Deep in the forest, a figure flitted through the shadows of the trees.
Yan Uchiha did not use Earth-Traveling Golden Light, relying entirely on his Taijutsu to travel. He was not slow, but neither was he in any hurry, as though this operation had little to do with him.
He knew perfectly well that once he reached his destination, nothing easy would be waiting for him. It would be a hard battle.
Slip through without anyone noticing?
Dream on.
No matter how clever his methods were, they could not overcome Konoha tipping off the enemy in advance. Since his whereabouts were bound to be exposed, why rush? What mattered most now was keeping himself in peak condition.
After crossing Kannabi Bridge, he headed toward the junction of the Land of Earth, the Land of Grass, and the Land of Waterfalls.
Although Iwagakure's forces had already pushed to the edge of the Land of Fire, its actual Frontline Camp remained near the junction of those three countries.
The reason was simple.
The major hidden villages might talk about joining forces to attack the Land of Fire, but trust between them hardly came that easily. While fighting Konoha, Iwagakure also had to watch out for Kumogakure stabbing it in the back.
After traveling like this for almost two days, Yan Uchiha finally reached the vicinity of Iwagakure's actual Main Base, following the route marked on his map.
Standing in the crown of a towering tree, he looked into the distance and saw a massive Cliff stretching across the landscape ahead. Iwagakure's Main Base stood atop it.
"Hmm, not a bad location."
He surveyed his surroundings, then made up his mind.
I'll rest here first and take a look around tonight.
As for the defensive plans, he had never held out any hope.