Chapter 191: Restoration Plan
After Sasuke stated a whole heap of benefits for joining the Konoha Pact, he finally looked at Kazahana Koyuki with a light chuckle and said unhurriedly:
"Most importantly, Your Highness, you wouldn't want to see the country your father painstakingly governed continue to be in dire straits, would you?"
Sasuke's sentence undoubtedly sealed the deal. Kazahana Koyuki, at this moment, finally made up her mind, nodded, and said, "Alright. After I reclaim the throne, I will represent the Land of Snow in signing this treaty."
"A wise choice. It's a pleasure cooperating with you, Your Highness," Sasuke said with a smile.
"Then what do we do now?" Kazahana Koyuki asked.
"Naturally, we wait for Konoha's reinforcements. It can't be just the three of us accompanying you to storm the royal palace, can it?" Sasuke said after shrugging.
"Also, let's finalize the plan while we're at it," Sasuke added. "By the way, I still need to ask Your Highness's thoughts on this."
"My thoughts?" Kazahana Koyuki asked, somewhat puzzled.
"Correct. It depends on how Your Highness wishes to reclaim your throne. Whether to wait a couple of days for Konoha's reinforcements to arrive, and we escort you as you charge into the royal palace and directly stab that treacherous uncle of yours to death, or to plan for the long term," Sasuke elaborated.
"If possible, please try not to cause too much damage to the Land of Snow's royal palace..." Kazahana Koyuki said with some hesitation upon hearing this.
"Understood. You have precious memories of you and your father there, right?" Sasuke chuckled in amusement. "However, in that case, it will be a different price."
"Alright. But you must guarantee that Snow Castle will not suffer too much damage, and also ensure the safety of Snow Castle's civilians," Kazahana Koyuki stated.
"Showing a bit of a princess's demeanor already?" Sasuke chuckled upon hearing this. "Well then, in that case, let's wait until Konoha's future Chief of Staff arrives before discussing further. However, there's one thing you can rest assured about: our Konoha ninjas have always taken it upon themselves to fulfill the client's requirements."
After confirming their intention to help Kazahana Koyuki restore her country, everyone in her film crew was also temporarily brought under control. The group returned together to a small town in the Land of Demons. After waiting there for two days, Uchiha Shisui arrived at this small town with Team Ten and Team Eight, successfully rendezvousing with Sasuke's trio.
Soon, within a room in the inn, the operational meeting commenced.
"Sasuke, before I came this time, Lord Hokage instructed me that our three squads, including myself, are to be entirely under your command," Shisui stated as the first order of business after the meeting began, establishing Sasuke's leading role in this operation.
However, his words left some present somewhat puzzled. Regarding this matter, hadn't Lord Hokage already confirmed it when they departed? Was it really necessary to re-emphasize it?
What they didn't know, however, was that this was a habit Shisui developed ever since Uchiha Douhuan came to power and he resumed his ninja career. In every operation, regardless of the team's size—from joint missions involving dozens of people down to small squad actions of only two or three—Shisui would always clarify the commander at the very first opportunity. Whether that person was him or not didn't matter, but it had to be ensured there was only one voice during the operation.
This was a hard-earned lesson he summarized from the clan's previous predicament. After all, before Uchiha Douhuan took action, the Uchiha clan's endless clan meetings had step by step nearly led the family into an abyss. Conversely, after Uchiha Douhuan's forceful intervention, the Uchiha clan, speaking with one voice, erupted with astonishing executive power, allowing the long-standing historical issues between the clan and the village to be perfectly resolved.
Therefore, after that, Shisui also developed this habit.
"Alright," Sasuke nodded, moving to the main seat.
"Let me first talk about the mission objectives," Sasuke said, spreading a map in the center of the room. "This is a map of Snow Castle, the capital of the Land of Snow. The Land of Snow has no hidden ninja village; their domestic ninjas are armed forces directly under the Daimyo's command. Therefore, they will mostly be garrisoned around the royal palace."
"Based on the intelligence we currently have, the opposing ninjas have at most only two to three Jounin. A direct assault isn't very difficult for us, but this conflicts with our client's objective of protecting the royal palace from damage as much as possible. Therefore, my idea is to lure the usurper, Kazahana Dotō, out of the royal palace and then eliminate him," Sasuke explained. "As for how to lure him out of the royal palace, Shikamaru, do you have any thoughts?"
"Based on current intelligence, Kazahana Dotō should already know that Her Highness the Princess is still alive. And within the film crew you were previously with, there must be a mole," Shikamaru, having been called upon, immediately began his analysis. "After all, the location where you were previously ambushed is less than 20 kilometers from the Land of Snow's border."
"Correct, I thought so too. That's why I had Mr. Asama bring everyone in the film crew under control. However, investigating who the mole is one by one would still be a bit troublesome. After all, these people only signed work contracts with the film crew; their emotions have already been running high these few days we've detained them here," Sasuke said.
"Since we can't find out, then let's not bother. Find an excuse to transfer them all away together," Shikamaru suggested. "Mr. Asama, besides the Land of Snow, this movie should have other filming locations, right?"
"Apart from the Land of Snow location, filming for scenes in other places has already wrapped up," Asama Sandayū replied.
"Then make up a place. Take the entire film crew far away. The mole in the film crew probably hasn't had time to send news of our arrival here to Kazahana Dotō yet. We cannot let this mole transmit any more intelligence," Sasuke stated. "Additionally, Shino, can your insects parasitize every member of the film crew for a period and monitor their status in real-time?"
"Possible," Aburame Shino nodded and replied.
"That makes it easier," Shikamaru nodded and said. "After we separate from them, the mole hidden within the film crew will inevitably take action. At that time, we can also apprehend this mole."
"Let's arrange the mole situation like this," Sasuke said. "The most important thing now is still figuring out how to lure Kazahana Dotō out of the royal palace. The Land of Snow ninjas who came to attack us have all been dealt with. Kazahana Dotō should have received the news by now. Although he might not yet know who exactly made the move, I think he probably won't dare to leave the royal palace for a short while."
"Your Highness, do you have any token on you that can directly prove your identity?" Shikamaru asked at this point.
"Yes, yes," Kazahana Koyuki nodded, then took off a hexagonal crystal pendant from her neck. "This is an important token of the Land of Snow, and also the key to opening our Land of Snow's treasure. The reason my uncle has been relentlessly pursuing me is for this very thing."
"I see," Shikamaru nodded. "Do you know where the treasure is located? Don't misunderstand, we have no interest in your Land of Snow's treasure; we're just confirming to formulate a plan."
"I know," Kazahana Koyuki nodded. "The treasure is located at Rainbow Glacier. But let me say first, the treasure my father left behind is not anything monetary."
"That makes it easier," Shikamaru nodded. "With this item, it should be quite easy to lure him out of the royal palace. However, it might require Your Highness's cooperation."
"What do you need me to do?" Kazahana Koyuki asked.
"Naruto, it shouldn't be a problem for you alone to use Shadow Clones plus Transformation Jutsu to disguise an entire film crew, right?" Shikamaru then looked towards Naruto.
"No problem," Naruto replied.
"Then we just swagger into Snow Castle like this. And then, Mr. Asama, I need you to inadvertently reveal Her Highness the Princess's identity within Snow Castle, preferably using ambiguous words," Shikamaru looked at Asama Sandayū and said.
"I understand," Asama Sandayū nodded. "However, based on my understanding of that usurper, even if Koyuki does this, he won't personally come out of the royal palace to act before the situation is clear."
"I naturally know this isn't enough to lure him out. So, next is the second step: escalate the situation," Shikamaru said with a smile. "After the commoners of Snow Castle learn that the princess might have returned, we will then proactively release news that the princess's identity was merely a hype tactic used by the 'Princess Gale' film crew for movie popularity; Princess Koyuki's identity is fake."
"This... why is this?" Asama Sandayū asked, puzzled.
Shikamaru looked at Asama Sandayū somewhat speechlessly. Buddy, you don't even understand such a basic tactic for stirring up a topic? How did you become a manager? So Kazahana Koyuki's popularity in the ninja world today is really all thanks to her own efforts, huh.
"I understand," Conversely, Sasuke nodded in agreement at this point. "Afterwards, we just need to fan the flames. The more heated the debate about the truth of the princess's identity becomes within the Land of Snow, the more restless Kazahana Dotō in the royal palace will become, right?"
"Correct," Shikamaru nodded. "Then, we just need, when the hype around this matter is at its peak, to have Her Highness the Princess make a high-profile appearance, present this pendant token, and publicly announce that she will use this key to open the Land of Snow's treasure before everyone."
"By that time, even if Kazahana Dotō doesn't want to come out, he probably won't have a choice," Shikamaru stated.
"However, during this process, Her Highness the Princess's safety might encounter some problems," Sasuke said. After speaking, Sasuke looked towards Uchiha Shisui, who had remained silent throughout. "Brother Shisui, these few days, I'll have to entrust you with the princess's close protection."
"No problem," Shisui nodded and chuckled. "Leave it to me."
"Kiba, Shino, and Hinata, during this period while we are in Snow Castle, your Team Eight will act as the reconnaissance squad to constantly investigate surrounding risks and ensure Her Highness the Princess's safety."
"Understood!" The three members of Team Eight nodded.
"Shikamaru, Ino, Choji, your Team Ten, together with our Team Seven, will use Transformation Jutsu to create public opinion within Snow Castle."
"Understood!" The three members of Team Ten nodded and accepted the order.
"Well then, tomorrow morning, we set off directly to help Princess Kazahana reclaim the throne of the Land of Snow!" Sasuke made the final decision.
"Yes!" Everyone replied, full of confidence.
Shisui looked at Sasuke, who firmly controlled the rhythm throughout the entire operational planning process, and a few traces of a satisfied smile couldn't help but appear on his face. Compared to Itachi at the age of 12, Sasuke's strength was not inferior in the slightest, perhaps even a bit stronger. And in other aspects, especially in terms of leadership, the maturity Sasuke displayed far surpassed that of Uchiha Itachi back then.
At the very least, Uchiha Itachi at the age of twelve was incapable of tightly uniting a group of equally skilled peers around him, making them obey his commands.
After the operational plan was finalized, Asama Sandayū immediately went to arrange for the film crew to change destinations. Shino also went with him, using his insects to complete parasitic surveillance on these crew members.
The others, meanwhile, made their own respective preparations.
"Brother Neji, this is what Sister Tenten asked me to bring you after knowing I was coming to support you. Also, here's a bento I made," Hinata found Neji after the meeting dispersed, took out a scroll and a bento box, and handed them to him.
"Thank you," Neji smiled and accepted the scroll, then asked, "Hinata, how has mission work been for you during this period?"
"It's been alright..." Hinata said weakly. "Kiba, Shino, and Teacher Shisui have all taken good care of me."
"That's good," Neji nodded. "These few days I've been away, those old geezers in the clan haven't said anything inappropriate to you or Hanabi, have they?"
"No, they haven't," Hinata shook her head. "Last time you taught that elder a lesson, no one has dared to trouble me or Hanabi anymore."
"Good. However, if anything happens, you must tell me. Those old fools have never given up on their wicked intention to brand you and Hanabi with the Caged Bird seal. Give me a little more time, and I will completely resolve it," Neji stated.
"Okay," Hinata nodded.
Neji, having experienced being branded with the Caged Bird himself, did not want his two younger sisters to go through the same thing. Therefore, he had always been strictly on guard against that bunch of old fogeys in the Main House.
"Well then, Brother Neji, I'll be going first," Hinata said at this point.
"Where are you going?"
"Um..." Hinata blushed upon hearing this, then fidgeted with her fingers. "Um, before I came out, I made an extra bento. I wanted Naruto-kun to try it too."
Hearing this, Neji's face also gradually turned red. For a sis-con, the most painful thing wasn't actually his own precious cabbage being rooted up by a pig, but his own precious cabbage proactively going to root up the pig that was most unbearable.
"Uzumaki Naruto, you really deserve to die!" Neji looked at Hinata's departing figure and secretly gritted his teeth.
(End of Chapter)
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