The next day, Inaba Hyuga and the team pushed onward, heading toward the coastline.
Judging by the map, only about a quarter of the journey remained.
Yet that final quarter still took them nearly a full day.
After all, this was Kirigakure-controlled territory, surrounded by enemies on all sides, requiring extreme caution with every step.
And here, Inaba Hyuga’s usefulness proved invaluable once more.
His Byakugan could always spot enemies well beyond the limit of conventional sensory range, helping the group repeatedly evade roaming Kirigakure squads.
As they traveled, even Kou Uchiha—the hothead of the group—gradually learned to respect Inaba Hyuga.
For he had to admit that when it came to reconnaissance, even his Three-Tomoe Sharingan fell far short of Inaba Hyuga’s Byakugan.
The young man’s Byakugan was so extraordinary it hardly seemed like that of a Branch House member!
If he offended Inaba Hyuga here, Kou genuinely feared being left behind and failing to make it back to Konoha alive.
“Be careful, there’s someone on the slope ahead!
We’re downwind, so let’s take cover here first.” Before long, Inaba Hyuga gave another warning.
The squad immediately halted and quickly took cover.
Before ducking out of sight, Kou Uchiha stole one last glance up the gentle slope.
The slope was long and filled with obstacles along the way.
With his Sharingan alone, he couldn’t see the top at all, let alone spot any enemies.
It gave him an unsettling sense of frustration.
People often claimed that the Sharingan and the Byakugan were Konoha’s two ultimate visual Kekkei Genkai.
In the past, the Uchiha Clan had sneered at this assertion, believing the Byakugan was nowhere near their level—how could it possibly stand beside them?
Yet today, Kou Uchiha had to admit that the kid’s Byakugan was superior in this regard.
After several minutes, the concealed group sensed an abnormal rush of wind overhead.
As experienced veterans of the battlefield, they quickly deduced that ninjas were leaping directly over them.
Thanks to Inaba Hyuga’s early warning, they had hidden in advance and avoided an unnecessary fight.
Waiting a few more minutes until silence returned, the group emerged and gathered again.
“You saved us another headache, Inaba.
You’re truly reliable!” Captain Tomoe praised him warmly from the bottom of his heart, and the others offered their thanks as well.
Though Kou Uchiha felt disgruntled, he couldn’t find a good reason to object, so he merely grunted and gave a tacit nod.
The group then proceeded up to the crest of the slope.
From this high vantage point looking southeast, they could finally see the sea at the edge of the horizon.
The setting sun painted the evening sky, and the distant ocean reflected the brilliant colors, creating a magnificent view.
After a journey of two days and one night, they had finally reached the edge of the Land of Fire’s mainland.
Kou Uchiha finally couldn’t help asking, “So what exactly is your mission?
We’ve come all this way.
Any further, and are you planning to swim across to the Mist Village?” Inaba Hyuga didn’t mind his harsh tone.
Since they had come this far, there was no turning back anyway; letting the Uchiha run his mouth a little didn’t hurt.
“It doesn’t hurt to tell you now,” Inaba said.
“Our mission is to sever Kirigakure’s maritime supply lines, focusing on attacking their docks and ships.
As long as we succeed, Kirigakure’s remaining war capacity will take a devastating hit!” Even without Inaba Hyuga needing to say anything about “for the village,” Shisui Uchiha felt his morale surge on his own.
“Then let’s give it everything we’ve got!
We’ll end this war for the village!” However, Kou Uchiha remained cautious and questioned, “Will it really go that smoothly?
What other intelligence do you have?” Captain Tomoe nodded and picked up the explanation.
“Indeed.
According to Lord Orochimaru’s intelligence, Kirigakure will have a shipment of supplies arriving by sea tonight.
The unloading spot is the dock right ahead.
The shipment includes Ration Pills, ninja tools, scrolls, and medical supplies—the core support Kirigakure needs to sustain this war!
Lord Orochimaru made preparations in advance, bribing a group of dockhands.
Once we launch our attack, someone will lead the way inside.
We must destroy Kirigakure’s ships along with the supplies!” Tomoe hadn’t shared these details with Inaba Hyuga and the others earlier, showing just how cautious he was!
Inaba couldn’t help marveling again: Orochimaru truly calculated every detail flawlessly.
Setting aside his moral bottom line being a tiny bit questionable, Uncle Snake’s performance as a commander was practically beyond reproach.
After hearing this, Kou Uchiha also secretly admired Orochimaru.
He then asked, “So when do we strike?” Tomoe answered, “Let’s find a place to rest first.
The ships won’t enter the harbor until late tonight, so it’s best we act during the pre-dawn hours.” “Right.” No one raised any objections.
At the very same time, no one could have imagined that on the other side of the docks, several miles away, another group was carefully avoiding all Kirigakure patrol squads, stealthily making their way to a spot not far from the coastline.
They, too, were whispering in secret consultation.
“According to reliable intel, Kirigakure will have ships entering port tonight.
Once the supplies are unloaded, they’ll use the empty vessels to ship back the spoils plundered from the Land of Fire and the Land of Rivers, along with their wounded and prisoners, back to the Mist Village.
If they ship Oki back to Kirigakure, we will never get another chance to rescue her!
That’s why we must act before dawn.
Don’t worry, I’ve already made arrangements in advance and bribed a group of dockhands.
Once we break in, someone will guide us.
We must rescue Oki before Kirigakure’s ships set sail!” When the woman leading them finished speaking, the other three nodded resolutely.
“Understood, Lady Pakura!” Though the four wore no forehead protectors, their attire, the headscarves customarily tied around their foreheads, and the puppets strapped to their backs made their identity obvious—this was a Sunagakure squad risking their lives deep inside the Land of Fire!
They were here to rescue a companion previously captured by Kirigakure.
The reason they were taking such a huge risk was that their operation lacked the support of the Kazekage, Rasa.
For Pakura, this was her absolute last chance!
Once the prisoner was transported across the sea to the Mist Village, rescue would become impossible.
After a thorough discussion, they also set their strike time for pre-dawn, intending to catch the Kirigakure ninjas off guard when they were at their most fatigued.
As time trickled by, the sun finally sank beneath the sea.
Night fell, and moonlight bathed the earth like dew.
Undercurrents surged around this quiet, former Land of Fire harbor that had been fully occupied by Kirigakure.
Before this, no one could have guessed that elites from three different ninja villages would converge so dramatically in one place.
Everyone waited in silence.
It wasn’t until midnight that sailing ships emerged across the dark waters.
“They’re here!” The moment the ships entered port, separated by miles, Inaba Hyuga on Konoha’s side and Pakura on Sunagakure’s side spoke simultaneously, alerting their teammates.
Their companions, who had been resting with closed eyes to conserve energy, snapped awake.
Torches flared and lights flickered across the docks.
At this moment, the threads of fate stretched taut to their breaking point—ready to ignite!