While Seimei and Han were engaged in their battle of wits, Hyuga Hayato rushed back to the main Konoha force. Upon his return, he noticed something unusual. The troops had stopped, everyone standing alert, which gave him a sense of foreboding.
However, he didn't dwell on it. Seimei's situation was urgent, and there was no time to waste. He immediately sought out Nara Shikamaru, who was discussing something with several other Konoha Jonin, their expressions serious. Clearly, they were dealing with a difficult matter.
Hyuga Hayato approached them directly.
Seeing him, Nara Shikamaru and the others stopped their conversation. Hyuga Aoyama, from the same clan as Hayato, spoke, "Hayato, weren't you scouting ahead? Why are you back?"
"Something happened!" Hyuga Hayato said, panting heavily.
Hearing those words, everyone's hearts skipped a beat. "What happened?" they asked urgently.
After catching his breath, Hyuga Hayato quickly explained, "A few minutes ago, Seimei and I encountered an Iwa ninja team while scouting."
"An Iwa ninja team?" they exchanged glances. "How many? What's their strength?"
"Seven, all Jonin. Four are slightly weaker, two are stronger, and one is the Five-Tails jinchuriki - Han!" Hyuga Hayato replied decisively.
"What?"
Just like Seimei earlier, they couldn't believe their ears. They hadn't expected the Five-Tails jinchuriki to appear.
Nara Shikamaru was the first to regain his composure. "Where's Seimei?" he asked.
"The Five-Tails jinchuriki detected me when I used my Byakugan. Seimei is engaging them. We need to provide support quickly," Hyuga Hayato answered.
However, Nara Shikamaru didn't immediately agree. He pondered the situation, considering the possibilities and strategies.
Hyuga Hayato grew anxious. "Is there a problem?" he asked. Shouldn't they send a Jonin team for support and try to eliminate the Iwa team? He didn't understand Nara Shikamaru's hesitation.
Hyuga Aoyama told him to calm down.
Taking a deep breath, Hyuga Hayato asked, "Did something happen here?"
He realized that something must have gone wrong with the main force, otherwise, the atmosphere wouldn't be so tense, and Nara Shikamaru wouldn't hesitate.
Hyuga Aoyama confirmed his suspicion, "Not long ago, our reconnaissance teams in other directions also discovered Iwa ninja."
"In multiple directions?" Hyuga Hayato gasped.
"Yes," Hyuga Aoyama nodded. "There are quite a few enemies. They've practically surrounded us."
"Is it because of the hidden enemy?" Hyuga Hayato inquired.
Seimei had relayed the meeting's details to him earlier, so he immediately thought of the potential spy upon hearing about the encirclement.
Without the spy's intel, it would take the Iwa ninja a few more hours, until noon, to reach their previous location, the small town where they rested last night. Finding their current position would take even longer, at least until mid-afternoon.
Yet, they were already surrounded, indicating that the enemy hadn't wasted any time searching along the way. They must have known their exact location to achieve this so quickly.
Hyuga Aoyama's next words confirmed his guess.
"It's that guy," he said.
"That guy? You found him?" Hyuga Hayato asked.
"Yes," Hyuga Aoyama nodded. "He appeared briefly, and I saw him with my Byakugan. But he was too far away, and by the time we got there, he had already escaped."
"Escaped?" Hyuga Hayato frowned.
"Yes," Hyuga Aoyama sighed. "Anyway, he's not important now. The pressing issue is the Iwa ninja forming the encirclement."
"How far are they from us?" Hyuga Hayato asked.
"Four to five kilometers," Hyuga Aoyama replied.
Another person remarked, "Fortunately, we were prepared and positioned our reconnaissance teams five kilometers out. Otherwise, we would have been caught off guard."
Everyone imagined the scenario. If they hadn't expanded their reconnaissance range, they wouldn't have discovered the Iwa encirclement in advance. Upon hearing Hyuga Hayato's report, they might have immediately sent out many Jonin to engage the Iwa team. If the enemy held out long enough for the encirclement to tighten, they would indeed be caught off guard, leaving no time to strategize.
Thinking of strategies, everyone looked at Nara Shikamaru.
He had finished pondering and spoke directly, "Tell all combat team members to support Seimei immediately."
"Yes," Yamanaka Tokikaze responded without hesitation. He formed hand seals, closed his eyes, and used the Yamanaka clan's secret technique - Mind Transmission.
In less than half a minute, he relayed Nara Shikamaru's orders to all combat team members, along with Seimei's location and enemy information.
When he opened his eyes, someone asked, "What about the Iwa ninja on the perimeter?"
"Ignore them," Nara Shikamaru replied.
"Ignore them?" several voices echoed in confusion.
"Yes, ignore them," Nara Shikamaru affirmed. "We'll head towards the Tiger Mountain camp with all our might. As long as the combat team can hold off that Iwa team, we can break through the encirclement before it closes in enough to threaten us."
"Is there enough time?" someone asked.
"Yes," Nara Shikamaru replied confidently.
"What then?" another person asked. "What if the Iwa ninja continue to pursue us?"
"Based on my calculations, they shouldn't be able to catch up," Nara Shikamaru answered. "At least not before we rendezvous with the reinforcements from Tiger Mountain camp."
His confident tone was convincing.
Everyone stopped talking and began carrying out their tasks according to the orders.
That's all for today.
(End of Chapter)