---Third POV---
When communication difficulties were mentioned, Ryouma couldn't help but nod. His old teammate, Shiori, was a typical example of an Uchiha who wasn't good with words. Her economy with words had often left him interpreting silence more than speech.
"Fugaku-sama, you mentioned earlier that one of my teammates is a member of the Uchiha clan. Do you know her?"
"It must be Shiori. I know her father quite well. I've seen this child several times, she's very polite."
That was a lie.
Fugaku did know Shiori, but his understanding was limited to her talents. Beyond that, he only knew that she had a father who was a jonin.
If he recalled correctly, her father's name was Homura. He hadn't seen him on missions for years, as he was reportedly recovering from an injury at home.
Still, Fugaku was keen on building a good relationship with Ryouma. Naturally, he wouldn't say something like, "Ah, I'm not close to Shiori's family at all."
Ryouma immediately saw through Fugaku's lie, but he didn't mind because the next question was what really mattered.
"Fugaku-sama, do you know what Shiori has been up to recently?"
As the clan leader, Fugaku did have an answer.
"Shiori? Last month, she applied to join the Kiri battlefield. At that time, the situation wasn't as tense as it is now, but she seemed eager to go to the frontlines, so I approved it."
"She requested frontline duty specifically?" Ryouma couldn't hide his surprise.
Fugaku nodded. "Quite insistent, actually. Unusual for one so young, but her skills warranted the assignment."
Hearing Fugaku's response, Ryouma suddenly understood. No wonder he hadn't seen her recently, turns out she couldn't sit still and had run off to the battlefield on her own.
The more he talked with Fugaku, the more he realized that the man wasn't bad at all. He didn't exhibit the typical arrogance associated with the Uchiha clan. On the contrary, he was humble in his speech and demeanor.
No wonder the Third Hokage believed he could lead the Uchiha clan to integrate with the village.
"What do you think of the Third's strategy for the Land of Water's border?" Fugaku asked, breaking the momentary silence.
Ryouma considered this carefully. "Reactive rather than proactive. We wait for Kiri to make incursions, then respond. It minimizes our losses but cedes initiative."
Fugaku looked impressed. "Precisely. I've suggested more aggressive reconnaissance, but resources are stretched thin on multiple fronts."
"And the Hyūga would be ideal for such reconnaissance, but that creates its own complications," Ryouma suggested.
Fugaku's lips quirked in a knowing smile. "You grasp the situation quickly."
During the remaining journey, Ryouma found a pleasant conversation partner in Fugaku, making the trip more enjoyable.
---
The battlefield between Konoha and Kiri was within the borders of the Land of Fire.
As a result, it took Ryouma and his team less than a day to reach Konoha's main base for the Kiri battlefield.
The Kiri battlefield base emerged from the forest like an aging fortress. Unlike the hastily constructed outposts of the Land of Rivers, the conditions here were far better than in the Land of Rivers.
This was because the base had been built shortly after Konoha's founding as a precautionary measure against Kiri. Even during peacetime, ninjas were stationed here on rotation.
The base was almost the size of a small village, with numerous multi-story wooden buildings that showed their age.
As they passed through the main gates, Ryouma immediately noticed the subtle division of space. Uchiha clan members dominated the eastern buildings, while Hyūga occupied the western side. Even in shared spaces, an invisible line seemed to separate the two clans.
After arranging the ninja troops they had brought, Ryouma and Fugaku headed to the command center of the base together.
Along the way, Fugaku enthusiastically introduced the surrounding facilities.
"The mess hall serves all shifts, though most prefer to eat with their clan," Fugaku gestured to a large building to their right. "The training grounds are technically shared, but..."
"Let me guess, scheduled to avoid overlap?" Ryouma ventured.
Fugaku grimaced slightly. "Precisely. The medical wing is here, staffed primarily by non-clan specialists to avoid accusations of favoritism."
"And the command center?"
"Central building, as neutral territory as we can manage."
Previously, as an ordinary ninja, Ryouma wouldn't have cared about such details. However, now that he was an advisor for the Kiri battlefield, it was necessary for him to understand the territory under his management.
They opened the doors to the command center.
Inside, several ninjas were busy organizing various documents. Upon closer inspection, most of them were from the Uchiha and Hyūga clans. As Ryouma observed the office environment, a Hyūga ninja hurried over and spoke softly.
"Fugaku-sama, Ryouma, Commander Hizashi has been waiting for you both inside."
The messenger's respectful tone conveyed professionalism, but the tension in his posture spoke of the underlying clan dynamics.
Since the main forces on Konoha's side against Kiri were the Uchiha and Hyūga clans, the leadership of this base had always been shared between the two. One was Fugaku, and the other was Hizashi.
As the clan leader of the Hyūga clan, Hizashi's older brother, Hiashi, couldn't personally go to the battlefield even if he wanted to, his clan elders wouldn't allow it. Hence, Hizashi, was the most suitable choice.
Hizashi stood as they entered, his resemblance to his twin brother Hiashi immediately apparent. When Ryouma and Fugaku entered the command office, he immediately greeted them.
"You must be the Leaf's Gale who ended the Suna battlefield. I've heard much about you."
Ryouma's expression was complicated. As expected of Hiashi's brother, they both spoke in such an overly formal tone.
"You flatter me. It was all thanks to Captain Minato and the others. I only did what little I could."
"Your modesty is noted, but unnecessary," Hizashi said, his keen eyes studying Ryouma.
Seeing how well the two got along, Fugaku decided to get straight to the point.
"Let's dive right into the main issue. Recently, Kiri ninjas have been increasingly raiding the Land of Fire's coastline. How should we respond?"
"Their patterns suggest probing operations rather than committed invasion. Testing our response times and defensive capabilities," Hizashi replied.
Ryouma thought for a moment before asking, "How have you been handling it so far?"
Fugaku and Hizashi exchanged a glance before the latter answered, "Up until now, the Uchiha and Hyūga clans have generally operated separately in their respective missions."
"Separate operations against the same enemy?" Ryouma frowned. "That seems... inefficient."
"We've each been assigned different sectors of the coastline," Fugaku explained diplomatically. "The Uchiha handle the southern approach, while the Hyūga monitor the eastern shores."
"It allows each clan to develop specialized knowledge of their sector," Hizashi added.
Ryouma found this a bit odd. Since the group was relatively familiar with each other by now, he asked directly, "Why operate separately? Wouldn't it make more sense to mix the Uchiha and Hyūga ninjas into teams to leverage each clan's strengths? The Sharingan's analytical capabilities paired with the Byakugan's range would create formidable reconnaissance units. Tactically, it's the obvious approach."
Fugaku sighed. "At first, we tried that, but the results… weren't ideal. The Uchiha and Hyūga ninjas didn't coordinate very well."
"That's a diplomatic way of putting it," Hizashi said, his tone carefully neutral.
"What happened?" Ryouma asked.
"Arguments over mission leadership. Disagreements about tactical priorities. Accusations of withholding information," Hizashi explained.
"One team nearly came to blows over whether to pursue an enemy or protect a civilian settlement," Fugaku added grimly.
Ah, Ryouma understood. Perhaps the harmonious atmosphere between Fugaku and Hizashi had momentarily made him forget that the Uchiha and Hyūga clans weren't exactly friendly.
After the Senju clan gave up their surname and fully integrated into Konoha, the Uchiha and Hyūga clans became the only two remaining noble clans in the village.
Both clans were "dōjutsu families," and their rivalry to prove who was Konoha's true premier clan created a long-standing tension. Their ninja often competed against each other in secret.
Trying to form cooperative teams between the two clans was easier said than done.
Before Ryouma's arrival, Fugaku and Hizashi had experimented with forming teams of two Uchiha and two Hyūga ninja. However, the success rate of missions completed by these mixed teams was almost half that of missions completed by teams composed entirely of either Uchiha or Hyūga members.
Despite multiple attempts and even individual discussions with team members, urging them to consider the village's interests, the results remained unimpressive.
While assembling a team of individuals with compatible personalities might work, the number of such potential teams was too small to make a significant difference in the overall war effort.
"Eventually, we determined that parallel operations were more effective than forced integration. We coordinate at the command level, share intelligence, and provide backup when requested. It's not ideal, but it's functional," Hizashi explained.
Ryouma didn't contribute much to the subsequent discussions. After all, most of the ninja forces here were Uchiha and Hyūga clan members, and there was no need for him to interfere excessively.