"Understood," Minato replied, accepting the order without hesitation and leaving immediately.
Fugaku and Raj looked at Tsunade, awaiting her next command.
"Kirigakure must have a base near the coast. Our primary mission is to locate and destroy it. While the Uchiha excel in combat, their reconnaissance capabilities are somewhat lacking. We'll proceed with the next phase of the plan after integrating them into mixed units. For now..."
Tsunade paused, her gaze shifting to Raj.
This was still a task for Kakashi, but she wouldn't deploy him immediately.
After a moment's thought, she said, "Raj, go scout the area."
"Meow!"
Raj waved a paw weakly, then rose and left.
Fugaku hesitated before asking, "Lady Tsunade, shouldn't we send someone with Raj?"
"One is enough," Tsunade replied, shaking her head.
With only Raj, the Flying Thunder God Technique or a Summoning Technique could resolve any crisis.
Sending multiple people would inevitably expose the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Such a lethal weapon was unnecessary for reconnaissance.
Fugaku nodded silently, inwardly speculating about the cat's true capabilities.
If all it had was Superhuman Strength, Tsunade would never have let it venture out alone to scout the situation.
This was something many Jonin would be extremely wary of.
The only explanation was that it possessed its own means of escape.
Space-Time Ninjutsu?
Or perhaps its speed is even greater than before?
Fugaku Uchiha speculated inwardly, but after a moment's thought, he set aside the matter of Raj.
Although the cat, like Minato, had been mentioned
Being labeled by Tsunade as a "powerful ally," there was no immediate need to dwell on it. He still had to arrange for the Uchiha Clan members.
As Raj left the tent, Kakashi and Obito immediately approached.
Kakashi, ever the most proactive, gripped his blade and asked, "Are we heading out on a mission?"
"You two stay here. I'll patrol the area first. Meow~ Rin, if you see me return with something, use the Summoning Technique immediately."
"Understood," Rin nodded gently.
After exchanging farewells, Raj leaped out of the camp.
Uchiha Inaho had taken over a dozen people with him, leaving only seven or eight Uchiha Clan members in the camp.
However, it was unlikely the Kiri Ninja would attack this location.
Though only seven or eight remained, they were the elite of the elite, a tough nut to crack.
Raj left the camp, aimlessly wandering around while following faint traces of scent.
Kiri Ninja were masters of assassination, rarely leaving any scent trails.
Thus, Raj's aimless wandering wasn't to find Kiri Ninja, but rather to casually observe the Uchiha's patrol patterns.
The Uchiha split into two groups. One group patrolled northward, approaching the Land of Iron's defensive lines, while the other patrolled southward along the coastline, where their patrol area bordered the Hyuga Clan's territory.
Given the larger number of Uchiha patrolling northward, Raj headed southward along the coast.
It moved at a leisurely pace, stopping frequently.
With Minato having passed through this area, the danger level was low.
Raj's main purpose was simply to familiarize itself with the terrain.
Along the way, Raj encountered several Uchiha patrolling back toward the camp.
These were unfamiliar faces, not among the twenty-odd Uchiha it had seen earlier.
They were likely the group returning from their shift.
Paying them no mind, Raj continued onward for a while before encountering three or four Uchiha from the earlier group.
After a brief glance, it continued its journey.
After running a considerable distance past them, Raj was about to turn back when he spotted several figures.
'Uchiha?'
They looked vaguely familiar.
Raj couldn't immediately recall where he'd seen them before, but they seemed very familiar.
After a few more glances, the first group of Uchiha Clan members he'd encountered while running here flashed through his mind.
'Those guys? No, they were from Kirigakure.'
He immediately realized they had been scouting this area for a long time, having already figured out the Uchiha Clan's guard rotation schedule.
So when this group was returning to their posts, the Kirigakure ninjas had disguised themselves as Uchiha.
'But this trick won't work on the Hyuga Clan, will it? The Byakugan can see through chakra flow, making the Transformation Technique useless against them.'
Unless the enemy was foolish enough not to use the Byakugan for reconnaissance, but that was highly unlikely.
"Continue patrolling," one of the "Uchiha" said, mimicking the voice, and they continued walking.
'I don't seem to have been detected.'
Raj observed them for a moment before quietly following.
They continued "patrolling" along the coast at a leisurely pace, as if waiting for some signal.
After tracking them for a while, Raj noticed the Uchiha Clan's chakra signatures had disappeared.
This likely marked the edge of the Uchiha Camp's patrol zone.
Beyond this point lay the territory under the Hyuga Clan's jurisdiction.
'Should they proceed further?'
Hiding in the shadows, Raj observed the group while contemplating whether to step out and slap them around.
Having recently mastered Superhuman Strength, it was feeling rather cocky and eager to test its newfound power.
However, there were four Hidden Kiri Ninja present.
This was a fully organized squad, likely led by at least one Kirigakure Jonin.
The other ninja were certainly not ordinary Genin either; otherwise, they wouldn't be qualified to engage with members of the Uchiha and Hyuga Clans.
An elite assassination squad...
Without using the Flying Thunder God Technique, it was best to lie low and observe their intentions first.
Raj thought to itself, remaining crouched on the ground, motionless, as it continued to monitor the group's movements.
The next moment, the squad stepped out of the forested area.
Suddenly, they sprinted onto the beach and accelerated forward at an astonishing speed.
Raj hesitated to pursue immediately, waiting until they had gained some distance before emerging from the forest and following along the coast.
After chasing for a while, its keen feline hearing picked up the sounds of battle.
'A fight had broken out!'
"Ao, it's you again. This time, I'll definitely kill you."
In the coastal forest, the mist gradually thickened, but the dense fog couldn't obstruct the Byakugan of the Kiri Ninja and Hyuga Clan.
Both sides knew each other intimately, having clashed countless times before.
"Hmph, kill me?" Ao sneered coldly.
The Hyuga Clan patrol captain, Noboru Hyuga, was a member of the Hyuga Main Family.
They had been observing for a long time.
Noboru Hyuga immediately activated his Byakugan to survey the surroundings.
The main family's eyes were flawless, possessing greater purity and thus a wider, more comprehensive range.
He quickly located all the Hidden Kiri Ninja in the area.