Even so, their goal here was not to wipe out the Konoha camp in one strike with Tailed Beast Ball. That kind of operation was unrealistic from the start. Their plan was meant to weaken the enemy without revealing their full strength.
"Fire Rat Ball."
Standing on the tree, Yugito Nii raised her hand and formed seals, then spat out rat-shaped flames wrapped in the Two-Tails' Chakra. When they hit the ground, the flames silently split into several fire rats. The fire rats moved at extreme speed, leaving blue afterimages as they rushed forward.
Under Yugito Nii's control through the Two-Tails' Chakra, these fire rats would head straight for Konoha's warehouses and burn them down without a sound. Thanks to the nature of the Two-Tails' Chakra, the flames would not be extinguished by Water Release before their energy was fully consumed. Once ignited, the destruction would be difficult to stop.
"Scatter!"
At the command, the other members of the Kumogakure Ninja dispersed at once, preparing to coordinate with Yugito Nii for the next wave of attacks. This would both draw the attention of the Konoha Ninja and provide cover, while also setting up a follow-up strike once the warehouses caught fire. If everything went as planned, the chaos would tilt the battlefield in their favor.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had taken the initiative by declaring war and quickly uniting the clans to deploy forces, pushing the battlefield closer to Land of Moon on the edge of the Land of Lightning. From the border of the Land of Lightning, one could almost see the Konoha camp directly, which was why the Fourth Raikage had been scolded by the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning. No one expected Hiruzen Sarutobi to act so decisively, catching the Raikage and Kumogakure completely off guard.
The drawback, however, was that Konoha had stretched its supply lines much farther. If the supplies stored in the camp were burned down, Kumogakure could switch from defense to offense before reinforcements arrived and push the battlefield back. This was the opportunity they were waiting for.
Just as the Kumogakure forces spread out, a sharp cry suddenly rang out. The piercing screech of an eagle echoed through the air, and everyone instinctively stopped and looked up. An eagle circled above them, then released a scroll from its talons.
Yugito Nii flashed forward to catch it and frowned after opening it and reading the contents. Land of Hot Water? Underground Palace? None of this made immediate sense to her. The message was unexpected and confusing.
"An order from the Raikage." She looked up at the other Kumogakure Ninja and spoke. "This operation is suspended. The mission target has changed, and I will explain on the way."
She raised her hand and extinguished the fire rats that had already rushed out, then led the group toward the direction indicated in the scroll. The others were puzzled, but they followed without hesitation. Orders from above were not something they questioned in the field.
At the same time, inside the Konoha camp in Land of Moon, within Jiraiya's tent. A puff of white smoke burst out as a toad appeared in front of him, croaking its report. The information made Jiraiya frown.
"Call them back," Jiraiya said as he turned to a member of the Yamanaka Clan nearby.
"What happened?" Kakashi Hatake asked with curiosity. "Didn't we spot Kumogakure Ninja activity in the rear?"
"It was the Kumogakure Two-Tails Jinchuriki," Jiraiya replied, his expression heavy and confused. "But they suddenly withdrew just now."
With Mount Myoboku as his support, Jiraiya's eyes were not limited to the Konoha ninja alone. Even ordinary toads served as his scouts. Small moves by Kumogakure rarely escaped his notice.
He had already set up an ambush by playing along, yet the Kumogakure forces abruptly aborted their mission for no clear reason. This left him unsettled.
"Did they notice us?" the Yamanaka Clan liaison asked after opening his eyes.
"…Probably not," Jiraiya said after a moment of thought, shaking his head. "According to the toads, they stopped because they received orders."
At that moment, Yunchuan Hyuga, who had been standing silently behind Kakashi Hatake, suddenly spoke. "Which direction did they leave in?"
Kakashi Hatake's expression changed slightly, as if he had realized something. After questioning the toad, Jiraiya also understood.
"South," he said in surprise. "Land of Hot Water? They actually changed their target to Land of Hot Water?"
That was no ordinary squad, but one that included the Kumogakure Two-Tails Jinchuriki. Why would the Fourth Raikage send such a force to Land of Hot Water? The decision was hard to ignore.
"This is bad," Kakashi Hatake said with a deep frown. "The Fourth Raikage must have obtained solid information. That place likely holds something they need."
Otherwise, the Fourth Raikage would never forcibly interrupt this operation and redirect such a critical asset to Land of Hot Water. Jiraiya naturally came to the same conclusion. He had not paid much attention to the so-called abyss mentioned by Kakashi Hatake before.
After years of traveling the Ninja World, Jiraiya had heard countless legends and strange tales. Most were unverifiable rumors, with only a few involving things like evil gods or monsters that left actual traces. Even then, approaching them often brought disaster rather than value.
But seeing Kumogakure mobilize on such a scale made him hesitate. Could there truly be some hidden treasure? The thought lingered in his mind.
Just then, the tent flap was lifted. A member of the Konoha Ninja walked in and froze for a moment at the tense atmosphere and Jiraiya's expression. He quickly recovered and spoke in a serious tone.
"According to black market intelligence gathered by Root, someone has hired a large number of bounty ninja and sent them toward Land of Hot Water."
Before he could finish, Kakashi Hatake abruptly stood up, no longer able to stay seated. The chair scraped loudly across the ground. "Jiraiya-sama, I will take my leave first."
He moved to pull Yunchuan Hyuga along, but Jiraiya stopped him. "Wait," Jiraiya said firmly. "Take some more people with you."
Everyone knew that Onoki liked to use bounty ninja behind the scenes. Those bounty ninja clearly meant that Iwagakure was interfering. The Fourth Raikage of Kumogakure was one thing, but Onoki was no fool and never acted without purpose.
What Jiraiya did not realize was that Onoki was thinking along the same lines. Only Yunchuan Hyuga, with his broader perspective, knew the full picture and found it slightly amusing. Everything was unfolding exactly as expected, even exceeding his projections.
This was the so-called catfish effect. In a broad sense, it referred to strengthening weaker parties by introducing strong competitors. Once one or two sides began to act, others who viewed them as rivals would feel threatened and be forced to move as well.
In Yunchuan Hyuga's view, if Kumogakure had acted any slower, even the usually quiet Sunagakure would have joined in. He dismissed the thought lightly. "Enough, forcing more would be pointless. Akatsuki, Kumogakure, Konoha, and Iwagakure are enough for testing."
His eyes flickered as he silently recited, "Manifest Underground Palace level one. Activation condition, the Two-Tails Jinchuriki's Chakra limit. Bodies that die within the Underground Palace will retain their souls and flesh." He briefly outlined the layout, restrictions, and functions of the first level of the Underground Palace.