As the group marched along, most of the thousand-strong unit led by Tsunade were members of the Senju clan. However, Uchiha Ryun, an Uchiha, was following closely behind Tsunade, which made the Senju clansmen somewhat displeased.
Upon reaching the border:
"Lady Tsunade, leave the scouting to me," a young man from the Senju clan stepped forward, bowing to Tsunade.
Tsunade looked at him. His name was Ryūichi, originally Senju Ryūichi, a skilled scout and a talented jonin. His words made Tsunade consider the offer.
Uchiha Ryun had originally intended to stay silent, but when he noticed Ryūichi giving him a disdainful look, he felt compelled to speak up.
"Lady Tsunade, I can conduct reconnaissance without any injuries, without losing a single soldier," Uchiha Ryun said calmly. He felt he needed to show his abilities; otherwise, the Senju clansmen might gossip about him.
He didn't care about himself, but he couldn't let Tsunade's reputation suffer.
Tsunade turned to look at Uchiha Ryun, curious. How could he claim such a thing? Even veteran scouts couldn't guarantee injury-free reconnaissance.
Before she could respond, Ryūichi snorted coldly. "Uchiha brat, it's not that I don't trust you, but have you even been on a battlefield? Do you know what scouting means?"
"A scout who isn't careful gets captured, and once captured, they suffer a fate worse than death. Claiming you can scout without injuries is just nonsense," Ryūichi said coldly.
This Uchiha kid was clearly a braggart. He had no idea what Uzumaki Mito saw in him.
Uchiha Ryun shook his head. Then, he covered his left eye with his hand while opening his right palm, where sand gathered and formed into an eyeball.
"Magnet Release: True Sight Eye," Uchiha Ryun announced. The eyeball floated from his palm and circled around Ryūichi.
Ryūichi was stunned. What kind of jutsu was this? Wait—Magnet Release! The Senju clansmen all stared at Uchiha Ryun. A Kekkei Genkai! Just like Lord Hashirama's Wood Release, this was another Kekkei Genkai!
Their expressions immediately softened. Regardless of how strong Uchiha Ryun's Magnet Release was at the moment, having a dual-Kekkei Genkai subordinate like him would be a great asset to Tsunade.
"Ahem, Ryun, please explain the function of this True Sight Eye," Tsunade said. She already knew about Uchiha Ryun's dual-Kekkei Genkai, so she wasn't too surprised.
Now, she wanted to understand the specifics of this Magnet Release jutsu. Uchiha Ryun didn't keep her waiting. He smiled and said, "This jutsu is called True Sight Eye, or Scouting Eye."
Then, he opened his left hand, revealing that the eyeball in his left socket had disappeared. The onlookers gasped.
"The True Sight Eye shares what it sees with my left eye. Even if the enemy detects and destroys the eye, it won't harm me much. I just won't be able to use it again for a while," Uchiha Ryun explained.
"Range?" Tsunade asked, pinching her chin in thought.
Uchiha Ryun turned to her and answered seriously, "Ten kilometers in radius."
Tsunade's jaw dropped. Even Ryūichi's eyes widened. Ten kilometers might not sound like much, but for shinobi, real-time detection at that distance would make an army nearly invincible.
Ryūichi took a deep breath, then bowed deeply to Uchiha Ryun. "My apologies, Lord Ryun. I was ignorant. Please forgive me!"
Indeed, the Senju clan had their pride, but they were quick to admit mistakes and correct them. The Uchiha, on the other hand, would probably just eliminate whoever displeased them.
Uchiha Ryun quickly helped Ryūichi up. "Brother Ryūichi, you were just looking out for the safety of our unit. Besides, ignorance isn't a crime. Later on the battlefield, I might even need your protection!"
Uchiha Ryun had none of the Uchiha's arrogance. Instead, his personality was more like a Senju's. After this incident, the Senju troops warmed up to this Uchiha kid.
"Lady Tsunade, later, could someone carry me? It's hard to move while I'm using this technique," Uchiha Ryun said sheepishly.
Ryūichi laughed heartily. "Lady Tsunade, leave that to me. After all, Brother Ryun is doing this for the safety of our entire unit."
With that, he hoisted Uchiha Ryun onto his back and strode forward steadily. Seeing this, Tsunade smiled slightly. Ryun really was a capable person.
"Good, Ryūichi, I'll leave him to you. Ryun, report immediately if you detect anything," Tsunade ordered.
"Understood!" x2—Uchiha Ryun and Ryūichi responded in unison.
They then crossed the border into the battlefield. The Land of Rain was perpetually drenched in heavy rainfall, unlike the warm, sunny Land of Fire.
After about an hour of marching, Uchiha Ryun suddenly called out, "Halt!"
Immediately, all the shinobi stopped, drawing kunai and shuriken, ready for combat.
Tsunade remained focused ahead. "Ryun, what's the situation?"
Uchiha Ryun said coldly, "Ten kilometers ahead, there are 200 elite Rain-nin, including 20 jonin, 50 chunin, and over 100 genin, advancing toward us."
Ryūichi scoffed. "Just a small unit. What's there to fear?"
Tsunade nodded in agreement, but Uchiha Ryun interjected, "Lady Tsunade, I recommend we detour left to avoid them. They're carrying poison gas canisters—likely Hanzo's personal toxin—and they're all wearing gas masks."
Tsunade's expression darkened. "Everyone, move left! Retreat quickly, minimize noise, and erase all traces!"
In just ten minutes, Tsunade's group had ascended a hill to the left, watching the path they had come from.
The Rain-nin arrived at their previous location, confused. Weren't they told an enemy unit was here? Why was there no one?
Seeing the poison gas canisters in their hands, Tsunade sighed in relief. She might be immune, but her subordinates weren't.
"Ryun, why didn't we go right? The terrain there was more open. Now that we're on this hill, how do we descend?" Tsunade frowned.
Uchiha Ryun grinned. "Because there's a fat yellow sparrow waiting on the right."
As soon as he spoke, another group of shinobi appeared where they had previously stood.
"Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu!"
"Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!"
"Earth Release: Earth Tomb Drop!"
A squad of Iwa-nin ambushed the Rain-nin, unleashing a barrage of Earth Release techniques that wiped out half of them instantly. Say what you will about Ōnoki, but he trained his soldiers well!