"Earth Style: Swamp!"
A sharp voice broke the silence behind them.
Before anyone could react, the ground beneath their feet liquefied into thick mud. The team's boots sank instantly, the earth swallowing them whole.
"Damn—trap!" Hideki Inuzuka barked, forcing chakra into his legs to leap forward. But the moment they lunged toward the cave ahead, a solid earth wall shot up behind them, sealing the entrance like a coffin lid.
"Not good," Aburame Funato muttered, his tone flat but eyes sharp behind his collar. "If we break through now, they'll just pick us off from outside."
Hideki ground his teeth. "Then we move deeper. There's airflow inside—means there's an exit somewhere."
The others nodded grimly. If the enemy wanted them boxed in, fine. They'd turn the trap into a shortcut.
Outside the cave, three Hyūga shinobi stood smirking in the mist.
One activated his Byakugan, veins bulging around his pale eyes as he observed the trapped squad's movements.
"They really went in," one sneered. "Idiots. That cave's been sealed for months. The air inside's full of miasma. That weak airflow they sensed? Just poison gas leaking out. They'll suffocate in an hour."
The others chuckled. "Saves us the trouble of killing them ourselves."
With cruel laughter, the trio turned and disappeared into the trees, confident their prey was already dead.
Deep inside the cave, the five-person squad halted. Hideki and Funato turned toward the youngest among them—a small girl kneeling with her palms pressed to the ground. She looked barely twelve.
Asakura Namo, a civilian-born kunoichi, her eyes closed in concentration. Her chakra flared faintly around her like a pulse of light. Despite her age, her sensory talent was remarkable—she could read chakra signatures within a full kilometer.
"They're gone," she whispered, opening her eyes. "The Hyūga left."
Hideki exhaled in relief. "Good. Then we move."
Their leader—Amamiya Riku, a stoic man with a scar across his chin—nodded. "Our mission stands. We gather intelligence on the defenses of Qishui Gorge and bring it back to Lord Raizen."
"Yes, sir."
They knew what was at stake. Countless squads had already died trying to approach Qishui Gorge. The Hyūga's Byakugan saw through nearly every camouflage and illusion. Only Namo's unique perception allowed them to avoid total detection—until now.
Still, the five pressed on, air thinning as the miasma thickened. Hideki covered his mouth with a cloth. "This air's poison. Keep your chakra steady and push forward."
Without Namo's sense guiding them through the winding tunnels, they would've been lost within minutes. But after what felt like hours of crawling through suffocating dark, a thin light appeared ahead.
The five burst out of the cave, gasping fresh air. Below them stretched the vast expanse of Qishui Gorge—a fortress carved into nature itself. Massive cliffs, fortified palisades, and Hyūga patrols covering every visible path.
They quickly took notes, memorizing troop placements, barricade patterns, and supply points. Every detail mattered. Then, without rest, they slipped back into the forest.
When the five finally reached camp, exhausted but alive, Amamiya Riku staggered straight to Raizen's command tent and dropped to one knee.
"Report complete, Lord Raizen. The Hyūga's main force has fortified all four passes. Each path is blocked by one to two thousand men."
Raizen's eyes flickered with interest as he unfolded the scroll—sketched maps, terrain notes, and formation layouts covered the parchment. For reconnaissance under Byakugan surveillance, it was damn near a miracle.
Raizen smirked faintly. "Good work. With this… we finally have a way to break them."
He gathered his commanders. The air in the tent grew heavy.
"Qishui Gorge," Raizen began, tapping the map, "has four passes—one main road and three narrow trails. The main route is steep but wide enough for our full force. The side paths are narrow, unstable, and easy to defend."
Inuzuka Daisaku frowned. "If we take the main road, we'll face the full Hyūga army head-on."
Raizen's gaze sharpened. "Exactly. That's why they won't expect us to survive it."
The other shinobi exchanged uncertain looks. Attacking the strongest route was suicide—unless Raizen had something else in mind.
He did.
"Once the main road collapses, their side forces will panic. They'll split to reinforce the center, exposing the narrow paths. When that happens, we hit them from behind."
Silence filled the room. Then, one by one, heads nodded.
Raizen's grin turned razor-sharp. "We'll crush the Hyūga coalition in one stroke. Victory starts with the main road."