A week had swiftly passed since Hikari left Konoha to join the warfare against Kirigakure on the Eastern Front, marking his first time away from the village for such an extended period.
Leading a large, dispersed formation, he had already maneuvered his troops out of the Land of Fire.
He was now navigating through the dense jungles in the southern parts of the main continent that belonged to the official territory of the Land of Water.
The terrain was challenging, with thick vegetation and unpredictable weather patterns that made the march arduous and slow.
As they moved deeper into enemy territory, Hikari was constantly aware of the need for vigilance.
The possibility of ambushes was high, and the dense jungle could hide Kirigakure shinobi just as effectively as it concealed his forces.
Every step forward was taken with caution, and every order was given with the consideration of potential threats.
As Hikari moved alone through the dense jungle, he consistently used his Byakugan to scan the terrain ahead.
With its 50 km range, it allowed him to oversee a vast area, providing a critical advantage in these hostile surroundings.
Despite his vigilance, the scans revealed no immediate threats, just endless stretches of thick foliage and the occasional wildlife disturbance.
Reflecting on the situation, Hikari reasoned, 'It seems that there will probably be Kiri shinobi only when we come across some inhabited villages.'
'This part is only jungle; only closer to the shores are people likely living—that's probably where they are stationed...',
His assessment was based on typical military strategies that positioned forces near civilian populations for logistical support and strategic control, particularly in coastal areas, which were more accessible and economically vital.
He planned to maintain a high level of alertness while moving through the jungle but prepared for a potential increase in enemy contact as they approached more populated areas near the coast.
Despite the inherent dangers of their mission, Hikari was confident in the defensive capabilities of his forces, particularly against ambushes, which were a specialty of the Kirigakure shinobi.
His force was well-equipped with sensors capable of detecting enemies at great distances, and Byakugan provided short-range, precise observation.
Hikari surmised that the Kirigakure shinobi were likely aware of their enhanced sensory capabilities.
This awareness might explain the absence of attempts to ambush his forces. The dense jungle, while a perfect setting for stealth and surprise attacks, was rendered less effective.
Hikari then halted for a while and unrolled his specially designed master communication scroll, an intricate tool that connected him to all the squadrons under his command.
This scroll was essential for maintaining coordination across the dispersed formation, especially in the dense and unpredictable jungle terrain.
He carefully reviewed the pre-recorded verbal updates from each squadron leader, ensuring that there were no reports of enemy contact, logistical issues, or troop disarray.
Each entry on the scroll reassured him that his forces were maintaining their intended formation and adhering to the operational protocols he had set.
Satisfied that everything was in order, Hikari relayed a brief message of encouragement and a reminder to stay vigilant. He emphasized the importance of maintaining communication and reporting any anomalies immediately, no matter how insignificant they might seem.
Resuming his march then, Hikari kept his focus on the broader strategic objective of the campaign: to push the front line as far away from the Land of Fire and deeper into the Land of Water. This strategic movement was designed to minimize the risk to Konoha and exert pressure on enemy resources and morale by bringing the conflict closer to their territory.
Then Hikari started moving once again. He knew that their goal this time was to 'move' the front as much as possible away from the Land of Fire and into the Land of Water's territory, so if nothing, like enemy formations, stopped them, they would all still be moving ahead.
As Hikari led his troops through the Land of Water, his mind was occupied with strategic considerations about the larger forces at play, particularly Madara and his use of Zetsu.
During the last week, on his journey, in his free time, he revisited his knowledge from his previous life, which was buried deeply, examining every potential hidden detail there, combining it with his real-time experiences of this life, and re-evaluating the extent of Madara's potential influence over Kirigakure, during this period, important for determining the prospects of encountering something related to him during this time, and rethinking widely accepted theories by the fans of his previous life's story depicting this universe.
In the end, Hikari realized that he wouldn't likely have to deal with anything related to Madara and Zetsu this time around, as he initially thought and was a bit worried at the beginning.
He began to suspect that Madara's involvement with Kirigakure was not as deep or longstanding as many had believed. Instead, it seemed more likely that Madara had orchestrated a one-time manipulation involving Rin Nohara to use her as a 'time bomb' instead of secretly controlling Kirigakure from the shadows on a more permanent basis like most fans speculated before. Moreover, Hikari truly failed to see any other clue that pointed to Madara having the entire Kirigakure under his control, nor any reason for him to do so.
So, in Hikari's impression, it was only Obito who later took control of Kirigakure secretly in order to use it as the cradle for Akatsuki, as it was the most isolated large shinobi village, alongside, of course, 'taking revenge' on them for Rin, by intensifying the extremist policies and differences between various factions in the village, to make it even more 'bloody'.
According to Hikari's new theory, Madara, possibly with the help of Zetsu, as he couldn't move at that time, had manipulated events to ensure Rin was made the jinchuriki of Isobu, the Three-Tails. He stole the Isobu and sealed it into Rin, likely through some individual Kiri shinobi, on the ground, 'under his control', either through Zetsu and his transformation ability or him bringing them to him to use his genjutsu them, as opposed to being in cohorts with the Kirigakure's leaders and the village overall being under his control like many speculated.
This setup was intended not as a permanent alliance with Kirigakure but as a strategic move to create a crisis. The reaction of Kirigakure shinobi, who pursued Rin to recover Isobu, suggested they were unaware of Madara's deeper motives and were simply reacting to the situation at hand. Madara essentially wanted to use them only as some kind of sacrificial pawns for killing Rin alongside the Konoha's shinobi in order to descend Obito into darkness.
However, all of this didn't discourage Hikari from his chances of obtaining the White Zetsu's cells. He understood that during this phase, Madara would probably be attuned to all of the major Konoha and world happenings in general, related to finding his potential carrier of plans once he passed away and for other reasons.
Therefore, if Hikari found himself in the vortex of some future big-time developments, it was very likely that White Zetsu could try and observe that matter as well, offering him a chance to catch his body then and seal it inside a special scroll he always carried with himself now.
***
A few days into their march through the dense jungle of the Land of Water, Hikari and his forces finally detected the presence of hidden Kirigakure shinobi ahead just before reaching the first inhabited area. This discovery marked the beginning of a critical phase of the battle.
Over the next few weeks, an intense "sensing war" ensued between the Konoha and Kirigakure forces.
Both sides engaged in a cautious dance of reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance, each trying to gauge the other's strength and strategic positions.
Given Kirigakure's reputation as the most isolationist shinobi village, reliable intelligence on their capabilities and troop movements was scarce. This also meant that their intelligence of other villages was also weak, making the sensory battle even more pivotal for both sides.
The engagement wasn't just about gathering intelligence; it involved several small skirmishes as well.
Both sides deployed small teams to probe defenses and test the enemy's reactions, which provided vital insights into the opposing side's tactics and preparedness.
These encounters, though minor, were crucial in shaping the strategic decisions of both camps.
Strategically, both Konoha and Kirigakure had similarly deployed their forces. Both sides had shinobi spread out along a front that stretched approximately 1000 kilometers.
The forces were dispersed in small squadrons to cover the entire distance effectively, with empty spaces between each unit.
However, these gaps did not pose a significant risk due to the advanced sensory abilities of the shinobi in each squadron, which allowed them to monitor large areas and detect incoming threats.
Over the past few weeks, Hikari saw firsthand that they were not encountering the full strength of Kirigakure's forces.
His assessment was based on the strategic distribution of Kirigakure's military resources; a portion of their shinobi had been deployed to another front to face Kumogakure, albeit in smaller numbers.
Additionally, like themselves, Kirigakure had divided their main division facing Konoha into three smaller contingents, spreading their forces across multiple fronts.
This meant that Hikari and his forces were engaging only a segment of Kirigakure's overall military might.
Despite the ongoing strategic maneuvers and engagements, Hikari determined that it was finally time for him to take a more direct role in the conflict.
Up until this point, he had maintained a low profile, carefully staying at a safe distance behind the front lines and outside the sensory range of Kirigakure's ninja.
This careful positioning, combined with the fact that his identity and capabilities were not well-known even inside Konoha, left the enemy without operational intelligence on him.
With this advantage of anonymity and after weeks of meticulous observation and intelligence gathering, Hikari had successfully deciphered the positions and movements of Kirigakure's forces.
A recent surge in intelligence allowed him to identify a key target—an enemy elite from Kirigakure whose elimination could potentially shift the balance of power in their favor, as there were only a handful of them on both sides of this front.
Prepared for the task, Hikari planned his approach with precision. He would utilize his stealth and speed to close in on that elite undetected and strike at an opportune moment when the target was least expecting an attack.
This direct involvement was a calculated risk, but one that Hikari was ready to take to gain a significant advantage and potentially demoralize the enemy forces.
Thanks to his amazing chakra control, which allowed him to keep his chakra from leaking out of his body exceptionally well, his speed, and his Early Kage strength, he would take him on.