After a brief exchange of pleasantries with the fishermen who had arrived, Tazuna approached Asuma, Shikamaru, and the others. After hesitating for a moment, he lowered his voice and said, "I need to ask a favor of you..."
However, Asuma did not wait for Tazuna to finish speaking. He raised his hand to cut him off and turned to Shikamaru, saying, "I'm feeling a bit tired, so I'll head to my room to rest. You'll be in charge of planning the security operations for tomorrow's protection of Mr. Tazuna."
Shikamaru nodded in understanding. Compared to rogue ninjas, ninjas from the Hidden Villages were more strictly regulated. Any mission had to be contracted through the village, and the C-rank mission taken by Team 10 was to protect Tazuna's safety until the bridge was completed. Any other tasks, even without payment, would be a violation of the Hidden Village rules if handled outside the scope of the mission.
Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji, being Genin, were still allowed to assist Tazuna and the Land of Waves in some capacity, but Asuma, as a Jonin, would face severe consequences if he overstepped. Though Asuma's behavior might seem somewhat suspicious, sometimes things just needed an excuse.
As Asuma left the living room with a calm expression, seemingly unaware of what was about to unfold, Tazuna let out a sigh of relief. If Asuma had insisted on preventing Shikamaru and the others from helping, Tazuna wouldn't have known how to handle it. He silently thanked his past decision.
"Shikamaru, do you have any plans?" After Asuma left, Tazuna turned to Shikamaru. The heavy weight on his shoulders lifted, and his expression relaxed. He scratched his head awkwardly. "I'm good at construction, but when it comes to combat, I'm clueless."
Though the people of the town, after Inari's persuasion, had finally come to realize they needed to resist Kado's rule, they were still just ordinary citizens. They had no knowledge of tactics or combat plans and needed Shikamaru and the other ninjas' help.
In the original story, Kado's thugs were demoralized and fled when they encountered the threat of Zabuza and Kakashi's ninjutsu. If a conflict were to arise between these two factions, the common people of the Land of Waves would stand no chance.
"Just a mob," Shikamaru observed as he looked at the disorganized crowd. He shook his head slightly and spoke plainly to Tazuna, "Mr. Tazuna, you only need to keep four trustworthy people here. The rest can go home."
No matter how carefully crafted a battle plan might be, it ultimately comes down to the people involved. These fishermen, though eager, lacked the necessary combat knowledge and discipline. If not for some other factors, Shikamaru himself could easily deal with Kado, even with his subordinates. Poisoning, assassination, traps—these were the ninja's skills, honed for killing. Compared to the fishermen, their fighting ability was negligible.
Tazuna hesitated but ultimately followed Shikamaru's advice. He explained the situation to the fishermen. Some of them clearly had complaints, but they didn't dare question the respected Tazuna and left without argument. In the end, only four middle-aged men remained in the house.
Once the others had departed, Shikamaru, Ino, Choji, and the four middle-aged men followed Tazuna to the dining room and sat down at the table. Tsunami brought tea for everyone and was about to take Inari away, but Tazuna stopped her with a smile. "Inari is a little man, let him stay."
Inari's face lit up, and he quickly slipped from Tsunami's grasp to find a seat, sitting up straight with a serious expression.
Shikamaru glanced at him but didn't comment. Ino, however, found Inari's behavior amusing and smiled softly.
"These three are ninjas from the Hidden Leaf Village," Tazuna began as he gestured to the Genin. "On my way back to my country, they've saved me many times and even killed assassins sent by Kado. To defeat Kado, we'll need their help."
The four middle-aged men grew visibly excited. Although the Land of Waves was a small country and few people had ever seen ninjas, they had heard many stories. With the help of ninjas, their chances of success had increased significantly. Despite the fact that the ninjas looked young, the men understood that Tazuna had been familiar with them enough to know they were from one of the Five Great Shinobi Countries and had killed many of Kado's assassins.
"Kado himself isn't a big threat," Shikamaru said, taking the lead. He spoke calmly, not putting on an act. Only those who had truly become ninjas could understand the exceptional power they wielded. In Shikamaru's previous life, in a world without supernatural forces, the difference in personal strength between individuals wasn't as drastic. Therefore, his understanding of power was especially profound. Even the wealthiest people, if it came to killing them, weren't much more difficult than ordinary people—and might even be easier than dealing with a low-level ninja.
"I'm sure you're all aware," Shikamaru continued, ignoring the puzzled expressions of Tazuna and the four men. "Kado's subordinates are just a group of thugs. The real trouble is them."
"You mean... a revolt!?" Tazuna's eyes widened as he quickly realized the implication. His voice trembled slightly as he asked.
Shikamaru nodded calmly. Kado's thugs were violent criminals within the Land of Waves. If Kado were killed without someone controlling these criminals, they would spread chaos. Even hiring ninjas to capture them would be a hassle. The people of the Land of Waves would suffer more and die in greater numbers.
"We must wipe them all out!" Ino said, her expression cold as she recalled the criminals they had dealt with in the past, those who had killed their own comrades.
"What should we do?" asked one of the tall, thin middle-aged men, his face filled with anxiety.
Shikamaru smirked slightly, his eyes narrowed. "I'm sure someone has already gone to Kado to report," he said softly.
The faces of Tazuna and the others changed dramatically. They wanted to argue or express anger, but the fear of Shikamaru's ninja identity kept them silent. They knew better than to challenge him. The death of Keisha had been because someone had betrayed them and reported his actions to Kado.
This world was never short of people like that—those who would sell out their comrades to earn a chance at survival. If this had happened like in the original story, where there was no time to betray anyone, they would have been caught unawares. But now there was time, and such people would reveal themselves.
"Kado has received word of your betrayal. To prevent anything from going wrong, he'll come with all his men tomorrow to crush your rebellion and suppress everyone with force," Shikamaru said, his voice calm and measured. "It would be better to strike before they can prepare. If we allow the rebellion to grow, Kado could use violent measures to suppress it, but this would draw unwanted attention and cause damage. The best option is to destroy the resistance while Kado's men are still unprepared."
"Won't they come tonight?" asked a short, scarred middle-aged man, his voice filled with worry.
"A night raid?" Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji all laughed. Choji was the first to speak. "That's impossible!"
Kado's subordinates were just a group of thugs, not even a real army. If they tried a night raid, there would be too few of them. The people here would be prepared, and it would be easy to handle. Even if there were more of them, their disorganization and lack of discipline would make a night raid impossible. Kado should know this better than anyone, which is why he had kept his actions quiet.
Tazuna and the others, seeing the confidence in the trio, had no choice but to trust them. They listened as Shikamaru continued, "The only way they can come is by sea. They'll be coming by ship. As for where they'll land, there are a few possibilities, but the most likely place is the unfinished bridge..."
He pointed to Tazuna. "Because you'll be there, Mr. Tazuna, Kado will likely lead his men to capture you first. But don't worry. As long as Asuma-sensei is around, you'll be fine."
Tazuna, being the key figure in the resistance, was naturally Kado's primary target. The landing point for Kado's forces could also be the small town or the residential area, but the town wasn't as strategic, and the narrow streets of the residential area were easy to control. As long as a ninja was stationed there, nothing could go wrong.
"I'll stay at your house to protect Inari and Tsunami, in case they try to split their forces and use hostages to threaten us," Shikamaru said, narrowing his eyes. He lightly tapped the table with his fingers, his expression calm. "Choji and Ino will hide near the bridge and sabotage their ships."
"What you four need to do is lead the fishermen and block the bridge when Kado and his men arrive tomorrow!"
PS: Read advance chapter at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin