Naruto: The Hidden Shadow Style

Within the Land of Rivers, the controlled territories of Sunagakure and Konoha were interlaced like jagged teeth. Along their long, contested border, battles and deaths occurred constantly.

Haseo's unit moved from their controlled territory into their assigned defensive zone without running into any enemies. But they did run into a few friendly units. The way different squads had to confirm each other's identities was quite amusing... Funny though it was, this clearly demonstrated how solid Konoha's defenses were.

Every ninja stayed on high alert.

Then the squad entered a forest. After a brief period of scouting, the four regrouped.

"Geographically, this is the best location in the entire forest for reconnaissance. It's elevated, with wide-open views and relatively sparse tree coverage. But precisely because it's so ideal, we can't place our watchpost there," Haseo explained while pointing at a specific spot on the map.

It went without saying. In sniper warfare, snipers never crouch at the optimal position because such obvious spots aren't only known to you—they're known to your enemy too. That would be equivalent to directly exposing your location.

"There were also several alternative positions left," Haseo said, circling several locations with a pen and marking them numerically.

"I think Point No. 5 is the best choice. Its view is great, sufficient for monitoring surrounding movements. Also, the vegetation is thick, making it easier to hide and allowing more flexible combat or movement without leaving us trapped with no way out," Renjiro suggested, pointing toward the fifth point on the map.

The opinion of an experienced scout deserved respect. The other two nodded in agreement—this location offered excellent observation while also providing convenient escape routes back into Konoha's territory if danger emerged.

"If everyone agrees, then let's move over there," Haseo also believed this spot was suitable. He made the decision to set up the surveillance post and carefully led the group toward it.

During this process, they encountered no enemies and found no signs of earlier reconnaissance teams.

Upon reaching Point No. 5, the scout ninja Renjiro started carving special chakra-based symbols into nearby trees. Once finished, these marks would allow him to sense any unfamiliar chakra approaching.

This particular scouting method wasn't unfamiliar to Haseo—even oddly familiar—because he could loosely describe it as… planting eyes.

Once Renjiro finished setting up, Haseo addressed the others: "Except for a few spares, go ahead and deploy the rest of the explosive tags around."

"All of them? Haseo, remember that supplies at the front lines are extremely scarce. We should try to conserve whenever possible," Nagisa Nara replied, believing Haseo's approach might be wasteful.

"Everyone," Haseo emphasized again, then he explained, "your idea is good, but it's meaningless. If only we conserve resources, it won't make any difference to the entire battle. However, if everyone else is already conserving resources, then a little waste on our part won't matter much either. So… lay down all the explosive tags. At least such traps can further increase our chances of survival and succeeding in the mission."

Logistics were Hokage's concern, not something for low-rank genin like them to worry about. There were advantages to being a genin—no need to overthink things. Whatever supplies were allocated to you, just use them. Why bother questioning?

Without doubt, Konoha's state assets were being squandered by people like Haseo… Fortunately though, at least he was using the supplies for public purposes rather than embezzling them personally.

"…"

To the others, what Haseo said made some sense, but there was just something about it that didn't quite add up.

Helpless as they were, everyone followed their leader's order and laid down the explosive tags. Once the preparations were done, the tension they'd been holding onto eased a little.

Then, the squad expanded their scouting formation into position Five. Haseo and Nagisa Nara hid themselves among the tree canopy, carefully scanning the surroundings with watchful eyes. Not far behind them, Renjiro closed his eyes tightly, sensing the areas around each one of his techniques.

Chichio clung to the trunk of a tall tree somewhat farther behind, completely concealing himself.

Such front-line missions were pressuring yet monotonous, allowing no room for carelessness whatsoever. Therefore, despite seeming as if they'd done nothing at all, Haseo and the others found their mental stamina drained immensely.

Maintaining complete concentration throughout, the first night passed on the surface without incident.

However, it's rarely a good idea to jump to conclusions so soon. Several bird calls rang through Haseo's ears—perfectly natural-sounding, seemingly normal—but instantly made him even more alert... It was a signal from Renjiro.

Then the birdsong repeated once more, accurately relaying the information Renjiro had discovered:

"Enemy detected. Quantity: One. Coordinates: 22,15!"

Peering through layers of leaves, Haseo turned his gaze toward the coordinates reported by Renjiro, and sure enough, spotted a Sunagakure ninja there.

Everyone got Renjiro's signal despite how short a time they'd spent together—they'd worked out a few signals in no time.

[They used coded hand gestures to communicate] "What should we do?" beside him, Nara silently asked Haseo.

Haseo thought briefly before responding, "Wait. We must wait until the enemy's companion appears before deciding whether to strike. We must ensure every enemy receives a fatal blow, not giving them any chance to counterattack."

Haseo didn't believe a single Sand ninja would dare infiltrate this area alone. He believed the enemy must be operating at minimum as an enemy squad—the first one appearing was merely bait meant to lure them into action.

"He's already approaching the trap area we set up."

"He's putting on an act, but he's being way too obvious about it. We need to hold back... Don't underestimate the Sunagakure ninja's cunning."

"He's getting close to the Explosive Tag—three steps, two steps, one step… He stepped on the trap! It's about to detonate!" Nara watched the enemy closely, but then, he couldn't bear to watch anymore.

Man, this Sunagakure ninja really is pretty clueless. Only after stepping directly on the Explosive Tag did he finally realize in disbelief that he had fallen into a trap.

A loud explosion startled all birds and beasts in the forest, and the Sunagakure ninja was blasted into the air along with it.

Seeing the outcome, Nara stopped using hand signals entirely. He turned his gaze straight at Haseo, shooting him a look that clearly said, "Now what do you think?"

Haseo thought for a moment, then responded through coded speech, "Still, don't let your guard down. Look closely—the blood mist from the explosion itself is shaped like bait."

"…"

[Bait-shaped blood mist]? What shape is that even supposed to be?!

<><><><><><><><>

Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!

~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!

<><><><><><><><>

~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!

~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!

patreon.com/Tansnovel

<><><><><><><><>