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Naruto's Group POV (The Den - Western River Plains of Irminsul)
Noon
X-X
Yuno's POV
It had been a tense and conniving morning. Retracing their steps to find the home of the wolves had been easy with the aid of Taka and Sasuke and her unique eyes. The wolves dwelled within what seemed to be a small cove that ended in a cave, the river which flowed into it ended falling into the cave. Swarming around the area were wolves, some slept mostly the eldest and young and several presumed guardians all rested in piles atop another in sunlight. The rest had left in the morning for a hunt, something Yuno as morning shift watch had observed. Others feasted upon dregs of former conquest in bushes or pits to keep it to themselves or their group. The last of them bathed in their river. The place would have seemed relatively wild without the wisps of firelight shining from within the cave. The wolves had some kind of inner structure, it was not something they used or even some interested in. It could be storage, or even more interesting a place to keep captives…
Sasuke and Naruto were sure of their ability to simply barge in and conquer the camp, with half their forces missing it would be a simple matter. Besides it would ensure they could take their time and search for clues or provide aid to their allies. But Yuno had insisted they wait for noon and the others to return. The duo of powerful Chunin seemed hesitant. But Yuno had insisted they needed all of them present to seek information, but they couldn't afford to approach this head-on. They'd likely attempt to risk their allies to gain control if they genuinely had their allies. The wolves weren't mindless after all, if they were like most the other animals they were nearly as smart as them. It would occur to them to use their friends as hostages.
Instead, Yuno had devised a deceptively simple plan: wait for the hunters to return, subtly take two of them out, and replace the wolves with two of their own party in disguise to infiltrate the camp; those two would find and assure the safety of their friends before the other two launched a bold assault. During the chaos the second group and first group would combine their efforts and conquer the cove with ease. With such a plan in motion, their roles were easy to ascertain. Yuno, with her genjutsu ability, and Muri, with his transformative ability, would take out and replace the wolves, infiltrate the camp, and free or save their allies and flee. From there, Sasuke and Naruto would use their ability of gross overkill to take out the camp in one swoop. Simple.
So when most of the pack returned with several slain animals of various types, Yuno and Muri had struck silently, dragging off the two wolves in the back without them noticing. Wolves often paid little attention to stragglers, they were considered low value, the pack would ignore them if they went missing. With some genjutsu and henge, Yuno became a convincing female wolf; Muri did the same into a male wolf. They would blend right in to the indifferent main pack.
The two crept in with the pack easily; their strange smell and behavior were easy to conceal with the other wolves. It took a lot of work to maintain said cover, with Yuno having to weave three layers of genjutsu, but such was the life of a kunoichi. As a Uchiha she must strive for excellence or whatever Sasuke would say. Muri and Yuno followed the others as they dropped off the meal, bathed, and joined them in feasting. At the back with the other submissive wolves it wasn't strange for them to refrain in partaking. They waited for the pack to indeed tear into the fortunately dead animals; the hunger and bloodlust overtaking them provided the perfect distraction. As the wolves eagerly tore into the well-earned meal, they were naive to the traitors creeping toward the cave.
However, much to Yuno and Muri's dismay, a small group of guards seemed to be in front of the cave. The guard matched eyes with them, making Muri flinch. Yuno nudged him to the side, the two subtly diverted their path, swinging around the cave instead. Hoping to pretend they had merely been loafing around. However it was for mute, as one of the guard left it's post, blocking their path the wolf suspiciously stood before them. It was marked with painted fur stripes on its snout; it must've been some sort of alpha or something. Both of them bowed their heads, attempting to bore the alpha off; however, it growled as if somehow discovering something was wrong with them. Apparently the wolves were just as intelligent as Yuno had thought. The wolf tensed, perhaps preparing to alert the others. However, Yuno did not allow it to do much more as she lost her wolf form and blurred forward. With a flick of her custom kunai, she slit the wolf's throat right as it went to howl. Yuno lifted the dying wolf in the same motion and threw it into some thick bushes near the river. So sudden was the action that little blood or noise had been made. The hiding spot was less than perfect but she didn't have the luxury of time to find a better one.
Muri whined as a wolf before popping back into his raccoon form and hopping on Yuno's left shoulder. "Sorry." Yuno earnestly apologized. "Can't afford them to raise the alarm before we're ready."
"I understand that!" Muri complained. "I don't like it, but it barely matters now! Wolves have a supreme sense of smell; in minutes, they'll smell the fresh kill and alert the entire pack!"
"Interesting point," Yuno admitted. "Alright, then, we need to move fast. If we're expected to be discovered regardless, it opens up our options. Let's head for above the entrance of the cave. Surely, they would keep our friends and master there. If we grab them quick enough, we can still stick to the plan. Before they even realize what's happening our artillery will hit!"
"Right!" Muri agreed as Yuno athletically leaped up to the top of the cave entrance. The two peaked over it as Yuno slowly weaved hand signs.
"Bemusing Illusion: Suggestive Wave," Yuno whispered as her hand signs finished. Muri seemed to squint in an attempt to see what she did, but as the caster, Yuno saw it all. The wolves guarding and surrounding the cave flinched as strangled glowing deer raced by them. Their predatory instinct kicked in as a few raced after them, cheering in amusement. Most of the wolves could not see the deer. The ones trapped in her genjutsu did, yet the chant of hunger and hunt overtook the ones that didn't. Her chakra enhances their instinct to focus their attention on the supposed hunt. Quickly, the cave was abandoned as the wildly chasing wolves smashed into the already feasting wolves; hunger, excitement, and anger burst from the crowd as they fought over fake and real prey alike. Chaos ensued as the wolves all fought, most seemingly forgetting the reason in the first place. They cared not for what they were doing or had been doing.
"Impressive!" Muri complimented as Yuno dropped the two before the now unguarded cave entrance. "Naruto and Sasuke would've just raced in and taken them all out. Likely while seeming like walking disasters all the while."
"Yeah, I prefer a less head-on approach." Yuno chuckled as the two slowly drifted inside the dimly lit cave. Various roughly ripped skins from previous conquests littered the floor as some sort of rough padding. Torches of wood and fat burned from the walls, and two men were seated on the floor, seals burning on their skin. There were no chains that bind them yet they sat patiently and absent mindedly. They both seemed healthy however, it seemed the Master hadn't been too rough with them. Yuno would make his death mildly less painful as thanks.
"Choji! Kiba!" Yuno called excitedly as she raced forward. Her Sharingan spun as she prepared to use her Genjutsu to free them just as she had done for herself. But she stopped as her instincts flared and jumped back.
It proved prophetic as a massive snout smashed through the cave wall. Yuno and Muri fled from the cave as it collapsed before Muri suddenly transformed into a giant eagle and took them to the sky. 'How the hell did it fit in here?!'