Using the cover of darkness and the constant sound of rainfall to mask both their silhouettes and their movements, Hagoromo carefully changed the infiltration point three separate times over the course of the night. Only then did the reconnaissance squad finally succeed in slipping past the border defenses of the Land of Rain and entering enemy territory.
Their luck had been poor—both of the first two infiltration points showed clear signs of recent shinobi activity.
Successfully crossing the border did not mean the mission was complete. In fact, the most difficult phase had only just begun.
No matter how dangerous things had been before, Hagoromo's team had still been operating within the Land of Fire. Psychologically and environmentally, that carried a certain advantage. Now, however, they were fully inside hostile territory. Aside from themselves and their teammates, everything around them carried malice.
Even worse was the enemy presence. The density and frequency of hostile shinobi here were on a completely different level compared to the border regions of the Land of Fire. The roles of host and intruder had been reversed—one small mistake, and this four-man reconnaissance squad could be wiped out without any suspense at all.
Because of that, once inside the Land of Rain, the formation shifted again, with Hagoromo—acting in his role as squad leader—returning to the front.
They moved with extreme caution. With Hagoromo's sensory abilities guiding the way, he was best suited to lead, maximizing their chances of avoiding unnecessary encounters.
If the mission had been limited to infiltration, Hagoromo could have considered entering from the air via summoning. For a summon like Yatagarasu, carrying four people would not have been impossible.
But their mission also included reconnaissance.
That meant observing enemy deployments along the route—information that would be invaluable should Konoha ever launch an invasion into Rain territory.
The squad needed to identify patrol patterns, guard density, and, if possible, any concealed observation posts at key locations.
Given those requirements, aerial methods were impractical—especially in this weather and at night. Even under clear skies, the dense forests of the Land of Rain made detailed observation from above impossible.
Fly too high, and human eyesight would reach its limits. None of them possessed dōjutsu capable of seeing through terrain.
Fly too low, and they'd be spotted immediately—Yatagarasu was far from subtle.
Thus, Hagoromo's squad had no choice but to adopt the slowest, safest—and most dangerous—method of infiltration.
Along the way, they encountered several four-man squads from Amegakure. Thanks to Hagoromo's sensory perception, they managed to avoid each encounter by the narrowest of margins.
More importantly, by observing the frequency and locations of these patrols, Hagoromo was able to deduce their movement patterns—rough patrol ranges, routes, and timing.
Once those patterns became clear, avoiding the enemy grew significantly more reliable.
Somewhere in the Land of Rain, at night
The four members of Hagoromo's squad crouched together in a tight circle.
They weren't huddling for warmth—they were recording critical intelligence.
Hagoromo pulled a waterproof map from his vest. Made of specially treated material, it wouldn't be damaged by ordinary rain.
Asuma and Yamashiro Aoba carefully helped him unfold and secure it.
Thanks to Hagoromo's exceptional memory and spatial reasoning, even after moving exclusively through darkness, he could still pinpoint their current location with reasonable accuracy.
The margin of error was likely no more than two hundred meters.
Now, he marked the patrol ranges of the Amegakure squads they had encountered.
They didn't dare use open light. In heavy rain and darkness, illumination was practically a death sentence.
Fortunately, Hagoromo had prepared a special tool.
From his ninja pouch, he took out what he habitually called a glow pen. In truth, it barely deserved the name—only the tip emitted a faint light.
Within twenty meters, it looked no brighter than a firefly. Beyond that, it was invisible.
Hagoromo pressed his eyes close to the map, painstakingly marking the data using only that faint glow.
It was brutal on the eyes.
Once finished, Aoba and Asuma carefully folded the map again and returned it to Hagoromo.
Mission-critical materials always stayed with the squad leader.
The entire process—from unfolding the map to putting it away—passed without a single sound. No one spoke. No one shifted unnecessarily.
Even if another squad had passed nearby, unless they possessed specialized sensory abilities, ordinary sight and hearing alone would never have detected Hagoromo's team.
The squad's ultimate destination lay fifty kilometers inside the Land of Rain, at a forward operating base. According to prior Konoha intelligence, nearly a thousand shinobi were stationed there.
Hagoromo's primary objective was simple: confirm whether that number had increased or decreased.
The Land of Rain was small, and fifty kilometers didn't sound like much—but that base lay deep within enemy-controlled territory, effectively part of their core defensive zone.
The danger ahead was obvious.
Despite having a relatively accurate map, the unfamiliar terrain and constant pressure made Hagoromo choose caution over speed.
They moved slowly.
The weather remained overcast and rainy. Even during the day, visibility was poor—but not poor enough to blind enemy shinobi.
After careful consideration, Hagoromo decided on a strict schedule:
Hide during the day. Move at night.
They advanced only after nightfall. When the sky began to lighten, they found concealed locations to rest in shifts—maintaining vigilance while preserving stamina.
Inside enemy territory, foraging was out of the question. Food and water came solely from their limited rations, stretched to the bare minimum.
Throughout the mission, the squad remained almost completely silent. The little communication they did have was done through hand signals.
If they didn't need to make a sound, they absolutely wouldn't.
And so, after three days and four nights, they finally drew close to their most critical reconnaissance target.
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