After nearly two days and nights of nonstop forced marching, this medical logistics unit of over five hundred people had already crossed more than half of the Land of Fire.
The sustained rapid movement left fatigue evident on every face in the team, yet the focus and vigilance in their eyes had not diminished in the slightest.
At their current pace, by tomorrow afternoon at the latest, they would reach the main battlefield area along the western border of the Land of Fire and successfully link up with the main frontline force under Jiraiya's command.
At this moment, the unit had temporarily halted in a relatively concealed valley backed by forest, carrying out necessary rest and final reconnaissance adjustments.
Tsunade took the encrypted message handed to her by the communications ninja and quickly scanned its contents.
Jiraiya's side was already aware of their route and had dispatched a capable reception squad, expected to rendezvous with them by tomorrow morning.
"Pass it on: all companies will rest in place. Use this time to recover stamina, check all supplies and equipment, and prepare for the final push tomorrow, as well as immediate deployment upon arrival at the front."
Tsunade put away the message and issued her orders, then turned her gaze slightly forward. "Recon unit!"
Three Hyūga clan ninjas, already on standby, immediately stepped forward and responded in unison, "Present!"
All three came from the branch family. Their appearances were similar, their demeanor calm and composed.
The one standing in the middle, slightly older, was Hyūga Kenichi—the leader of the recon unit for this mission. He was steady in temperament and the most experienced.
On the left stood his cousin Hyūga Ryōta, around twenty-five or twenty-six years old, and on the right was the youngest, Hyūga Yūto.
"Hyūga Kenichi." Tsunade pointed toward the direction of advance. "Take three people and move ahead. Focus on detecting suspicious chakra signatures, terrain changes, and any signs of possible ambush along our planned route and its flanks. Return and report in three hours."
"Yes!" Kenichi did not hesitate. He immediately selected three teammates skilled in stealth and counter-reconnaissance. Their figures flickered, vanishing silently into the forest ahead.
"Hyūga Ryōta!" Tsunade turned to the left. "Take three people and secure the rear and rear flanks. Make sure nothing is trailing us, and stay alert for enemies attempting to circle in from either side."
"Understood!" Hyūga Ryōta acknowledged and swiftly disappeared in the direction they had come from, along with three others.
"Hyūga Yūto!" Tsunade finally looked toward the young Hyūga on the right. "You remain in the camp. Activate your Byakugan when needed. Focus on monitoring internal and surrounding chakra fluctuations. The moment you detect any unidentified or suspicious chakra source approaching, issue an immediate warning."
"Yes, Tsunade-sama!" Hyūga Yūto nodded firmly, then stepped aside and took position, standing silently.
The orders were carried out swiftly and in perfect sequence.
The entire unit functioned like a precise set of interlocking gears. After a brief halt, it entered a state of final inspection and adjustment before resuming high-speed operation.
The shinobi quietly ate rations and checked their equipment. The medical personnel once again inventoried medicines and tools. The air was filled with a tense stillness—the kind that comes before a great battle.
Higashino Shinichi leaned against a tree, slowly drinking water. His gaze swept across the busy yet orderly camp before settling on Hyūga Yūto, who stood quietly in the distance.
The Byakugan of the Hyūga clan, in this kind of marching and security operation, held undeniable strategic value. Being able to detect danger in advance was crucial to ensuring the safety of the entire unit.
He withdrew his gaze, closed his eyes, and used this rare moment of rest to slowly regulate his breathing and chakra, making final preparations for tomorrow's journey—and for the true battlefield that awaited.
Night fell. The darkness grew dense as ink, and the forest was utterly silent.
Most of the medical logistics unit did not truly fall asleep. Instead, they maintained a state of light rest with eyes closed—a basic practice during wartime marches to guard against nighttime infiltration. Deep down, however, they were not overly worried.
After all, there were Hyūga clan ninjas in the unit—and not just one, but three.
That was the Byakugan.
A bloodline limit passed down for a thousand years, its strategic value long acknowledged across the shinobi world as immeasurable.
Once awakened, the Byakugan could perceive everything within a one-kilometer radius in complete detail—chakra flow, signs of life, terrain features—all laid bare.
With training, its range of vision and clarity could be extended even further.
Because of this, in countless wars and missions, the Byakugan had been hailed as the most reliable living radar. There had never been a successful infiltration that went undetected.
With the Byakugan present, it was as if the unit were enveloped in an invisible, absolute sensory barrier.
As the person in charge of forward reconnaissance, Hyūga Kenichi maintained the Hyūga clan's characteristic stern and rigid expression.
He moved forward in silence, veins bulging around his eyes as the pure white vision of the Byakugan operated like a precision scanner, bringing every inch of land ahead—every abnormal fluctuation—under surveillance.
"Clear. No abnormalities within three kilometers ahead." Hyūga Kenichi gave a concise hand signal.
The three teammates following him visibly relaxed upon hearing this.
It was the Byakugan. If Hyūga Kenichi said there was no problem, then there was no problem. This was trust built from countless missions—an almost instinctive faith, and an absolute confidence in the Byakugan, the strongest eye of perception.
The group exchanged a few quiet words, confirmed details of several terrain checkpoints, and advanced a bit further until they reached the reconnaissance boundary set by Tsunade.
"Prepare to return." Hyūga Kenichi signaled for them to turn back.
Just as the four of them turned around and prepared to retrace their steps—
BOOM!!!
Several points beneath and around them suddenly exploded without warning!
Blazing firelight and violent shockwaves tore through the stillness of the night in an instant!
Pre-placed explosive tags had been triggered with perfect precision, the blast covering the entire area where the team stood!
"When!? How is this possible!?"
Kenichi's eyes widened, his pupils filled with shock and disbelief!
The enemy—was nearby! And had completely avoided the Byakugan's detection!
But his body reacted faster than his thoughts. As an experienced Special Jōnin, at the very instant the explosion occurred, chakra erupted from within him at an unprecedented speed!
The roar of the explosion echoed through the forest as smoke and fire spread.
At the critical moment, Kenichi leapt out of the blast radius. The veins around his eyes bulged even more violently as the Byakugan activated to its fullest extent—359-degree vision sweeping frantically across the darkness below and around him, scanning every inch of shadow, every tree, every rock, every minute movement.
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