Tatsuma detected a total of eight sources of Chakra, which corresponded to eight Ninjas. After a brief communication with Hiruzen, Tatsuma once again sensed the situation over there.
He discovered that the eight people hadn't moved. Tatsuma made a few hand signals and then headed in that direction. Hiruzen followed behind Tatsuma, surprisingly with a smile on his face.
That smile was not one of satisfaction or comfort, but rather like the smile of a child on their way to an amusement park or an older kid on their way to a hotel.
Every few hundred meters, Tatsuma would stop to sense again, until there were only about five hundred meters left. Tatsuma stopped because he was certain that either there were no sensory ninjas among the eight people on the other side, or the sensory ninjas were asleep.
Tatsuma's sensory range was wider than that of the average sensory ninja. Five kilometers was just his habitual sensory distance; he could sense even further if needed. However, the Chakra and mental energy consumed would not be proportional to the gain.
After all, when expanding outward from oneself as the center, even if the radius increases by the same amount, the amount of information the brain needs to process and the Chakra consumed to cover the range both increase linearly.
A five-kilometer range is very reasonable and manageable for Tatsuma at the moment. His brain can handle it effortlessly, and it doesn't consume much Chakra. At the same time, this distance ensures safety and readiness.
It's very common for other ninjas not to sense anything beyond five kilometers. In fact, for many sensory ninjas without Secret Jutsu or Kekkei Genkai, even three kilometers or two kilometers is very difficult.
However, if the distance is reduced to 500 meters and they still cannot sense anything, then they do not deserve the designation of sensory ninja.
Now that Tatsuma and the others have approached to within 500 meters, the eight people on the other side still haven't made any preparations for action, and their Chakra hasn't changed either. This indicates that they haven't noticed Tatsuma and his group at all.
The reason for not getting any closer is that within a 500-meter range in a quiet forest, even non-sensory-type ninjas can easily detect any changes. Therefore, they need to adjust their approach.
Hiruzen, who had been following Tatsuma, asked, "Can you determine if they are enemies?"
"For now, it's still uncertain. However, judging by the amount of Chakra, it seems to be two squads led by Jonin with Chunin. After the large-scale reorganization of Konoha Ninja squads, such arrangements have become quite rare," Tatsuma replied with his assessment. Before the outbreak of the war, it was very common in Konoha to have a squad of one Jonin with three Chunin.
However, Konoha has just gone through nearly two years of war. During the post-war reorganization, the village intentionally prioritized assigning Jonin to lead those Genin who had graduated early and hadn't yet been assigned to squads.
Since there is no longer a large-scale war, the most important thing is to help the Genin grow and fill the mid-level positions lost during the war. While Chunin can also lead Genin, it is less efficient. Therefore, in Konoha's current squad structure, Chunin typically form teams of three, with one selected as the squad leader.
Judging from the amount of Chakra, there are no Genin among those eight ninjas over there. Such a squad configuration doesn't align with Konoha's current short-term squad organization model.
Hiruzen's smile grew wider at this and, in a teasing tone, he said, "Tatsuma, if we confirm they are enemies later, remember to leave the Jonin to me. Don't take them all out at once."
Tatsuma was surprised that Hiruzen, who was well into his forties, still had this kind of mindset. He nodded on the surface but felt a bit speechless internally.
He thought, if Tatsuma wants to take on a Jonin, he needs to have the strength to back it up. Although, in a sneak attack, if successful, most Jonin could be taken out with just one kunai or a single jutsu. But Jonin are not easily taken by surprise, so Hiruzen was clearly joking.
Tatsuma gave a few more hand signal commands and then began to stealthily approach the target. The ANBU training was indeed useful; at least now Tatsuma's ability to move stealthily had improved significantly.
As they got closer, Tatsuma's movements became increasingly cautious until he finally saw the target.
Of the eight people on the other side, six were resting, and two were patrolling. However, their reconnaissance methods relied purely on external tools. Besides the binoculars in their hands, Tatsuma also noticed several small traps set up in the forest.
However, Tatsuma and the others avoided all these traps. Tatsuma and Hiruzen began to scrutinize the ninjas on the other side. They weren't wearing any ninja uniforms but were dressed in coarse short clothes.
The bamboo baskets and shoulder poles beside them made them look very much like peddlers or small-time merchants. They also didn't have any ninja tool pouches, but each person stayed very close to their bamboo baskets.
Two of them even had their hands on their baskets, leading Tatsuma to suspect that they might have hidden their ninja tools inside the baskets.
At this point, Tatsuma could be certain that these were not Konoha ninjas. Considering their route and the direction of these individuals, there was no place where a Konoha ninja squad with such a setup would be performing a mission.
Furthermore, even if Konoha ninjas were to disguise themselves, they would only do so near their mission target. Who would they be disguising themselves for in the deep mountains and forests?
Therefore, Tatsuma could determine that these people were ninjas from another country, though it was still unclear which country they were from.
Tatsuma thought for a moment, made a few hand signals, and then looked at Hiruzen. Hiruzen nodded, and Tatsuma quickly waved his hand, signaling the order to be executed.
His battle plan was simple. Since Hiruzen wanted to have some fun, they had to accompany him. As Tatsuma issued his commands, his body instantly dashed out, covering the 60 to 70 meters to one of the patrolling ninjas.
At the same time, Mandrill suddenly appeared in the forest, charging towards the other patrolling ninja. The distance of 60 to 70 meters was covered almost instantaneously.
The ninja seemed to sense something, but when he turned around, Tatsuma was already behind him. The kunai in Tatsuma's hand sliced across the ninja's throat.
Although he had a sharper chakra-infused short sword given to him by Sakumo, Tatsuma still wasn't accustomed to using it, especially for sneak attacks. He preferred the kunai, as it reduced personal distinctiveness.
With the successful strike, Tatsuma instantly moved away from the spot. In the next second, a stone spear suddenly thrust up from the ground where he had been standing.
The two Jonin now watched Tatsuma and Mandrill with full alertness.
"Konoha's ANBU!" one of the Jonin exclaimed. Knowing that since they had been spotted by Konoha's ANBU, their disguise was pointless, he didn't bother asking any questions and instead assumed a combat stance.
At this moment, two more ANBU members appeared, forming a four-corner formation with Tatsuma and Mandrill. The last ANBU member took Tatsuma's place, standing beside Hiruzen.
One of the Jonin observed Tatsuma and the other three, then spoke, "Two leaders but only two team members?"
"No signs of battle, it doesn't look like they've lost anyone. That short guy isn't a Jonin, he might just be trying to deceive us," the other Jonin quickly added his guess. Hearing himself called short, Tatsuma's face darkened under his mask, but he quickly suppressed his anger and immediately said:
"Iwa-nin, state your purpose for coming to the Land of Fire."
Hearing a child's voice, the four Iwa-nin were visibly taken aback. The Jonin facing Tatsuma showed a look of surprise and doubt in his eyes. Tatsuma, seeing his reaction, realized that his bluff had worked. These two squads were indeed from Iwa.
Tatsuma hadn't been guessing blindly. Sending two such "luxurious" squads deep into another country wasn't something a small nation could afford. Among the five great nations, it was clear these people were not Konoha ninjas.
The Land of Water was too far away, and their direction of travel didn't match, so it was unlikely they were from Kirigakure. The same applied to Cloud Ninja from the Land of Lightning, as their distinctive physical traits, lifestyle, and social customs were hard to disguise.
That left Iwa-nin and Sand Ninja. With a fifty-fifty chance, Tatsuma was confident he could discern the truth regardless of whether he guessed right or wrong.
The Iwa-nin did not choose to answer Tatsuma's question. Instead, one of them said, "You can't stop us with just your team. Or are you still hoping for reinforcements to arrive?"
"We're not hoping; we already have reinforcements."
Tatsuma noticed that Hiruzen had somehow positioned himself far ahead, behind the Iwa-nin. His tone became more playful.
Hearing this, the Iwa-nin were unsure if Tatsuma was telling the truth, but their expressions grew serious. However, one of his companions retorted, "So what if you have reinforcements? Even if a Jonin shows up, we won't be afraid!"
"Is that so? I wasn't aware that the ninjas of Hidden Rock Village were so powerful."
The sudden voice, not belonging to any of the people they were watching, made the Iwa-nin tense up. As they looked around, Hiruzen, dressed in the Hokage's robe and hat, appeared openly.
"The Third Hokage?!"
Upon seeing Hiruzen, the Iwa-nin's faces turned extremely grim. They instantly understood why Konoha's ANBU had chosen such a bold approach.
The way Tatsuma and the others appeared wasn't particularly bold, but when combined with their ANBU identity, it carried a sense of audacity. Now the Iwa-nin finally understood what made these Konoha ANBU so unabashed.
The Kage of the five great ninja villages were among the strongest in the ninja world. Although they were all Jonin level, no one would seriously think that a Jonin's strength could match that of a Kage.
Once they confirmed that the Hiruzen before them was the real deal, their first instinct was to flee. Even if it meant failing their original mission, having intel on the movements of a Hokage was enough to compensate for their mission's failure.
Seeing them turn to run in different directions, evidently intending to escape separately, Tatsuma, Mandrill, and the other two ANBU were about to intercept them, but Hiruzen shook his head gently.
As the individuals started to move, Hiruzen softly said, "Enma."
"It's been a while since we fought side by side, Hiruzen! But next time, pick a stronger opponent for me!"
A majestic figure, breaking several large trees, charged into the midst of the Iwa-nin. Its speed was so swift that even the Iwa-nin preparing to use Body Flicker couldn't match it.
Standing among the six Iwa-nin, Monkey King Enma shouted, "Transformation! Adamantine Prison Wall!"
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
In an instant, smoke appeared as a cage formed by overlapping Adamantine Staffs transformed by Enma, trapping several Iwa-nin. Hiruzen also found a moment to complete hand seals, taking a deep breath before exhaling towards the cage.
"Fire Release! Great Dragon Fire Jutsu!"
Meanwhile, Tatsuma, who was "on guard," widened his eyes slightly, admiring this scene.
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