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Chapter 10: That Place!
"It seems I overestimated you two." Uchiha Kei let out a cold laugh. "You couldn't even figure that out? How did you survive this long?"
Kei had every right to mock them. After all, as someone who already knew the truth, he held all the advantages.
Especially as time went on, Kei was confident he'd gain even more control over the situation—as long as he didn't do anything reckless, things shouldn't deviate too far from the original timeline… probably.
Well, even he wasn't entirely sure. He might end up doing something that changes the plot completely. But at the very least, the major events should still stay on track, right?
"You really did figure something out," Hyuga Ayaka said sharply. She wasn't about to be polite with Kei. As a member of the Hyuga clan, she had every right not to hold back. But even as she spoke, her mind was already working through the problem.
Imai Kenta wisely kept quiet. Unlike Ayaka, he was a civilian-born shinobi—he didn't have the luxury of openly challenging someone like Uchiha Kei. He went straight into silent contemplation.
What kind of mission was Namikaze Minato's team doing that required so many squads to serve as cover?
Kei didn't say anything—he didn't offer clues, nor did he stop them from guessing. Technically, what they were doing was overstepping—but so what?
Suddenly, Ayaka seemed to realize something. She quickly pulled out a map from her pouch and examined it closely.
The more she looked, the more excited she became. Kenta, unable to resist, leaned in for a look too. Before long, his expression also changed.
Kei watched their reactions, a chill running down his spine.
Wait a second… is this really that easy to figure out?
He rubbed his chin in thought, curious to see what the two of them had deduced.
"It's Kannabi Bridge, isn't it?" Ayaka said excitedly. "It has to be! Looking at the route, that has to be their objective!"
"I agree." Kenta wore his usual harmless smile, though his tone carried a sharpness to it. "If the Iwa shinobi want to invade us, they'd have to go through the Land of Grass. There are a lot of hidden supply routes between Grass and Fire, but the most critical logistics line—the one that connects the Land of Earth to the front—is through Kannabi Bridge."
"Which makes it the perfect strategic target!" Ayaka stood up, grinning. "If we destroy the bridge, we cut off the connection between the Land of Earth and the Grass Country. And since Earth is also at war with the Land of Lightning, their forces in Grass would be completely isolated. Whether we wipe them out or capture some of them alive, it would force Iwagakure into a ceasefire—and give Konoha a strong bargaining position in post-war negotiations."
"In other words," Kenta added confidently, "this war could end with this mission."
Kei scratched his nose, inwardly impressed. These two weren't just clever—they were thinking in terms of diplomacy and strategy, not just battle tactics.
Is this what they call Hokage-level thinking?
It wasn't just about clans or villages. The Hokage mindset involved a bigger picture—broad thinking, long-term consequences, and inclusive vision. Kei had this perspective thanks to his past life as an adult.
But the fact that these two—basically still kids—were also thinking on this level? That made Kei wary.
Could they be… transmigrators too? Kei narrowed his eyes. But after thinking it over, he shook the idea off.
No way. If they were, then they'd be incredibly unlucky—to not only reincarnate into war-torn Konoha but also end up on a team with him. If they really were transmigrators… he'd have to eliminate them.
"So the mission is to destroy Kannabi Bridge," Ayaka said, face serious now. "That explains why so many squads were sent out to act as cover rather than engaging on the frontlines. Iwa must've sensed something, so they're trying to intercept us to protect their logistics line. Which means…"
"Our mission is way more dangerous than we thought," Kenta said grimly. "We could all die here. Every last one of us."
"So that's why you decided to bring along those prisoners?" Ayaka asked, her eyes narrowing as she studied Kei. "The more people we have, the more chaos we can create. The more distracted the enemy gets, the safer we'll be—and the better our chances of success. You really are something else…"
"All that's just your guess," Kei replied calmly. "Would you like me to help you forget it?"
He didn't confirm or deny anything. Instead, he gave them a subtle warning: Think carefully about what happened to Yamanaka Masato's team.
Sure enough, both Ayaka and Kenta fell silent at his words.
Some things are better left unsaid. In fact, knowing too much can be more dangerous than ignorance. Sometimes, it's safer to pretend you don't know anything at all.
Now that they understood the real stakes, they stopped asking questions—like why Kei insisted on rescuing those prisoners in the first place.
Sure, having more people would create more chaos. But wouldn't that also increase the risk of detection? Were they just supposed to hide in the back forever?
Still, since Kei was the one who first uncovered this strategy, they figured he had his reasons. He was the team leader, after all—and they only had one goal: survival.
Even so, they weren't about to let their guard down. Kei had been through multiple teams and come out alive every time, leaving a trail of dead comrades behind him.
If we're not careful, we might be next.
No one wanted to become someone else's stepping stone—or their shield.
What they didn't know was that the whole "rescue the prisoners" thing was just a random idea Kei had come up with. A long-term investment, nothing more.
If nothing unexpected had happened, he would've stuck to his original plan:
Use the Byakugan to find a hidden spot, ambush small Iwa squads from the shadows, and then fake some injuries to make it look like they'd been through hell—just in time to head home once Kannabi Bridge was destroyed.
That outcome might not be glamorous, but it was still better than being stuck cleaning up scraps at the edge of the battlefield.
Kei glanced toward the cave and muttered to himself:
Gotta be careful. Once we've saved enough of them, I'll send them charging forward. I'll be hiding safely in the back.