At the Land of Frost Border.
The situation on the battlefield had begun to change, and only now did Kakashi Hatake learn what had happened from the intelligence sent by headquarters.
"The force directly ahead of us isn't those fifty thousand White Zetsu? There are only twenty thousand? The fifty thousand White Zetsu who set out first have moved to our flank?"
Beads of sweat the size of soybeans instantly formed on Kakashi's forehead and rolled down.
This was bad!
Extremely bad!
Something disastrous was about to happen!
Kakashi abruptly raised his head and looked toward the distant mountain forest, then drew his gaze back to his subordinates, who were busy preparing their positions.
Just as headquarters had guessed, Kakashi had been guarding against an enemy approaching from the front all along, so everything from his troop formations to his defensive positions had been arranged on the assumption that the enemy would break through head-on.
An attack on their flanks might have been possible, but Kakashi had never considered it.
That was because the Third Division he commanded had friendly forces on both flanks.
Mifune's Fifth Division guarded his left, while the Second Division led by Ōnoki and Kurotsuchi defended his right rear. Finally, Gaara's Fourth Division stood behind him, ready to provide support at any time.
With friendly forces on three sides, all able to provide support within a short time, Kakashi naturally focused all his attention on the front.
That was the direction the enemy would have to break through, and the battlefield he had to watch.
But who could have known headquarters would inform him that the situation on the battlefield had changed, and the most dangerous enemy had moved to his flank and might launch a surprise attack at any moment?
Leaving everything else aside, more