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The night was deep, and all was silent.
The vast mountain range in the western Land of Fire.
The chirping of insects and the roaring of beasts had long ceased, leaving only the rustling of the wind through the forest.
Countless Konoha shinobi moved silently through the tree canopies and between rocks.
Hyuga clan shinobi stood at vantage points, veins bulging on their foreheads, their Byakugan piercing the darkness, observing any abnormal chakra within several kilometers around them.
Inuzuka clan shinobi, along with their shinobi dogs, crouched low, noses to the dirt, catching any unfamiliar scent in the air that didn't belong to this mountain forest.
Aburame clan shinobi released countless parasitic insects, covering every leaf and every inch of soil, forming an all-reaching reconnaissance network.
On their periphery, more sensory shinobi formed groups, extending their mental energy to its limit.
Konoha's most elite reconnaissance force was almost entirely deployed!
They fanned out from the area marked by the daimyo on the map, carefully searching every inch.
The operation was efficient and disciplined.
All information was conveyed through the most concise codes.
"A3 area clear."
"B5 area no abnormalities found."
"C1 area scent unchanged."
Cold commands came together silently, then dispersed, continuing their rigorous search.
Time passed by little by little.
As a hint of pale light appeared in the eastern sky, the faint glow of dawn pierced the darkness.
The high-intensity search that had lasted all night left some young shinobi physically and mentally exhausted.
"Captain, will he really... be here?" a young Inuzuka shinobi couldn't help but ask in a low voice, his shinobi dog by his side letting out a tired whimper.
They had searched their assigned area three times already and found nothing.
"This is the daimyo's order."
The middle-aged jonin, referred to as Captain, didn't turn around, his gaze still scanning the surroundings.
His words made all doubts vanish.
The daimyo.
These four words, in just one night, had gained a weight surpassing that of the Hokage.
Just then, a Hyuga shinobi at the very front of the team suddenly froze.
In his Byakugan's field of vision, behind a seemingly ordinary rock wall, a very faint chakra flow appeared.
But it was still captured by the Byakugan.
It was an extremely sophisticated genjutsu barrier, almost perfectly fused with nature.
If he hadn't pushed his Byakugan to its limit, he wouldn't have noticed it at all.
He didn't make a sound, only quickly made a gesture: target found.
Everyone in the squad instantly entered combat mode, suppressing their presence, yet moving like lightning, silently surrounding the rock wall.
After only a few steps, the middle-aged captain suddenly raised his hand.
He stopped the team members from advancing further.
His gaze was fixed on a withered tree dozens of meters in front of the rock wall.
It was an outpost!
Once they attacked the barrier, this outpost would immediately sound the alarm!
"I'll take care of him," a shinobi skilled in assassination said in a low voice, drawing the short blade from his back.
"No." The captain shook his head, glanced at the sky, and said. "It's almost dawn. We don't have much time."
"Execute according to plan B!"
"Yes!"
The middle-aged captain looked at the Hyuga shinobi and another sensory shinobi. "You two retreat immediately and send the intelligence coordinates back to headquarters!"
"This is a top-priority order!"
"Captain?!"
"Execute the order!"
The two gritted their teeth, immediately turned, and withdrew.
The middle-aged captain took a deep breath and signaled to the remaining team members.
Three... Two... One... Move!
The moment his arm swept down, his figure instantly vanished!
The Kumogakure outpost immediately sensed something and snapped his eyes open!
What greeted him was not a flash of a blade, but a giant shinobi dog descending from the sky!
"Fang Over Fang!"
The shinobi dog's violent spinning and biting forced the outpost to only use the Body Replacement Technique to dodge.
However, this was just a feint!
The moment the Kumogakure shinobi landed, the middle-aged captain had already appeared behind him, thrusting out a poisoned kunai.
Pfft!
Blood splattered.
The Kumogakure shinobi didn't even have time to let out a scream before he was killed with a single blow.
But in the last moments of his life, he still instinctively crushed a specially made scroll hidden in his sleeve.
A faint electric light flashed and disappeared.
"Withdraw!"
The middle-aged captain let out a low roar, not lingering in battle, and led his subordinates to turn and run.
To determine the enemy's precise location!
The most important mission has been completed.
Meanwhile, deep within the canyon, the massive reverse teleportation array was operating frantically, with each flash of light accompanied by the appearance of dozens of elite Kumogakure shinobi.
Mabui's face was pale, relying entirely on the medical shinobi beside her to continuously replenish her chakra.
Inside the canyon, it was already filled with a dense mass of figures.
Three thousand people!
Three thousand bloodthirsty Kumogakure elites!
A stood at a high vantage point, his gaze sweeping over the army below, his heart surging with ambition.
This was his trump card, on which he had gambled everything!
"Raikage-sama!"
A Kumogakure shinobi rushed over. He was responsible for external vigilance.
"We've been discovered!" he panted, his voice urgent. "Konoha's search party has found us!"
"Where have they found us?" A asked.
"They've already entered this mountain range!" the reporting shinobi said urgently. "According to their advance speed, at the latest... at the latest by noon today, this place will be discovered!"
A's fist instinctively clenched.
How could it be so fast?
He had calculated that with Konoha's reaction speed, it would take at least two days to pinpoint the approximate location.
And the original plan was for the general offensive to be launched the day after tomorrow, to completely destroy Konoha's will to resist with lightning speed.
But now, the exposure time was a full day earlier!
This meant Konoha would have an entire extra day to prepare!
The greatest advantage of a surprise attack would be greatly weakened!
Just as his thoughts raced, an ear-splitting alarm suddenly blared from the direction of the canyon entrance!
Buzz!
The piercing alarm caused everyone in the Kumogakure camp to look up, their eyes filled with cold killing intent.
"It's... it's the warning barrier at the entrance!" The reporting shinobi's face immediately fell. "They... they found us!"
The piercing alarm drove away A's last trace of hesitation.
Since it couldn't be hidden... then, it wouldn't be hidden!
"Hahahahahahaha!"
He suddenly threw his head back and laughed wildly, his laughter filled with long-suppressed madness and violence. "Good timing! Perfect timing!"
"Since we've been discovered, let's start the war early!"
He abruptly turned, looking down at the thousands of elites who moved at the sound. "Pass on my order!"
"Deactivate the barrier!"
"Mabui!" After giving the order, A then looked at the tottering Mabui. "Before noon today, send as many of the remaining people over as possible."
"Destroy the teleportation array after noon."
He was going all in.
"Yes! Raikage-sama!" Mabui bit her tongue, using the sharp pain to forcefully stimulate her mental energy, and formed hand seals again!
The next moment.
Buzz!
The genjutsu barrier covering the canyon broke apart and faded away.
Three thousand Kumogakure shinobi.
Three thousand cold, bloodthirsty killing intents.
At this instant, they erupted without holding back!
The massive chakra suppressed by the barrier instantly overwhelmed the sensory balance for dozens of miles around!
Konoha's reconnaissance unit, currently rushing frantically, was horrified by this sudden terrifying pressure and stopped dead in their tracks.
The Hyuga clansman who was rushing back turned his head in horror.
In his Byakugan, the distant canyon had already changed dramatically.
Three thousand chakra light points were squeezed together, giving off an aura of destruction!