Skirting the main battlefield in the Land of Rain was a plan Maki had settled on before setting out.
The Sannin had Hanzō's main force pinned down outside Kusagakure, leaving the Land of Rain's western defenses considerably weaker.
But crossing the border openly as Konoha Ninja would be walking straight into a trap, right under Hanzō's Intelligence Network.
He needed an entirely new identity.
For now, posing as samurai from the Land of Iron was his best option.
It was a neutral nation that never took sides, and its samurai system operated entirely outside the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
With a samurai sword at your waist, no one would go out of their way to investigate your background. It was the perfect cover for slipping through the chaos and infiltrating unnoticed.
The three-person team took a long detour along the Land of Fire's northern border.
Minato scouted ahead the entire way, using Flying Thunder God to maximize his mobility and leaving a marked Kunai every five kilometers.
Whenever he encountered a Land of Iron patrol, he immediately returned to report it, and the team changed course to avoid scrutiny.
Nonō gathered emergency medicinal herbs along the way as they traveled.
She stuffed the side pockets of her medical bag with them for later use.
Maki looked down at the map and calculated their route.
Taking this roundabout, covert approach would actually save them several days compared with forcing their way through the front lines.
When they reached a small town on the Land of Iron's border, it was even quieter than Maki had expected.
The town was small, with two main streets crossing at right angles and only a scattering of shops along them.
Smithies and sword-polishing workshops were the most common businesses. The harsh screech of metal being ground