Konoha’s White Fang Shines

Chapter 34: Clarifying the Enemy Situation

Rin quickly treated both Kurenai and Genma. Her gentle touch and kind demeanor soothed their discomfort, and she even tied a neat little butterfly knot on Kurenai's bandaged hand.

Seeing the butterfly knot on Kurenai, Genma couldn't help but grin. However, Rin, misinterpreting his expression, tied one on his hand as well.

Though initially taken aback, Genma decided to ignore the butterfly knot as it didn't hinder him much.

Meanwhile, Minato gathered everyone and drew a diagram on the ground to explain their formation and assignments.

Once Kurenai and Genma's wounds were fully treated, Minato gave the order:

"Alright, the reconnaissance team will advance while the support team stays behind. Stay vigilant. If you see an emergency signal, move to assist immediately."

With that, the eight-member team split into two formations: the reconnaissance team in a wedge formation and the support team following at a distance. Both teams moved swiftly toward Mount Saigu.

Upon reaching the forested base of the mountain, Minato raised his hand, signaling everyone to stop.

"The reconnaissance team will scout ahead for intel. The support team remains on high alert. If we signal for help, come immediately," Minato instructed.

"Understood," the support team responded in unison.

As Genma, Yuji, Minato, and Kakashi advanced, Genma couldn't help but glance back at Kurenai. To his surprise, she was looking at him too, her expression filled with worry and reluctance to part.

Her concern bolstered his resolve. With a steadying breath, he turned away and refocused on the task ahead.

The four-man reconnaissance team reached the base of the mountain and began moving carefully. When Minato raised a hand to halt their progress again, he explained:

"The mountain is vast, but we're now likely within the sensory range of enemy ninjas. We'll stop here and use unassuming summoning animals to gather intel. Kakashi, you'll assist as well."

With that, Minato bit his thumb and performed a summoning jutsu, and Kakashi followed suit.

Two puffs of smoke revealed eight summoned creatures: four toads and four ninja dogs.

Seeing the dogs, Genma's suspicion about the masked white-haired youth being Kakashi was confirmed.

One of the ninja dogs, a small pug named Pakkun, looked up at Kakashi with a grin. "Alright, boss, what's the plan?"

Meanwhile, a red-colored toad addressed Minato with mock annoyance, "Minato, why didn't you summon the older toads for this? Don't you think they'd be more helpful?"

Minato scratched his head sheepishly. "Sorry, Toad Chū. This is a reconnaissance mission, so I had to summon you younger toads. If there's danger, retreat to Mount Myōboku immediately."

Toad Chū sighed and turned to address the other toads. "If there's trouble, retreat immediately. Got it?"

"Yes!" the young toads replied in unison, clearly eager for action.

Minato then turned to Pakkun and the ninja dogs.

"We understand," Pakkun said. "Tell us where to go, and we'll handle it."

Minato nodded and assigned the summons to scout the mountain from four directions: east, south, west, and north.

After briefing them, the summoned animals set off toward Mount Saigu. The four reconnaissance ninjas stayed behind, maintaining vigilance as they waited.

After a tense wait, the summons began returning, though not all of them made it back. Only half of the group returned, including Toad Chū and some of the ninja dogs. Many of them bore injuries—bruises, cuts, and scratches—and looked exhausted.

"What did you find? Toad Chū, you first," Minato asked.

Toad Chū's expression was grim. "The mountain is full of traps. I didn't even make it halfway up before I had to retreat. But I did find a stream that might lead us up. With the help of the Rock-Home Toad, we could potentially use it to ascend."

Minato rubbed his chin in thought and then turned to the ninja dogs. "What about you all?"

Pakkun stepped forward and spat out some torn fabric. "We picked up these scents near the summit. Judging by the number of distinct odors, there are at least fifteen individuals, though we're unsure how many are enemies."

"Fifteen?" Minato frowned, examining the fabric.

"Judging by the style and texture, some of these belong to women—likely captives taken by the bandits," Yuji speculated.

"Could it be a trap? Or perhaps the captives tried to leave a trail?" Genma suggested.

Kakashi, usually silent, raised an eyebrow. "Captives leaving a trail? Would they even have the opportunity?"

Yuji elaborated, "It's possible. The captives may have been forced to comply but managed to leave hints while the bandits weren't looking. Let's not forget the peculiar plants on this mountain—Ninja Relief Grass and symbiotic fog plants. This isn't a coincidence."

Minato's brows furrowed deeper as he considered the information. "Toad Chū, did you notice anything unusual about the vegetation?"

"Yes, the plants look cultivated, not wild," Toad Chū confirmed.

Pakkun chimed in as well. "We noticed the same thing on our route."

Minato sighed. "It seems we still don't have enough actionable intel. Let's bring out the Rock-Home Toad."

Performing another summoning jutsu, Minato summoned a small yellow toad.

Yuji's skeptical expression returned. "A tiny toad? How is this going to help us infiltrate?"

Minato smiled. "Don't be fooled. This toad has spatial manipulation abilities. It can carry all four of us to the stream Toad Chū found."

Yuji, though still dubious, relented. Following Minato's instructions, Genma and Kakashi placed their hands on Yuji's shoulders.

In an instant, their surroundings blurred, and they found themselves inside the toad's spatial dimension—surrounded by fleshy walls.

Guided by Toad Chū, the Rock-Home Toad carried the group up the stream toward the mountain.

At the summit, several bandits patrolled the entrance of a makeshift wooden fortress. Two of them broke off from the group, one heading into the woods and the other toward the stream.

The one at the stream—a wiry man with a mischievous grin—spotted the Rock-Home Toad and aimed a stream of urine at it.

The toad dodged effortlessly and snuck up behind the man, releasing a special kunai from its mouth.

Before the bandit realized what was happening, a flash of light consumed him, and he disappeared.

The second bandit, a scar-faced man, called out for his companion but received no response. Moments later, he too was taken by surprise and vanished into the toad's dimension.

Inside the Rock-Home Toad, Yuji interrogated the two bandits with his blade gleaming in the dim light. Terrified, the bandits revealed everything they knew.

According to them, the fortress housed 22 women, 15 regular bandits, and 6 rogue ninjas—two of whom were jōnin and four chūnin. All six wore Mist Village headbands with slashes through them, marking them as defectors.

The revelation left the team puzzled. Why would rogue Mist ninjas set up camp in such a remote location?

Although they didn't have time to ponder the motive, they knew they needed to act quickly before the bandits discovered their missing comrades.

Minato and Yuji created shadow clones to impersonate the two captured bandits and left the toad's dimension to stall for time. Meanwhile, Minato teleported back to the support team's location.

"Minato-sensei!" Rin exclaimed, startled by his sudden appearance.

Minato nodded. "Prepare yourselves. We're moving in sooner than planned. The battle starts now."

End of Chapter 34