"This is the place. Another twenty kilometers down this road and we'll be there. We can rest first."
Jiraiya spoke to Hiruzen Sarutobi, Minato Namikaze, and the others. More than thirty of them had come this time: besides himself, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Minato Namikaze, and Shikaku Nara, there were eighteen members of the Ino-Shika-Cho Three Clans and fifteen from the Sarutobi Clan.
Thirty-seven people in total. Including the four of them, there were sixteen jonin, while the rest were elite chunin skilled at fighting together.
"They seem to rely heavily on patrols, so I suggest infiltrating at night. That might make sneaking in much easier."
As Jiraiya spoke, he sketched a rough layout of the Karn Chamber of Commerce's base in the Land of Tea. Toads were a good means of gathering intelligence, especially since many of Mount Myōboku's toads possessed human intelligence. Drawing maps and marking locations was easy for them.
Shikaku Nara asked, "Lord Jiraiya, do they have sensory ninja?"
"I'm not too sure, but if they did, they would definitely have detected the toads I sent. They haven't noticed over forty extra toads in a week, so their security seems very lax. And we've never seen any ninja outside."
Jiraiya spoke with considerable certainty. Ninja in the Shinobi World all wore forehead protectors. Even missing-nin wore them, while rogue ninja wore ones without a ninja village's emblem.
Ninja held relatively high status in the Shinobi World, so people who had learned one or two ninjutsu were eager to advertise their identity as ninja.
"It's better to be safe. Let me and our companions from the Yamanaka Clan investigate with sensory ninjutsu. With several of us positioned in different directions, we should be able to scan this entire base."
Minato Namikaze spoke up. Shikaku Nara had the same idea.