Naruto Birdcage

The Second Day.

Beside Makoto stood a person wrapped in bandages, wearing a Konoha forehead protector, with only their eyes visible.

Their attire was quite peculiar, resembling the second Tsuchikage of Iwagakure.

When questioned by Shikaku, Makoto explained that this person was a member of the Anbu, sent by the Hokage.

Makoto took the initiative to request joining the reconnaissance team, stating that he himself was also a sensory ninja.

When he left the camp, he took only Hakumen and White Zetsu with him, leaving Kakashi and Guy at the camp.

Shikaku, on the other hand, was troubled because the patrolling ninjas outside the camp had once again discovered scouts sent by the enemy.

As expected, the earlier deaths of so many Kumo ninjas had alerted the enemy, prompting them to intensify their investigations in the area.

This time, Shikaku chose not to act recklessly and instead instructed the barrier team to conceal the entire camp in the hope of avoiding detection.

However, this was not a long-term solution.

Both sides were playing a game of hide-and-seek, striving to gain the upper hand first, but Konoha was already at a disadvantage.

About an hour after Makoto left the camp, he returned, reporting that he had found the hiding place of the Kumo ninjas.

This surprised Shikaku and the others, and an emergency meeting was immediately convened in the main tent.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Makoto marked a location on the map.

He said, "The enemy has set up a temporary camp here, hidden by a barrier just like ours. It can obscure ordinary sensory techniques. There is also a teleportation array in the camp, which should be connected to the teleportation array of the Kumogakure in the Land of Rice."

Fugaku immediately responded, "We can't delay. We must act quickly and wipe out the enemy here."

This statement was met with agreement from many, and the atmosphere in the tent grew excited.

Shikaku stared at the map for a long time before suddenly asking,

"Have we confirmed how many enemies are in the camp?"

"About a thousand," came the reply.

This number immediately made everyone calm down.

Shikaku smiled wryly and said, "Has Kumogakure mobilized their entire force?"

Even a temporary small camp like this had nearly as many soldiers as their entire front-line forces.

For large ninja villages like Konoha and Kumogakure, at their peak, their total combat power could reach over ten thousand ninja.

Although Kumogakure had suffered some losses during the Third Shinobi World War, it had not been critically damaged, largely thanks to the sacrifice of the Third Raikage.

Even now, Kumogakure could still muster a force of ten thousand for battle, which was a testament to its current strength.

After pondering for a moment, Shikaku immediately gave the order:

"First, summon Lord Jiraiya back. This matter requires careful planning."

He then turned to Makoto and said, "You've done a great service, Makoto-kun. Thank you for your efforts."

Makoto simply replied, "It's all for the village."

By midday, not only had Jiraiya returned, but the majority of the reconnaissance team out on missions had also been called back.

Shikaku further strengthened the security around the camp.

In the main tent, everyone gathered to discuss the next steps.

The enemy forces were overwhelming.

If they launched a direct assault, even if they managed to win, Konoha would likely suffer heavy losses.

At that point, facing Kumogakure's main forces stationed outside the borders would be pointless—they might as well surrender outright.

After a lengthy discussion, Shikaku decided on a strategy: deliberately expose Konoha's camp to lure the enemy into attacking an empty base, while Konoha's forces would circle around to strike the enemy's camp instead.

Kumogakure was surely aware of Konoha's limited numbers, so if they decided to attack, they would likely send a significant portion of their forces.

That would leave their own camp vulnerable and lightly defended, creating the perfect opportunity for Konoha to strike.

His decision was unanimously approved, and orders were immediately issued.

All members were instructed to gear up and stand by, while the logistics and medical teams quickly moved supplies to a temporary camp.

Following this, the barrier team was ordered to open a section of the camp's seal.

After excluding the medical staff and some logistics personnel, Konoha's remaining combat force was reduced to just over a thousand.

The sight of these gathered forces was far from impressive—it was difficult to imagine that the fate of Konoha, one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, would rest on these few individuals.

Makoto's gaze swept across the crowd, and he spotted quite a few familiar faces.

The leaders included the heads of major clans and some well-known jonin.

Among the younger generation were Asuma, Shiranui Genma, and Kurenai Yuhi.

Obito was standing with the Uchiha squad, and when he noticed Makoto's gaze, he gave him a big smile.

This guy was as carefree as ever.

Rin, meanwhile, had gone to the rear with the medical personnel.

Although combat medics were among the thousand-strong force, the young Rin wasn't part of that group.

Kakashi and Guy were standing by Makoto's side.

In the crowd, Makoto also spotted Maruboshi Kosuke and Might Duy.

Konoha had stationed sentinels at regular intervals along the route, using electronic communication devices to relay information.

More than three hours passed, and the Konoha ninja were now lying in wait in a dense forest several kilometers away from the Kumogakure camp.

The barrier team had set up a sensory-blocking barrier, and Shikaku and his team received information from a messenger ninja carrying communication equipment: about 500 Kumogakure ninja were heading toward Konoha's camp.

Shikaku mused, "This is probably just a test of our strength. Since the enemy has a teleportation array, they can replenish their forces at any time."

Taking a deep breath, he continued, "The next battle must be swift and decisive like a thunderclap—we must destroy their teleportation array!"

He knew he couldn't pin all his hopes on Minato and had to prepare for the worst.

Compared to Kumogakure, Konoha was too weak right now.

Every battle had to be fought as if there was no retreat!

The Kumogakure camp was built atop a cliff.

Fortunately, ninjas were no ordinary people.

Each possessed extraordinary abilities, and scaling the hundred-meter-high cliff was as easy as walking on flat ground for them.

"There's an enemy sentry ahead," Makoto suddenly warned.

Shikaku's heart tightened, and he immediately ordered the entire team to halt.

Inoichi used his sensory abilities but couldn't detect any trace of the enemy.

When he looked at Makoto, his eyes were filled with astonishment.

Inoichi's sensory abilities were among the best in the village, and Makoto didn't possess the Byakugan.

How had he discovered the enemy?

"There's a barrier," Makoto explained.

It wasn't Makoto who had detected the enemy but the White Zetsu by his side.

Makoto's sensory abilities differed from Inoichi's.

By analyzing the frequency of vibrations, he could detect subtle chakra fluctuations, but this required close attention and careful probing, or proximity to the target.

Otherwise, it wasn't much different from standard sensory ninjutsu.

When searching for the enemy's camp earlier, he had also relied on White Zetsu.

White Zetsu could use the earth and vegetation to sense and traverse any location undetected through the Mayfly Technique.

All the intelligence on the Kumogakure camp had been gathered by this White Zetsu, a gift from Orochimaru.

The bandage-wrapped White Zetsu behind Makoto slowly sank into the ground and vanished.

In less than a minute, the sound of a body falling from a distant tree branch was heard.

Inoichi frowned as he looked at the corpse.

If they had proceeded normally, they would have been detected by the enemy.

Shikaku gazed at the cliff top in the distance.

Aside from some scattered grass and trees, there was nothing visible.

He knew it was the barrier concealing the enemy's presence.

A single ninjutsu strike at the barrier would force the enemy to reveal themselves.

"Move!" he commanded.

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