On the main battlefield where Konoha and the Hidden Cloud Village were locked in fierce combat, the smoke of war had yet to dissipate, and the air was thick with the stench of blood and dust.
In a hidden corner of a mountain valley far from the main front, a group of silent figures was cleverly concealed.
Takuno's main body leaned lazily against the thick branch of an ancient tree, tilting his head slightly toward the sky, which was darkened by the residual Ninjutsu, and yawning long and carelessly.
Beneath the tree, silent work was underway.
A group of unidentified individuals, wearing no Ninja insignia, swiftly bound the unconscious Kumogakure Ninja who lay scattered among the bushes and behind the rock piles, stuffing them into specialized black restraint bags.
The one directing them was none other than the elite of the Land of Snow, Roga Nadare.
He stood solemnly to the side until the last captive was properly handled, then turned and looked up, his gaze passing through the dappled shadows of the leaves to rest on the figure in the tree. The deep reverence in his eyes was almost overflowing, and his voice was low yet perfectly clear.
"Lord, this batch of Kumogakure Ninja, totaling twelve individuals, has been 'packaged' and is ready to be transferred back to the Land of Snow's prison."
"Mm, you've worked hard." Takuno's voice drifted down from above, carrying a hint of sleepy laziness.
"It is our greatest honor to serve you, Lord!"
Roga Nadare's tone was incredibly firm, his devotion heartfelt.
Since they were conscripted to participate in this brutal war involving two great nations, the power and methods displayed by Takuno had once again subdued their untamed hearts from the ice fields.
Far from merely being impressed by his individual martial prowess, what truly shook their souls was that he was quietly manipulating the fate of the two giants on the battlefield, like a chess master!
The war Takuno had predicted arrived exactly on schedule, and with such ability, crushing the Land of Snow would likely be effortless!
Before being secretly dispatched to this meat-grinder of a battlefield, every one of them held a tragic resolve, believing they were playing with fire right under the noses of Konoha and Kumogakure.
Being discovered? It was practically equivalent to being buried here, dying far from home.
Yet, reality was absurdly delightful.
Months had passed, and they had suffered minimal casualties, or rather—not even a single proper fight had occurred!
What they did was surprisingly simple.
They only needed to rely on the precise coordinates provided by the mysterious crows, sneak into specific corners, and hide.
These spots always perfectly avoided both sides' patrol networks, acting as the blind spots of the war.
After receiving the instantaneous instruction signaled by the fleeting crow, they only needed to arrive at the coordinates to find the target Kumogakure Ninja silently collapsed on the ground, as if an invisible force had drained all their strength. Their Chakra was sealed, their Ninjutsu useless, leaving them like lambs waiting for slaughter.
All that remained was the job of "porters," quietly carrying away the fruits of victory.
The mission process was ridiculously easy, with an unbelievably low risk factor.
Takuno paid no attention to Roga Nadare's near-fanatical flattery.
His fingertips unconsciously traced the rough bark, as he silently calculated the "harvest" of the past few months.
Several hundred high-quality "materials" had quietly been stored away.
Of course, the main harvest was still happening on the main battlefield; this operation was merely a supplement, its sole purpose being to lure out Yugito Nii, the Two-Tails.
Mind's Eye of Kagura, the strongest sensory secret technique, demonstrated unparalleled strategic value at this moment.
The slightest ripple of Chakra within a radius of dozens of kilometers was under his control!
This allowed him to precisely locate the squad Ninja dispatched by the Hidden Cloud Village and Konoha for reconnaissance or sneak attack missions, like the most cunning hunter.
At the same time, it provided near-perfect protection for the safe concealment of the Snow Shinobi troops.
The hiding spots he arranged were cleverly embedded in the gaps of the two armies' massive sensory networks, and to this day, neither side had detected a clue.
The current "materials" were all exclusively from Kumogakure.
As for the Konoha side, only the unlucky Konoha Ninja who happened to stumble into the battlefield while he was ambushing Kumogakure squads would be "incidentally" collected. Even without him, these unfortunates would have died at the hands of the Kumogakure Ninja.
Naturally, the chaotic battlefield where the main forces of Konoha and Kumogakure clashed head-on also provided an excellent environment for taking advantage of the confusion.
He sometimes disguised himself as an inconspicuous Konoha Ninja, moving through the fray, searching for suitable "targets."
Hmm?
Takuno paused slightly, then showed a somewhat helpless smile. He didn't actually need a disguise, as he was a Konoha Ninja himself.
It was just that his actions could not be carried out under the identity of "Takuno."
He yawned again, his cold gaze directed toward the location of the Hidden Cloud Village command base.
Although he acted cautiously and meticulously, Kumogakure couldn't possibly fail to notice any anomalies, could they?
The "small fish and shrimp" he could catch were visibly dwindling.
And this was exactly the situation he wanted to see: the enemy growing suspicious and anxious, yet unable to grasp any concrete evidence.
Under this anxiety, they would inevitably throw in the real "big fish," top elites or a Jinchuriki, such as the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, Yugito!
At this moment, inside the Kumogakure frontline command headquarters, which was shrouded in a heavy, low pressure.
The Two-Tails Jinchuriki, Yugito, stood with her arms crossed over her chest, her heroic brows tightly furrowed like frozen ice.
Her sharp, cat-like eyes swept over the circle of silent Jonin gathered around the command table, finally settling on a Communication Ninja who had just delivered bad news. Her voice was as cold as the wind of the ice fields: "Two new scout reconnaissance squads have—completely lost contact again?"
The command room fell into a deadly silence.
Those whose eyes met hers either lowered their heads in silence or exchanged uneasy glances, their faces pale with worry.
This was not the first time such news had arrived; it repeatedly wrapped around the hearts of the Kumogakure high command like a poisonous vine, bringing frustration and confusion far exceeding what they had imagined.
Scouts were the crucial "eyes" and "ears" of the battlefield.
However, the casualty rate for the elite squads they continuously dispatched to perform routine reconnaissance missions was frighteningly strange.
Most terrifyingly, the vanished teams couldn't even transmit any useful information back, as if they had been instantly swallowed whole by an invisible, massive maw!
"Is it the Byakugan again?"
An old Jonin with a scar across his face struggled to voice this guess, attempting to find a rationale for the situation.
They had fought Konoha before; the Hyuga's Byakugan was indeed powerful and provided a huge advantage.
But their past records were never like this!
In the past, the Byakugan could scout, but the targeted elite teams still had chances to escape, send back warnings, or even counter-attack and kill.
But the current situation was that the dispatched squads, even those performing the lowest-risk missions in the safest areas, would vanish without a trace once they exceeded a certain distance, like a clay ox sinking into the sea!
This was definitely not the "blockade" effect that a normal Byakugan could achieve!
"We cannot remain passive like this any longer!" Yugito slammed her palm onto the map-covered table, producing a dull thud.
The anger in her eyes almost solidified into flames. "Draw experienced Jonin to form new scout squads, assigning one to two to each! Their primary mission is no longer deep reconnaissance, but escort."
"Find out how our people are disappearing! If you encounter danger, no matter what, at least bring back intelligence alive!"
Relying solely on a direct clash on the main front, they could no longer shake the solid defensive line commanded by Jiraiya.
Recalling her several confrontations with the white-haired "Toad Sage," an indescribable heaviness arose in Yugito's heart.
The rampant power she wielded after achieving full Tailed Beast transformation could only fight him to a standstill, and in the sustained confrontation, she could clearly feel an invisible pressure building up.
As time went on, she was highly likely to be defeated by Jiraiya!
This made her, the proud Jinchuriki, feel frustrated and wronged.
How could a Ninja who was neither a Jinchuriki nor a user of Kekkei Genkai be powerful to such a suffocating degree?
At the same time, a thought uncontrollably rushed into her mind.
Should they request reinforcements from the rear of the Land of Lightning?
Should they bring in the Fourth Raikage, Lord, or the strongest Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Killer Bee, to join the battlefield?
The reason they hadn't deployed them yet was the worry that if their own top combat forces entered the fray, Konoha's "Yellow Flash," Minato, who awed the entire Ninja World, would also descend upon the battlefield!
The role of the terrifying Flying Thunder God Technique in war was comparable to a humanoid strategic weapon; its deterrent power and actual destructive capability even exceeded the combined strength of Kumogakure's two top powerhouses!
However—
A few days later, the cold, cruel reality completely shattered Yugito's last shred of illusion.
A powerful scout reconnaissance squad, equipped with two full Jonin, completely lost contact again just hours after penetrating the designated area.
The air in the entire Kumogakure frontline command base seemed to be instantly sucked out and frozen solid.
The oppressive low pressure was heavy enough to suffocate people.
The strategists and Jonin who had believed that added security would guarantee clues were now filled with shock and disbelief!
Yugito's face was as pale as paper. She stood frozen before the large crystal screen, the knuckles of her tightly clenched fists cracking from the excessive force, her nails digging deep into her palms.
They had failed! But this itself conveyed a message.
This was not an accident, nor a random mistake, but a premeditated, targeted slaughter by Konoha against their sensory feelers!
The command room was so quiet that a pin drop could be heard. Everyone looked despairingly at their commander, the only powerhouse capable of wielding Tailed Beast power.
Yugito slowly raised her head, her eyes burning with a light interwoven with raging fury and icy killing intent, mixed with a hint of uncontrollable confusion.
What method had Konoha used to achieve such a degree of success?
"Next, I will personally get involved!" Yugito slowly declared. "This couldn't continue; we had to break out of this current desperate situation!"
"Absolutely not! We still don't know how the enemy is achieving this; how can we allow Lady Yugito to personally venture into danger! Send more Jonin, and we will surely figure out what is happening!" the surrounding Jonin immediately said.
"Say no more. My mind is made up. I cannot allow so many comrades to die for nothing!"
Yugito made her decision!