Sora fed him the information through the snake. About 40 meters away, a three-person team was conducting an investigation.
Moving silently, Sora approached and located the team.
One of the sensing ninjas had his eyes closed in concentration while the other two stood guard around him.
"how's it going? Do you sense anything?" one of the guards asked.
"Yes, but something feels very wrong," Ninja replied, frowning.
"Something's wrong? What do you mean?"
"The number of Konoha shinobi is roughly estimated at over two hundred, but out of that number, more than a hundred give off a very strange feeling," the ninja explained, his voice tense.
"Hey! Over two hundred? How many shinobi did Konoha send to the Land of Hot Water?"
"It seems Konoha is planning a counterattack. After all, even Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Sannin, has arrived here," another shinobi noted, glancing around warily.
"Should we retreat and report this immediately?"
"Hold on a moment, let me sense again. Those more than one hundred individuals... there's something off about them," Iijima said, focusing his chakra to refine his perception.
Suddenly, the ninja's eyes snapped open, and he shouted in alarm, "Be careful! Someone is approaching us!"
A calm voice interrupted them from behind. "If it took you this long to notice me, you're not a very competent sensor ninja."
Sora emerged from the shadows behind the three Kumogakure shinobi, her hands moving in a flurry of seals.
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
Several snakes slithered out from her sleeves, striking the three shinobi. The snakes' sharp fangs sank into their necks, injecting a potent venom.
The poison spread quickly, paralyzing their bodies before they could react.
Sora, now wielding a kunai in a reverse grip, moved efficiently, slitting the throats of the incapacitated Kumogakure shinobi without hesitation.
Konoha's forces continued advancing.
Although there were occasional attacks, Orochimaru and Jiraiya's Summoning beasts swiftly intervened to eliminate the threats.
Even when some enemies managed to evade the beasts, Orochimaru and Jiraiya handled them personally, ensuring that no Kumogakure shinobi detected anything unusual.
Meanwhile, Sora remained active on the outskirts of the team, gathering intelligence. He relayed the information he obtained to Orochimaru through his Summoning snake, keeping him informed of any developments.
Orochimaru intentionally allowed several Kumogakure shinobi to escape, ensuring they could report back with the news.
As the Konoha forces advanced further, reconnaissance and harassment from the Kumogakure shinobi became increasingly frequent. However, the situation remained as predicted—Kumogakure's current operations were focused on observing and probing the strength of the Konoha shinobi rather than initiating direct conflict.
With over two hundred Konoha shinobi advancing boldly, it was clear that Kumogakure wasn't prepared to escalate into full-scale war. For Kumogakure to effectively confront such a force, they would need to assemble at least three hundred ninjas. Even if a battle were to occur, it would still be considered a relatively small skirmish.
At the moment, Kumogakure wasn't ready for an all-out war with Konoha. As such, their actions were cautious, prioritizing reconnaissance and occasional harassment to gather intelligence about the advancing Konoha forces.
The Kumogakure shinobi underestimated Konoha's movements. Previously, they had successfully pushed back Jiraiya's team of 150 ninjas to the border. Confident in their abilities, they assumed they could do the same to the two hundred now advancing. They believed that as Konoha's forces progressed, they would eventually split into smaller units, creating opportunities for Kumogakure to strike.
The Konoha forces advanced smoothly, albeit more slowly, as they moved farther. By the time evening fell, the front had successfully pushed forward.
After Sora assassinated another group of Kumogakure shinobi, a small snake from Ryūchi Cave slithered toward him.
"Sora-sama, Orochimaru-sama requests that you rejoin the main force," the snake informed him.
"I see," Sora replied.
With its message delivered, the Ryūchi Cave snake dispersed into smoke and returned to its origin.
Sora wiped his bloodied blade on the clean fabric of a fallen shinobi's uniform, sheathed the weapon, and set off to join the main force. The fact that Orochimaru had called him back signalled that the frontline had advanced approximately ten kilometres as planned.
When Sora arrived, Orochimaru acknowledged him with a nod. The progress of the operation owed much to Sora's efforts. His consistent reports had allowed Orochimaru to avoid major concentrations of Kumogakure shinobi, ensuring a smooth advance.
Looking at the assembled ninja, Orochimaru addressed the group. "Half of you will maintain your Shadow Clones and other clones. The other half will dispel their clones, rest, and recover their chakra and stamina. After two hours, you will rotate."
He continued, "Those who dispel their clones should also come to me or Jiraiya to receive a Summoning Scroll. These scrolls contain steel wire and detonating tags—set traps around the perimeter!"
Following Orochimaru's orders, half of the shinobi dispelled their clones and collected Summoning Scrolls from Orochimaru and Jiraiya. They immediately began laying traps in the surrounding area.
Sora, meanwhile, took a scroll for himself but didn't join in the trap-setting. Instead, he found a spot beneath a tree to rest. Having carried out numerous solo missions and fought extensively during the advance, he felt it was reasonable to let others handle the trap-laying. The scroll, however, was useful—Sora was low on detonating tags and took the opportunity to replenish his stock.
Recognizing Sora's contributions, Orochimaru personally handed him three scrolls, each containing 100 detonating tags, giving him a total of 300.
After distributing the supplies and giving the orders, Orochimaru approached Sora. "Thank you for your hard work," he said.
Sora looked up at his mentor. "It's no trouble. The ninjas sent to investigate weren't very strong. I'm just glad the plan has been proceeding so smoothly."
Orochimaru nodded in agreement. "Things should get easier soon. While Kumogakure will eventually realize something is wrong, they won't risk a direct confrontation without knowing our true numbers or strategy.
"For now, our focus will shift to laying traps, engaging in skirmishes, and gradually retreating to join the larger reinforcements coming from Konoha. You'll have a chance to rest with the main force for a while."
"I understand, Orochimaru-sensei," Sora replied.
"Good. Get some rest—you'll likely need to stay here for several days."
With that, Orochimaru turned and walked over to Jiraiya to discuss the next stage of the operation.
As the shinobi finished setting traps, they began pitching tents for the night. With more than two hundred ninjas in the force, multiple tents were required to accommodate everyone.
The slower Kumogakure realized something was amiss, the better it would be for Konoha.
Once the tents were up, Sora chose one for himself. He sat inside, leaning against the support pole, and rested, mentally preparing for the days ahead.
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