The sky was pitch black, heavy clouds rolled in and covered the light of the moon and stars.
Hundreds of shadows darted through gaps in the branches, startling birds and animals in the forest.
Suddenly, the sound of a horn rang out. The Konohagakure ninja troops stopped marching at once, standing still on the branches and forest floor, their eyes alert and watching the darkness as if a wild beast might leap out at any moment.
The commander who ordered the halt was standing on a treetop, staring into the distant night.
Orochimaru licked his lips. "As expected, something's not right over there."
Right now, the Konohagakure forces had already entered the area controlled by Kumogakure, but the ambush they expected never came.
A few Kumogakure ninjas lingered at the edge of the Byakugan's range, not attacking or harassing the march, as if they only wanted to confirm the position of the Konoha forces.
"What is Kumogakure trying to do? Wipe out this whole unit in one strike? No, that's impossible."
Orochimaru quickly dismissed the thought. It wasn't that it couldn't happen, but it would be the worst move for Kumogakure.
This time, Kumogakure had the advantage of moving first. While Konoha's forces were on the road, they had already begun building fortresses along the Land of Fire's border. There's no way they'd risk everything on a head-on fight.
And from the first analysis of Kumogakure's intent, it was clear they wouldn't act that recklessly.
"But still, they're acting like they want a decisive battle."
Orochimaru's face showed a hint of interest as he muttered, "So they're not trying to wipe out this unit at all costs, but they're willing to go all out to stop us from securing a base."
From Kumogakure's point of view, this was indeed the best choice.
If Konoha failed to take a fortress, they'd always have to guard against sudden attacks. Whether Kumogakure chose to harass or go for an all-out battle would be completely up to them.
Unless Konoha withdrew from their territory, they'd be stuck running themselves ragged.
Orochimaru had thought about this too, but at first he believed the enemy would just harass and delay them, cutting them down slowly. He didn't expect them to go for a straight, decisive strike.
Orochimaru looked toward the depths of the forest, where the shadows seemed to hide a beast ready to pounce.
Kumogakure had truly struck at Konoha's weak point.
Destroying is always easier than protecting, and even Orochimaru couldn't guarantee he could keep the fortress safe under Kumogakure's siege.
Not to mention, the enemy had two Jinchuriki who could transform into tailed beasts.
Kumogakure was greedier and bolder than he imagined, jumping straight into a white-hot showdown.
Orochimaru shook his head. The situation was too clear—and that was bad news.
Now, Kumogakure was focusing on surveillance rather than harassment, so pulling off anything under their noses would be difficult.
They needed to stir things up, create chaos, and find an opening to activate the fortress's barrier.
Thinking of this, Orochimaru said, "Fugaku, gather the barrier team."
He planned to move up the split-force plan he had already decided on.
Unlike normal bases, Konoha's highest-level fortresses were not only well hidden, but built with the strategy of "a cunning rabbit has three burrows." There was never just one real fortress.
When building the real one, they also built two fakes to confuse the enemy.
Orochimaru had planned to use the main force and a fake fortress as cover to activate the real fortress's barrier. But with Kumogakure's current level of surveillance, the chance of success that way was too small.
At Orochimaru's words, Uchiha Fugaku gave orders to his clansmen. Soon, four four-man squads appeared before Orochimaru.
He picked out two of them and then turned to his guards.
"Shisui, Kakashi, each of you will lead one of these elite squads. Get them to the designated spots and make sure the barrier is activated."
"Yes!" Two figures jumped out, each leading a squad as they vanished into the trees.
A trace of worry flashed in Fugaku's eyes. "Orochimaru-sama, splitting our forces at a time like this might…"
"Don't worry. This isn't about matching strength."
Orochimaru glanced at Fugaku and said calmly, "Two squads—one covers for the other. The chances of success are high.
They're both top-level jonin. They know what to do."
"Besides, with us keeping Kumogakure busy, they won't dare spread themselves too thin."
"Drop all unnecessary thoughts. A tough battle is coming."
...
In the deep night, a figure leapt out of the darkness and said respectfully, "Raikage-sama, Konohagakure really did split their forces. A squad has rushed off toward the southeast."
The Fourth Raikage didn't even lift his head as he asked in a rough voice, "What's their strength?"
"Four Chunin, four Uchiha Jonin, very strong. One of them seems to be 'Shisui of the Body Flicker.' And there are also two four-man squads, they look like barrier specialists."
Although the Kumogakure ninja was guessing, his tone was firm. Clearly, he knew Konohagakure's shinobi very well. "The tracking squad we sent didn't dare make a move and tip them off. After probing them, they pulled back and are just watching from afar now."
Beside him, Yugito suddenly cut in, "Lord Raikage, given the size of Konohagakure's army, four Uchiha Jonin are a pretty big force. Their destination must be the fortress."
The Fourth Raikage nodded. "That's possible, but we can't ignore the chance this squad is just covering the main force."
Yugito spoke with full confidence. "Lord Raikage, let me take care of them. Just four Jonin—I can finish them myself."
With the power of the Two-Tails' Jinchuriki, handling four ordinary Jonin wouldn't be hard. But these were Uchiha…
The Fourth Raikage frowned. "Yugito, take a Jonin squad with you for support."
Before she could argue, Raikage added, "Taking them down isn't the main goal. The top priority is destroying the target fortress."
Yugito opened her mouth but, under Raikage's stern gaze, could only answer, "Yes!"
Then she leapt into the night. One Jonin and three Chunin quickly followed after her.
"Heh, big bro, wanna bet?" Killer Bee sang out in his odd tone. "You think this squad is guarding the real fortress?"
"Doesn't matter if it's real or not. They won't succeed. Yugito will take care of them."
The Fourth Raikage shot Killer Bee a glare and said coldly, "And besides, we won't let them succeed on this side either…"
Before he could finish, a huge blast rang out from the forest. A bright pillar of light pierced the night sky.
Looking up at the glaring light in the darkness, the Fourth Raikage grinned fiercely. "Is Konohagakure challenging me to a duel?"
"Killer Bee, come with me. Let's meet them head-on!"
…
A few miles away, Orochimaru, with help from the barrier squad, wrapped a building so that its only function was to shine brightly.
Fugaku's eye twitched. "Orochimaru-sama, this is way too obvious."
"Heh, that's the point." Orochimaru sneered. "Even if everyone knows it's fake, Kumogakure still won't dare treat it like it's fake."
---
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