After a short period of rest, the four members of Team Eleven had slightly recovered their strength. Now, the urgent issue before them was deciding their next move.
Spreading a map on the ground, the four of them sat in a circle and began to strategize.
Pointing at the map, Shisui was the first to speak. "The Land of Hot Water has been heavily infiltrated by Kumogakure. They have a lot of informants here, so we can't stay in this place any longer. It's best if we move immediately and retreat along this route."
The route Shisui pointed to followed the eastern coastline of the Land of Hot Water, heading back toward the Land of Fire.
From a strategic perspective, this route appeared unsafe as it lay between the spheres of influence of Konoha, Kumogakure, and Kirigakure. However, it was precisely this chaotic control that made the route the safest. None of the villages had absolute dominance in that region.
Over time, this area had become a neutral zone where many retired or rogue shinobi had taken refuge.
Guy immediately nodded. "Yeah, this route makes sense."
Given Team Eleven's current condition, unless they were extremely unlucky and ran straight into the main forces of Kumogakure or Kirigakure, they should be able to cross the area without much issue.
Kakashi, the team captain, remained silent while staring at the map.
Noticing Kakashi's hesitation, Hyuga Kagami said, "If there's something on your mind, just say it. We've all been through life-and-death situations together. There's nothing we can't discuss."
Although Kakashi had kept the previous secret mission hidden from the team, leading them into danger, the mission had come directly from the Third Hokage, leaving him no room to question or refuse. Furthermore, he had taken on the most dangerous task himself and nearly died, so none of the team held it against him.
Kakashi pointed to their current location on the map and said slowly, "Technically, we've completed our mission and should head back to Konoha immediately. But think about it. Right now, we're located directly between Kumogakure's forward strike team and their village. This is a critical location!"
Hyuga Kagami picked up from there. "Yes, this location spells danger for us, but for Kumogakure, our presence here is like a thorn in their side. As long as they haven't eliminated us, they can't confidently advance into the Land of Fire. Just in terms of slowing them down, the four of us are worth a full shinobi army."
Team Eleven had just destroyed one of Kumogakure's secret warehouses and eliminated over 300 stationed and supporting shinobi. No matter how confident they were, Kumogakure couldn't ignore the threat posed by Team Eleven.
If they discovered that Team Eleven was still active in the Land of Hot Water, their offensive against the Land of Fire would surely be delayed—perhaps even forced to a complete halt.
Shisui considered it and said, "That's right. We're all injured, and our combat strength has dropped significantly—but Kumogakure doesn't know that. As long as we stay hidden and show ourselves from time to time, we can scare them into hesitation. They won't commit all their forces to the front lines."
Currently, Kakashi was so weakened that he could barely move, making him essentially combat-ineffective.
Guy, although able to move again, had multiple broken bones and was also not fit for combat.
Shisui had overdrawn his chakra and stamina by repeatedly using his Mangekyo Sharingan. Being the youngest among them, his recovery ability was also the weakest, leaving him at only 30-40% strength.
Only Hyuga Kagami, who had regained 70–80% of his chakra, retained any real fighting ability.
This wasn't because Kagami's physical constitution was vastly superior, but rather because the massive Tenseigan on the moon had fully restored his injuries during the previous battle in the valley. As a result, he retained most of his combat capability.
The four quickly reached a consensus to remain temporarily in the Land of Hot Water, harassing Kumogakure's rear strike forces.
Hyuga Kagami agreed with the plan because, from his memories of his previous life, he knew that Kumogakure didn't plan to escalate the conflict indefinitely. If the situation reached a stalemate, they were likely to seek peace talks.
And if Team Eleven was the reason Kumogakure and Konoha returned to the negotiation table, it would be a tremendous honor and credential for all four of them.
The Fourth Hokage's rise to prominence was a perfect example—nothing built reputation faster than achievements in war.
—
In the Land of Fire, within the Kumogakure strike force's encampment…
After active communication with the village's rear command, frontline commanders—Gyuki Jinchuriki Killer Bee, Matatabi Jinchuriki Yugito Nii, and Storm Release user Aida—finally received the message that the Fourth Raikage had issued a 'halt offensive' order.
As Killer Bee stared at the message in his hand, the normally carefree expression on his face turned uncharacteristically grim.
The message from the Raikage stated that four secret warehouses along the border had been attacked nearly simultaneously by Konoha's ANBU. One of the warehouses had been completely destroyed, along with over 300 Kumogakure shinobi who had been stationed there.
Yugito crossed her arms and sneered, "Hmph, Konoha always resorts to underhanded tricks."
Aida, the deputy commander, said worriedly, "It's not surprising they found the locations—supply routes are hard to completely hide—but the fact that they wiped out over 300 of our shinobi? That's no small feat."
Though proud, Yugito knew that eliminating that many trained fighters wasn't easy. She pursed her lips and asked, "Which of Konoha's elite haven't made an appearance yet?"
A Kumogakure jonin acting as secretary stepped forward. "Based on all gathered intel, the only prominent Konoha shinobi who have yet to appear are the Uchiha Clan Head, the Hyuga Clan Head, and the Third Hokage himself."
Aida analyzed, "The Hyuga main family rarely participates in front-line combat. Even during the Third Great Ninja War, they only appeared a few times when the situation was dire—so we can rule them out. The Uchiha, however, have been conspicuously absent this time. It's very possible they were involved in the warehouse raids, and the team may even have been led by the Uchiha Clan Head."
Yugito added, "If it wasn't the Uchiha Clan Head, then the team leader must have been the Third Hokage himself!"