Into the Tiger's Den

On the northwestern edge of this chaotic battlefield, a much smaller yet far more elite squad raced through the rugged mountains at astonishing speed, heading straight for Gale-Splitting Gorge!

Uchiha Ran's squad took the lead, their Sharingan gleaming with cold, eerie red light in the darkness as they precisely avoided every obstacle while moving at high speed.

Tekka, Inasui, and Inada followed close behind. Their three pairs of scarlet two-tomoe Sharingan spun at full force, alert for any possible ambush.

Behind them were twenty experienced Chunin. Though slightly slower, every one of them wore a grim expression and maintained a tight formation.

The journey had been unexpectedly smooth.

They had only encountered a few scattered Hidden Sand patrol squads, and the battles had been almost completely one-sided.

Uchiha Ran had barely needed to act. Tekka and Inasui's combined Fire Release and Wind Release techniques were precise and fierce.

Together with Uchiha Inada's kunai combat skills, they cleanly eliminated those Sand ninja.

The Chunin were responsible for clearing the field and finishing off survivors.

These Sand ninja did not seem particularly determined to resist. Under Uchiha Ran's powerful genjutsu and the Sharingan's illusions, they often collapsed and were captured after only a few exchanges.

"Captain, something's wrong!"

After taking down a Sand ninja, an older Chunin approached Ran and spoke in a low voice.

"Isn't this going too smoothly? It's almost like... they deliberately let us come here?"

The others had still been immersed in the excitement of cutting through enemy after enemy, but they now came to their senses as well.

"Captain, could the main Hidden Sand force be at Broken-Spine Valley? Is that why we haven't encountered much resistance?"

Uchiha Ran stopped and thought about it... Forget it, he would rather not think. It was too much work for his brain.

His scarlet Sharingan fixed directly on a Hidden Sand Chunin whom Tekka had just bound with Tortoise Shell Binding.

The Three-Tomoe slowly rotated, and powerful ocular force pierced directly into the man's mind.

"Is there an ambush in Gale-Splitting Gorge... Where is Chahachiro?"

Uchiha Ran's voice was cold, carrying an irresistible will.

The Sand ninja under genjutsu had unfocused eyes, his lips trembling as he said:

"No ambush... Lord Chahachiro is... in Gale-Splitting Gorge... at the very deepest point... There are... more than a dozen puppeteers... setting up defenses..."

"Excellent, Captain! This is a gift from heaven!"

A trace of delight flashed through Tekka's eyes.

How could a mere dozen or so puppeteers possibly stop their elite squad?

Inasui clenched his fist as well. "Captain! He really is there! Old grudges and new—today, we settle them all!"

Uchiha Ran withdrew his gaze, the chill in his eyes growing stronger.

Could it really be that simple?

Logically speaking, with Hidden Sand under enormous pressure on the front lines, they could not possibly be deliberately going easy on them. Nor was there any need to lure this elite squad deep into Gale-Splitting Gorge.

"They can't possibly gather troops to surround and kill Uchiha Ran's squad at a time like this, can they? That would be putting the cart before the horse!"

Under normal circumstances, Uchiha Ran's thinking was correct. The Sand ninja could not risk losing their final stronghold in the southern Land of Rivers just to eliminate one Uchiha squad.

But Baki did not know that. He had indeed released information to lure the Uchiha squad into Gale-Splitting Gorge, and had already stationed a hundred Sand ninja in an encirclement trap.

But he had not expected Baiyun Zaojian to receive pressure from the Third Hokage and launch the full-scale offensive ahead of schedule.

As a result, he was still bewilderedly fighting Baiyun Zaojian!

Those Sand patrol squads had been expendable pieces deliberately sent out by Chahachiro. He knew full well how effective the Sharingan's genjutsu interrogation could be, so he intentionally fed them false information.

But he had not expected that just after setting up the ambush, his base would come under a full-scale assault. Once he received the news, he was at a complete loss too.

Should he lead men back as reinforcements? That was a major problem!

If he went, he might indeed help Baki stabilize the battle line, but the plan to surround and kill the Uchiha squad would certainly fall through.

If he did not go, then even if he successfully surrounded and killed the Uchiha squad—

Once Baki's side collapsed, everyone would be finished. At best, they would be punished; at worst, they might be turned into task machines.

Just as Chahachiro was agonizing over the decision, he suddenly realized there was no need to struggle anymore.

Because... Uchiha Ran's squad had arrived.

"Forget it. Don't reinforce Lord Baki for now. Once we've surrounded and killed this Uchiha squad, everyone will go reinforce him!"

"Yes!"

A cold killing intent rose from the depths of Chahachiro's heart.

More than twenty Konoha ninja soon arrived at the entrance to Gale-Splitting Gorge.

"Captain! Give the order and let's charge in! Let's kill that poison-using bastard!"

Fury burned in Uchiha Tetsuka's eyes. Inasui and Inada were equally eager to fight, while the Chunin behind them sensed the boiling killing intent of the Uchiha squad and tightened their grips on their weapons, waiting only for their captain's command.

Uchiha Ran's gaze swept across his impassioned subordinates before finally settling on the deep, narrow gorge entrance ahead, formed through centuries of wind and weather—Gale-Splitting Gorge.

The biting mountain wind was compressed here into a piercing howl. The light was dim, jagged rocks rose everywhere, and the terrain was extremely complex.

It was obviously a natural ambush ground.

"Enough. Why are you all being so impulsive? Impulsiveness is the devil!"

Ran's voice was not loud, yet it carried an air of authority that instantly suppressed the group's agitation.

Uchiha Ran stood alone at the very front of the formation, his long black hair whipping wildly in the gale of Gale-Splitting Gorge. His Three-Tomoe slowly turned as he surveyed the terrifyingly silent canyon.

"There isn't even a crow here. It looks very much like a trap."

"Captain, then what do we do? Are we just going to let them go?"

Tekka growled unwillingly, his fists tightly clenched.

"Let them go?" A cold curve rose at Uchiha Ran's lips, his scarlet Three-Tomoe slowly rotating beneath the dim light.

"Of course not. If the Sand ninja have truly set a trap, how can we stupidly charge straight into it? Using the smallest price to gain the greatest result—that is how ninja fight."

He turned around, his gaze passing over the more than twenty Konoha ninja behind him before settling on Uchiha Tetsuka and the three brothers, Inasui and Inada.

"Tekka, Inasui, Inada. The three of you will lead all the Chunin and remain here on standby. Set up a defensive formation and maintain maximum vigilance."

"Set sentries on the high ground on both sides of the gorge and along the road behind us. Without my signal, no one is to enter the gorge without permission!"

"Captain? You're going in alone?"

Tekka grew anxious. "That's too dangerous! What if it's full of ambushes inside?!"

"Precisely because it is dangerous, someone needs to scout the way and pluck out the eyes of their hidden sentries."

Uchiha Ran's tone allowed no argument, carrying the confidence of the strong.

"My Sharingan is best suited for this. If there really is an ambush inside, my mobility alone will be the greatest, and it will be easier for me to maneuver."

"If you all recklessly follow me in, you'll only become targets and leave me unable to act freely."