The jōnin meeting ended rather quickly. The heavy atmosphere did not invite unnecessary conversation. The shinobi silently left the tent, each already thinking over the events to come.
But just as Kuro, Mikoto, and Nawaki were about to leave, Orochimaru's voice stopped them.
"Team Nine, stay."
They exchanged glances and silently returned.
Soon, only four people remained in the tent. Orochimaru stood by the map, not turning around. For several seconds, he remained silent, as if gathering his thoughts.
"The situation is deteriorating faster than expected. Therefore, I'll have to divide our forces. I'm sending three elite squads to stabilize the situation in the Land of Rivers. The main objective is to infiltrate the Land of Rivers and take control of the border, tracking the movements of the Sand's forces."
Mikoto tensed slightly.
"But aren't the main forces of the Sand gathered there? Three squads won't be enough."
"No. The Sand hasn't been able to deploy a large army yet, otherwise we would have noticed their movements immediately. But according to our information, a small strike unit has already infiltrated the area to prepare the ground for the main army. The only question we couldn't answer is who is leading them."
Hearing their sensei's words, Kuro lowered his gaze to the map with interest.
"Any guesses?"
Orochimaru paused briefly and exhaled.
"In truth, too many possibilities. That's why we've already sent a reconnaissance team. Its leader is Hizoko Hyuga. Aside from me, he's the strongest shinobi in the camp, so we should receive full information soon."
The last part sounded slightly uncertain, as he cast a strange glance at Kuro. Meanwhile, Nawaki raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Hyuga?"
Mikoto frowned slightly.
"I've heard of him. He's the younger brother of the current clan head, right?"
Orochimaru nodded.
"Yes. A very experienced jōnin."
Kuro smiled faintly. Any member of the Hyuga clan was extremely valuable thanks to their dōjutsu—battlefield control, trap detection, long-range observation.
"You depart at dawn," Orochimaru concluded. "Your commander for this mission will be Tōga Aburame."
"Understood." The response came almost simultaneously.
Two hours after the order, the camp was already buzzing with activity.
"I don't like this," Mikoto's voice sounded beside Kuro.
"What exactly?" Nara asked calmly while gathering his вещи.
She hesitated for a moment before continuing.
"There's too much we don't know. We don't know their numbers, who's leading them, their location—basically nothing."
The young man gave a faint smile.
"This is war. You don't always have full information about your enemy."
Nawaki approached from the other side.
"I just hope this Tōga actually knows what he's doing."
Kuro said nothing, but deep down he agreed—after all, a lot depended on the commander.
At dawn, Tōga Aburame stepped forward at the head of the unit.
He was a tall, slender man, his eyes hidden behind protective goggles, with long black hair tied into a high ponytail. He wore a loose green cloak and standard shinobi gear.
"We move out immediately. Sensor-type ninja, surround the unit on all sides and stay extremely alert. The moment you leave the camp, consider yourselves on enemy territory. Medical ninja, take position in the center of the formation."
Soon, they set out. There were forty-three of them in total. The cool morning air helped everyone stay sharp. The first two hours passed calmly, but as soon as they approached the Land of Rivers, Aburame sensed something was wrong.
He abruptly raised his hand, signaling everyone to stop. Since Kuro stood not far from the captain, he managed to overhear his conversation with the Senju beside him.
"What's wrong?"
"This is where we were supposed to meet Hizoko and his squad. But as you can see, they're nowhere to be found."
"An ambush?"
"Most likely," the captain replied quietly. "I think they're waiting for us to enter the narrow gorge ahead so they can bury us there."
"Maybe we should go around?"
"Yes. That would be best."
Just as the unit prepared to regroup and find another route, one of the sensors felt danger and looked up. The entire sky was suddenly filled with thousands of senbon flying toward them, each coated with poison.
"Trap!"
"Watch out!!"
Shouts rang out among the shinobi. Some reacted in time, drawing kunai to deflect the projectiles, while others began forming hand seals to use defensive techniques.
Kuro reacted instantly and was about to summon his shikigami when Nawaki jumped in front of him.
"Everyone back!"
He instantly used a stone wall technique, shielding his comrades. Meanwhile, Kuro scanned the area and detected three chakra signatures on the hills ahead. Jumping back and forming hand seals, he used Max Elephant's ability and released a compressed stream of water at the enemy.
In a fraction of a second, it crossed the distance, slicing through stone obstacles and striking the Sand shinobi. One of them was cut apart instantly. Another tried to shield himself with a puppet, but it didn't save him. Only the red-haired shinobi managed to use a substitution technique and escape the attack.
Looking around, Kuro saw the ground completely covered with senbon. Although none of their squad had suffered serious injuries, six people had received minor cuts. Within minutes, their condition worsened. The skin around the wounds turned blue, then purple. The medical ninja, trying to help, could only shake their heads helplessly and attempt to ease the suffering.
Aburame Tōga quickly shifted his gaze to Kuro Nara. Orochimaru had told him that Kuro was strong, but Tōga hadn't paid much attention, assuming it was just pride in his student. But recalling the boy's last attack, he reconsidered.
Calling him over, the captain spoke:
"Kuro, you have sensory abilities, right?"
"Yes."
"Good. Then take a few people and track down the escaping ninja. We need any information we can get."
"Understood."
"Go."
Quickly calling Nawaki and Mikoto over, Nara explained the mission. In the next moment, the three shinobi vanished using body flicker.
Meanwhile, Senju Suige approached the captain with a fierce expression.
"Those bastards knew exactly we'd pass through here!"
"Yes. It seems Hizoko's squad didn't disappear for no reason."
"We need to strike back."
"First, we need to get out of here. Right now, we're completely exposed to the enemy. After that, we'll wait for Orochimaru's team to return. I hope they can find where the enemy's main forces are located."
"Entrusting such an important mission to kids is foolish. Hizoko was very strong. If even he lost, then their commander must be a real monster."
"We'll see. The enemy's strength is undeniable, but we don't have many options."
"And what about the wounded? We can't just…"
"We have to trust the medics. I know Tsunade gave them instructions regarding poisons before leaving for Kagero."