"This place really is well hidden."
Naruto Uzumaki stepped forward and examined the enormous rock right in front of him.
The boulder beside Sakura stood at least two meters tall. Its surface was covered in signs of weathering, and it looked no different from the other fallen rocks along the mountainside.
The boulder appeared to have rolled down from the mountaintop and happened to lodge itself in an existing fissure in the mountain.
There was no telling whether it had formed naturally or Orochimaru had deliberately constructed it later.
A closer look revealed that the gap between the boulder and the mountainside was slightly wider than elsewhere, just wide enough for an adult to squeeze through sideways.
Because of the angle, the boulder completely concealed the gap.
Unless someone already knew there was a hidden base here, they would have to approach the boulder to discover the space beyond it.
"If Kabuto hadn't told me, finding this base would have been impossible," Sasuke agreed.
Although he knew of quite a few of Orochimaru's bases, none was as thoroughly concealed as the one before him.
Sometimes, natural camouflage like this was more deceptive than anything deliberately designed.
"Should we go straight in? It doesn't look like the enemy intends to launch a surprise attack just yet," Sakura Haruno said quietly, her gaze drifting casually toward the distant mountains.
Sasuke gave a grunt of assent. "They've deliberately kept their distance to conceal themselves and avoid being spotted by us."
"That means they definitely won't have time to attack us the instant we discover the base."
"Especially since Uchiha Shin hasn't arrived yet. He certainly wouldn't feel comfortable letting his clone subordinates launch a reckless attack."
"So the fighting will definitely start when we leave the base!"
"Until then, we don't need to