Ten minutes earlier.
On the other side.
The Mist ninja group had just emerged from the forest, nearing the valley.
Suddenly, a Mist Jōnin in the group stopped and asked a nearby Chūnin, "How long has it been since the scouting team last reported?"
Hearing this, the Chūnin paused, checked the time, and replied, "About seventeen minutes."
As he spoke, his expression changed several times.
It was no wonder. According to regulations, the scouting team ahead must report back every fifteen minutes. If the situation is urgent, the frequency can increase. But under no circumstances should it decrease.
Now, two minutes had passed since the designated communication time.
Eliminating the possibility of a simple mistake, the only reason for the delayed report was clear: they had encountered trouble.
What kind of trouble could they be facing?
In an instant, both the Jōnin who asked the question and the Chūnin who answered looked up at the sky.
Vaguely, they spotted a black dot seemingly circling above them.
But they both knew it wasn't just a dot—it was the Konoha Jōnin known as the "Ghost Blade," Uchiha Seimei.
Their entire journey had been under his surveillance.
Now, with the scouting team ahead unresponsive, the most likely culprit was Konoha.
Realizing this, the Mist Jōnin who had spoken earlier raised his right arm without hesitation and shouted, "Everyone, stop moving!"
The entire Mist group halted, instinctively scanning their surroundings and raising their guard.
*Shh shh shh~*
Several figures appeared in front of him, all Jōnin from the group.
They looked at Captain Ayada Kiku and asked, "Captain Ayada, what's going on?"
Ayada Kiku wasted no time and immediately explained the delay in communication from the scouting team.
Everyone present wasn't a fool—they quickly grasped the implication.
Someone immediately suggested, "Why don't we send another team to investigate?"
But before he could finish, another person interrupted, "One team is too few. We should send several teams so they won't all die one by one."
The others nodded in agreement.
Indeed, if the scouting team had been taken out by Konoha ninja, sending just one more team wouldn't be enough.
But sending several teams would be different.
Even if they weren't a match for the enemy, they'd likely manage to send back intelligence.
With that, they could make preparations in advance.
Captain Ayada Kiku quickly agreed to the suggestion.
Soon, six teams were dispatched, moving in pairs toward the valley from the left, center, and right.
At first, everything seemed normal.
But soon, explosions rang out from the forest on the right side of the valley.
Everyone recognized the sound—it was the explosion of paper bombs.
Instantly, the entire Mist group became hyper-alert.
Meanwhile...
Sano Nobuhisa heard the explosions and immediately understood that it was now almost impossible to ambush the enemy completely.
Fortunately, he hadn't counted on the plan succeeding.
After all, the valley was too ideal for an ambush. As long as the Mist command was even slightly cautious, they wouldn't fall for it.
So why had he rushed here?
The answer was simple: to gain the advantage of the terrain.
This valley was a strategic location, positioned along the only route between Fish Town and Heishi Town.
The direct route was quick, but any detour would take even a ninja over half an hour.
The Mist ninja had wisely avoided charging straight into the ambush, which prevented the trap from being fully effective.
However, Sano Nobuhisa believed they could still lure the enemy in.
This wasn't impossible.
The Mist forces from Fish Town had fully mobilized, advancing in two prongs, clearly intending to encircle them.
This meant both Mist groups had to coordinate their arrival times closely.
Thus, the Mist forces outside the valley couldn't afford to take a detour or delay their advance.
Considering the apparent strength difference between the two sides, Sano Nobuhisa figured the Mist ninja, even if they sensed something was wrong, would push forward cautiously.
All he had to do was give them the opportunity.
With this in mind, Sano Nobuhisa instructed Yamanaka Aoi to send messages to the other teams, telling them to follow the plan.
The plan was simple: most of their forces would stay hidden and remain still, leaving only a small group to engage the Mist ninja's probing forces, giving the impression that only one or two Konoha teams were present, harassing them.
As expected, after discovering that the enemy in the valley couldn't quickly defeat their scouting team, Ayada Kiku sent another wave of soldiers. Once he confirmed there were only a few Konoha squads inside, he ordered the entire group to move forward.
It wasn't that Ayada Kiku hadn't considered the possibility of Konoha luring them in, but he simply didn't have the time to investigate further.
Besides, in his eyes, absolute strength trumped any strategy.
Ayada Kiku believed they had the upper hand in terms of raw power.
They didn't know the exact situation at the Heishi base, but based on their last battle, they had a good idea of how many forces Konoha had left.
Even if Konoha had set an ambush, Ayada Kiku felt confident they could handle the situation.
In the worst-case scenario, even if most of the Konoha forces had come, they could hold out for an hour or two.
And that would be enough time for their allies, launching from the sea, to overrun the Heishi base.
Afterward, they would regroup and annihilate the Konoha forces.
If there was no ambush, they could ignore the small Konoha teams and proceed to their objective on time.
Either way, they wouldn't lose out.
That's why Ayada Kiku confidently led his group into the valley.
This was precisely the situation Sano Nobuhisa had hoped for.
Both sides were full of confidence.
However, while Sano Nobuhisa's confidence stemmed from Uchiha Seimei, a Jōnin far beyond the average, Ayada Kiku?
He hadn't considered one critical question: What if they couldn't hold out for long enough?
(End of Chapter)