บท 164: 163- No Need To Hold Back.
It was not like Renjiro had something against the village, as this was far from the truth. After losing everything when Uzushiogakure was destroyed, Konoha had taken him in and gave him a new home.
What Renjiro struggled with was the village's propaganda, especially when it was used to justify certain actions. The latest example was Minato's justification for their mission to eradicate the Iron Fang Mercenaries.
But he chose to keep those views to himself since airing them out would make it seem like he was aligned with Konoha's interest which he was, at least for now.
Knowing how major events would transpire gave him an edge which forced him to vow that once he had achieved sufficient power, he would reevaluate his position in the political climate of the shinobi world.
But that was a consideration for the future. For now, Renjiro decided to focus on the mission at hand.
"If the base is located in no man's land, is there a reason why we did not Focus on this mission first?" Hiro asked, with a puzzled look on his face.
Before Minato could respond, Yano answered. "Despite the region being branded 'no man's land,' it is still a territory between two major shinobi powers.
So, if either of them wanted to exert their control in the region, it would be easy for them to do so. Instead, the Iron Fang and other mercenary groups have existed there for a while."
Yano paused before continuing, "This means that the mercenaries have some sort of relationship with the two nations. If we had started dealing with them, we could risk them asking for help from either of the shinobi powers."
"If they did, the situation would be a bit harder for us to complete our sabotage missions in both countries. Since all of Iwa's and Suna's focus is on each other, it would be harder for them to support the Iron Fang mercenaries," Minato added once Yano was done.
"That makes sense," Hiro said, nodding thoughtfully.
Renjiro listened, absorbing the information. 'We arrived there on foot, and also spent a significant amount of time, so I am sure Minato had placed some seals there.'
'Did he do so anticipating we would need a quick exit from both countries? He complained of low chakra reserves so I am sure if he had enough chakra, he would have teleported us there. Either way, that's the kind of foresight most shinobi wish they could have.'
"When are we launching our attack?" Sama asked, looking intently at Minato.
"We will begin our attack at midnight," Minato answered calmly.
"Huh? At midnight? Shouldn't we attack during the day?" Renjiro couldn't help but ask, slightly surprised.
Most of the missions Renjiro had completed had been under the cover of night, which had subconsciously made him think that most of their activity should be done at night.
Night provided the veil of darkness, the natural camouflage that ninjas often relied upon to maintain the element of surprise. So, going after mercenaries, who were essentially shinobi without any allegiance to any village, at night seemed counterintuitive to him.
'Also, if we move immediately after this meeting, I might not have a chance to finish my conversation with Shima. I don't know when I will come back here or meet her again,' Renjiro thought, feeling a pang of urgency.
"Why?" Sama asked, turning to Renjiro who said, "Won't that give us the edge since they won't expect it?"
Sama chuckled before Renjiro could respond. "An edge might work, but where's the fun in that?" she said with a playful smile.
Renjiro was taken aback by Sama's response. "Fun?" he echoed, puzzled.
"Yes, fun," Sama replied.
"You see, attacking at night is what they expect. It's the usual shinobi tactic. But attacking them at night doesn't mean it will be less effective. The idea is not just about surprise, but also about executing our mission when it suits our strengths."
Minato nodded in agreement with Sama. "Sama has a point. The mercenaries are highly skilled and alert, regardless of the time of day. However, attacking them at midnight allows us to exploit the darkness to our advantage. It's not just about surprise; it's about playing to our strengths and minimizing our weaknesses."
Renjiro pondered Minato's words. Despite his initial reservations, he could see the logic behind the plan.
Minato continued, "We also have to consider the terrain and their defences. The Iron Fang Mercenaries are prepared for an attack at any time, but they have more sophisticated defences during the day. At night, their visibility and ability to coordinate are reduced, giving us an edge."
Renjiro nodded slowly. "I see your point. It's not just about surprise; it's about leveraging every advantage we can get."
Sama smiled, clearly pleased with Renjiro's understanding. "Exactly!"
'Most robbers plan their heists at night and everyone knows this, but they still succeed in their plans.' Renjiro thought in conclusion.
"Do we know how many people we will be facing?" Renjiro asked, attempting to get the briefing back on track.
Minato responded, "Yes, the Iron Fang mercenaries are close to five hundred in total. The majority of them are genins. Chunins make up about a fifth of their entire number, with jounins being half as many as the chunins."
Hiro did the math quickly in his head. "That makes fifty jounins and a hundred chunins. What strategy will we use?"
"None," Minato simply said. "Once I disable any fuinjutsu security measures and we enter the base, you three will handle the rest while Yano and I focus on the jounins."
Renjiro's eyes widened slightly at the daunting prospect. 'That would be three against more than three hundred people. Can the odds get much higher?' he wondered.
Hiro voiced his concerns, "Wouldn't that be too much work on our side?"
Yano chuckled, "What? You'd rather deal with the jounins?"
"What Yano meant to say," Minato interjected, "Is that while we are dealing with the jounins, we will also lend help to you guys."
"But you will be up against fifty jounins," Hiro said, still uneasy.
Minato nodded. "First of all, we don't expect all the Iron Fang mercenaries to be present at the base, so the number of mercenaries we will face might actually be fewer. And secondly, this is not like the mission we just completed, so we don't need to hold back to safeguard our identities. It doesn't matter if they know we are from Konoha."
Renjiro couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. 'Minato can take out all the jounins by himself. Heck, he could even decimate the whole group if he wanted to.'
After the briefing, Minato instructed the team to prepare, as they would be leaving in a couple of hours, much to Renjiro's regret. He had hoped to finish his conversation with Shima, but she was nowhere to be found, having been summoned by Jiraiya.
'It seems I will have to ask Momo about this,' Renjiro thought.
Once everyone was ready, they all said their goodbyes to Fukasaku. Minato then teleported them out of Mount Myoboku. Once the Teleportation was done, the squad found themselves in the same sandy and rocky environment they were in a week ago.
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