Night pressed down over the border mountains.
Heavy thunderclouds piled up in the night sky over the Land of Lightning, blotting out the stars and moon.
Dull thunder rumbled beneath the black clouds. There was no rain, but the air pressure felt oppressively heavy.
At a watchpost north of the fortress, three figures moved swiftly through the shadows of the forest.
Kazuhiko, Shisui, and Hyuga Ichiro had all shed their standard protective gear and donned seamless Anbu nightwear, blending into the darkness.
Their chakra was completely concealed within their bodies, without giving off the slightest fluctuation.
"Lady Tsunade has already erased our records of leaving at night."
Hyuga Ichiro lowered his voice. Veins bulged around his eyes as he continuously scanned the surroundings.
"This mission has a three-day limit. If we fail to return by then, the assassination unit members will automatically report the anomaly to the clan head."
The Hyuga Assassination Unit theoretically served only the Hyuga clan head.
Thus, Tsunade's order for this mission was to infiltrate Kumogakure and gather intelligence related to the Fourth Raikage.
But there were no secrets that could stay hidden forever.
Two Uchiha Jonin squads had been completely wiped out, while the sole headless corpse had been stored within the fortress. Hyuga Ichiro could roughly guess the mission's true purpose.
Other than the Sharingan, he could not think of any intelligence worth sending both Black Flash and Body Flicker Shisui into Kumogakure for.
"In other words, even with Lady Tsunade's orders, I can only assist you for three days at most."
The Byakugan's penetrating reconnaissance abilities would be of great help in locating the missing Sharingan.
By doing this, Hyuga Ichiro was giving the Uchiha a favor for Tsunade's sake.
Kazuhiko did not slow down as his gaze swept over the barrier at