While the people inside Konoha were scrambling to mobilize troops to respond to the emergency, Uchiha Ren led two hundred shinobi traveling light and moving at high speed. After several hours of relentless travel, they finally arrived not far from the Kikyō Mountain Fortress.
"Inside the fortress there are 106 defending shinobi. No ambushes detected. The area is secure!"
After surveying the interior of the fortress with his Byakugan, Hyūga Hizashi finally let out a sigh of relief.
They had rushed all the way here—and fortunately, they had arrived before the Kumogakure forces.
Upon hearing the report, Uchiha Ren did not hesitate for even a moment.
"Everyone, listen up. Drop concealment immediately and enter the Kikyō Mountain Fortress!"
With that order, Ren and his group stopped hiding their presence and openly advanced toward the fortress.
Even though they carried no official orders, the group entered the fortress without any difficulty.
The reason was simple.
The Sharingan, the iconic bloodline limit of the Uchiha clan, and the Byakugan, the signature kekkei genkai of the Hyūga clan, were far more convincing proof of their identity as Konoha shinobi than any written authorization.
Not to mention they had brought more than two hundred shinobi with them.
Among them were numerous Hyūga branch family members, which completely ruled out the possibility that they were rogue ninja.
Why?
Because those branded with the Caged Bird Seal had no chance of betraying the village.
"Everyone rest where you are and recover your stamina."
After entering the fortress, Uchiha Ren first gave instructions to his subordinates. Then he turned to one of the defending shinobi and asked,
"Who's in charge here? Where are they now?"
The guard replied,
"Reporting, sir. The commander and deputy commander of Kikyō Mountain Fortress are Mitokado Ōki and Sarutobi Saemon. Someone has already gone to notify them. They should be—"
Before he finished speaking, the guard suddenly pointed in a direction.
"They're here!"
Uchiha Ren followed the direction indicated and saw two middle-aged men wearing chūnin flak jackets hurrying toward them.
Mitokado… and Sarutobi…
Just from those surnames alone, Ren already knew whose faction they belonged to.
The Kikyō Mountain Fortress served as a supply transfer hub for multiple border fronts. The resources flowing through here were far greater than those of ordinary forts or outposts.
It was perfectly normal that such a lucrative position was controlled by members of the Mitokado and Sarutobi clans.
However, Ren had no time to concern himself with political matters.
As soon as the two men approached, he spoke before they could even ask anything.
"I am Uchiha Ren , current head of the Uchiha clan and commander of the Konoha Military Police Force."
"There is urgent military intelligence. I will be temporarily assuming full command of Kikyō Mountain Fortress defenses."
Beside him, Hyūga Hizashi also spoke up.
"I am Hyūga Hizashi, head of the Hyūga branch family and captain of the reconnaissance unit."
"You may verify our identities if necessary, but for now you must cooperate with all of our actions immediately."
Mitokado Ōki and Sarutobi Saemon exchanged glances.
Both saw the shock in each other's eyes.
However, being assigned to oversee a strategic stronghold like Kikyō Mountain meant they were far from incompetent. Neither of them immediately objected to having their authority taken away.
In their understanding, the Uchiha and Hyūga, the two most powerful clans in Konoha, would never go through such trouble just to seize a small amount of profit from this fortress.
Furthermore, among the two hundred shinobi accompanying Ren , most were chūnin and jōnin.
Their strength alone was enough to completely overpower the local garrison.
There was no need for deception.
So something serious must have happened.
Mitokado Ōki spoke carefully,
"My lord, we will of course cooperate with your command. However… could you tell us what this so-called urgent military intelligence is?"
Ren did not conceal the truth.
"The Fourth Raikage, A, is leading an army of two thousand Kumogakure shinobi straight toward this location."
"Meanwhile, Sunagakure and Iwagakure forces are also mobilizing along the border."
"You both understand the importance of Kikyō Mountain Fortress."
"If this place falls, the consequences… should be obvious."
Mitokado Ōki and Sarutobi Saemon both felt their pupils shrink.
A chill ran down their spines.
They had never imagined the situation had become this severe.
Ren continued,
"The Kumogakure army will reach us in less than an hour."
"Konoha's reinforcements will take at least half a day to arrive."
"That means we must hold out against two thousand Kumogakure shinobi for half a day."
After a pause, Ren looked directly at them and spoke coldly.
"So I don't have time to deal with any nonsense."
"Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures."
"I don't care which clans you belong to."
"I require absolute obedience."
"Understood?"
Mitokado Ōki felt his heart tremble. He quickly replied,
"Rest assured, sir. We are all shinobi of Konoha. The village's interests come first."
"From this moment on, we will follow your orders completely."
Sarutobi Saemon nodded vigorously.
"Same here!"
"Good."
Ren nodded in satisfaction.
"Now give me a full report on the fortress—personnel, living supplies, combat supplies, everything."
Mitokado Ōki immediately answered,
"There are 106 personnel stationed in Kikyō Mountain Fortress, including the two of us."
"Among them are 24 chūnin and 82 genin. One of the chūnin is a medical ninja."
"As for living supplies—grain and medicine stored here are enough to sustain an army of one thousand soldiers for six months."
"Combat supplies such as explosive tags, kunai, shuriken, and senbon are sufficient to equip three thousand troops for a large-scale battle."
Because the fortress functioned as a logistical hub supporting multiple battlefronts, it stored a considerable amount of resources.
This saved Ren a lot of trouble.
Ren immediately gave orders.
"Organize manpower to transport all combat supplies onto the fortress walls."
"Especially the explosive tags."
"Whether we can hold out for half a day will depend on them."
"Also assign personnel to assist the medical ninja in establishing a wartime field hospital."
"Prepare everything necessary for treating the wounded in advance."
Mitokado Ōki and Sarutobi Saemon acknowledged the orders and hurried off to make arrangements.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Ren climbed onto the fortress wall and began surveying the terrain.
Combat between shinobi was completely different from battles between ordinary soldiers.
No matter how tall or sturdy the fortress walls were, they were little more than paper in the face of powerful ninjutsu.
In this battle, aside from those explosive tags…
The key to victory might ultimately depend on his own performance.
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