Morning mist blanketed the land.
After nearly two weeks of travel, Hyūga Shinichi and his group finally approached the border of the Land of Fire.
In the first few days after leaving the village, their pace had been swift. But once they established contact with the Hyūga clan's shinobi stationed at the front lines, their speed slowed considerably.
Although Hyūga Hiashi had been escorted back to Konoha due to his injuries, many Hyūga shinobi remained on the battlefield, conducting reconnaissance missions. According to their reports, Konoha's forces had completely lost track of Ao's movements.
To avoid alerting the enemy, Shinichi decided to deliberately slow their advance, prioritizing concealment over speed as they carefully moved toward the border.
By now, they had reached the inland region that once bordered the former Land of Whirlpools.
As they neared the sea, the environment grew markedly different from that of Konoha. The air was heavy with ocean moisture, carrying a faint salty tang. The damp earth and slick tree trunks made it easy to leave traces behind.
Because of that, the Hyūga group slowed their pace even more.
Though still within the borders of the Land of Fire, they were already very close to the conflict zone. Encountering a Mist Village reconnaissance unit here would not be surprising in the least.
The Land of Fire did not directly border the Land of Water. Between them lay three small nations: the Land of Iron, the Land of Whirlpools, and the Land of Bears.
The Land of Whirlpools had long since fallen. Though people still lived there, it had devolved into a loose system of self-governing villages—isolated, self-sufficient, and largely cut off from the outside world.
In the ongoing struggle among the great nations, the ruins of the Land of Whirlpools had become contested territory between Konoha and the Mist. The civilians living there—though not shinobi—had nonetheless become victims of the war.
As the Third Shinobi World War dragged on, countless innocents had already been caught in the crossfire or fallen prey to rogue ninja from both sides.
The situation in the Land of Bears was much the same.
Although its feudal lord still ruled in name, the Land of Bears lacked any significant military strength—unlike the powerful Land of Iron. This made it an ideal springboard for Mist forces invading Konoha, and it too had become a battlefield.
Ao had last been seen on the main island of the former Land of Whirlpools, and that was precisely Shinichi's destination.
Beyond this point lay the true front lines. Crossing the border would mean stepping into grave danger.
As the salty scent of the sea thickened, Hyūga Hizashi pulled out a field map to check their current position.
"Shinichi," he said, "at our current pace, we'll reach the coastline soon."
"If we're heading for the front lines, we'll need a ship. Should we use one of the village's war vessels or try to stow away on a civilian one?"
After days of marching together, Hizashi understood Shinichi's intent—to strike like a surprise unit, kill Ao before the enemy could react, and then retreat swiftly.
That was why the intelligence-gathering had been left to the Hyūga stationed at the front, while Shinichi's team advanced slowly and discreetly.
But now the question of how to cross the sea had become the most pressing concern.
Though ninja could walk on water, crossing the sea that way would consume an immense amount of chakra. The Land of Whirlpools had already become a war zone—fighting and dying were daily occurrences there. Entering without full strength would be suicidal.
However, using a Konoha warship risked exposing their operation—Mist spies were surely monitoring Konoha's naval routes.
And civilian ships carried their own risks of exposure.
Ultimately, Hizashi left the final decision to his nephew—partly to give Shinichi experience in command.
After a brief moment of thought, Shinichi quickly wrote four short commands: "Cease movement. Hold position." Then, using the Flying Thunder God Technique, he teleported the notes to the other four squads.
Once the main team halted, the others followed suit.
"Orochimaru and Danzō are political allies," Shinichi said calmly. "To be honest, I don't trust Orochimaru."
"The village's warships are definitely under enemy surveillance right now—the risk is far too great."
"It's better to disguise ourselves and use a civilian route."
"Uncle, are there any fishing villages nearby?"
His decision came quickly, and Hizashi couldn't help but look at him with admiration.
After spending this time together, he had come to understand his nephew better. What impressed him most wasn't Shinichi's raw talent as a ninja—but his decisiveness.
That ability to make clear, quick judgments marked the difference between an ordinary shinobi and a true leader.
Hizashi nodded thoughtfully.
"There's a small fishing village nearby. You're planning to take a boat from there?"
"Ordinary fishermen won't dare approach a war zone. And with so many of us, we'd draw too much attention."
Shinichi smiled faintly.
"Who said our numbers have to be visible?"
"We'll send one person ahead carrying my Flying Thunder God kunai. Once they reach the Land of Whirlpools, I'll teleport the rest of us there."
"That way, no one will ever know how many we truly are."
As he spoke, Shinichi pressed his hand against the trunk of a nearby tree, leaving behind a Flying Thunder God seal.
It was something he had been doing regularly throughout their journey—marking safe points along the route for quick retreats in case of emergencies.
Before even planning the strike on Ao, Shinichi had already mapped out escape routes for every squad.
"Ah… right," Hizashi murmured, momentarily stunned before letting out a soft laugh.
He had made detailed plans, but he'd forgotten that Shinichi possessed the Flying Thunder God.
That technique didn't just boost his combat power—it was invaluable for strategy and logistics as well.
"Then let's have Mio handle the sailing," Shinichi continued.
"A woman draws less suspicion."
Hyūga Mio, who had been quietly keeping watch, nodded in acknowledgment.
But just as the group prepared to continue, Shinichi suddenly sensed something—six chakra signatures, all strong, appearing abruptly within his sensory range.
"Hmm?"
None of the outer Hyūga squads had noticed yet, but Shinichi's sensory skills had detected them early.
"Ninja approaching—six of them. Their path doesn't seem to target us directly."
Narrowing his eyes, he tracked their movement. The enemy's route would bring them dangerously close—only a few hundred meters—from the western Hyūga squad.
Realizing this, Shinichi quickly wrote a warning note and teleported it to them.
Under Hyūga Keisuke's Byakugan watch, the notified squad immediately shifted from resting to combat readiness, hiding their presence while scanning the area.
Ten minutes later, the six-man Mist unit entered their visual range.
Through the Byakugan, the Hyūga could clearly identify their attire—Mist Village scouts.
"A Mist reconnaissance team?"
"They've crossed the front lines and infiltrated our territory?"
"What are they after?"
Their squad leader, Hyūga Yūta—barely in his twenties—frowned. All of Shinichi's escorts were young; the clan head had wanted them to experience real battle and grow stronger through it.
Yūta relayed silent hand signals to report the situation to Shinichi's main unit.
But just as they were observing the Mist squad, the enemy abruptly changed course—heading straight toward them.
"We've been spotted!"
"Mist shinobi incoming! Prepare for battle!"
Yūta's voice was low but urgent. Moments later, the forest erupted with rustling movement.
The mist thickened, and several sharp whooshes pierced the air—kunai and shuriken slicing through the fog, flying straight toward the hidden Hyūga shinobi in the trees.
Clang!
Clang!
Steel rang against steel as the Hyūga deflected the attack. Their positions compromised, four of them regrouped quickly, forming a tight defensive circle with their backs to each other.
"This mist… It's chakra-infused," Yūta noted grimly. "It's their jutsu."
Indeed, the Byakugan revealed faint traces of chakra throughout the mist. But while it could obscure normal vision, it was useless against the Hyūga.
Through their all-seeing eyes, they could clearly make out the hidden Mist shinobi—on tree branches, behind rocks, closing in.
They were surrounded.
To the Mist, it was an ambush.
To the Hyūga, it was a trap about to be reversed.
The Mist scouts didn't realize that Shinichi's main force and the other Hyūga squads were already encircling them.
Calm and composed, Yūta held his kunai and called out:
"Come out! No need to hide!"
"Against the eyes of the Hyūga, your petty tricks are useless!"
A brief silence followed—then soft footsteps echoed all around.
From within the fog, a low, amused voice replied:
"Hyūga, huh? Looks like our luck's run out. We really picked the wrong scouts to bump into."
"In that case… no helping it."
The voice faded.
An instant later—whoosh!—a barrage of Water Bullets tore through the mist, shooting straight toward the Hyūga's position.
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