The Deteriorating Situation

Swoosh!

Just as the patrolling Konoha ninja pulled out a signal flare, a streak of blue lightning shot toward him.

Bang!

The intense pain made the patrol ninja's pupils dilate, and he was immediately sent flying backward like a cannonball.

"Finish this quickly!" Fourth Raikage A ordered the Kumogakure jonin rushing up behind him.

Although Konoha had not stationed any ninja forces nearby due to limited manpower, there were still some ninjas guarding the border.

The first thing Fourth Raikage A and his men needed to do was eliminate Konoha's border defenses in the northern Land of Fire, causing Konoha to lose sight of the north to a certain extent.

Kumogakure had never intended to defeat Konoha with a force of twelve hundred ninjas. They were merely the vanguard, responsible for opening up the situation.

Swoosh, swoosh!!

The Kumogakure jonin took the lead, sweeping through the area at tremendous speed and eliminating every Konoha ninja within sight.

There were already fewer ninjas patrolling at night than during the day. Under the Kumogakure army's sweep, they had no time to send word back to Konoha. At most, they could warn nearby squads, but that was of no use.

However, during such a sensitive time of war, the absence of news was itself a kind of news—just one that was noticed a little later.

Several border patrol squads suddenly lost contact, drawing Konoha's utmost attention. They hurriedly dispatched elite squads from nearby ninja forces to investigate.

"How is Orochimaru commanding his forces? Even when the Iwagakure troops were about to strike the northwestern front, he didn't pull any ninjas from his own forces. Yet Kumogakure still managed to slip in without a sound!"

Looking at the troubling intelligence from the front lines, even the normally composed Mitokado Homura could not help becoming