That night, Haruto Saito, Hattori Ryuya, Jusan, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru left Gutian Village, heading towards the eastern region of the Land of Whirlpools!
Kakuzu stayed behind to guard Gutian Village, which was not a problem!
Kakuzu had always been the visible leader, and Hattori Ryuya had only taken over for a short period. His presence maintained normalcy, as Gutian Village harbored many spies, including hidden Mist Village reconnaissance ninjas.
However, Haruto Saito had never acted against them!
He couldn't!
Eliminating them would only draw more attention, and if more spies were sent, Mist Village would realize that something was amiss in Gutian Village.
Mist Village's presence in Gutian was not necessarily hostile; it was merely part of their standard intelligence network.
Thus, it was best left alone!
…
Gutian Village was located in the northern coastal region of the Land of Whirlpools but was not directly by the sea. Meanwhile, Mist Village's First and Third Corps were stationed on a mountain in the eastern coastal region.
The distance between the two locations was significant.
Fortunately, all six travelers were elite ninjas, so speed was not an issue.
By the next morning, after a night of continuous travel, they reached the base of the mountain.
Tingchao Mountain!
It was also part of the Chiyan Mountain Range, as the entire region was connected by this mountain chain.
Mist Village's First and Third Corps were camped on the eastern slopes, near the sea, while Haruto Saito and his group approached from the northwestern foot of the mountain.
Within the forested mountain range, six figures moved swiftly yet cautiously. This mountain fell within the standard reconnaissance zone of Mist Village's two corps. Though powerful, they could not afford carelessness.
The mountain was covered in towering trees, creating a dim atmosphere despite the midday sun.
"We've arrived!" Haruto Saito suddenly announced.
The group halted before an enormous tree.
Whoosh!
A figure emerged from beneath the grass, flipping over and kneeling on one knee. "Captain!"
It was a Konoha ANBU ninja. Previously, Haruto Saito had assigned a team of "geologists" to survey the area. Since most of them were ordinary civilians, they needed protection. The ANBU and covert operatives had ensured their safety.
Currently, the geologists and most covert operatives had withdrawn, leaving only a few ANBU behind.
"Any unusual occurrences?" Haruto Saito asked.
"None!" The ANBU ninja responded swiftly. "However, they performed a troop rotation this morning. The First Corps has been reduced to 2,000, while the Third Corps received reinforcements."
Shortly after, the group arrived at a concealed mountain cave.
This served as a temporary base, currently guarded by six ANBU ninjas.
Inside the dimly lit cave, candle flames flickered gently.
An ANBU operative codenamed "Yan" briefed Haruto Saito and the others. Yan was highly regarded, boasting a formidable combat reputation and an exceptional photographic memory. He could recreate anything he saw with detailed sketches.
"This is their current camp layout. The two corps have divided into seven camps, each housing around 600 to 700 soldiers. The camp placements are dictated by the terrain, built on rocky structures that are not particularly steep."
"They're really afraid of being bombed!" Tsunade commented, crossing her arms.
Yan glanced at Tsunade and nodded. "Indeed, Tsunade-sama. Since Captain Akatome's bombing strategy has been leaked, they have taken extra precautions. Their fortifications are even more defensive now, with camps positioned midway up the mountainside."
"They have stationed numerous sentries here, here, and here," Yan pointed at the map. "If these spots were to be hit by a strong attack, it could cause landslides, affecting these camps."
"How many ninjas have been dispatched on missions?" Haruto Saito asked while studying the map and drawings.
"This morning, two battalions returned, but by noon, they sent out two more along with additional small squads," Yan reported quickly. "Currently, there are about 4,000 ninjas spread across all seven camps. The highest-positioned camp has the fewest soldiers, with only about 300 remaining after half were deployed."
Two hours later.
Haruto Saito, Hattori Ryuya, and Tsunade left the temporary base.
The others had their own assignments. Jusan had to infiltrate Mist Village's camps to gather intelligence. His mission was simple—survey the situation without engaging in combat. His stealth ensured minimal risk of exposure.
By afternoon, the trio reached a secluded valley within the mountains.
There, they found a lake!
It spanned about three kilometers in length and over two kilometers in width. Compared to Haruto Saito's past life knowledge of famous lakes, this one was deeper than West Lake, containing approximately 1.7 times its volume.
Since this was Tingchao Mountain, naturally, the lake was called Tingchao Lake.
Four kilometers east of Tingchao Lake was the mountain's eastern slope. Just beyond it, only a few hundred meters away, lay the Mist Village encampment.
Because Tingchao Lake sat at a high altitude, Haruto Saito did not need to carve out a full four-kilometer river path—just about 2.3 kilometers would suffice. Beyond that, the terrain naturally sloped downward.
If he could break the lake's barrier, the entire volume of water would flood downward, overwhelming everything in its path, including the Mist encampments.
This was two hundred million cubic meters of water—two hundred million tons! A force that was utterly unstoppable!
However, destroying the camps was one thing—killing the enemy was another.
Water-based attacks would rarely drown Mist Village ninjas outright. Instead, their deaths would result from impact, injuries leading to loss of control, and then drowning in the torrent.
Thus, Haruto Saito's plan was feasible!
Yet, there were still challenges.
First, once the flood began, how fast would it travel? If the current was too slow, even a Genin could simply walk on the water's surface and mock Haruto Saito!
Several factors determined the flow rate, such as the slope and the length of the river path. While Haruto Saito couldn't alter the landscape, he could make adjustments—by increasing the water volume or using powerful winds to amplify the current.
"Kid, how exactly do you plan to increase the water volume?"
Standing at the lakeside, Tsunade, looking mysterious, questioned him once more.