That was indeed the case.
Not long ago, the captain of a Chunin squad had urgently needed to visit the Command Center and, by sheer coincidence, discovered what had happened to the guards at the entrance.
What happened next was obvious.
Upon receiving the news, the Command Center immediately realized that enemies had infiltrated the underground complex and ordered the guards to search for the intruders.
Once Yechen's squad realized their movements had been exposed, they did not panic. This had been bound to happen sooner or later; it had merely come sooner.
"Jinghong, how much farther is the Rock Ninja Command Center?" Yechen asked at once.
Hyuga Jinghong glanced toward the Command Center and assessed the route.
"Through this passage, then take two left turns. The total distance is about two hundred and eighty meters."
"Oh..." Yechen murmured. Without dwelling on it, he immediately gave his orders.
"Advance at full speed. Kill any guards blocking our way as quickly as possible. Get as close to the Command Center as we can before the other guards surround us."
Before the three could react, Yechen charged ahead.
The three followed without hesitation.
In the blink of an eye, Yechen reached the turn. The underground complex certainly had an interesting design. Its winding passages formed a maze, and without a special ability like the Byakugan, outsiders would have considerable trouble finding the Command Center.
Without pausing, he made a ninety-degree turn into another passage.
Yet before he had taken more than a few steps, three Rock Ninja Squads appeared ahead.
Yechen swept his gaze over the Rock Ninja ahead. There were twelve in total. Judging by the amount of energy in their bodies, he estimated that three were Special Jōnin, while the rest were Chunin.
His squad kept running, their heads lowered.