For two days, Konoha Ninja kept watch over the Land of Waves to the north while massing troops and readying for battle in the south.
At the same time, Command Center ordered that, except for intelligence personnel specially authorized by headquarters, no one was to contact the outside world by any means. Anyone discovered doing so would be treated as a spy.
When the scheduled counterattack began, every participating Konoha Ninja was organized into squads. Based on their skills and strength, these were combined into a dozen assault units that launched a sudden strike against the Hidden Mist's defensive line.
Everyone carried full kits of Ninja tools, blood pumping, ready to wipe out or drive off these hated invaders in one furious push.
Swish-swish, thud-thud!
Squad after squad of Konoha Ninja moved at steady speed through the forest toward the south. Each assault unit had a Sensory Ninja at the front to spot and eliminate any enemies sighted, buying time before the Mist could report back.
Perception is more than Chakra detection. In the broad sense, it covers any ability that reveals enemies in advance.
Higashino Shin—or the former Mist Ninja Chukichi—used the classic method: sensing Chakra fluctuations within a certain range through special means.
Both were experts, their range far surpassing others'. Yet Higashino Shin's abilities were more varied and wondrous; with Natural Energy on his side, Chukichi's blind faith in his own senses led his unit straight into a Konoha trap and total annihilation.
The Hyuga Clan's long-distance sight is another form of perception. Its range varies with the Ninja's strength but is usually one or two kilometers.
If they focus Chakra in one direction, they can see farther, yet not every Hyuga knows this technique—apparently a main-house secret taught only with permission.
Besides that, the Inuzuka track by scent and the Aburame spread their insects; both count as perception.
The Uchiha Sharingan can also see Chakra, but its range is too short, useful only in personal combat; strictly speaking, its users aren't Sensory Ninja.
As for the Uzumaki Clan's Mind's Eye of the Kagura? Sorry—extinct. The direction Konoha is advancing is where they once lived.
The Land of Whirlpools remains, but Uzushiogakure is gone forever.
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As Command Center's favorite little sensor, Higashino Shin was naturally placed at the front of the column—right in the center with the Seventh Assault Unit.
They had to eliminate any Mist scouts at top speed and, on signal, rush to support the flanks; their role was vital.
The Seventh Assault Unit was the spearhead of the entire counterattack.
Moving through the forest, Shin felt his blood race as the Mist's line drew nearer.
The d-rank missions after graduation had merely filled the promotion log; c-rank ones acclimated them to a Ninja's life of killing.
The fight against Chukichi's team days earlier had been a small-scale sensing and annihilation operation.
Today they would face real Ninja World war.
As squad members, Gekkō Hayate and Yūgao Uzuki were coming along. Both were tense. Gekko Yun Jian had wanted them to stay behind with the other Genin, but they refused.
They were strong—only a Village formality away from Chunin.
Frontline Command Center can't promote; it only reports merit. Promotion, a matter of honor, rests with Konoha's true high command.
Gekko Yun Jian comforted his Disciples: "Don't be nervous—trust your strength."
Higashino Shin added: "Watch your position, keep our usual rhythm, stay close, and don't charge blindly."
"Understood!" ×2
As the unit advanced, Chakra signatures soon appeared in Shin's range, but the moment wasn't right; the enemy hadn't spotted them.
A sensor with six kilometers' radius like Chukichi was a rare monster; the other four Villages together had only a handful.
After moving farther, Shin halted. "One kilometer ahead: a four-man Mist patrol. Judging by Chakra, one Jonin leading three Genin. Nothing else visible."
The Uchiha Jonin in command signaled rearward; several vanguard squads slipped forward.
The Mist patrol was only on routine duty, scouting for stray Konoha Ninja.
Yet the veteran Jonin sensed something wrong—experience speaking.
Too late.
From the surrounding forest a storm of Kunai and shuriken burst out, turning three hapless Mist rookies into pincushions.
The Jonin leader reacted fast, abandoning his men and retreating while slashing to protect vitals; the hail of blades was impossible to block.
Enduring searing pain, he sprinted away.
A Leaf bastard was attacking—he had to report it. But a crimson three-tomoe Sharingan greeted him.
"Shimatta!" the Mist Ninja cursed, mind reeling, before a blade opened his throat.
No Ninjutsu—only blades and hidden weapons; jutsu would make too much noise and alert the line early.
For Ninja, ambush is justice; back-stabbing is brilliance.
No one mourned the four dead, though three looked younger than Yūgao Uzuki.
Several squads had converged not from necessity but to kill them in seconds and keep the news from reaching the defenses.
Farther on, Shin stopped again. "We're near the Mist line. I've mapped every outpost and man within range."
The Uchiha commander of the Seventh, Uchiha Sosuke, waved the squad leaders over. Shin marked the map with enemy positions and numbers; they memorized them.
"Got it?" Sosuke asked.
"Got it."
He checked the time. "Good. We attack in ten minutes. Move out."
The squads split up, heading for their targets. When the moment came, they struck.
Kunai tipped with Explosive Tags lanced into Mist outposts; blasts erupted along the line, and the fight began.
Not just here—battle sounds rolled from left and right as well.
Once you hit the line, silence was impossible; the aim now was to breach the Mist's successive defenses as fast as possible, killing as many as they could before the enemy could mass at headquarters.
Inside an outpost, Shin batted aside a Kunai from a Mist boy his own age and, meeting the youth's terrified eyes, cut him down.
When had the kid graduated? What was his name? His dreams?
None of it mattered; he was a corpse now—this was war.
With Shin's intelligence, the Seventh Assault Unit wiped out the defenders and broke the first line, then raced for the second, aiming to tear the Mist's entire defense apart before they could rally.