Chapter 207: Preparation

(T/N: There is now a p.atreon for this work, and any new work I add will be dropped there first. check it out for an early release of up to 30 chapters edited smoothly. https://www.p.atreon.com/INeedRest)

****************

War was never a child's play.

After Tsunade's return, Konoha entered a state of emergency.

Led by Shikaku Nara, a group of elite Jōnin were busy with logistics, personnel scheduling, and team configuration.

The workload was enormous for everyone.

Not even Colt was spared.

Although he usually doesn't concern himself with much, he still holds the positions of Anbu Corps Captain and Medical Chief.

At this time, many decisions had to be made by him.

Looking at the dense list of personnel in his hand, Colt felt a headache coming on.

"The Anbu will temporarily report to Shikaku-san according to their strength and expertise; he'll arrange you well."

"As for the medical department... Leave two senior members to maintain the normal operation of the Hospital. Everyone else will report to the Ninja Alliance with me."

Most of the medical ninjas were very weak in combat, so it was best to take them to the Allied Forces headquarters for protection.

the group of medical ninjas, wearing face masks and white hats, exchanged glances.

In the end, they followed Colt's instructions.

On Naruto's side, the real situation was still unknown.

Tsunade had only used the mission as a pretext, adding the word "secret," which immediately made Naruto too excited to question it.

Before he left for the secret mission, Colt also took time to meet with Naruto.

"I heard from Jiraiya that you can already use the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode. That's impressive"

Naruto scratched his head, embarrassed.

"Kurama has partially approved of me, but we haven't reached perfect synchrony yet."

As he spoke, Naruto activated the Nine-Tails' Chakra to show Colt.

The golden Chakra cloak appeared, with strange black runes on the collarbone and abdomen.

Colt nodded, "Not bad, but this is only the preliminary Nine-Tails Chakra Mode. In this state, your own Chakra is still being eroded by Nine-Tails."

"Work hard, and by our next meeting, aim to become a perfect Jinchūriki."

There was a waterfall on Turtle Island, as the Fourth Raikage had mentioned before, that reveals the dark side of one's heart. Colt knew about it from the show.

It's very helpful for communicating with the tailed beast. And would work well for Naruto.

Colt also informed Jiraiya about this, knowing he would take appropriate actions.

"I will!" Naruto said firmly.

"When I return, I'll definitely defeat that masked man and bring Sasuke back from the Akatsuki organization!"

Two days ago, when Sasuke was in Konoha, he was still training.

By the time Naruto learned about it, Sasuke had already disappeared.

Naruto was still annoyed by this.

Colt shook his head as he heard this.

'He's hopeless…'

Finally, Colt looked at Naruto's stomach.

"Kurama, I know you can hear me. Once you and Naruto successfully synchronize, make sure to help him enter the Sage Mode."

Inside Naruto's stomach, Kurama pouted and continued to keep his eyes closed as if he didn't hear anything.

Naruto left, accompanied by the Cloud Shinobi's guide, plus Jiraiya, and Konan.

Two days later, Konoha's army was assembled and set off towards the Cloud Shinobi Village.

Colt took Hinata and the others along with the medical team, responsible for guarding their safety.

After five days of trekking through mountains and rivers, the group finally arrived at the residence the Cloud Shinobi Village arranged for them.

Within the combat headquarters, Tsunade, as the commander-in-chief, sat at the head of the table, with the other four Kages and Mifune on either side.

"This is the strongest strategist in our village, Nara Shikaku. All battle plans will be left in his hands," Tsunade introduced Shikaku to everyone.

None of the Kages objected; The Nara clan had been renowned among the major powers since the Sengoku period.

Shikaku handed a stack of papers to each of them.

"Let's discuss the arrangements for the Ninja World Alliance first."

"First, I did not divide the combat teams according to their respective hidden villages, but rather by each person's combat style."

"This approach will greatly enhance each team's specialized strength, but it also poses significant risks."

"The Five Great Ninja Villages have long-standing grievances. I hope you will restrain the people in your village so that our strategy can work well."

The Fourth Raikage agreed.

"No problem. I can guarantee that the Cloud Shinobi will comply."

Gaara and the others also nodded in agreement.

Shikaku breathed a sigh of relief and continued with his plans.

"The first unit consists of ninjas who excel in mid-range combat. The main force is ninjas proficient in weapons and hidden weapons, and the leader is Darui of Kumogakure."

"The second unit is composed of ninjas who specialize in melee combat. The main force includes Taijutsu masters like the Hyuga clan, and the leader is Kitsuchi of Iwagakure."

"The third unit is a short- and medium-range support unit. The ninjas in this team possess both physical strength and speed. The leader is Kakashi of Konohagakure."

"The fourth unit, the long-range support unit, is primarily responsible for closely coordinating with the intelligence unit and supporting frontline battles. The captain is Gaara of Sunagakure."

"Gaara is also the commander-in-chief of all combat divisions, as he is also a Kage."

"The fifth unit is a special combat unit that uses unique ninjutsu and attack methods. This unit mainly includes ninjas with secret techniques or special bloodline limits. The captain is Mifune of the Land of Iron."

After hearing his arrangements, Ōnoki expressed his appreciation.

"To come up with such a detailed plan in just a few days is indeed impressive. As expected of the leader of the Nara clan"

At the same time, he felt a pang of regret.

If he had known that Konoha had such a talent in the past, he would have used all means to send someone to assassinate Shikaku, rather than sitting here and praising him.

The Akatsuki organization may be a threat to the ninja world, but it is also the first time the villages have come together like this.

However, that thought was just fleeting.

Ōnoki found that this cooperation between the villages felt surprisingly good.

"That's too kind of you. This is just a rough estimate. The time was too short, and the information too limited, to make a more comprehensive plan."

Shikaku was humble at first, then subtly proud.

Next came the arrangements for various small units, such as Kankuro's surprise troops.

"I'll handle the medical affairs. I'll ensure that everyone here returns alive," Colt suddenly spoke up, requesting to be the captain of the medical unit.

This might be his last chance to gather a large number of attributes in the short term.

Of course, he wouldn't let it pass.

Shikaku nodded, having the same thought.

Colt was not only very powerful in medical ninjutsu, but he could also protect the more vulnerable medical ninjas with his own strength.

However, the other Kages had strange expressions.

Such a strong fighter, reduced to being a medical ninja? What a waste.