Arrival

Hyuga Akira handed the intelligence to Naoki and asked, "How is it? Are you confident?"

Ever since they set out, Uchiha Setsuna, who was supposed to be leading the squad, had barely said a word. In reality, the person in charge of this team was Naoki, a Chunin.

After reading the intelligence, Naoki made a mental calculation.

Kirigakure had at most three to five Jonin and over twenty Chunin or Genin. To say that their group of five could take them down wouldn't be difficult, but it wouldn't be simple either.

After hesitating for a moment, Naoki frowned and said, "I'm afraid it will be difficult with just the five of us. It's not that I'm trying to shirk responsibility, but I'm worried about botching the mission."

"In that case..." Hyuga Akira pointed to the other two Anbu Jonin in the tent, "Shi, Shin, you two follow Naoki and the others to ensure the mission is foolproof!"

Shi and Shin, both wearing masks, nodded in succession.

"Is this acceptable?"

Hyuga Akira was very polite, but Naoki knew that if he kept talking about how difficult it was, it would look bad, so he nodded immediately.

"No problem."

"Good." Taking a map from a drawer and handing it to Naoki, Hyuga Akira said, "Follow this map to bypass the Kirigakure main force at the front line. Once you arrive, there will be ninjas from the Hyuga clan waiting to rendezvous with you!"

"Yes!" Naoki and the others replied in unison.

"I want to go too!" At this moment, Hyuga Hiroshi, who was standing beside Hyuga Akira, suddenly spoke up.

Hyuga Akira's face darkened instantly as he glared at Hyuga Hiroshi. Seeing this, the latter lowered his head and bit his lip.

Leaving Hyuga Akira's tent, Uchiha Zongxin said to his companions, "I finally understand why everyone else went to the front lines while we've been stuck here in the Izumo Camp for half a month. Perhaps our commander had this in mind from the very beginning."

Uchiha Zongye nodded.

"I think that's the case."

Itachi asked, "Is there something wrong with that?"

Glancing at Itachi, who was much younger than him, Uchiha Zongxin said, "Operating deep behind enemy lines means you could be surrounded if you aren't careful. You might end up dying as miserably as the Third Raikage, where even your corpse has to be recovered through the charity of the enemy. Is that supposed to be good?"

"If I had known, I would have followed Sarutobi Shinnosuke to the front lines to find Shisui!"

Uchiha Zongxin grumbled, and Naoki, standing nearby, shot him a glance.

"Why bring that up? You're just spouting nonsense!"

"Tch." Uchiha Zongxin curled his lip but didn't say anything more.

After the five of them dispersed to return to their respective tents to pack their gear, Naoki stopped Uchiha Setsuna.

"Senior."

Uchiha Setsuna had his hands behind his back, his gray hair stirring without a breeze. Seeing Naoki chase after him to stop him, he spoke, "Kid, what is it?"

Naoki pursed his lips before speaking.

"Although I don't know exactly what Hyuga Akira is planning, this mission is indeed dangerous. I ask that you, Senior Setsuna, intervene to bring Itachi back safely if the situation becomes critical."

"Oh?" Uchiha Setsuna raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were going to ask me to assist you with all my might."

Naoki shook his head.

"Itachi shouldn't have come here. It was because Fugaku-sama valued me that he allowed him to come to the Southern Border Battlefield for this experience. Therefore, just as he entrusted Itachi to me, I must return him to him."

"Since that's the case, why don't you return him yourself?"

Naoki gave a self-deprecating smile and said, "I would like to, but ever since the Nine-Tails Incident, I have been training hard every day, yet my strength is only at this level..."

"I promised Fugaku I would protect you and Itachi, so I will not break my word. Rest assured, I will ensure you all return alive!"

Naoki only knew that Uchiha Setsuna was quite strong, but he didn't know exactly how strong. However, with the precedent of the Third Raikage being surrounded and killed by the Iwagakure army, he couldn't be optimistic enough to believe they could easily escape if they were surrounded. Ultimately, there had to be priorities. It wouldn't be hard for him to survive, but Itachi was too young and his strength too weak—weaker even than Uchiha Zongxin, who also possessed a single-tomoe Sharingan.

If they were surrounded, he wouldn't be able to look after the Uchiha Zongye brothers while also protecting Itachi; he would be spread too thin. That was why he said these things to Uchiha Setsuna.

"Regardless, please remember my request, Senior Setsuna."

After speaking, Naoki bowed and turned to leave.

Soon after packing their gear, the seven of them set off under the cover of night, following the map's guidance toward their destination.

Traveling by night and resting by day for three consecutive days, Naoki and his team crossed the front lines where the Konoha and Kirigakure armies were engaged without incident, arriving in the rear.

The night was as dark as ink as seven figures moved silently through the dense forest.

Naoki ran in the middle of the formation, his Sharingan kept active in the darkness, the two tomoe rotating slowly as he remained vigilant of every inch of the surroundings.

According to the map, they expected to reach the target area before dawn.

"Stop."

Uchiha Setsuna suddenly raised a hand, and everyone halted immediately, hiding in the shadows of the trees.

Naoki stepped forward and asked in a low voice, "Senior, what is it?"

Uchiha Setsuna did not answer, merely tilting his head slightly to look deep into the dense forest to their front left.

A moment later, a figure emerged from the shadows.

"Hyuga Hiroshi?" Naoki asked in surprise.

The person who had arrived was none other than the branch family youth who had been by Hyuga Akira's side, Hyuga Hiroshi.

Naoki frowned: "Why did you follow us? Does Hyuga Akira know about this?"

Hyuga Hiroshi did not answer; he walked straight up to Naoki and pulled a letter from his robe to hand over.

"This is a letter from my uncle."

Naoki took it and, by the faint moonlight, tore it open to read quickly.

In the letter, Hyuga Akira stated that Hyuga Hiroshi had volunteered for this mission himself. As his uncle, he couldn't stop him, so he had to entrust Naoki and the others to look after him.

He also added a piece of intelligence: the Kirigakure transport fleet had departed a day earlier than expected, so they had to pick up the pace and be in position for an ambush before tonight.

Naoki put the letter away and handed it to Uchiha Setsuna, his gaze lingering on Hyuga Hiroshi's face.

Hyuga Hiroshi had delicate features, and although he wore special goggles that obscured his eyes, there was a faint air of arrogance between his brows.

"Can you keep up with us?" Naoki asked.

"Of course. I didn't come here to be a burden!"

Having finished the letter, Uchiha Setsuna ignored the exchange and spoke in a measured tone: "Let's go. Time is tight."

Eight figures merged into the night once more, this time moving at an even faster pace.

As the sky gradually brightened, Naoki and his group finally arrived at the rendezvous point arranged with Hyuga Akira just before noon.

Naoki glanced at the Anbu ninja Shin who had followed them. The latter understood, cupped his hands to his mouth, and blew the pre-arranged signal.

Following the sound, it wasn't long before a member of the Hyuga branch family appeared and beckoned to Naoki's group.

"It's right there," Hyuga Hiroshi was the first to spot him. "Let's head over."