Chapter 213 : Let them see how powerful you are
The adjutant followed closely, asking, "Lady Tsunade, do we retreat completely?"
"Leave a portion of the people to continue strengthening defenses, and the main force will depart now to pursue with me!"
Lady Tsunade waved her hand, her golden hair fluttering in the wind, like a flag unfurling.
"The communication squad will send a message back to Konoha, telling the Hokage to deploy defenses as quickly as possible! If necessary, coordinate with my unit for a pincer attack! I want to make sure these ten thousand people—"
"Never return!!"
...No sooner had they disbanded than Inuzuka Tsumes Squad received new orders to scout the northwest direction, and another Ninja was to join their team.
When Inuzuka Tsume arrived at the Konoha Village gate with her partner, Kuro-Maru, she found that besides her own squad, several other teams were also gathering; some had already prepared their gear and were about to depart, while others had just arrived and were counting personnel and supplies.
But it wasn't until everyone else had left that they finally waited for their so-called "new teammate."
"Naraku?!"
The four people and one dog stared wide-eyed at Naraku, who was dressed in combat gear and fully armed, wondering why such an arrangement had been made.
In their impression, ever since his "resurrection," this once-in-a-century Uchiha genius had never participated in combat missions again; even when the great war broke out, he remained in the Village to recuperate.
Inuzuka Tsume pulled Naraku a few steps aside and whispered to him, "You can't go to the battlefield in your current condition, don't you know that?"
Naraku looked at her calmly, his expression unchanged: "I won't be a burden, Aunt Inuzuka."
"This isn't about being a burden or not!"
Inuzuka Tsume couldn't help but raise her voice, then realized her reaction was too strong, so she quickly glared at the three brats peeking over from not far away, scaring them into quickly minding their own business and not looking anymore.
Having intimidated the overly curious students, she lightly coughed twice and lowered her voice again: "Don't think I don't know you need to recover right now; you shouldn't be taking on combat missions at all!"
"It's the Hokage-sama's order, I must go."
"How can such an unreliable mission..."
"Aunt Inuzuka!"
Seeing that this blunt Jonin was about to blurt out something inappropriate, Naraku quickly grabbed her arm, timely blocking the latter half of her sentence in her throat.
Inuzuka Tsume, whose tirade had been interrupted, was still a bit indignant, her face grim, as if she had a thousand words to say to the Hokage.
But looking at Naraku's serious and determined expression, she finally sighed and earnestly admonished him not to act recklessly.
"Promise me, if you can't hold on, you must retreat in time!"
"Yes, I promise."
Having received his assurance, Inuzuka Tsume put away her worried expression and led him back to the squad, a cheerful smile returning to her face as usual.
"Alright, Naraku will be with us on this mission, so all of you give me your absolute best!"
"Yes!" x 3
Ebisu and Shiranui Genma were relatively calm, while Might Guy clenched his fists, flames blazing in his eyes.
"I never thought I'd get to go to the battlefield with Naraku-kun! This is truly the most passionate moment of youth! It's decided! I'll do a thousand squats on the way—"
Bang!
"Don't even think about it!" Inuzuka Tsume punched Might Guy on the head: "Rush at full speed, you idiot! Or I'll have Kuro-Maru bite you!"
...About half a day after the large number of reconnaissance squads were dispatched, and before any results came in from the various teams, Hiruzen Sarutobi received news from the frontline Ninja crows and Ninja hawks, confirming that the information Naraku had provided earlier was completely accurate.
Nearly ten thousand Sand Ninja had launched a surprise attack while the defenses were weak; by now, they must have approached within two to three hundred kilometers of Konoha Village.
As if to confirm his suspicions, the earliest dispatched reconnaissance team reported discovering traces of Sunagakure, seemingly closing in on Konoha's direction.
Hiruzen Sarutobi and the two Advisors quickly determined that Sunagakure would surely pass through and seize Mount Kikyo, a natural barrier.
Immediately, he summoned all Konoha combat personnel and ordered them to set off at once for the Mount Kikyo pass and its surroundings to deploy defenses, ensuring that preparations for interception were made before Sunagakure arrived.
Upon receiving the order, the reconnaissance teams also converged towards the Mount Kikyo mountain range to provide more accurate intelligence for the units that would soon arrive... After receiving the order, Inuzuka Tsumes Squad was one of the first reconnaissance teams to arrive, promptly linking up with the elite squad stationed in the mountains, responsible for defending the perimeter against surprise attacks from Sunagakure's vanguard.
While operating with another reconnaissance team, Inuzuka Tsume saw that Naraku had shown no signs of weakness or discomfort since their departure, and her hanging heart finally settled, believing his condition was indeed not serious and he could handle a certain intensity of rapid movement and combat.
Naraku swallowed to suppress the itch in his throat, avoiding detection by Kuro-Maru, and then subtly glanced at the Hyuga Clan Chunin in that squad, feeling a sense of familiarity, as if he had seen him somewhere before.
At that moment, he happened to hear someone behind him call the other party "Hizashi," and only then did he recall why he had this inexplicable sense of familiarity.
So this was Hyuga Neji's father, the unfortunate man who died in place of his twin brother.
A gentle breeze blew, and Kuro-Maru, who was constantly alert to his surroundings, suddenly stopped and sniffed carefully: "The scent is off!"
Inuzuka Tsume's expression also tightened as she meticulously distinguished the scent carried on the wind, pointing into the distance: "Hyuga Clan, look over there!"
Almost simultaneously, Hyuga Hizashi quickly activated his Byakugan, and after a quick scan, issued a warning: "Thirty to forty Ninja are approaching from the southwest! They are still about eight kilometers from here!"
Inuzuka Tsume's eyes glinted fiercely; she crushed the bark of an ancient tree beside her and cursed, "It's Sunagakure's vanguard! Damn it, they're fast!"
The vanguard is a special unit used to scout enemy positions, eliminate strongholds, and open paths. Encountering them here indicated that Sunagakure's main force would soon arrive.
To preserve their intelligence, they had to eliminate this enemy force as quickly as possible.
However, once battle was engaged, regardless of whether they could annihilate the enemy completely, Sunagakure's main force would realize their presence had been exposed and would undoubtedly launch a furious assault, aiming to capture the Mount Kikyo stronghold before Konoha reinforcements arrived, thereby gaining a tactical advantage for their subsequent operations.
This meant they not only had to rely on the currently assembled reconnaissance Ninja andGarrison Team to coordinate and eliminate Sunagakure's vanguard, but also had to hold Mount Kikyo against the main force's attack until Konoha's support arrived.
This was undoubtedly an extremely arduous task.
Another Jonin from the reconnaissance team summoned several Ninja hawks to relay the news of encountering Sunagakure's vanguard here.
He quickly organized his Ninja tools and exploding tags, saying, "We need to finish this quickly. After taking out these enemies, we must immediately relocate. It would be best if we could capture one or two 'tongues,' but it's not a problem if we can't."
"Just grit your teeth and go for it, you brats; don't expect anyone to come to your aid."
Inuzuka Tsume pulled out a Kunai and called Kuro-Maru to her side, preparing for a tough fight.
"The enemy won't just come from one direction; other reconnaissance teams are probably preoccupied right now."
"I'll go around the back."
Naraku gripped the hilt of his sword with his right hand, drawing out a portion of the gleaming, sharp blade: "This sword has Chakra metal; it can cut puppet strings."
"A chakra blade... As expected of White Fang-sama's disciple."
Inuzuka Tsume suppressed her worry, slapped Naraku on the shoulder, and laughed heartily: "Go! Let those damned Sunagakure see White Fang's prowess!"
"Yes." Naraku softly responded to this expectation: "I will let them see it."