Split Forces

"Is this the right place, Hirohiko?"

Chiba placed a specially made Ration Ball in his mouth and gently bit down on it. Glancing at the vast forest drawing ever closer, he asked Hirohiko beside him.

"Yeah, this is it!"

The rapidly retreating grass reflected in Hirohiko's Three Tomoe Sharingan. Hearing Chiba's question, he answered with certainty.

"Mm."

Chiba nodded, then looked toward the approaching woods, his heart sinking slightly.

Another forest...

This kind of terrain was practically a ninja's favorite place to lie in wait. Most of the trees in the Naruto World were towering ancient trees, casting deep shadows and blocking out the light. They might as well have been made specifically for ninja ambushes and sneak attacks.

There'd better not be an ambush! This is Dodai's direction, and Dodai should be heading for the rear battlefield between Kumogakure and Iwa. This direction undoubtedly leads toward Iwa's rear.

The closer we get to the battlefield, the easier it is to run into an ambush. And once we're discovered, unless we wipe out the enemy completely, the plan will develop variables I can't predict. If we're discovered near the battlefield, we won't be as lucky as we were just now.

We could very well draw a huge number of enemies! And...

Chiba frowned and shifted his gaze, casting a slight glance behind him.

I wonder how Yukina is doing. She has the Byakugan, so the enemy shouldn't be able to ambush her. But keeping the Byakugan active continuously consumes Chakra. Earlier, Yukina must have run low on Chakra because she'd kept it activated for too long...

When I read the original story, I had no idea the Byakugan consumed so much.

*But it makes sense. We've been traveling for more than a full day, and Yukina has kept her Byakugan