Shinichi's eyes snapped open, his gaze instantly clear.
He immediately realized this was absolutely not an illusion caused by the cold weather. With his current physique—enhanced by various Entries—ordinary night chill was nowhere near enough to make him feel even the slightest discomfort.
It was the Entry [Ominous Sign]!
This luck-type Entry, obtained when he graduated early from the Academy, had remained dormant for two years without showing any special effects. And now, for the first time, it was actively sending him a warning—vague, yet unmistakably clear.
Danger was approaching.
Without the slightest hesitation, Shinichi sprang to his feet. Moving swiftly and silently, he passed through his resting companions and headed straight to Tsunade's temporary command point at the center of the camp.
"Tsunade-sensei!" Shinichi stepped in front of her as she examined the map and said in a low voice, "There's danger. Prepare for battle."
Tsunade lifted her head from the map, her brows instantly knitting together. She understood her disciple well—he was not someone who spoke without basis or made a fuss, especially at a time like this.
"What's going on? Be clear!" Tsunade set the map aside and stood up, her presence turning sharply imposing.
"I can't explain it clearly. It's a kind of intuition—or rather, a warning." Shinichi replied quickly, his gaze sweeping toward the darkness beyond the camp. "A very strong warning. The danger is already very close. It's likely a targeted ambush or attack. Our reconnaissance team has probably run into trouble."
Tsunade's expression turned extremely grim.
She abruptly looked toward where Hyūga Yūtō stood. The young Hyūga branch family ninja remained quietly at the edge of the camp, standing on elevated ground. Veins bulged faintly around his eyes—his Byakugan was active, fulfilling his surveillance duty.
From his posture and previous periodic reports, there had been no abnormal chakra fluctuations or signs of life detected within the surrounding area.
The forward reconnaissance squad led by Hyūga Kenichi, as well as the rear guard squad led by Hyūga Ryōta, had standing orders: if they encountered enemies or detected anything unusual, they were to immediately report via designated signals or communication methods.
Yet so far, no emergency signal had been received. Communications remained silent.
But Shinichi's warning…
Tsunade recalled that this disciple of hers did possess perception abilities far beyond ordinary people—something that had already drawn attention back in the Academy.
Moreover, she knew very well that in the ninja world, no ability was absolutely invincible. If the enemy possessed some method specifically designed to counter or interfere with the Byakugan…
"Messenger!" Tsunade stopped hesitating, her voice rising sharply and instantly shattering the camp's silence:
"All personnel, attention! Highest alert! Non-frontline members, immediately fall back to the central area! All combat personnel, take positions according to the preset defensive formation! Barrier unit, deploy defensive barriers immediately! Recon unit, expand the surveillance perimeter—focus on detecting areas with abnormal chakra suppression!"
"Communications unit! Immediately attempt to contact the forward reconnaissance squad led by Hyūga Kenichi and the rear squad led by Hyūga Ryōta! Repeat the call!"
A rapid sequence of orders fell like a storm, and the entire camp came alive in an instant.
The resting ninja sprang up at astonishing speed. Medical personnel quickly packed essential supplies and gathered toward the center, while combat personnel moved with practiced precision to occupy advantageous positions around the camp. Kunai were drawn, tools readied, and the previously calm atmosphere was instantly replaced by tense vigilance.
After receiving the order, Hyūga Yūtō's expression sharpened. The veins around his Byakugan bulged even more prominently as he scanned the surroundings with greater focus.
At the same time, Shinichi's figure flickered as he quickly retreated into his tent, seemingly preparing his equipment. A few seconds later, he emerged.
However, if Hyūga Yūtō could spare even a fraction of attention and use his fully activated Byakugan to carefully observe Shinichi at this moment—
He would be shocked to discover that Shinichi's physique and chakra had become incomparably vast and condensed, even faintly emitting a different, more aggressive aura.
But right now, all of Yūtō's focus and Byakugan capabilities were locked onto the darkness beyond the camp, where a lethal threat might strike at any moment. He had neither the time nor the capacity to analyze subtle abnormalities among the hundreds of chakra signatures inside the camp.
Even if he did, he would only conclude that Shinichi was himself—at most noticing that his physique and chakra seemed somewhat greater than before.
This was something Shinichi had already tested last month when he had "coincidentally" encountered Hyūga Hizashi and deliberately arranged a spar to confirm it.
Shinichi quickly arrived at the assigned position of his medical squad, joining several medical ninja who were visibly tense. Under their astonished gazes, he rapidly formed hand seals for the Summoning Technique and slammed one hand onto the ground.
Bang!
A conspicuous cloud of white smoke burst forth. As it quickly dissipated, a towering, powerfully built figure—muscles bulging like tempered steel—appeared before everyone.
With a resolute face and sharp eyes, it was none other than the Third Hokage's summoning partner—
The Monkey King, Enma!
Although the monkey clan had long been the hereditary summoning partners of the Sarutobi clan, their bond was close but not absolutely exclusive.
In fact, the Third Hokage had once intended to grant the contract to his disciple Jiraiya. However, that guy, before formally signing, recklessly attempted the Summoning Technique on his own.
As a result, by sheer accident, he ended up summoning himself to Mount Myōboku and formed an inseparable bond with the toads. That incident later became a humorous anecdote occasionally brought up between master and disciple.
"Oh?" The moment Enma appeared, his gaze swept across the tense crowd and the suffocating battle-ready atmosphere, immediately grasping the situation. "A fight, huh? Things are pretty tense."
His eyes soon landed on Tsunade not far away. "Tsunade-chan is here too."
Seeing that Shinichi could actually summon Enma, a trace of surprise flashed in Tsunade's eyes. She couldn't help but reassess just how highly the old man regarded this child.
Not only had he sent Enma to personally guide Shinichi's physical training, but he had also allowed him to sign a summoning contract with the monkey clan.
At the same time, the heavy stone weighing on her heart eased slightly.
She knew Enma's strength very well. With such a powerful summon anchoring the formation, the team's defensive depth and adaptability would greatly increase.
"Enma-ojisan, I'll be counting on you!" Tsunade called out.
Enma nodded without speaking, then turned his gaze toward Shinichi, waiting for instructions.
"Enma-senpai, please transform into the Adamantine Staff and lend me your strength!"
A flicker of surprise passed through Enma's golden eyes. He had assumed Shinichi summoned him to fight directly, but hadn't expected this request right from the start.
In that form, most of his direct combat capabilities would be restricted. His effectiveness would largely depend on the user's strength. If the wielder was insufficient, it would be far worse than letting him fight in his original form.
"Kid, my weapon form isn't so easy to handle," Enma said in a deep voice. But his actions did not hesitate.
With a low roar, white smoke flashed—
And in the next instant, a long staff over two meters in length appeared.
Its middle section was pitch black, as if it absorbed light, while both ends were dark gold, faintly engraved with intricate patterns.
Just by existing, it exuded a pressure of indestructibility and immense weight.
It was the weapon transformation of the monkey clan—
The Adamantine Staff!
Shinichi stepped forward and firmly grasped the cold shaft.
"Any findings?!" Tsunade continued issuing commands while forming a defensive circle, placing non-combat personnel at the center, and shouted toward Hyūga Yūtō.
Sweat had already formed on Yūtō's forehead. The veins around his Byakugan bulged grotesquely as he scanned every direction with all his strength. Hearing her, he could only grit his teeth and shake his head.
"Nothing, Tsunade-sama."
He was filled with confusion and unease. The silence from Kenichi's forward squad was already highly abnormal, yet within his Byakugan's field of vision, the front appeared unnaturally clean.
At that moment, a communications ninja rushed over, face pale: "Tsunade-sama! The Hyūga Ryōta squad has reported—they're retreating! But the Hyūga Kenichi squad still has no response! All communications and signals are cut off!"
"So something did happen!"
Tsunade's heart sank heavily. The last trace of hope was gone.
She looked at Yūtō, who also understood the gravity of the situation. There was no time to question why the Byakugan had failed or why Kenichi had gone silent. He could only fix his gaze firmly on his field of vision, not letting go of even the slightest fluctuation.
Meanwhile—
About two kilometers away from the Konoha camp, behind what appeared to be an ordinary rocky slope—
The main assault force of Sunagakure had already silently reached the frontline.
Standing beside Ebizō, Benimaru's red eyes flickered faintly in the darkness as he said in a low voice: "Elder, for some reason, the Konoha camp ahead seems to have detected something. They're already setting up defensive formations."
Ebizō, clad in a wide robe, narrowed his eyes as he gazed into the distance, pondering for a moment before speaking: "Then we attack head-on."
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