Chapter 212 : imminent
After leaving the lab, Naraku created a Shadow Clone to report to the Hokage Building, while his main body rushed home, not even bothering to close the yard and entrance doors as he began rummaging through his belongings.
He pulled out his long-unused satchel from a drawer, heavy with various shuriken, exploding tags, and soldier pills (chakra replenishing pills) for emergencies.
Quickly donning the satchel, he continued to equip himself with Kunai, short swords, and senbon until there was no more space on his body, then slowly looked at the brand-new, snow-white ninja sword on the sword rack.
--Master, the gift you gave me...--It's time to use it to kill the enemy.
Naraku quickly walked over, picked up the precious chakra blade with both hands, and solemnly secured it to his lower back... At the same time, Naraku's Shadow Clone arrived at the Hokage Building.
After the guards announced him, they led him upstairs to knock on the door, and only after hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's permission from inside did they open the door and motion for him to enter.
Upon entering, the Shadow Clone saw Inuzuka Tsumes Squad also standing in the room, all four of them looking dusty and travel-worn, likely having just returned from a mission and finished their report.
He quickly greeted the four members of Inuzuka Tsumes Squad with his eyes, and after Inuzuka Tsumes Squad had left, he knelt on one knee with his head bowed in the most standard posture, signifying his submission and loyalty to the leader.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, puffing on his pipe, looked at the mission report in his hand and asked in a deep voice, "Is there something urgent, Naraku?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama. Intelligence indicates that the Sand Ninja vanguard has already breached Konoha's defenses and will reach Konoha's vicinity within days."
"What...?" Hiruzen Sarutobi's movements suddenly froze, nearly spilling ash from his pipe. He put down the document in his hand and urgently asked, "Is the information reliable? How did you obtain it?"
The Shadow Clone did not look up, staring at the floor and saying unequivocally, "I stake my life on the reliability of this information. As for the source, please forgive me for being unable to explain it clearly at the moment."
"Hmm." Hiruzen Sarutobi clutched his pipe, his thoughts racing.
It was no secret that the Uchiha Clan had its own intelligence system. The Hyuga, Ino–Shika–Chō, and other prominent families in Konoha basically had relatively independent intelligence personnel, sometimes able to obtain special information.
But if it was obtained through Uchiha channels, why couldn't Naraku produce evidence, and why was he so tight-lipped about the source?
Moreover, even if Naraku was cared for by Fugaku and his wife, he might not necessarily be qualified to use the Uchiha Clan's intelligence system.
Therefore, logically speaking, the origin and credibility of this intelligence still needed detailed evaluation to avoid falling into a trap.
If not for Naraku's close relationship with Tsunade, he would now order the Anbu to apprehend him for interrogation.
But considering that a large number of Anbu Ninja had recently been withdrawn from the front lines to support Amegakure, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt that the "Sand Ninja breaching the defenses" still had a certain degree of credibility.
Thinking back again, if Naraku was providing false information, why wouldn't he present fabricated evidence to increase its credibility, instead of refusing to explain?
With the mindset of 'better safe than sorry,' he gestured for an Anbu to come forward and receive orders: "Immediately send out all reconnaissance squads to investigate the enemy situation, and notify the Village's guard forces to be ready to assemble at any time."
An Anbu appeared from a corner, took the Hokage's order, and vanished on the spot.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his desk, casting a profound glance at the Shadow Clone still kneeling with bowed head in the center of the room, a strange light flickering in his eyes.
Even if Naraku's words were true, how would Sunagakure know that Konoha's defenses were unusually weak these past few days and launch a major offensive?
Was it an internal spy on the front lines who leaked defensive secrets?
Or was Sunagakure lucky, and the timing of the attack too coincidental?
If it was either of these two situations, then the high-level decision-making error still had room for recovery, but what if it was the worst possible scenario—
Amegakure's request for Konoha's support was merely Sunagakure's ploy to lure the tiger out of its mountain lair.
If this were true, with Uchiha Naraku's talent and intelligence, he could very likely deduce from a small piece of information that the abnormal defense was precisely what led to the current extremely urgent situation.
If this high-level mistake was discovered by an Uchiha, then the Uchiha Clan would certainly not let it go after the war; no, perhaps they would cause trouble even before the war ended, leading to catastrophic turmoil in the Village.
"Naraku, since you provided the intelligence and cannot produce evidence, it is only right that you prove its accuracy."
From an angle Naraku couldn't see, Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at every reaction of his body, his tone slow and anxiety-inducing.
"Furthermore, the Village lacks combat power, and your strength is indispensable... I just don't know if you are willing?"
The Shadow Clone was silent for a few seconds, then replied, "I can depart at any time."
"Good child, your Will of Fire makes me proud." Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled kindly, then started puffing on his pipe again: "You and Inuzuka Tsumes Squad go together. Be careful and act within your limits."
"Yes."
...Meanwhile, Naraku had just finished securing his ninja sword when he received the memories from his Shadow Clone after it voluntarily dispelled.
Knowing that the old man Hiruzen Sarutobi was half-believing his intelligence and had begun reconnaissance, Naraku finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The attacking Sand Ninja numbered in the thousands, and he couldn't possibly deal with all of them by himself; that was unrealistic and irresponsible.
The best approach was for Hiruzen Sarutobi to dispatch troops to intercept, maximizing Konoha's chances of victory.
If Hiruzen Sarutobi, knowing the defenses were abnormal, still scoffed at the news, then Naraku would have no choice but to conspicuously burst out of the Barrier, perhaps even attracting some people to pursue him, and when they encountered the Sand Ninja, they would naturally understand everything.
Hiruzen's rational choice saved him a lot of trouble... Konoha-Sunagakure front line.
Inside the command tent, Tsunade's face was dark as she held a few thin sheets of paper.
--Something's not right, very not right! The amount of intelligence reported from several areas in the past two days is unusually low!
--The personnel there are quite sufficient, this shouldn't be the case at all! Could it be... "Lady Tsunade!"
Just as she vaguely felt something amiss, a Ninja rushed in, flustered, carrying a very familiar-looking red-haired girl on his shoulder. Kana was covered in wounds but was clinging to consciousness due to her special physique.
"Kana! Shouldn't your squad be operating within the national border?"
Tsunade quickly stood up and supported her, Medical Ninjutsu flowing into the weak body as if it were free.
Kana clutched Tsunade's arm tightly, spitting out all the intelligence she had risked her life to bring, like a machine gun: "Lady Tsunade, a Sand Ninja force of nearly ten thousand Ninja broke through the northern blockade line more than two days ago!"
"What?!" Tsunade's pupils trembled, unable to believe what she was hearing.
"For some reason, the defense of the northern border was unusually weak. By the time we discovered the enemy attack, it was already too late, and we couldn't even transmit intelligence. If my comrades hadn't desperately covered my breakthrough, I'm afraid..."
"Damn it!"
Tsunade handed Kana over to others to look after, then threw open the tent flap and roared, "All units assemble!!!"
...On the other side, Naraku had just finished tidying his ninja sword when he received the memories from his Shadow Clone after it voluntarily dispelled.