Night had fallen.
Many of the shinobi dispatched from Kirigakure and Kumogakure had stopped in the forest. Night was no time to travel.
Aside from a rare few Scout Ninja, ordinary Ninja who traveled at night were practically asking to die. Poor visibility could turn an ordinary Kunai into a deadly weapon.
Meanwhile, teams of shinobi moved quietly through the forest. They were Konoha's Scout Ninja, including some from the Uchiha.
Uchiha Jin and Kenichi stood out in particular. One possessed speed unmatched in the Shinobi World, while the other could conceal himself in another space. Between them, they discovered large numbers of shinobi from both countries.
"Captain, do we strike now?" an Uchiha shinobi accompanying Jin asked.
Jin studied the Cloud shinobi resting with their eyes closed. "It's a good opportunity. I'll handle this myself. You support me from the perimeter."
"Yes, Captain."
Jin's Mangekyo Sharingan slowly spun. Nuibari appeared in his hand. He tugged the thread attached to the blade and vanished, but he did not charge straight at the Cloud shinobi.
Instead, he pushed his speed to its limit and darted through the forest, weaving transparent threads between the trees.
"What's the captain doing?"
One Scout Ninja could not make sense of Jin's movements.
"Shh," said an Uchiha clansman with his Sharingan activated. "The captain's setting up something nasty. Those Cloud shinobi won't leave here alive."
Barely a few dozen seconds later, Jin returned to where he had stood. Threads now crisscrossed the area, surrounding every Mist and Cloud shinobi. That was what made Nuibari so formidable.
A fierce glint flashed in Jin's eyes. He vanished again, and Nuibari pierced the nearest Cloud shinobi in an instant. Blood sprayed as the man died.
The blade flashed again, killing two more. The remaining three shinobi snapped their eyes