Sunset, sunrise.
In the blink of an eye, a week had passed.
Just as Qian had predicted, Kirigakure had no intention of sitting back and letting things develop in a direction unfavorable to them.
Ever since news spread that Konoha and Iwagakure were holding negotiations, Kirigakure had begun mobilizing troops, continuously transferring forces from their homeland through the Forward Base in the Land of Waves and into the Land of Fire Territory.
Moreover, they had not gathered entirely at those four breakthrough points, but were instead spread widely along the eastern border of the Land of Fire.
As a result, the Konoha outposts along the line came under tremendous pressure.
Especially two days ago, after news came that the second round of negotiations between Konoha and Iwagakure had gone relatively smoothly, Kirigakure grew even more restless.
Sometimes Qian wondered whether Iwagakure had deliberately leaked that news to provoke Kirigakure and make them cause trouble for Konoha, thereby increasing Iwagakure's bargaining chips.
Or perhaps it was the work of Iwagakure's Radical Faction and certain people within Konoha who did not want the war to end, an attempt to throw the situation into chaos.
However, regardless of the truth, Black Stone Outpost, which bordered one of Kirigakure's four breakthrough points, had to prepare for battle with all its strength.
This forced even Qian to cut down on his training time.
Fortunately, his Shadow Clone Technique had already advanced to lv6, allowing him to create up to thirty shadow clones at once.
Otherwise, there would not have been enough time at all.
However, with multiple shadow clones starting from the same point and practicing the same skill, even though he had increased how often he refreshed the shadow clones' condition, a drop in efficiency was still unavoidable.
There was nothing he could do