned was him.
"Qingming Jonin, your team will be heading to Eagle Beak Cliff. There's a strategic outpost there that needs to be heavily defended. This task will fall to you."
The Eagle Beak Cliff outpost was located at the northernmost point of the northern defense line, a remote and rugged promontory that jutted out into the sea. The area was shaped like a massive eagle's beak, which is why locals referred to it as "Eagle Beak Cliff." The location extended directly into the sea, making it particularly vulnerable to being surrounded on three sides during an attack.
Both previous and previous-to-last breaches of the northern defense line by the Mist Village had started from there.
The danger of the place was obvious.
However, Qingming knew that Heize Chengshu assigning him to that location wasn't because of any personal grievances or a desire to punish him.
Rather, it was to leverage his individual strength to secure a vulnerable point in the defense line.
The outpost had been breached twice already, and if it fell again, Heize Chengshu would likely face an investigation by the Anbu.
After all, there's an old saying: "One mistake can be forgiven, two can be overlooked, but three is a problem."
If the Mist Village broke through at the same location three times in a row, Heize Chengshu's competence would certainly be questioned by higher-ups.
Of course, this had nothing to do with Qingming.
He wasn't particularly concerned about this mission because he had enough confidence in his own abilities. Even if the outpost fell, he was certain he wouldn't die.
Moreover, Heize Chengshu had promised to send three additional squads, totaling over fifty ninjas, to help him defend the position.
With that, Qingming agreed to take the task.
Thus, with his own forces and the reinforcements, the total number of ninjas stationed at the Eagle Beak Cliff would exceed two hundred, an unparalleled strength in the northern defense line.
From this, it was clear that Heize Chengshu was genuinely concerned about the possibility of the Mist Village breaking through again from there.
Qingming shook his head, no longer dwelling on it. After the meeting ended, he didn't linger. He immediately gathered his men and, along with the three squads sent by Heize Chengshu, set off for the farthest northern point of the Eagle Beak Cliff.
That night, under the sparse stars and moonlight.
Qingming and his team rushed swiftly and finally arrived at the destination around midnight.
Looking at the intact outpost, Qingming couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. He had feared that something would go wrong, like the Mist Village already occupying the place when he arrived.
But it seemed he had worried too much.
After all, the Mist Village had only just begun reconnaissance today. Even if they managed to break through twice in the past, they wouldn't act recklessly tonight.
If they were to launch an attack here, it was more likely to be after more intelligence gathering.
The geographical position of this place was just too advantageous for the attacking side.
Therefore, despite the risks, the Mist Village would probably not abandon this location, though they would likely just conduct more thorough reconnaissance.
This was also one of the reasons Heize Chengshu had sent Qingming to guard it.
Clank, clank, clank
A series of footsteps echoed.
A dozen or so Konoha ninjas, led by a jonin, emerged from the outpost and approached Qingming's team.
Clearly, their arrival had alerted the stationed ninjas. Fortunately, Heize Chengshu had already sent the relevant intelligence in advance, so they weren't overly anxious.
The handover was smooth, and after verifying their identities, Qingming took command of the outpost.
Afterward, he delegated the day-to-day operations of the outpost to Uchiha Tiehuo and returned to his quarters to continue the training he hadn't completed earlier in the day.
Compared to managing others, he preferred training. The tangible progress was simply irresistible.
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