By the time Shuo was drinking his second bowl of soup in the mess hall, Minato had already gathered the Outpost Leader and several squad leaders to analyze the map he had brought back.
The map lay spread across a crude wooden table, with heads crowded all around it.
Shuo himself huddled in a corner of the mess hall, leisurely chewing on a flatbread and occasionally glancing up at the heated discussion over there.
"...Here, here, and here." Minato's finger swept over several campsite traces Shuo had marked on the map, his tone grave. "The timing is very close, all within three days. The groups ranged from two or three people to five or six, all heading toward the southeastern border. And then there's that professional scout Shuo encountered..."
The Outpost Leader's expression was grim. "So many groups of unidentified ninja infiltrating our territory... What's their target? Seventh Outpost? Or the supply lines farther behind us?"
"I'm afraid there's more to it."
Minato considered this. "Judging by their movements, they seem more like they're... assembling? Or conducting preliminary reconnaissance and preparations for some operation."
A veteran Chunin with a scar-covered face stared at the spot Shuo had labeled "lone scout" and said gravely, "Scouts with this style... I saw them on the border of the Land of Rain when I was young. It looks very much like the methods of certain mercenary organizations, or elite reconnaissance units from the ninja villages of smaller nations. Their presence here can't mean anything good."
The discussion grew more heated. Some advocated requesting reinforcements from the village immediately, others suggested strengthening the outpost's defenses, and still others proposed taking the initiative and sweeping the locations where traces had been found.
Shuo stuffed the last bite of flatbread into his mouth, brushed the crumbs off his hands, and picked up his soup bowl, ready to slip back to the barracks and lie down.
His reconnaissance mission was complete, and he had handed over the intelligence. The headaches that followed were for the leadership, nothing to do with a Chunin who only wanted to "clock out" on time.
"Shuo."
Minato's voice came at just the right moment, stopping him with a gentle but unrefusable call.
Holding his bowl, Shuo turned around with a helpless "what now?" expression.
"Could you come over for a moment?"
Minato beckoned to him.
Shuo sighed, put down his bowl, and slowly shuffled over.
Minato pointed to several traces Shuo had marked relatively close to the outpost. "In your judgment, if these infiltrators really are planning a large-scale operation, which direction would they most likely attack from, and how?"
Everyone's eyes focused on Shuo.
Shuo scratched his cheek and studied the map.
He wasn't actually very good at this sort of strategic speculation, but taking together the details he had seen through Light Perception that afternoon and that inexplicable intuition...
"Hmm..."
He drew out the sound, casually tapping the map. "If I were them..."
He tapped the woods where he had encountered the scout, then traced a line toward a dry riverbed that extended from the border under dense forest cover. "I'd probably send a few people with sharp eyes and quick feet first-like the one I ran into today-to scope out the area around the outpost, especially the patrol routes and the watchtowers' blind spots."
"Then..." His finger moved to another hilly area on the map, where the terrain was more complex and offered better concealment. "The main force wouldn't get too close to the outpost. They'd hole up somewhere like this, where they could attack or slip away, and also block one or two main roads."
"As for when they'd make their move..."
Shuo shrugged. "Midnight? Or before dawn? That's when people are sleepiest, and the sentries' vigilance drops.
"If they also made some noise to draw attention, like setting a fire on the other side or making it look like wild beasts were running amok..."
He spoke very casually, almost offhandedly, as though saying, "Nice weather today."
But everyone listening fell silent.
Because what he said... made a lot of sense.
And combined with the traces they had found and the scout's appearance, it was highly likely.
Cold sweat beaded on the Outpost Leader's forehead. "If that's really the case... we must strengthen the night watch immediately, adjust the sentry positions, and send people to reconnoiter these possible assembly areas!"
Minato looked at Shuo with even greater approval in his eyes. "Shuo, if we sent a small, capable squad to scout those hills you mentioned tonight, do you think we'd have a chance of finding them early? Or would we alert them?"
Shuo thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Going now... they're probably already there, or getting ready to move there. It's pitch-black out tonight. We could easily run into them." He paused, then added, "Besides, they have professional scouts. Their counter-reconnaissance won't be poor."
"Then what do you suggest?" Minato asked.
Shuo glanced out the window. It had gone completely dark.
Torches and oil lamps had been lit in the camp.
"Wait."
He yawned. "Tighten security and wait for them to move."
"Defend passively?"
A young squad leader sounded reluctant.
"It's not defense."
Shuo corrected him, his tone as flat as ever. "It's waiting until they 'clock in' before we go 'check on them.'"
He glanced at Minato. "If they really dare to come, they'll have to get close to the outpost, right? Once they're close, there'll be traces to follow. Then..."
He didn't finish, but his meaning was clear.
With Minato's speed and Shuo's unique sensory ability, defending and counterattacking in the relatively familiar area around the outpost would be far more advantageous than recklessly entering unfamiliar enemy-held territory potentially riddled with traps.
Minato considered this briefly, then made his decision. "Good! We'll do as Shuo suggests. Adjust the nighttime defensive deployment immediately! Double all visible and concealed sentries, and increase patrol frequency! All sensory ninja, report to the watchtowers! Also, form two mobile squads. I'll lead them personally, ready to respond to any emergency!"
The orders were quickly passed down, and the entire outpost immediately began operating like a tightly wound machine.
The atmosphere abruptly grew tense.
Watching everyone get busy, Shuo felt he could retire after a job well done.
He was just about to slip away when Minato stopped him again.
"Shuo, I'm afraid I'll need some extra effort from you tonight."
Minato looked at him, his tone apologetic but his gaze firm. "Your sensory method may have more advantages at night than conventional sensory ninja techniques. Could I ask you to man the southeastern watchtower? It has the best view, and it's also the most likely direction for the enemy to approach."
Shuo: "..."
I knew it! There's no escaping overtime!
Reluctance was written all over his face, but faced with Minato's unquestionable gaze and the faintly expectant looks from those around him, he finally sighed in resignation.
"Fine..."
He drew out the words. "Not like... I could sleep anyway."
Minato smiled. "I'll have someone relieve you in the second half of the night."
Shuo waved a hand without saying anything and turned toward the watchtower in the southeastern corner.
His retreating figure carried the desolation of someone "forced to work."
The watchtower was built entirely of wood, a little over ten meters high, with a roofed platform at the top.
When Shuo climbed up, a Chunin from the outpost was already on watch-a quiet, middle-aged man who nodded at Shuo's arrival without saying much.
Shuo leaned against the platform's wooden railing, looking out at the pitch-black forest and the hazy outlines of distant mountains.
The night wind was a little chilly, sharpening his senses.
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled.
He wasn't looking with his eyes.
Instead, he fully extended the Light Perception he had practiced during the day, adapting it to his current surroundings.
Darkness did not mean an absence of light.
Starlight, moonlight, scattered torchlight from the outpost in the distance, even the faint reflections in the eyes of certain nocturnal creatures... all became extensions of his perception.
He no longer tried to "see" specific objects clearly. Instead, he sensed "anomalies" in the distribution of light throughout this vast region of darkness.
Broad, natural gradations of light and shadow were normal.
Small "dark patches" or "light patches" that appeared suddenly and moved continuously could mean trouble.
Time trickled by.
The night deepened. Apart from the wind and the faint chirping of insects in the distance, all was silent.
The Chunin beside him was diligent, constantly scanning the area below with vigilance.
Shuo looked more like he was... spacing out? Eyes closed, leaning against the railing, completely motionless.
An unknown amount of time passed, and just as Shuo felt he was about to fall asleep standing up-
He "saw" it.
Not with his eyes, but through his perception. To the southeast, at the edge of the dense forest about a kilometer away, an area of treetops that had been evenly bathed in faint starlight developed an extremely subtle, unnatural "ripple" in its light distribution.
It was as if the light in a small area was being slightly, continuously absorbed or disturbed by something.
Immediately afterward, a similar but fainter "ripple" appeared in another direction, at the entrance to the dry riverbed a little closer to the outpost.
Two points.
Both were moving slowly and extremely stealthily toward the outpost.
They weren't moving fast, but their pace was rhythmic, and they seemed to maintain a tacitly coordinated distance and angle from each other.
Shuo opened his eyes.
In the darkness, his pupils seemed to contract slightly, and an exceedingly faint golden gleam flashed through his eyes.
He straightened and spoke to the Chunin beside him, who had looked over in some puzzlement:
"Two o'clock, one kilometer out, at the edge of the woods."
"Ten o'clock, seven hundred meters, at the riverbed entrance."
His voice wasn't loud, but it was clear.
"We have 'guests'... sneaking up on us."
"About..."
He tilted his ear, as though listening to information carried on the night wind. "Six to eight."
The Chunin's expression changed drastically. Without hesitation, he seized the brass gong beside him and struck it hard!
"Enemy attack!!!"
The shrill clang of the gong and the shout instantly tore through the border outpost's peaceful night!
Almost simultaneously, torches flared throughout the outpost, figures flickered, and warning whistles sounded one after another!
Minato appeared below the watchtower at once and looked up. "Shuo! Confirmed? Direction? Numbers?"
Shuo pointed in both directions and repeated himself.
Minato's gaze was sharp as a blade. Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately began issuing orders. "First and second squads, with me! Third squad, hold the outpost! Kakashi, Obito, circle around the flanks! Rin, get the medical team ready!"
The entire outpost instantly entered combat readiness!
Standing atop the watchtower, Shuo watched his teammates rapidly assemble below and spring into the darkness like cheetahs, then looked at the two "ripples" in his perception, still approaching slowly but steadily.
The night wind stirred his hair and the hem of his clothes.
There was little tension or excitement on his face. He merely twisted his lips helplessly.
"In the middle of the night..."
He muttered under his breath.
"Won't even let anyone get a decent night's sleep..."
"What a..."
His hand gently settled on the ninja tool pouch at the back of his waist.
At his fingertips, an almost imperceptible speck of golden light quietly condensed.
"...bunch of 'workaholics' who don't understand 'work-life balance.'"
As his words fell.
The first thunderous collision of ninjutsu erupted in the distant darkness, accompanied by a dazzling blaze!
The battle had begun.
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