Behind the hilltop defensive line, the 500-man reserve force led by Shikaku Nara and Kushina Uzumaki stood ready, prepared to reinforce the front lines at any moment.
"One through Four Hills have each encountered around fifteen hundred enemies. The enemy has committed six thousand troops in the first wave of attacks."
Beside Shikaku, a Hyūga clan shinobi was reporting what he had observed with the Byakugan.
Shikaku frowned slightly when he heard this. Something felt wrong.
If he were commanding with such an overwhelming numerical advantage, he would have used equal numbers to pin down three of the hills, then concentrate superior forces to break through the fourth in one decisive strike.
But instead, the enemy had evenly distributed six thousand troops across all four hills.
Although this gave them local superiority in every engagement, it would inevitably drag the battle into a stalemate.
Yet the Allied Shinobi Forces should be the side most lacking time.
Moreover, they still had over four thousand troops that had yet to be deployed.
For Konoha, that was definitely not good news.
Shikaku had intentionally pushed the defensive line forward precisely to lure the allied forces into committing more of their troops.
But now they had only sent six thousand.
More than four thousand remained available to react flexibly.
Against those four thousand, the two thousand shinobi led by Orochimaru might completely lose the element of surprise.
Shikaku's mind raced, analyzing every possible scenario and potential countermeasure.
Unfortunately, the information available to him was still far too limited. He couldn't determine the enemy's true objective—and without that, he couldn't formulate a precise response.
Even so, Shikaku remained extremely calm.
His expression did not change in the slightest as he quietly waited for the battlefield situation to evolve.
"Second Hill has detected powerful chakra fluctuations! A strong opponent has engaged Lord Ren. According to our intelligence, it should be Kitsuchi of Iwagakure and Rōshi, the Four-Tails jinchūriki!"
The Hyūga shinobi beside him suddenly spoke again, his tone carrying a trace of excitement.
Shikaku asked calmly,
"What about Minato's First Hill? And the Third and Fourth Hills? Have any elites appeared there?"
"Not yet… wait!"
The Hyūga ninja shook his head, but suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
"Something's happening at Fourth Hill! This—"
Whatever he had seen seemed so shocking that he momentarily forgot to continue speaking.
Shikaku also turned his gaze toward Fourth Hill. However, due to the distance, all he could see were flashes of explosions and hear the roars of battle.
Nothing more.
"What exactly happened at Fourth Hill?"
Shikaku urged.
The Hyūga ninja snapped back to his senses and hurriedly reported:
"The defensive line at Fourth Hill is collapsing across the board! Clan Head Hiashi has already sent out a request for reinforcements!"
"The enemy attacking Fourth Hill appears to consist mostly of chūnin-level or above shinobi. Our defenders can't hold them back!"
"An elite troop strategy, huh?"
Shikaku remained completely composed. He wasn't influenced by the Hyūga ninja's agitation.
Nor did he rush to respond.
Instead, he continued asking,
"What about the remaining four thousand allied troops? Any movement?"
The Hyūga shinobi froze for a moment before quickly shifting his gaze farther away.
"Yes! Of the remaining four thousand, three thousand are moving toward Fourth Hill!"
"It seems they want to break through the entire defensive line from there!"
"Three thousand… that's strange."
Shikaku's brows furrowed slightly.
The defense at Fourth Hill was already collapsing. If the allied forces intended to break through and flank the other three hills, they wouldn't need so many troops.
Furthermore, after moving three thousand troops away, only one thousand soldiers would remain in reserve on their main front.
That would actually create a vulnerable point that Konoha's forces could exploit.
So the enemy's objective was definitely not just flanking the rear.
After pondering for a moment, Shikaku turned to Inoichi Yamanaka , who was carrying a specialized communication device.
"Inoichi, contact Clan Head Hiashi and the shinobi at Fourth Hill. Tell them to fight while retreating—do not clash head-on with the allied forces."
Inoichi immediately closed his eyes and began carrying out Shikaku's order without hesitation.
After years of cooperation within the Ino–Shika–Chō formation, he would never question Shikaku's commands.
Shikaku then turned to the Hyūga shinobi and said sternly,
"Once the order is delivered, report every reaction from the allied army immediately. Don't miss even the smallest detail."
The Hyūga ninja nodded and focused his gaze on Fourth Hill without relaxing for even a moment.
After a short while, he suddenly spoke again.
"Something's not right. After arriving at Fourth Hill, the three thousand reinforcements didn't attempt to help expand the breach in the defensive line."
"They're charging forward at full speed—even when attacked, they don't stop to fight back!"
A sharp glint flashed across Shikaku's eyes.
"I see."
"They're planning a lightning strike on Konoha."
Their reckless advance made it obvious that their target wasn't any of the four hills.
Otherwise, the best course of action would have been to remain there, help the attacking force destroy the defenders at Fourth Hill, and then deal with the remaining three hills.
So what could be more important than victory at Kikyō Mountain Fortress?
Only one thing.
Konohagakure itself.
The reason they attacked Kikyō Mountain in the first place was to open the road to Konoha Village.
If they could strike Konoha directly, then the battle at Kikyō Mountain would no longer matter.
The moment they reached the gates of Konoha—
Konoha would have already lost.
"As expected of the Allied Shinobi Forces," Shikaku said sincerely.
"To come up with a strategy of abandoning Kikyō Mountain and launching a direct strike on Konoha…"
Yet he showed no panic.
Within this dangerous strategy, he also saw an opportunity.
Shikaku immediately issued orders:
"Inoichi, notify Chōza immediately. Have him go to First Hill and relieve Minato. We don't need a counterattack—just stabilize the situation there."
"Then have Minato return here immediately."
"Also inform Obito Uchiha : there are no elite enemies among the forces he's facing. Tell him to stop holding back."
"Launch a full assault. He must pierce through the enemy formation and lure their remaining one-thousand reserve troops toward Third Hill."
After a pause, a cold gleam flashed in Shikaku's eyes as he added:
"And send a signal to Orochimaru."
"Tell him to prepare to attack."
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