At three in the morning, the defected allied forces had all arrived outside Uzumaki village.
Four ninja villages, totaling two hundred elite Jonin, naturally noticed the earlier explosion.
But as turncoats, they couldn't be happier to see Rain ninjas suffer heavier casualties.
Yet this approach gave the Uzumaki clan sufficient time to clean up the battlefield.
Originally, Shūya had planned to tidy up after dawn. But after some dramatic-sounding explanation from a certain planner, he decided to get the job done quickly while darkness still covered them.
Although truthfully, even he didn't really believe another attack was coming so soon.
"This explosion seems like something the target prepared ahead of time." Kumogakure Captain hesitated to launch an attack. The cautious man certainly didn't want to follow in Rain's footsteps.
Kirigakure Captain immediately sneered, "Oh my, is Kumogakure thinking about backing out right at our target's doorstep? That'd truly ruin the good mood I've been enjoying all the way here."
"Hmph!" Kumogakure Captain glared sharply, his eyes piercing. The other guy quickly looked away, refusing to meet his gaze.
Iwagakure Captain stiffened at the tension between them. He had been waiting for reports from his own spy and had already started feeling like calling it quits.
The deafening blasts shaking the skies all night long made it obvious, even to a monkey, that someone had laid traps for intruders.
"So then we just pack up and go home? Keep in mind, after this, they'll surely seek help from Konoha. If we want to eliminate them next time, we'll have to start a full-scale war!" Takigakure Captain said with regret.
He knew very well that for a minor village like theirs to grow strong, it needed to seize resources through repeated raids.
Kumogakure Captain pinched the bridge of his nose—this dilemma froze him, unable to make a call.
Seeing this hesitation, Kirigakure Captain mocked again, "Looks like you can't even decide for Raikage himself. Water Shadow entrusted me fully with command over this entire operation!"
Hearing the thick sarcasm in the other's tone, Kumogakure Captain's anger flared, "Seems your arrogance has really inflated, Kirigakure! You sure as hell don't get to meddle in Cloud affairs!"
Immediately, Kirigakure Captain unsheathed his large blade, as if attempting to physically settle whether this plan should proceed or not.
"Bang!"
Iwagakure Captain swiftly blocked the punch thrown by Kumogakure Captain.
Then, in a calming voice, he advised both sides, "Now isn't the time for internal conflict. What happened inside Uzumaki village must've been caused by those Konoha ninjas hiding within—it's unlikely they'd still prepare such traps after traveling this far."
Quickly regaining composure, Kumogakure Captain withdrew his right hand, "Hmph, remember this well, Kirigakure! Kumogakure will demand satisfaction for this incident!"
Looking disappointed, Kirigakure Captain sheathed his blade.
The provocation meant nothing to him, "If you've got the guts, come try us out—there's only ocean separating Mist and Cloud!"
"Calm down. Considering Iwagakure's spy has probably already been exposed, why not seize the moment and wipe out the Uzumaki entirely?" Takigakure Captain refused to let go of this golden opportunity.
"Alright, let's set off at 4 a.m. then!" said the Kumogakure Captain, no longer dwelling on this issue.
At this moment, he believed that whether or not enemies lay in ambush merely added slight difficulty to their mission.
The Iwagakure Captain looked furious: "Also, those Konoha ninja! They actually found the spy we worked so hard to plant. They must be formidable opponents."
The Kirigakure Captain expressed agreement: "We should definitely deal with them first. Didn't intel say they only have one jonin and three kids? How about we each take one down? I want the Uchiha and Hyuga brats!"
"You Mist ninja already have so many Kekkei Genkai bloodlines and still want to target them?" The Takigakure Captain strongly disliked his suggestion.
"I'll take the jonin," stated the Kumogakure Captain concisely yet ominously.
"Then the remaining ones are all mine!" The Iwagakure Captain declared, still holding a grudge over the spy incident.
Within Uzushio Village, over a hundred elite members of the Uzumaki clan who had finished cleaning up the battlefield gathered inside the command center.
"Aha, almost 4 o'clock already," Shūya yawned, directing an unhappy glare toward someone.
"Uncle Shūya, please wait just a bit longer. You know this is when people's vigilance is at its lowest, Uncle Shūya."
"I naturally understand that, but do you expect the children hiding underground with us to keep waiting like this too? That place was temporarily created. Accommodating our entire clan there was already difficult enough."
"Don't worry, Uncle Shūya. That place is extremely solid. Even if Uzushio Village disappears, the people inside won't suffer any harm," Shen added, trying to change the subject and hoping to soften the blow.
"Is that what I'm talking about? Never mind, I'll send some clansmen out for reconnaissance myself." Shūya, seeing through his subtle intentions, didn't offer any pleasant expression.
He took over a hundred elite clan members with him before stepping outside the temporary command center.
After Shen saw him leave, he quickly started thinking about countermeasures: "They probably won't leave until achieving their goal. What are they afraid of then? Should I send a clone? No, better not. Now we must conserve sufficient chakra to handle various situations."
"Huh huh..." Nawaki Senju slumped in his chair, sleeping so peacefully that small bubbles formed at his nose.
Who knows what sweet dream he was having, but drool was visibly trickling from the corner of his mouth.
When Shen happened to glance over, his facial muscles started twitching uncontrollably.
Clenching his fist tightly, his body slightly shaking, he slowly approached, then squatted beside Nawaki Senju's ear and shouted loudly: "Nawaki Senju! Someone says it's time to go home for dinner!"
With a thud, startled by the sudden loud noise, Nawaki Senju immediately fell off his chair.
Awakened abruptly from his beautiful dream, he snapped at the face directly in front of him angrily: "What the hell did you do that for? Don't you know doing something like this could scare people to death!"
"With such poor vigilance, I wouldn't feel surprised at all when someday you disappear without notice," Shen responded impatiently.
"Why aren't you sleeping yet this late? Would attackers really wait around till now? You're just being overly suspicious," said Nawaki Senju, whose guilt about sleeping made him initially shout back but gradually calm down after venting his irritation.
"A fool's a fool, and don't expect me to bail you out!"
"Does Nawaki need saving from you? When the attack comes, I'll knock 'em flat so fast they'll be whimpering like babies!"
"Hmph! Better be!"
As for this daily routine of bickering, Nayou and Orochimaru both chose to ignore it completely.
Better to stay alert.
Not far outside the temporary command center where Team One was stationed, four figures in grey ninja vests were eavesdropping on their conversation.
"These kids sure are amusing. Even knowing we're coming to attack, they're still fooling around."
"Hehe, that's why I say you big nations are always arrogant."
"Aren't you supposed to be out killing someone? Or are you guys from Takigakure also after the Sharingan and Byakugan?"
"Hmph! It's every man's own business!"
The Kirigakure Captain finally understood—just like himself, these others were after those two kekkei genkai bloodline limits as well.
Despite his confidence, though, he didn't voice another word.
"Let's deal with them first before returning to our squads."
"Then let's make it a race to see who finishes first!"
"What's the stake?"
"How about one hundred million credits each?"
"Deal!" x3
With the wager made, the four squad leaders stealthily edged toward the temporary command center.
The bickering echoing from within only amused them further.
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