The Allied Shinobi Forces' Surprise Attack Unit had set out ahead of the others. If they had not needed to rescue the intelligence personnel at the front, they should have established communications with headquarters long ago.
However, precisely because they had encountered fierce fighting as soon as they reached the front, they only now contacted headquarters in Konoha.
While waiting for Jiraiya to send the Surprise Attack Unit's detailed battle report, Shihōin Naraku pondered for several seconds, then issued another order:
"Notify the frontline intelligence personnel who contacted headquarters earlier. Tell them..."
As he spoke, however, Naraku stopped, as though something had occurred to him.
"Sir?"
The Liaison Unit prompted him quietly in some confusion. They were still waiting to transmit the orders Shihōin Naraku issued as Supreme Commander of the Allied Shinobi Forces.
Naraku raised a hand to signal them to be quiet, then frowned in thought.
After pondering for a moment, he looked at Shikaku Nara. "Shikaku, how long were the frontline intelligence personnel out of contact with headquarters?"
"If we count from when the frontline intelligence personnel were attacked, they were out of contact for about two hours."
Shikaku recalled the earlier messages and confirmed that he had not misspoken. "That was roughly it. By the time the frontline intelligence personnel repaired their chakra antenna and contacted headquarters again, about two hours had passed."
"Two hours..." Naraku thought for a moment, then asked with some uncertainty, "Did the intelligence personnel say how long it took them to repair the chakra antenna?"
"Well... no!"
Shikaku hesitated, but then answered with certainty.
He hesitated not because he had forgotten whether the intelligence personnel had reported it, but because he could tell that Shihōin Naraku seemed to suspect something was wrong with the frontline intelligence personnel.
"If we can't determine