A Favor

"How... how could this...?"

Watanabe Kenshin stared wide-eyed, looking from Chiba to Hirohiko, who waved the scroll in his hand when he noticed his gaze, then to the middle-aged Kumogakure ninja sprawled on the ground. His lips moved, but no words came out. He was completely dumbfounded.

"Oh, have you read that scroll?"

Chiba looked at the stunned Watanabe Kenshin, then at Hirohiko, and spoke.

So, though it was only a flash of inspiration, I guessed right. The invading ninjas were none other than Kumogakure and Iwa. During the previous invasions by Iwa and Kumogakure, the Iwa Jonin who abducted Yukina and Yagura Bi, who abducted Kushina, both took this route.

This area where my little cabin stands is probably a weak point in Konoha's defenses. Of course, I had also deliberately overlooked this place in the plan, which was why its defenses remained weak.

The decision to leave this place as a gap was the right one.

After all, there was no guarantee that the enemy could not break through even while surrounded by Konoha's Defense Force and Anbu.

Leaving behind an "escape route the enemy would inevitably choose" could be considered a contingency plan.

As he spoke, a thought also crossed Chiba's mind.

Ever since Konoha's previous two invasions, Chiba had sensed that this place was unusual. Otherwise, why would both Iwa and Kumogakure have chosen it as their evacuation point? There was clearly a reason for it, and Chiba could think of only one.

It was easier to escape from here.

And if it was easier to escape, it had to be because the defenses were weak.

Originally, in the Completion Plan, he had intended to focus on defending this place. But after thinking it over, since this was a weak point in the defenses, Konoha could