Therefore, he decided to adopt a relatively moderate approach—launching only small-scale, low-intensity conflicts. As long as Konoha didn't brazenly invade the Land of Earth, the Iwa-nin wouldn't easily initiate large-scale operations at this stage.
This kind of planning perfectly matched Onoki's consistently cautious and risk-averse personality. No matter how the situation evolved, he always ensured his own position remained unshakable, preventing major losses for Iwa-nin while also rarely gaining significant advantages.
Moreover, because the Land of Earth bordered the Land of Wind, Onoki secretly harbored another intention—if the Sand Village fell too quickly on the battlefield, he planned to take a short trip into the Land of Wind and casually "collect" some local specialty resources.
Toward both the Sand and Mist Villages, Onoki held deep contempt. In his eyes, these two villages willingly playing the role of expendable pawns to wear down Konoha were nothing but extremely foolish.
At the same time, Onoki had conceived an even bolder idea—one that was to bring down Konoha, hailed as the Number One Village in the Ninja World, from its lofty status.
Had it not been for the existence of Cloud-nin as a formidable rival, whose strategic choices closely resembled those of Iwa-nin, thus maintaining a delicate balance between them, Onoki might have already played an even more aggressive game.
Upon receiving word that Iwa-nin had invaded Grass Country, Shiyu Uchiha immediately mobilized his forces. Leveraging their early infiltration advantage within Grass Country, they began hunting Iwa-nin squads, strictly following the principle of immediate withdrawal after each operation—regardless of success or failure—even if it meant abandoning part of the results.
Meanwhile, Shiyu Uchiha personally led his squad forward. He had always strongly disapproved of how Hiruzen Sarutobi, once he became Hokage, constantly remained behind the front lines. Unlike the other Four Kage, who would return to the battlefield when crises arose, Hiruzen never actively joined combat. Thus, once arriving at the frontlines himself, Shiyu naturally wanted to set an example for his subordinates.
"Renga, you'll be responsible for camp operations and commanding both the frontline reconnaissance teams and elimination squads. I will head toward the frontlines to observe firsthand, keeping an eye on Iwa-nin's elite forces to avoid unnecessary casualties," Shiyu Uchiha said before turning to leave the meeting hall. Lately during training, he'd hit a wall—and figured fighting Iwa-nin head-on could be just the chance to blow off some steam.
"No! You are our Uchiha Clan's commander and bear the heavy responsibilities of leading the entire family—you absolutely mustn't leave this place recklessly! If indeed someone needs to be sent on such missions, allow me to go instead. You simply remain here and command everything from behind!" Renga Uchiha firmly opposed Shiyu's proposal.
Knowing full well Shiyu's exceptional abilities, Renga still couldn't shake his worry, fearing that this promising young leader might encounter misfortune. After all, the Uchiha Clan had weathered numerous storms and finally produced such an outstanding and qualified leader—someone as rare as the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. Should any mishap occur, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Yet faced with Renga Uchiha's earnest pleas, Shiyu Uchiha displayed even greater resolve and determination.
He didn't even bother turning his head as he shouted directly behind him toward Renga Uchiha, "Since you're well aware that I am both the clan leader and commander, then you should obey my orders! Carry out my instructions immediately!"
After saying this, Shiyu Uchiha turned around without hesitation and walked away, leading his guard unit. They quickly slipped from everyone else's sight.
Watching as Shiyu Uchiha grew more distant until completely disappearing from view, Renga Uchiha momentarily stood there dazed. By the time he snapped back to reality and wanted to attempt another interception, it was already too late. Reluctantly, he could only follow Shiyu Uchiha's previous orders—to remain here to establish the camp, provide central support, and maintain high alertness at all times in order to prevent any opportunistic attacks on their main base.
Thus, with deep concern and unease, Renga Uchiha began carrying out various tasks assigned by Shiyu Uchiha.
Shiyu Uchiha and his team silently infiltrated Grass Country, constantly maneuvering about. With detailed intelligence painstakingly gathered beforehand and Shiyu Uchiha's extraordinary Sensor Ability, they moved through the night like ghosts, frequently launching surprise attacks against Iwa-nin patrol squads.
Remarkably, throughout these operations, Shiyu Uchiha himself didn't even need to get personally involved—his elite and powerful guard unit alone sufficed to accomplish every difficult mission outstandingly.
Time slipped by under the dark night sky. For several consecutive days, they remained hidden within shadowy corners, carefully searching for appropriate opportunities. Finally, due to the lateness of the hour, the group decided to seek out a very secluded location where they could establish camp temporarily and take some rest.
Thus, these calm yet tense days continued for several days. One night, Shiyu Uchiha suddenly received an urgent distress signal.
Without hesitation, he immediately led his subordinates swiftly rushing toward the signal source. After overcoming many obstacles, they successfully reached their destination and stealthily approached an Iwa-nin unit of fewer than a hundred soldiers. There, Shiyu Uchiha also joined forces with another unit commanded by Uchiha Yamashiro.
Previously, the reconnaissance scouts had already detected the presence of this Iwa-nin Tactical Squad and promptly relayed this critical information back to the rear Base Camp. Upon learning the situation, Uchiha Yamashiro took it extremely seriously, immediately leading his main force in a rapid advance to provide reinforcement.
However, years of life-or-death trials told him one thing clearly—that one must never underestimate opponents at any time. Therefore, although having roughly grasped enemy deployment, Uchiha Yamashiro still maintained extreme vigilance.
So he ordered his subordinates to conduct an even more thorough investigation of the surrounding environment again. Sure enough, after extensive probing, they surprisingly discovered hidden enemy ambushes. Although unable to determine exactly how many were concealed, the number was certainly not small.
Faced with such a difficult situation, Uchiha Yamashiro deeply understood that his own forces were limited and couldn't easily swallow this tough bite. After serious contemplation, he decisively made a new decision—to instantly send an additional reinforcement request toward the Frontline Base Camp.
If there was still no reinforcement showing up, then per the orders Shiyu Uchiha had laid down before leaving, they couldn't just charge in headfirst.
They all knew that Shiyu Uchiha's main goal wasn't to go head-to-head with the enemy, but to wear them down instead. A direct fight would only mean massive losses on their end. Besides, Shiyu Uchiha didn't have nearly enough backup troops to handle that kind of devastating loss.
After all, there was practically no chance Hiruzen Sarutobi would send more troops again—unless the Uchiha Clan had already suffered casualties so severe they were practically wiped out, there was zero chance they'd get any more help.
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