Shimura Ken, who was bowing, was still trembling. The aftereffects of chakra depletion and physical exhaustion meant that only strong willpower was preventing him from fainting.
Uchiha Yun looked at him and asked, "After I left to pursue them, it wasn't necessarily safe here. Yet you, who were on the verge of fainting, actually chose to hide your comrades' bodies first?"
Shimura Ken stood up and shook his head slightly.
"Do you know how often the border watchtowers rotate shifts? Every three months. We rest once every three months, and during those three months, the three of us are always together."
"It's been six years. In this desolate borderland, we can only talk about the same repetitive topics every day. So, they understand me, and I understand them very well."
"Under such a bond, no matter what, I must return their bodies intact. Back in the village, their relatives are still waiting."
Yun nodded slightly. After placing the two bodies into a scroll, he looked at Shimura Ken.
"You… are completely different from a Shimura I know."
"Are you referring to Danzo-sama? I heard he was killed by an enemy."
After sighing, Shimura Ken casually sat down on the ground.
"A powerful Uchiha clan member like you would naturally know Danzo-sama. He was the head of the Shimura clan and also a high-ranking official in the village."
As he spoke, he shook his head slightly.
"However, I don't like some of Danzo-sama's ideas. As you can see, I was banished to this border and haven't been transferred back for years."
Yun thought for a moment and asked, "Danzo is dead now. After this war ends, you should be able to go back, right?"
"I don't know."
Ken shook his head.
"Actually, according to my guess, even if I survive this war, I still might not be able to go back…"
Yun did not respond, but he had already guessed the reason.
After Danzo's death, the Shimura clan, who had long benefited from his position, would choose to remain quiet and obedient. With the Third Hokage still alive, no one would rush to make drastic changes.
In such a situation, no one would propose transferring Ken back. At the same time, the border command would not be eager to send someone with the surname Shimura back to the village either.
Swish.
Pakkun suddenly appeared on a large tree and urgently said, "News just came from Shiba. Watchtower 23 sent out a distress signal. Kakashi has already left to head there. If you're done here, go support immediately."
'Watchtower 23?!'
Yun's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately stood up. Without a word, he grabbed Pakkun and placed him on his shoulder before instantly disappearing.
Watchtower 23, the last watchtower in the numbering, was also the farthest watchtower within the Land of Fire. If the enemy broke through there, they could advance unimpeded and complete an encirclement of the entire border line.
It seemed the attack on Watchtower 7 had only been a diversion.
The distance between Watchtower 7 and Watchtower 23 was more than three times greater.
'At Kakashi's speed, he should arrive there faster than me...'
…
Konoha border line, Watchtower 23.
"Has the distress signal been sent back to the camp?"
The ninja beside him nodded, then glanced toward the distant sensory barrier.
"Captain, we don't even know who the enemy is yet. Is it appropriate to send a distress signal already?"
The Konoha ninja who had asked the question earlier spoke solemnly.
"Watchtower 23 is the most important watchtower. That's why it's always staffed with nine regular ninjas, including one jōnin captain. That's three times the number of a normal watchtower."
"You know the reason. Once Watchtower 23 falls, the entire border force could be surrounded in a short time. And if the encirclement is completed, the entire border force will most likely be wiped out."
After speaking, the Konoha jōnin captain stared again at the direction where the sensory barrier had been triggered.
For some reason, his heartbeat began to accelerate.
This premonition… is very bad.
'Wait—'
'This chakra!'
The Konoha jōnin suddenly looked into the distance in horror.
The energy in the air had begun condensing into visible particles, rapidly gathering together.
In the distance, a monstrous figure resembling a minotaur made of blood-red chakra slowly lifted its head.
A highly concentrated chakra sphere was forming in its mouth.
"Run!!!"
With a roar, the Konoha jōnin grabbed the two youngest chūnin in the squad and instantly broke through the watchtower window, fleeing into the forest.
At the same time, the chakra sphere was already fired.
Seeing their captain's signal, the other ninja scattered and fled.
Boom!!!
A blinding flash erupted.
Under the power of the Tailed Beast Bomb, the entire watchtower was instantly obliterated into dust. Even the ground beneath it was blasted into a massive circular crater.
Pfft!
In the forest, the Konoha jōnin who had blocked the shockwave spat out a mouthful of blood.
The two chūnin he had saved stared blankly at the destruction.
"What… what was that just now?"
"The watchtower is completely gone! Even the traps we set earlier are gone! What kind of attack was that?!"
The jōnin slowly stood up again, his expression still grim as he looked toward the monster that had disappeared into the distance.
"That was the Kumogakure's Jinchuriki. The attack just now was the Tailed Beast Bomb, the signature attack of a Tailed Beast."
After speaking, he pressed the communication device to his ear.
"Is anyone still alive? Report your numbers."
Several voices came through the radio.
After a long moment, tears began to fill the eyes of the two chūnin.
"Besides us… only Uncle Lan survived?"
"Sensei and the others… are all dead!"
The Konoha jōnin clenched his fist and nodded.
"With that kind of attack, if I hadn't detected it earlier, we would have been completely wiped out in one strike."
'Kumogakure had used a Jinchuriki on the first day of the surprise attack?'
'With such a combat deployment…'
'Their target might not be Watchtower 23.'
'No.'
'Their real target was the entire Konoha border force along the Land of Hot Springs frontier.'
'If they destroyed the border force before Konoha's main army arrived, then the balance of victory in this war would tilt heavily toward Kumogakure.'
'What should we do?'
After a long moment…
Rustling sounds came from the forest.
The three Konoha ninja immediately concealed themselves.
"Let me see where Konoha's surviving rats are hiding…"
A mocking voice echoed through the forest.
In the distance, a group of Kumo ninjas wielding lightning-coated swords swept through the woods, searching a wide area.
Among the three hiding figures, the Konoha jōnin frowned deeply.
Lan's location… was about to be discovered.
But if they rushed out now, it would be certain death.
Ninja capable of using lightning chakra like that were definitely not weak.
And there was also the owner of the Tailed Beast Bomb just now, the Jinchuriki.
"Captain… Uncle Lan…"
"Shut up."
After the quiet reprimand, the Konoha jōnin sighed.
"We can't save him. If we go out now, we'll only be throwing away our lives. We have no choice but to wait for reinforcements."
Silence fell.
No one spoke again.
Meanwhile, the Kumo ninjas searching nearby were gradually approaching the hiding Konoha chūnin called Lan.
*****
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✓ Killed For 100 Years in Hueco Mundo, Aizen Invited Me To Soul Society!
✓ Naruto: Senmei Asahi
✓ Naruto: Uchiha's Intelligence Dealer
✓ Naruto: The Fifth Hokage Is Naruto's Uncle
✓ Naruto: Who Made Him a Ninja?
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✓ To Love-Ru: Spoiler Route [R-18]
✓ Naruto: The Accidental Incubus [R-18]