After the Third Mist Legion landed in the Land of Whirlpools, they quickly joined forces with the First Mist Legion.
In the past few months, the First Mist Legion had suffered nearly four hundred casualties due to assassinations and other factors. However, after merging with the Third Legion, their numbers had risen to 4,700. Some individuals were not part of the official military structure, making it difficult to determine the exact count.
In the following days, the two legions underwent troop adjustments. Some battalions and squads originally belonging to the First Legion were reassigned to the Third Legion, while the Third Legion also allocated personnel to the First Legion.
During this time, all major forces in the ninja world tried their best to gather intelligence on these two Mist legions. Their next actions could significantly influence the balance of power in the ninja world.
If they took an aggressive approach—combining their forces to push westward across the Land of Whirlpools with brute force—it would completely disrupt Konoha's strategic arrangements in the region. However, such a move would also be extremely dangerous for the Mist forces.
The Land of Whirlpools housed numerous factions, and Mist's aggressive advance would not only provoke Konoha but also stir up the many local groups. While these factions had limited numbers of ninja and samurai, their combined strength could surpass six thousand or more. The number of samurai was difficult to estimate, as many hunters and merchant guards were also skilled warriors.
If Mist advanced recklessly, they could find themselves mired in a quagmire. They might succeed, but they could also fail, especially since Konoha's Fourth Legion was stationed at the border, making failure more likely.
Now, the key question was: what would the Mist forces do next?
******
June, in the village of Gutian.
Inside the underground base beneath the palace, Thirteen, the acting principal of Gutian Ninja Academy, was instructing over a thousand students. The youngest were only three years old, while the oldest were in their twenties.
Thirteen had endured the harshest training, had his potential pushed to the limit, and knew exactly how to train others—how to extract the utmost potential from a ninja. However, Haruto Saito did not need him to go to such extremes. Thirteen only needed to apply a fraction of his training methods, and that would be enough.
Assisting in teaching was Hattori Ryuuno. Every day, both of them personally guided the students. Thirteen specialized in taijutsu and secret techniques, while Hattori Ryuuno, being proficient in all chakra natures, could teach ninjutsu of any kind.
Standing on the sidelines, Haruto Saito watched as Hattori Ryuuno and Thirteen demonstrated techniques through sparring.
"Captain." A masked Anbu ninja suddenly appeared behind Haruto.
"Hm?" Haruto turned around.
The Anbu ninja quickly stepped forward and whispered into his ear.
Haruto's eyes gleamed—it was a messenger from Konoha.
Shortly afterward, inside the grand hall of the palace—
"My dear Lady Tsunade, I missed you so much!" Haruto rushed forward and gave Tsunade a big hug, only to be pushed away in disgust.
"You brat, you've really made something of yourself," said Jiraiya, who was standing by the window.
"Of course! I spent a fortune on all of this," Haruto replied with a grin.
"Brat!" Tsunade, now seated in a chair, tapped her fingers on the armrest. "How can you still be smiling? Mist is coming with full force, and you rejected Konoha's reinforcements. How do you plan to handle this? Are you going to fight them head-on?"
"There's always a way. As long as my connection to Gutian Village remains hidden, things will be fine for now," Haruto replied confidently.
Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru had just returned to Konoha three days ago after completing a mission in the Land of Rain. They had immediately set off for Gutian Village upon hearing the news. They were here to help, though they couldn't resolve the issue entirely. Still, their presence was a significant boost.
"Hiding it… That won't last. Gutian Village has grown to this scale. Any unexpected incident could lead to suspicions, and then exposure is inevitable," Tsunade said with concern.
"Let's not dwell on that. It's been four or five months since we last saw each other. Shouldn't we catch up?" Haruto said with a smile.
Tsunade studied Haruto for a moment before remarking, "Hmm… You've grown taller. You're starting to look more like an adult."
Haruto disliked hearing comments like this. What did she mean by "starting to look like"?
"Can I borrow someone from you?" Orochimaru, who had been silent beside Jiraiya, suddenly spoke.
"Huh?" Haruto turned to him.
"Thirteen," Orochimaru said.
"What for?"
"I want to discuss secret techniques with him."
"Oh… He's in the underground base. You can go find him yourself."
Haruto knew Orochimaru's obsession—he had no interest in reminiscing. His passion lay in researching secret and forbidden techniques. Months ago, when Orochimaru had last visited, he had attempted to talk to Thirteen, but at the time, Thirteen was still a mindless puppet and ignored him completely.
Now, however, Thirteen had regained independent thought. He and Orochimaru would certainly have much to discuss.
Orochimaru disappeared in a flash, heading underground.
Meanwhile, Haruto sat with Tsunade and Jiraiya, discussing recent events and the looming Mist threat.
"You've made so many Sealing Explosive Tags. I think it would be better to distribute them to the ninja rather than attempting another camp raid. Mist fell for that trick once. Do you think you'll get a second chance?" Tsunade asked.
"Maybe…" Haruto replied, though his smile hinted at something else.
"Based on intelligence, they're camping in a rocky mountain area. How do you plan to blow them up? Can you infiltrate the rocks?"
"No."
"Then what's your plan?"
"Well…" Haruto paused for dramatic effect. "Originally, my plan was to bomb their camp, but after scouting them closely a few days ago, I changed my mind."
"What's your new plan?" Tsunade pressed.
"Hmm…" Haruto smirked mysteriously. "Have you ever heard of the strategy 'Flooding the Seven Armies'?"
"What?"
"Seven armies?"
"Haha, I'm just joking," Haruto chuckled. "You'll see when the time comes."
"Hey, brat, what can't you tell us? We're here to help you, and you're keeping secrets from us?" Tsunade said, raising a fist.
"It's not really a secret," Haruto said quickly. "It's just that I'm not sure if this plan will work yet."
"What if it does work?" Tsunade asked.
"If it succeeds… we win!" Haruto grinned.
"Report! Urgent intelligence!" A voice suddenly rang from outside the hall.
"Come in!" Haruto turned toward the door.
A scout from the covert unit entered swiftly, handing a scroll to Haruto.
Haruto unrolled it and scanned the contents. His eyebrows lifted, his expression shifting to one of intrigue.
"What's wrong?" Tsunade asked.
"The Mist forces have already learned that I've been manufacturing a large number of Sealing Explosive Tags," Haruto replied.