Outside Konoha.
They started setting off around 3 a. m. last night, and around 5:30 a. m. this morning, Uka Senju finally led the main force to the dense forest about one kilometer from the Konoha Gate.
The hiding place was discovered by the Senju clan Ninja during their daily return journeys.
Whether anyone is here, how many people can stay, and how well they are concealed— the Intelligence Department updates this information almost daily based on data provided by returning Ninja!
All this hard work, given the sudden start of the all-out war yesterday, has not been in vain; the Intelligence Department's routine preparations have paid off.
However, when leaving the village last night, to ensure everything went smoothly, Uka Senju still led a group to make a special detour around the area!
This is why we were able to clearly define the positions of each team after last night's meeting; looking at a map is less convenient than personally inspecting the locations.
Now, several hours later, I'm back here.
This specially chosen location served its purpose well; it remained sufficiently concealed and showed no signs of neutral or enemy activity in the past day or two.
After the people in charge, appointed last night, settled their respective groups, they rushed to Uka Senju's side with various pieces of information!
After discussing the details of the mission with several people, we addressed the miscellaneous issues.
Having received confirmation of their arrival from within the clan, Uka Senju glanced at the custom-made steel watch on her wrist and then lowered her voice to give the group their final instructions. "Alright, we've received the clan's reply. That's about it. Now we just wait for the signal to attack."
"You guys should also go back and get some rest. Tell them if there are any problems down there, and take care of them now."
"Refine all the Chakra, and by 5:55 at the latest, everyone must be ready for battle!"
The clan actually gave him two letters. The first was about official business, and he had already explained things to a few people. How could he read the second letter about private matters if these people didn't leave him?
After confirming that there were no problems, he began to arrange for the people to leave!
"Yes, sir!" Unaware of the thoughts of the person before them, Hatake Fūki and Kenchū Senju responded and then vanished in an Body Flicker Technique.
There was still some time before the agreed-upon start time for the battle, and after traveling for so long, they needed a short rest.
Otherwise, in the upcoming battle, the Uchiha Clan are not some pushover Ninja!
After the group disappeared from sight, Uka Senju took out the second letter and began to examine it.
This is a private matter, but it can also be considered a public matter for the Senju Clan!
Because what he had inquired about from the clan earlier was the situation of Senju Maki and the other two.
For Senju at this moment, his three wives and the children in their wombs are truly among Senju most pressing concerns!
After carefully glancing at it, Uka Senju frowned and put the envelope away.
Chiharu, Tsunade, and the guards are teachers, and that's perfectly fine.
He even felt less worried about the Clan arranging for teachers to protect him.
However, he had never seen Maki Senju Maki vulnerable before!
Of course, there had never been such a large war before, so even if he wanted to see it, he wouldn't have had the opportunity.
'A girl who was well protected by her family, but also experienced the cruelty of war in her childhood.'
This was his summary of the reasons for Maki's breakdown on his way home last night!
He had intended to say something like, "After this, that's it..." but information from his past life told him...
The old generals who plant flags all over their backs on the stage never have a good ending!
Sitting opposite Uka, Hatake Sakumo noticed that his friend's expression was a little off after reading the letter.
Before the great battle... so he spat out the grass root he was holding in his mouth, leaned forward and asked, "What brings you here? Is there some trouble at home, or is it about our plans or mission?"
Interrupted by the voice of Tsunade, Uka Senju shook her head and said, "It's alright, the plan is fine, the Clan has already confirmed all the teams."
"No information has been leaked so far!"
"Is that home?" Hatake Sakumo quickly replied.
I didn't want to say it, but just now Uka Senju deliberately ignored the previous question and only answered the latter.
But my friend pressed for more information, and I don't know what the other person meant or why they were asking these questions.
After thinking for a moment, he nodded and replied, "It's nothing serious, just a minor accident that's a little worrying!"
He still didn't want to discuss family matters, so he gave a vague answer!
Upon hearing this, Hatake Sakumo nodded and patted Uka on the shoulder.
After attracting the other person's attention, he smiled and kindly reminded them, "It was just a minor accident, don't worry about it. There's no use worrying about it now."
"The most important thing right now is to take care of the Uchiha Clan, and then finish off the Sarutobi Four Clans after this surprise attack."
"You are our leader, the strongest person present. Don't get distracted on the battlefield. Kunai kill Commoners, and it can kill shadows too; it won't distinguish between them!"
Uka had only checked the letter after everyone had left, and before even asking, he had already guessed that something had probably happened at home.
Asking questions is to find out what happened, while pressing for details is to confirm who is involved!
Uka Senju's answer confirmed the situation for him. He had intended to offer some advice, but his friend was unwilling to speak out.
Therefore, his only recourse was to issue a warning instead of asking questions.
Uka Senju brows had been furrowed ever since she saw the contents of the letter, was taken aback by what she heard.
He then relaxed his furrowed brows, and a smile appeared on his face.
He nodded, accepting the other person's kindness, and said in a deep voice, "Thank you, I will adjust myself, don't worry!"
Seeing the change in his friend, Hatake Sakumo said nothing more.
He patted his friend on the shoulder again, then walked back to his original spot, sat down, and closed his eyes to rest.
Last night, their high-level meeting lasted quite a while. They only rested for less than three hours before getting up and continuing their journey.
His opponent, who is about to face a life-or-death battle, is no weakling, and he needs to use this short period of time to make proper adjustments!
Seeing Hatake Sakumo like this, Uka Senju also plopped down and leaned against the tree behind her, stretching out her legs and closing her eyes to rest.
It goes without saying how many of our people and allies will be sacrificed in this all-out war that started prematurely.
I can't afford to mess things up at such a crucial moment!
While winning the battle, we must gather enough energy before undergoing the transformation. Only in this way, and only by completing the Third Injection as soon as possible, can all of this be truly over!
The dense forest, located only about one kilometer from the Konoha Gate, fell completely silent.
All the Ninja, regardless of their experience, went into a period of rest and waiting!
Time marched on, second by second.
Until the second, minute, and hour hands all jumped forward simultaneously and overlapped.
The violent explosion, accompanied by a surge of Chakra, echoed far into Konoha.
Having prepared five minutes earlier, Uka Senju stomped her feet hard, imbued with Chakra.
As he soared into the air, his Wood Release wings unfurling behind him, he channeled Chakra into his throat and shouted, "Charge!"
With a brief command issued, the dense yet quiet forest suddenly came alive.
More than 1,200 dark figures, who had been prepared beforehand, shot out from the forest.
Following the path led by the figure in the sky, they empowered themselves with Chakra and rushed towards the nearby ninja village called Konoha!
Who goes there!
"Raise the alarm!"
"Well..."
The violent explosion inside the village drew the attention of the guards at the entrance.
However, a few guards who reacted a beat too slowly noticed the anomaly not far away!
So they shouted loudly to alert the crowd and tried to fulfill their duty!
However, they had just opened their mouths.
Prepared for this, the Senju Ninja, who were also guarding the gate, took out Kunai and attacked them.
This time, there were a total of twelve night shift Ninja: three from the Senju side, five from the Sarutobi clan, and the rest were all Ninja from neutral Shinobi Clan.
In the first wave of sneak attacks, the three Senju Ninja swiftly eliminated five members of Sarutobi's faction.
He pulled Kunai from the chest of the last of the five who died Ninja, the only Sarutobi Shinobi Clan.
Facing the terrified and wary gazes of the neutral Ninja, Squad Leader Senju Sadamoto habitually shook his hand to remove the blood from his Kunai, then gave the four men what he thought was a harmless smile and said, "Don't even think about sounding the alarm, and don't even think about reporting back to the clan. With the explosion just now, all your actions are utterly pointless!"
"What happened today has nothing to do with you lowly thugs. I suggest you stay quietly in the Lounge."
"Running around in the village right now could get you killed!"
Of the remaining four neutral individuals, three who were making other preparations stopped what they were doing upon hearing this.
The three Senju Ninja had already surrounded them, and after hearing their words, they realized that it seemed to be true!
Such an explosion would be heard by everyone in the village, and the clan would certainly have begun preparations. So, would resistance still be worthwhile at this point?
Before they could think too much, the only one among the four who didn't make any moves gave them the answer.
"Don't worry, Captain Sadamoto, I'll definitely listen to you and wait obediently!"
He raised his hands, making the classic surrender gesture.
Nara Kiyō walked through the circle of three people and headed straight for the Lounge next door!
Upon entering the room, they found the three people still in the same spot.
Somewhat exasperated, he turned around and prompted, "Aren't you going to listen to me and come over here obediently?"
"They've started a war, what's it to you?"
"Besides, can you even stop them?"
Upon hearing Ninja Shinobi Clan for a moment before making the same move and heading towards the Lounge.
Seeing that these three idiots had finally listened, Nara Kiyō shook his head helplessly and lay down on the only bed in the Lounge!
The explosion inside caused so many people to rush in from outside.
It's quite obvious that the Senju have launched a full-scale war against Sarutobi.
If they hadn't been neutral, they would most likely be lying on the ground right now.
He truly couldn't understand why those three fools were still persisting and hesitating when the Senju family was willing to let them go!
Loyalty to Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage?
A neutral status means they won't have such thoughts.
Can messages be sent to the Clan, but not in the Lounge?
Their warning was well-intentioned; they said we couldn't leave the Lounge, but once the enemy team broke in, couldn't we use ninja beasts to relay messages?
If it weren't for the fact that neutrality now subtly implies an alliance and mutual assistance, he really wouldn't have bothered to even offer a reminder!
Anyway, since those three weren't Akimichi or Yamanaka, he never wanted to waste his breath on such trivial matters!
"Ah--!"
He yawned widely.
'Hmm, I can't sleep yet. I have to wait until they leave and send back their message before I can rest!'
Lying in bed, Nara Kiyō still felt a sense of responsibility towards his Clan, so he rubbed his face wearily, propped his eyelids open with his hand, and waited silently!
" Senju Sadamoto awaits here, to lead and guide the Senju Sakamoto Large Unit back to their clan."
Seeing that her clansmen had taken control of the situation at the gate from a distance, Uka Senju lowered her flight altitude and gave orders to those below.
Senju Sakamoto certainly knew how to get home, but there were only six Senju members in that Large Unit.
Since Senju Sadamoto had just completed his mission, he requisitioned him to help Senju Sakamoto Large Unit in order to prevent any embarrassing incidents from occurring!
"Yes, sir!" Senju Sadamoto replied, bowing to the sky as he stood on one side of the doorway, making way for it.
Soon after Uka Senju was flying in the sky to guide the way, entered Konoha, a force of over a thousand men rushed in through the Konoha Gate!
"3, 8, 9, keep up!"
Upon entering, Kenchū Senju raised his hand and threw a red signal flare forward to indicate the location to those behind him.
In other different directions, shortly after the red one exploded, smoke of different colors also appeared.
More than 1,200 people were divided into teams and marched in different directions according to their different tasks!
The Senju Minaga Senju Miharu and Hatake Sakumo, each led their own men.
They followed closely behind the person flying through the sky, rushing towards the main gate of the Uchiha Clan Compound.
Large groups of Ninja moved swiftly through rooftops and roads of varying heights, traveling in straight lines.
They never stop except for the occasional enemy that needs to be dealt with!
Ignoring the situation below, the tasks had already been clearly assigned, and each party had a person in charge.
For Uka Senju right now, it's better to just fly to her destination quickly than to interfere further!
Fortunately, the advantage of being in the air is that there is nothing to obstruct it.
He quickly flew to the airspace above the Uchiha Clan Compound.
Looking down at the Uchiha Clan members who were startled by the explosion and running in several directions, he saw...
The composition of these clusters was readily apparent at a glance.
Uka Senju subconsciously licked the corner of her mouth, then reached behind her to take the large Scroll she was carrying on her back!