"What's going on with Big Brother Left?"
Douren tilted his head as he noticed the left wing rushing toward him. The older ninja's voice carried a trace of urgency.
"Raizen, did you encounter a Hyuga ninja during your mission?"
"Huh? How do you know, Big Brother Left?" Douren blinked. He'd just returned—hardly enough time for anyone to report anything.
"When you went on patrol, an injured Uchiha member was rescued by another team. They brought back a message: the vanguard up front didn't know who attacked, only that the assault came from behind. Now they're trapped in the Lingshan Gorge, struggling against the Hyuga forces."
Douren frowned. Something was off.
The Lingshan Gorge split into two ends. The Uchiha coalition and the Hyuga coalition each held one side. Surveillance was tight; no one should have slipped through. Yet here was news that Hyuga forces had struck the vanguard from behind. That was impossible.
"The elder Uchiha in camp initially didn't believe it," the left wing continued, shaking his head. "But your mission encountered Hyuga ninjas directly. That finally got the elder's attention."
Douren's mind raced. The gorge was massive, dense with valleys and jungle. Both coalitions had spies planted everywhere. The vanguard counted hundreds of elite ninjas; it would take at least double that to besiege them. Yet Hyuga forces had bypassed all detection and struck from behind.
"How… how did they find a secret path the Uchiha didn't?" Douren muttered.
Then it hit him.
Byakugan.
Of course. The Hyuga bloodline limit, the eye that sees in 360 degrees without blind spots. If they scanned the terrain, a hidden route could become visible—something the Uchiha's scouts couldn't detect. That explained everything.
"And Uchiha's reaction?" Douren asked himself. The vanguard wasn't wiped out—there was still a chance to save them. As long as the coalition forces controlled the surrounding territory, rescue was possible.
"The camp is holding a meeting now," the left wing said. "Deciding whether to attempt a rescue."
Douren went silent. The vanguard was powerful, composed of the strongest of each clan. In a war like this, a single mistake could turn the tide. Even if the vanguard were surrounded, rushing in recklessly could jeopardize the entire campaign. Sometimes, leaving a small force to its fate was a calculated cruelty.
Big Brother Tian… Big Brother Riku… both in the vanguard. If something happened to them…
The left wing clenched his fists at the thought.
Douren felt a pang of unease—and, surprisingly, a spark of ambition. He wanted to become strong enough that he wouldn't need strategy or luck. If he could reach the heights of a later Uchiha Madara, he could storm the Warring States alone, untouched by misfortune or betrayal.