"Shikaku, it's been half an hour already."
Yamanaka Inoichi estimated the time and spoke up to remind Nara Shikaku, who stood ahead of him.
"Let's wait a little longer. It's still too soon. If we set out now and there are still enemy lookouts ahead, Chiba's efforts may go to waste."
Nara Shikaku, standing at the front, lightly furrowed his brow before shaking his head.
At this moment, the three members of Ino-Shika-Cho, the reliable Jonin from their team, and four members from another team were all gathered at the inspection area by the village gate, each making their own preparations.
Nara Shikaku and Yamanaka Inoichi stood to the side of the gate. Every so often, Inoichi would use his sensory abilities to check their surroundings.
By now, half an hour had passed since they had cleared the inspection.
According to the plan, they were to set out only after Chiba had successfully drawn away any possible enemy lookouts. Since the village still could not determine whether spies coveting Konoha remained in the area, they had planned under the assumption that there were numerous watchers nearby. There might even be exceptionally elite spies capable of evading sensory detection.
That was why, despite repeatedly sensing the area and confirming that no one was present, Nara Shikaku remained so cautious.
After setting out, according to Chiba's idea, since there were still two days before the delegation arrived, the two teams could split up and use sensory methods to identify and locate the spies or lookouts Chiba had drawn along the route, then silently eliminate them.
That way, they could carry out their mission while removing potential threats to the village, preventing a situation where enemies inside and outside worked together should the delegation arrive with hostile intentions.
Therefore, the departure time for