"Right here, here, and here. This is the weakest point we've identified so far. Take a look—you'll see what I mean. We have to cross the river here, and it's not a spot that offers much cover."
That meant this area was not only a hotspot for enemy ambushes but also an open stretch where stealth was nearly impossible.
This was precisely why Naruto wanted to know which areas would be tough to take.
He needed a brilliant plan to cover both himself and Yugito during the crossing.
Once across, they'd have to sprint at full speed to reach the Cloud ninja unit.
"Since we already know so much," Naruto asked, "why don't we just send someone straight through this way? It seems like a perfect breakthrough point."
"You're not even hearing me," Jiraiya said, jabbing Naruto on the forehead in exasperation. "Breaking through the front line is never the hard part. The real issue is what happens afterward. When we sent in the first assault squad, Shikamaru's Shadow Mirror Body Changing Method couldn't affect those enemies at all. They didn't engage us directly but instead retreated from three directions, reorganizing their attacks. They'd even leave us an intentional escape route. That's exactly what they want us to do. If we commit everything to an attack, we could defeat them, but they'd go all out just to kill a few more Konoha ninjas before falling. That's their real objective. Even if we launch multiple surprise attacks, we can't truly occupy their territory."
That sounded strange. How could Konoha ninjas possibly get caught in a pincer movement from three sides? They wouldn't repeat the same mistake twice in the same place.
Unless… unless the enemy were as cunning as the Root Anbu.
"Burn the forest down. Flush them out."
That was a brutal move—direct and sure to work. Jiraiya could certainly find a ninja proficient in Fire Release to execute this plan.
"We tried that," Jiraiya quickly shattered his hopes, pointing at a scorched patch of earth on the ridge where only bare tree trunks remained. "We attempted this method when we launched our attack. The enemies did indeed retreat as we expected, but the fire didn't spread beyond the target area. As they retreated, they cut down trees along the way, stopping the fire from spreading further."
"Could they have dug tunnels?" Naruto asked Jiraiya, the idea lingering stubbornly in his mind. "Think about it—maybe our reconnaissance teams can't detect them because they're underground?"
"That's right…" Although their counterattacks were predictable based on available intel, their movements couldn't be tracked. "Could it be that they dug tunnels without our noticing?"
But how could anyone even locate tunnels hidden beneath such a dense forest? This also explained why the Cloud ninja unit had been deep behind enemy lines for so long without finding the enemy base. Their base must be subterranean.
However, how credible was this theory?
Looking at Jiraiya's expression, Naruto already knew what he was thinking.
It was very possible. Root had tunnels dug throughout the region, giving their agents places to hide and retreat—even deep inside enemy territory like the Land of Lightning.
Naruto had used tunnels before when he fought Kakuzu and Hidan. Under the most basic conditions, digging and concealing tunnels wasn't difficult.
The more complex the terrain, the easier it was to hide.
And who could guarantee the enemy hadn't planned ahead?
Even if there had been no tunnels before the war began, the mobilization gave them ample time to dig.
Now, who knew exactly how many tunnels lay beneath the ground?
"Fine," Naruto said as he clenched his fist and slammed it against the ground.
"Do you think digging a tunnel is hard?" he asked. "I could dig a decent one by hand in under a minute—and I didn't even use Earth Release!"
He was only twelve back then, with nothing but a single Kunai to dig with.
The more they thought about it, the more likely it seemed that the enemy had indeed dug tunnels.
The enemy's intentions were clear: avoid direct confrontation at all costs, minimize their own injuries, and provoke Konoha into launching a larger-scale attack.
They wouldn't dare risk digging tunnels across the river—that also explained why that area became the breakthrough point in the enemy's frontline.
If they succeeded, sneaking into Konoha's camp via the tunnels could let them unleash a devastating surprise attack—assuming, of course, they really had dug those tunnels.
A grin spread across Jiraiya's face as he placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder.
"If I'm not mistaken," chuckled the sly old Toad Sage, "I know exactly how to deal with these guys."
"Don't worry about it, leave it to me. Your mission is just to cross the river safely." Since Jiraiya had put it that way, he must've already cooked up a clever plan to deal with them. Those poor fools were about to get a harsh lesson from Jiraiya.
"In the next operation, I'll draw all their attention to us, clearing the way for you and Yugito."
It sounded like they were preparing for a full-scale assault.
"You planning to break straight through their frontline?"
"Haha, kid…" Jiraiya laughed. "To break through a frontline, you've first got to have a frontline to begin with. But you're not entirely wrong either. It's time we showed them what we're made of. We're moving out tonight. Move fast—we didn't make this plan just to buy you time; that's just an added bonus."
In other words, if Naruto didn't want to get caught up in Konoha's imminent general offensive, he needed to act early.
Naruto caught his meaning. He nodded, turned, and walked away, leaving Jiraiya behind to continue plotting his "clever plan."
The sly and sinister grin on Jiraiya's face foretold a storm of bloodshed brewing.
******
Shimogakure, Hoshigakure, and Yumegakure—these three villages had each been ordered to attack Konoha, each in their own way. Each possessed its unique strengths.
Yumegakure was deeply familiar with battlefield terrain. They knew how to employ various techniques to dominate their own terrain. However, they relied too heavily on that home advantage, constantly waging wars against nearby smaller villages, which ultimately impoverished them. Only in recent decades has this situation begun to improve.
The Ninja of Hoshigakure are renowned for their immense strength, and they specialize in identifying enemy targets during conflicts with Konoha. Their village lies above a rare meteoric mineral buried deep beneath the surface. The radiation it emits contaminates the surrounding environment, yet it also bestows them with potent chakra. Through arduous training, they are able to harness and master this formidable power.
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