After receiving the intelligence, the Sand Ninja and Mist Ninja finally remembered that there was such an ally near the western region of the Land of Fire. Moreover, during the last great war, it had been this inconspicuous ninja village that had dealt their two great villages a crushing blow—a memory still fresh in their minds!
Although Hoshigakure had kept a low profile over the years, it was a long-standing ally of Konoha and so close to the western region. Yet they had forgotten such a crucial factor capable of changing the course of the war!
Now they understood. Skywalker had not truly left a gap in his troop deployment in the west; he had prepared a backup plan long ago and was simply waiting for them to take the bait! The Land of Bears, where Hoshigakure was located, bordered the Land of Wind. Now that the entire West Forest region had been ceded, they were even closer to the western border of the Land of Fire than the River Forest Ninja Village branch was. Should anything go wrong, they could march in to provide support at any time. Konoha had essentially hidden an important ambush force at the border.
Yet the entire Shinobi World had been so absorbed by the wars between the major ninja villages that they had overlooked this remote country!
Having figured this out, both the Sand Ninja and Mist Ninja cursed Skywalker for his treachery in their hearts.
After confirming the situation, the Mist Ninja immediately halted their offensive and set up camp where they were, establishing defenses. Although Hoshigakure had only fifty thousand troops, far fewer than theirs, they possessed Tianxing Fortress, a war weapon comparable to a Tailed Beast. Having lost Utakata, their Jinchuriki, the Mist Ninja were no longer confident they could