Seeing Kaede arrive in the tent alongside Tsunade, Sarutobi Hiruzen furrowed his brow slightly.
"Do you suspect the Cloud ninja squad that infiltrated the Land of Fire is up to something?"
"Yes," Kaede answered calmly. "A squad of about twenty Cloud ninja appearing in the Land of Fire, and conveniently being discovered by our intelligence unit... it's a bit too coincidental. I'm worried the Cloud ninja may have a larger plan in mind. It can't just be about sabotaging the supply line."
Sarutobi Hiruzen fell into thought. "Your theory makes sense... But the Cloud ninja might be deliberately using a small squad of twenty to lure one of you, or Tsunade, into a trap. Then they could launch a full-scale attack and catch us off guard. If you and Tsunade go, the main force might be too weak."
"Both possibilities are valid, but I lean toward the first one. Abandoning a squad of twenty elite ninja to lure one of us seems unnecessary. Even if the Cloud ninja suddenly launches a full assault, we still have time to react."
"Also, how can they be sure one of us will go after the squad? It's just as likely a fifty-man team could be sent to deal with them. If their squad size doubles, then the latter scenario seems more likely."
Kaede was almost certain something was wrong with the Cloud ninja squad, and with that in mind, it was easy to find "problems" in their actions.
"Even if the situation you're worried about happens, with my speed, I can return before the Cloud ninja's full assault reaches us."
Upon hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen's furrowed brow relaxed slightly.
Indeed, if the Cloud ninja were to suddenly launch a full-scale assault, there would be no way it could happen without warning. With Kaede's high mobility, he could carry out two-pronged actions.
"Well then, you should go with Tsunade."
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded, then turned to Tsunade. "I'll send one more ninja to join your team for communication. Keep me updated and report any situation immediately."
…
Half a day later
Tsunade and Kaede led over fifty ninja, making their way from the front-line camp deeper into the Land of Fire, to the location where the intelligence unit had discovered the Cloud ninja.
After a bit of tracking, they quickly found the Cloud ninja's trail and roughly determined their objective.
"They seem to be aiming to destroy the Nigu Bridge and the Tenchi Bridge to severely damage our supply lines... It looks like they might be splitting into two teams," Tsunade said, holding a map and her gaze flickering as she assessed the situation.
Kaede pondered for a moment. "Team one and the intelligence unit should head to Nigu Bridge with me and Tsunade. Teams two, three, and four will go to Tenchi Bridge... Be sure to report immediately upon spotting the Cloud ninja, and avoid engaging unless necessary."
The Konoha ninja exchanged puzzled looks upon hearing Kaede's orders.
Normally, with their current manpower, it would make more sense for Tsunade and Kaede to lead separate teams, ensuring they had the advantage of numbers in case of an encounter with the Cloud ninja. But Kaede had made a rather unusual decision with the troop distribution.
A few jonin exchanged glances before looking toward Tsunade.
As the team leader, Tsunade's decision would ultimately dictate the actions of the group.
"Follow Kaede's plan," Tsunade finally decided after a moment's thought.
Her reasoning was simple: while she felt the Cloud ninja were probably splitting into two squads to attack the two bridges, there was no issue with Kaede's troop distribution. After all, even if they encountered all of the Cloud ninja, she and Kaede leading team one could easily defeat them. Meanwhile, with teams two, three, and four combining, they would have nearly forty members, almost double the Cloud ninja's strength. So they'd still have the advantage.
In simple terms, the strength they were deploying was overwhelming. Regardless of how the teams were split, if the Cloud ninja's goal was to destroy the bridges, they wouldn't stand a chance.
"Understood."
The jōnin who had been looking to Tsunade for confirmation nodded and immediately moved to lead their respective squads, splitting into two groups and heading in different directions.
Tsunade charged ahead, while Kaede followed closely behind. Around ten other ninjas led by Asahi Shinobu brought up the rear.
…
Soon
The group neared Nigu Bridge.
"There are ninjas!"
As they approached, Asahi Shinobu, who had been using his sensory abilities, suddenly alerted the team.
Tsunade glanced at him. "How many?"
"One... two... three..."
Asahi Shinobu closed his eyes and concentrated. After a moment, he opened his eyes and reported, "I sense ten in total. None of them seem to be particularly strong."
Tsunade's eyes narrowed as she turned her gaze forward. "Looks like they really did split up, trying to attack both Nigu and Tenchi Bridges. Everyone scatters and forms two teams to flank them!"
"Yes!"
Asahi Shinobu acknowledged the command and immediately split the ten Konoha ninja into two teams of five. They moved quickly to the flanks while Tsunade charged straight ahead.
Kaede followed by Tsunade, almost certain the Cloud ninja squad had something sinister in mind. However, he wasn't sure whether the issue was with the Nigu Bridge or the Tenchi Bridge.
In either case...
They would have to act.
After weaving through the forest, they landed on a large rock, where they could now see a river ahead, with a huge bridge spanning it.
Some Cloud ninja were gathered at various points along the bridge, drilling into its weaker spots, and several explosive tags were stuck to the structure, seemingly almost done.
"There are people!"
At that moment, a Cloud ninja's perceptive abilities kicked in, and he looked directly at Tsunade.
Tsunade's eyes flashed coldly as she leapt from the rock and charged toward the bridge, delivering a punch to the ground.
Boom!!
The ground shattered beneath her punch, and massive chunks of rock flew up, striking the nearest Cloud ninja, who barely managed to dodge with a look of shock on his face.
Swish!
Tsunade closed the distance, landing a punch directly at the next Cloud ninja. He drew his short sword, trying to block, but as soon as their weapons collided, it was as if he had been hit by a truck. The short sword snapped in two, and the ninja was sent flying, his body folding in an unnatural way as he slammed into the far bank of the river.
One ninja down, Tsunade's cold gaze landed on another nearby Cloud ninja. However, just as she was about to move, she noticed something odd, this ninja's face didn't show fear, but instead a glint of malice.
Splash!!
Two massive surges of chakra erupted from the river below.
The water exploded outward as two figures, moving with incredible speed, shot from the riverbanks. They approached from both sides, closing the gap in an instant.
"...Lightning Release: Thunder Plow Heat Blade!"
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