The Land of Lightning, Kumogakure,
While the Cloud Ninja and Konoha's forces were locked in fierce combat at the front,
the Cloud Ninja had no idea that a small figure carrying a huge wooden barrel
had quietly slipped past their lines of defense and was nearing Kumogakure.
Kakashi carried the barrel on his back and wore a mask as he made his way through the mountains. He wasn't moving very fast.
Instead, he was being extremely careful, watching the terrain as he traveled.
He kept an eye out for traps along the way and for any Cloud Ninja patrols that might appear.
Fortunately, Kakashi's abilities as a Ninja were beyond question. He had made his way from the border deep into the Land of Lightning without incident,
and any Cloud Ninja who crossed his path had been killed by Kakashi.
Even if they were discovered, the Cloud Ninja would only assume they were spies from Konoha or another Ninja village. They would never guess what kind of mission Kakashi had entered the Land of Lightning to carry out.
In fact, on the very day Kakashi met with Sarutobi Hiruzen, he had been given the arduous mission of deciding the war's outcome.
As Kakashi approached the area around Kumogakure, he grew even more cautious.
The Cloud Ninja might be short on manpower because the front lines were in crisis,
but the heart of a Ninja village was always under much heavier guard. One careless mistake could ruin everything.
Kakashi had no way to force his way into Kumogakure or sneak inside. The village was protected by extremely sturdy defensive and detection barriers.
The detection barrier could sense the Chakra of Ninja from enemy villages, while the defensive barrier could withstand most Jutsu.
During wartime, the Land of Lightning was too vast