After upgrading Shisui's power in the Hall of Heroes, Shinju shifted his focus back to the ninja world.
At that same time, deep beneath the northwestern border of the Land of Fire, everything was dead silent.
The captain of Iwagakure's "Earth Dragon" squad, Gantetsu, had his eyes closed, using chakra to sense the structure of the surrounding earth layers.
As a trusted confidant of Onoki, Gantetsu had completed dozens of top-level infiltration missions without a single failure. That record had given him considerable confidence—this mission, in his mind, was already in the bag.
"Captain, how far are we from the scheduled point?"
One of his teammates spoke through the four-man formation, the tension in his voice faint but detectable.
"Don't rush. We've still got about thirty kilometers to go." Gantetsu's tone was as steady as stone. "We're like ghosts in the earth. No matter how powerful Konoha's sensory barrier is, it can't reach this deep. Their ninja will just be flailing around on the surface like headless flies."
His words carried the unshakable confidence born from Iwagakure's secret Earth Release techniques.
In their eyes, Konoha's so-called "reforms" were nothing more than economic tricks—sleight of hand to cover up a decline in national power.
As for this newly risen organization called the [Divine Court]?
Even more laughable. A name they'd never even heard before—how strong could such a group possibly be?
They were already a seasoned, highly structured village; they had no interest in taking such upstart factions seriously, treating them as nothing more than inexperienced juniors.
"Onoki-sama wants us to confirm the true nature of this 'Divine Court,'" Gantetsu went on, "and figure out the real purpose behind their economic reforms. Remember, our mission is infiltration. We don't stay to fight. Unless absolutely necessary, we do not engage. We find their weak points, then leave without a trace."
He glanced down at the simple map he carried. A secret route leading into Konoha's interior was marked upon it.
This route should still be safe—very few people knew about it.
The next waypoint along the route was a narrow canyon.
"Prepare to surface," Gantetsu ordered. "That canyon ahead is the best temporary rest point, and it's also the last checkpoint for avoiding Konoha's patrols. Once we confirm it's clear, we go all out and drive straight into their heart."
"Yes!"
The four Iwagakure elites were visibly invigorated. They were getting closer and closer to their objective… and remained completely unaware that they themselves had already become someone else's target.
…
In the central intelligence room at [Divine Court] headquarters, an enormous wall-sized screen glowed softly, an ocean of data flowing across its surface.
Kakashi stood before it, his index finger resting on a heat map representing economic activity throughout the Land of Fire.
"Konoha's economic reforms are siphoning resources from the surrounding nations," he reported. "Caravans, capital, commoners, and even a portion of other countries' ninja forces are being drawn into the Land of Fire. According to intel Jiraiya-sama sent back from the Land of Earth, both the daimyo's office and Iwagakure are reacting very strongly."
"The intelligence network shows increased military mobilization in Iwagakure. Their specialized dark ops 'Earth Dragon' squad has gone off the grid for fifteen days now. That's… abnormal."
Shinju's gaze rested on the screen.
His fingers slid across the smooth surface.
The massive projection of economic data vanished, replaced by a real-time map of the Fire Country's borders. On it, countless faint blue points of light flowed like rivers, representing every known chakra signature within the nation.
This was one of [Divine Court]'s top secrets—a vast monitoring system Shinju called "Sky Net."
The network's sensor nodes were spread all along the border. Members of the Hyuga clan were stationed in hidden outposts, their Byakugan providing long-range optical surveillance. The Aburame clan's kikaichu carried microscopic chakra sensors, scattered through forests and underground, forming an invisible layer of perception.
The moment any unregistered chakra source at or above chunin level crossed the border, the system would instantly lock onto it.
"They couldn't hold back any longer," Shinju murmured.
As his words fell, four red points of light suddenly appeared in the mountainous region along the northwestern border.
The brightness of each point indicated chakra strength—these were jonin-level signatures.
They did not move along roads or trade routes. Instead, they advanced steadily through the earth itself, heading in a straight line toward the Land of Fire's interior.
Itachi looked at the four red dots on the display, watching them shift across the map.
"Doton: Dochū Eigyo no Jutsu (Hiding Like a Mole Technique). Iwagakure's infiltration secret art. That's the 'Earth Dragon' squad."
Kakashi's expression grew serious as well.
On the screen before them, the four red dots were perfectly clear.
The enemy's "flawless" stealth operation was nothing more than a predictable line of movement drawn across the map. Iwa's elite thought their burrowing technique was perfect, yet they had no idea that beyond their imagination, there was an entire world of higher technology and broader vision watching them from several hundred kilometers away.
With absolute superiority in intelligence, the traditional game of reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance had already become meaningless.
"Kakashi."
Shinju finally spoke, his eyes never leaving the screen.
"[Divine Court] needs a battle to announce its existence."
"This squad… is a target delivered to our doorstep."
He turned sideways, looking at the two subordinates behind him.
"I have only one request—before they enter the Land of Fire's heartland, eliminate them completely."
"No survivors."
"Yes." Kakashi's reply was short and firm.
Shinju's fingertip touched the screen again.
From the four moving red dots, he drew a straight red line forward. The line passed through mountains and forests and came to a stop over a narrow canyon.
"This is their only viable path," Shinju said flatly. "Passing through here lets them bypass ninety percent of Konoha's surface patrols. It's the optimal route for infiltration."
His gaze shifted to Itachi.
"Itachi, make use of the canyon terrain. Combine it with your genjutsu and prepare them a welcome ceremony."
The three tomoe in Itachi's eyes turned slowly.
"Understood."
Once he finished giving orders, Shinju no longer paid attention to the minor details on the map.
Kakashi and Itachi exchanged a glance, then turned in unison and walked toward the intelligence room's exit.
In the shadows near the doorway, ten ninja stood silently in two rows.
They wore [Divine Court]'s custom black tactical gear, version 2.3, and pure white masks devoid of any markings or patterns. Their posture was perfectly straight, like statues, and they released no extraneous killing intent at all.
These ten were elites drawn from various clans across Konoha.
Sakumo had supervised their training in kenjutsu and taijutsu, while Shisui and Itachi had taught them the practical application of assassination and genjutsu. Under this dual regimen, their strength had increased dramatically, molding them into operatives capable of bearing far heavier responsibilities.
This was [Divine Court]'s first batch of trained combat forces.
This mission would be their first true battle. It was time to "draw the sword" and let the lurking scavengers of the ninja world understand… Konoha was not to be provoked.
Kakashi and Itachi stepped to the front of the formation.
The ten operatives fell into motion behind them, their movements absolutely synchronized.
At a nameless canyon along the border, a one-sided ambush was about to begin.
(End of Chapter)
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