章節 137: Attack on Kirigakure
Mei found herself overwhelmed by the number of places she had to pay attention to and was almost buried in mountains of paperwork three times, resulting in her turning into a volcano about to erupt.
Even her council, which usually raised their voices to gain advantages for their own factions, was so busy that you could hear a pin drop.
Even when she began taking countermeasures for the news that the Water Daimyo had been killed by a kunoichi from her village, contradicting rumors found themselves at odds, and people were even more confused, not knowing which version of events to believe.
And then it happened, the beginning of the nightmare.
—Mizukage-sama! —a jonin from the village rushed in, ignoring his boss's annoyed look to report without delay— We are under attack!
Mei needed two seconds to process that information before widening her eyes.
—Why wasn't I informed earlier?! —without even trying to maintain her composure, she threw the coffee cup in the direction of the jonin, who easily avoided it— Where are the warnings from the watchtowers?
Due to Kirigakure's geography, it was much more efficient to establish different watchtowers at strategic points and use birds to transport information quickly. The posts were always manned by village ninjas on rotating shifts to maintain a secure perimeter as much as possible, which greatly helped prevent a large number of spies from infiltrating at once.
—There was no message from them; we believe the posts have been compromised or have fallen! —the jonin continued reporting as sweat dripped down his forehead.
—Do we know the identity of the attacker? —Mei recognized that it was unlikely that their aggressors would easily reveal their origin. That would give them cards in their favor for the subsequent dispute, but they had ways of identifying which of the major villages someone might belong to.
—They are invaders from Kumogakure!
—Are you sure? —Mei didn't think it would be so simple; they could be disguised to cause conflicts and confusion.
—Yes, Mizukage-sama —the man assured— There is no other village with people with their characteristic trait. It's too obvious at a single glance, and there is no possibility of error.
—You mean...
—Yes, their unique techniques! —the jonin reported while confirming the truth of the information— We lost three spies, but we could confirm that they practice the characteristic lightning ninjutsu of Kumogakure.
(Were you thinking of something else? Very bad!)
—What are the chances they are renegades? —Mei asked while biting her thumb nail.
—Zero, the first group is estimated to have at least two hundred ninjas, and they are waiting for reinforcements!
Mei was about to shout to gather the Council to plan their response, but someone beat her to it.
—Mizukage-sama! —a village kunoichi used the Body Flicker Technique to burst into her office— We are under attack!
—I know —Mei stopped the kunoichi with a hand movement— Kumogakure seems to be plotting something. I want...
—Kumogakure? —the kunoichi, who was already pale from the run to report, turned even paler when she heard that and even interrupted Mei without realizing it— I-it must be a mistake; the ones attacking us are from Sunagakure! I'm sure, they have puppets, poisons, fans, and everything else.
—What did you say?! —Mei's voice went up an octave, and she seemed to realize something— You, where are the attackers from Kumogakure coming from?
—From the Northwest! —the jonin replied.
Mei turned to look at the kunoichi and understood the implicit meaning.
—Th-the attackers from Sunagakure are coming from the Southeast —the woman stammered, becoming three shades whiter— A hundred and twenty confirmed and more on the way; the ships have already reached the shores.
Mei's expression darkened as she realized that two of the Five Great Villages seemed to have decided to stage a play to distract everyone and catch them off guard.
But how did these two distant villages manage to enter into an alliance and carry out the necessary preparations for war without their spies warning them when they noticed something amiss?
No matter, there was no time to complain.
—I want the Council in my office in less than five minutes! —Mei began issuing orders to prepare. It was clear that this was not going to be just a casual skirmish— Keep scouts and sensor ninjas close to them to track their actions and movements in time. I want a detailed update if possible every fifteen minutes. Have the genin evacuate civilians, distribute emergency supplies, and have the others prepare to go into combat in less than half an hour. I want the Mist Swordsman to take the initiative to stop the advance on both fronts with four squads as backup!
—Yes!
As she watched her subordinates leave, she took out a map of the Land of Water from her desk drawer and compared the intelligence of the entry points with the watchtowers, feeling that something was not right.
—Strange, how did they find a blind spot so easily in both directions? —she murmured, not understanding how her opponents had such accurate information when it was restricted— Did they manage to infiltrate a spy into a high post without us noticing?
How long had they been secretly planning this attack?
Mei reflected, and for some reason, the face of her old friend Ameyuri Ringo crossed her mind. She had access to this level of information as a member of the Seven Mist Swordsman and the house of her parents...
—No, it's impossible —refusing to believe that line of thought— While Ameyuri left the village to be happy with that man, knowing her, even if they asked her for information about the posts, she would stay silent, staring blankly.
Yes, she was sure she knew Ameyuri well enough to dismiss that possibility with absolute certainty. Which actually made her sigh with relief.
—Besides, it's not like Seimeigakure is attacking us...
—Mizukage-sama! —a jonin hastily entered through the window, panting, and reported the alert he was entrusted with— We are under attack!
—Oh, come on! —a curse from the Mizukage echoed throughout Kirigakure.
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