Under Their Nose.

(MC POV)

Signing a few final documents on my table, I closed the folder and spoke to the person currently standing in front of me. Neji had grown in the months I hadn't seen him, almost as tall as me. What pleased me was how his eyes had gained the cold look of a shinobi and lost the inexperienced gaze he once held.

"So, I heard you hit a few bumps with the Lightning Daimyo. Care to explain?" – I asked as I threw a glance at him.

Keeping a neutral expression, Neji spoke

"He refused to keep up his end of the bargain and I decided that he knew too much to not be on our side. We will have to find another replacement for him and a few senior officials… he talked to others of the deal so they had to be tracked down and disposed of as well. It took more time than I anticipated."

I nodded and passed a blank folder filled with so many empty papers that it could barely close.

"I see, you did well. I want a report regarding your encounters with enemy combatants as well as any other… bump, you may have hit that I am unaware of. It needs to be detailed."

Neji's face remained blank as I handed him the folder, but his eyes gained focus and retreated two steps, preparing to leave.

"Very well Hokage-sama. Then with your permission…"

I stopped him as I raised a hand, halting his sentence.

"Before you go, I have one other assignment for you… if you are willing that is." – I said as a glint appeared in my Sharingan.

As I spoke, Neji froze and his eyes widened for a second before going back to normal.

Everytime I made Neji choose whether he was willing to take up an assignment I was about to give him, it was important either for me or for the village… but definitely important for him to grow, and he knew that. He knew that if he agreed, he would not be the same person once the task was finished.

"Yes." – He responded with a word.

"Your target is a Konoha spy heading back home, his wife back in Iwa which will be brought to you by anbu at a location that will be disclosed with time… as well as the unborn child within her." – I said with a solemn face as I looked with my Sharingan in Neji's eyes, receiving his answer a minute later.

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(3rd Person POV – 6 days later)

The border between Iwagakure and Konoha. It was more imaginary as actually physical as the two were separated by two smaller villages. That being said, in a world where strength ruled, the smaller villages always freed the route to let the bigger villages fight each other, it was the only way for them to survive and maybe pick up some leftovers.

Right now, in the territory of the village hidden in the grass, an army of 5000 Iwa shinobi traveled towards Konoha's border, where 4000 shinobi held up the border, led by Hiashi Hyuga and his second in command, Inoichi Yamanaka.

As the 5000 strong Iwa shinobi moved with the determination to avenge and defend their country, unaware to them, a 2500 strong elite force moved below their noses using underground intelligence tunnels.

Cramped, with space enough for only 3 individuals at one time, the Konoha shinobi moved without a whisper as they had done before in countless missions. Being led by the Godaime Hokage himself, they held no knowledge of their mission or destination, so far the only information they derived is that whatever it was, it would take place on the northeast.

With the training and experience they had received over the years they knew better than to ask, chat or whisper any information… but this time, the Hokage's cold face made for the biggest deterrent. Despite being young, the moment he unleashed his chakra was something that was engraved into the mind of these shinobi, their honed combat senses screaming at them to run away. That act alone widened eyes, shut mouths, and bolstered confidence among them. They had heard many praise the young Hokage for holding his own against two immortal versions of the first and second Hokage, but seeing was much more impressing than hearing rumors.

It took the force 3 days with the help of numerable veteran Hyuga to make their way towards Iwagakure. Slowly as they went, evading every patrol was not possible. Once a sufficient distance was made undetected, every encountered patrol was taken out with precision and speed, overwhelming them with sheer numbers.

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(MV POV)

Sitting on a stone, multiple clones spread on reconnaissance, I looked at the shinobi behind me.

It was dark, no fires were ignited as we kept ourselves as invisible as a 2500 strong force could be. In normal situations… stupidly visible, but that was only when moving spread out to avoid enemy attacks affecting too many shinobi at once. In this case, we held a tight formation, making it easier for the Hyuga, Aburame, and Inuzuka clan to keep a constant watch on our shinobi force while scouting for any possible enemy force.

It took a toll on our mobility but allowed us to get within the necessary distance to launch an attack and retreat in time without wasting too much stamina and chakra.

Looking toward a faraway mountain ridge, I smiled slightly as I imagined the surprise on the face of the Iwa shinobi at our newly developed weapon. It could take the protective wall down in one shot as well as any type of barrier set up with it as a base. Using Kushina's, Orochimaru's as well as some of my own studies, I narrowed down Iwa's barrier to one of two potential types. Either one that enhanced the protective wall around the village, or one that I had no idea of… either way, I was counting on overwhelming firepower to get rid of it altogether.

And the mountain range I was looking towards, had a clear line of fire towards Iwagakure, as well as 4 of my clones carrying the suicide cannon towards it.

With the reinforcements heading towards the border, the increased number of shinobi heading out of the village to find work as well as the guards on the other borders, we expect a maximum of 5000 weakened shinobi in Iwa in a worst-case scenario. Tomorrow night, as we close in on the village, the Tsuchiakge will have been lured out, the cannon will fire and the invasion will begin.

(A/N: Sorry for the late chapter, i was dragged away in a wedding and the chapter I wrote while drunk was... something... The amount of garbage you can write with only 300 words is amazing I tell you. That being said, it was 900 words long, I just couldn't make sense of the rest. With that out of the way, I hope you enjoy this chapter :)