Chapter 31: The Onset of the Hidden Clouds

The sky was pitch black, ominous clouds rolling and spreading, obscuring the moonlight and starlight. Hundreds of dark figures darted through the gaps between tree trunks and branches, startling birds and beasts throughout the forest.

Suddenly, a horn sounded, and the marching forces of the Leaf Shinobi halted, each stopping atop tree trunks and on forest ground, their eyes wary, as if a fierce beast might leap out from the darkness at any moment.

The commander who had ordered the halt stood atop a treetop, gazing into the distant night.

Orochimaru licked his lips. “Indeed, something is off over there.”

By now, the Leaf forces had penetrated deep into territory controlled by the Hidden Cloud, yet the anticipated ambush had not materialized. Some Cloud shinobi hovered at the fringes of the Byakugan’s vision, never harassing the march, as if merely confirming the Leaf Shinobi’s position.

“What does Hidden Cloud intend? To swallow this force whole? No, that’s impossible.”

Orochimaru dismissed the idea—not that it was entirely impossible, but it would be the most disadvantageous approach for Hidden Cloud.

This time, Hidden Cloud held the initiative. While the Leaf Shinobi hurried to their destination, the fortresses at the Land of Fire’s border had already been partially constructed, making direct confrontation with the Leaf a bold move.

From the very beginning, the analysis of Hidden Cloud’s strategy made clear they would not act so rashly.

“But still, they’ve adopted a posture of decisive battle.”

A look of keen interest flashed across Orochimaru’s face as he murmured, “So, it’s not about annihilating this force at all costs, but about preventing us from establishing a foothold, no matter what.”

From Hidden Cloud’s perspective, this was indeed the most advantageous. If the Leaf forces failed to secure a fortress, they would have to constantly guard against sudden attacks—whether mere harassment or full-scale war, the choice lay entirely with Hidden Cloud. Unless they retreated from Cloud-controlled territory, they would be forced to exhaust themselves within its bounds.

Orochimaru had thought of this, but at first he expected the enemy to employ harassment and interception, whittling away at them gradually. He hadn’t anticipated they would aim to strike in a single blow.

He looked deep into the forest, where shadows seemed to conceal a lurking beast, waiting for its moment to attack.

Hidden Cloud had indeed grasped the Leaf Shinobi’s weakness.

Destruction was always easier than defense; even Orochimaru could not guarantee the successful protection of the fortress under Hidden Cloud’s assault.

And the enemy possessed two jinchūriki capable of transforming into tailed beasts.

Hidden Cloud proved greedier and bolder than he had imagined, seeking to ignite the conflict into a fever pitch from the outset.

Orochimaru shook his head. The situation was all too clear—a bad sign.

Now, Hidden Cloud focused their strength on surveillance, not harassment, making it difficult to act under their watchful eyes.

Only by muddying the waters could an opportunity be found to activate the fortress’s defensive barrier.

With that thought, Orochimaru spoke, “Fugaku, gather the Barrier Squad.”

He intended to advance the previously decided plan to split forces.

Unlike ordinary fortresses, the Leaf’s highest-level strongholds were not only extremely hidden but followed the strategy of ‘a crafty rabbit has three burrows,’ meaning there was more than one.

When constructing these, two decoys would be built alongside the true fortress, to confuse and mislead the enemy.

Orochimaru had planned for the Shinobi army and a decoy fortress to provide cover while the real fortress’s defenses were activated, but under Hidden Cloud’s current surveillance, the probability of success was too low.

Upon hearing Orochimaru’s command, Fugaku issued orders to his clansmen. Shortly, four four-man squads appeared before Orochimaru.

From them, he selected two, then instructed his guards,

“Shisui, Kakashi, each of you will lead a jonin squad to escort them to the designated location. You must activate the fortress’s formation.”

“Yes!” Two figures leaped from the crowd, each disappearing into the woods with their squads.

A hint of concern flickered in Fugaku’s eyes. “Lord Orochimaru, splitting our forces at a time like this may…”

“No need to worry. This isn’t a contest of strength.”

Orochimaru gave Fugaku a glance, speaking quietly, “Of the two squads, one is cover for the other. The odds of success are high.

Both are elite jonin, and they know what to do.

Besides, with us here as a distraction, Hidden Cloud won’t dare divide their efforts too much.

Cast aside unnecessary doubts; a fierce battle awaits.”

…

In the depths of night, a figure leapt forth, speaking respectfully, “Lord Raikage, the Leaf has indeed split their forces. A squad is heading southeast.”

The Fourth Raikage didn’t look up, his voice deep and gravelly. “How strong are they?”

“Four chunin, four Uchiha jonin, formidable strength. One appears to be ‘Shisui the Teleporter.’ There are also two four-man squads, likely the Barrier Squad.”

Though the Cloud ninja’s words were speculative, his tone was certain, clearly demonstrating a deep understanding of Leaf’s shinobi. “Our surveillance squads wouldn’t risk alerting them; after some probing, they retreated. Now they’re keeping watch from afar.”

Beside him, Yugito Nii interjected, “Lord, with the scale of Leaf’s forces, four Uchiha jonin represent considerable power. Their destination must be to activate the fortress.”

The Fourth Raikage nodded. “That’s possible, but we can’t ignore the chance that this squad is merely covering the main force.”

Yugito was brimming with confidence. “Let me deal with them, Lord. Just four jonin—I can handle them myself.”

Facing four ordinary jonin with the strength of a Two-Tails jinchūriki would hardly be a challenge—except these were Uchiha…

The Fourth Raikage frowned. “Yugito, take a jonin squad for support.”

Before she could argue, he added, “Whether you defeat them or not is irrelevant. The primary objective is to destroy the target fortress.”

Yugito opened her mouth, but under the Raikage’s stern gaze, she could only reply, “Yes!”

With that, she leapt into the night, followed closely by a jonin and three chunin.

“Yo, bro, want to place a bet?” Killer Bee said in his peculiar voice. “Do you think this squad is heading for the real fortress?”

“Whether it’s real or not, they won’t succeed. Yugito will take care of them.”

The Fourth Raikage shot Killer Bee a glare, his voice low. “Besides, we won’t let them succeed either…”

His words were interrupted by a thunderous explosion in the forest, followed by a vivid column of light piercing the dark sky.

Staring at the glaring beacon, the Fourth Raikage grinned fiercely. “Is Leaf issuing me a challenge?”

“Killer Bee, come with me—let’s meet them head-on!”

…

A few miles away, Orochimaru, aided by the Barrier Squad, had wrapped a building so its sole purpose was to shine brightly.

Fugaku’s expression twitched. “Lord Orochimaru, this is a bit too conspicuous.”

“Heh, it’s meant to be,” Orochimaru sneered. “Even if everyone knows it’s a decoy, Hidden Cloud can’t afford to treat it as one.”