Trap

Across the boundless desert, an utterly ordinary Sand Shinobi squad escorted a backpack full of scrolls toward the border.

Just then, the Sand Shinobi Jonin walking at the front suddenly stopped. With a light wave of his hand, the three Chunin under his command halted as well, their faces tense as they warily scanned their surroundings.

With a whoosh, a kunai suddenly materialized out of thin air and shot toward the Jonin. At a thought, the Jonin sent a stream of yellow sand surging up from the ground, blocking the incoming kunai.

"What's going on? Is the enemy invisible?"

"We didn't hear a thing... Is this Konoha's ghost assassin?"

"Don't look around! Watch the ground carefully!"

The Sand Shinobi Jonin leading the team barked in a low voice, bringing the flustered Chunin back to their senses. They looked down and finally spotted extremely faint traces in the sand.

The indistinct footprints slowly shed their empty illusion, revealing Uchiha Feiyu's figure. He sighed softly.

"That's why I hate places like the Land of Wind. There's sand everywhere, making it incredibly hard to hide your tracks!"

"One day, I'll upgrade the Light-Weight Rock Technique into the Ultra-Light-Weight Rock Technique. Flying through the air is the only way to truly leave no trace."

"Konoha Phantom... You've finally shown yourself!"

The ninja controlling the sand stared solemnly at Uchiha Feiyu, with even a trace of delight on his face.

"You destroyed nearly half the supplies sent to support the front lines, and killed over a hundred shinobi—this time, we'll make you pay in blood!"

"Really? Have I already killed that many Sand Shinobi? I honestly don't feel much about it... All I remember is eating sand for more than two months."

"Also, what's with that 'Konoha Phantom' nickname? It sounds pretty lame!"

Uchiha Feiyu raised a hand and scratched his cheek, looking utterly unconcerned before lifting his head to glance at the Sand Shinobi before him.

"A ninja who can control sand... Looks like you're one of Sunagakure's higher-ups!"

"But your Sand Control Technique alone shouldn't give you that much confidence. If you've got an ambush, hurry up and call them out!"

Sunagakure could be said to have the fewest varieties of Kekkei Genkai ninja among the great shinobi villages, but few varieties did not mean few in number. The Sand Clan was the most populous ninja clan in the Land of Wind, perhaps even in the entire Shinobi World.

The Sand Clan's signature technique was the Sand Control Technique, created by combining Wind Release and Earth Release. In truth, the so-called Sand Control Technique was a weakened Kekkei Genkai. By the standards of the Shinobi World, it ought to have been called Sand Release.

However, compared to Sand Release, Sunagakure's Magnet Release was far more famous. The two Kekkei Genkai were inherently progressive in nature, while the Sand Control Technique was a weakened form of Magnet Release.

Though both were Kekkei Genkai formed from the fusion of Wind and Earth Chakra, a tiny difference could lead to vastly different results. Magnet Release was far more powerful than the Sand Control Technique, which was precisely why the Sand Shinobi only called Sand Release a Sand Control Secret Technique.

Just as the Raikage came from the Yotsuki Clan, the Kazekage all came from the Sand Control Clan. And although the Sand Control Clan had many ninja, no more than twenty or so could truly cultivate the Sand Control Secret Technique. Every one of them held a high position among the Sand Shinobi.

During this time, Uchiha Feiyu had nearly terrified the Sand Shinobi responsible for transporting supplies by killing so many of them. A ninja from the Sand Control Clan suddenly appearing could not possibly mean he was here as cannon fodder. The most likely explanation was, naturally, a trap.

The ninja sneered and spoke blandly.

"You're just playing tricks with your invisibility. You think that kind of move can—"

Before the Sunagakure Jonin could finish, Uchiha Feiyu transformed into an afterimage and rushed forward with a whoosh. Amid a flurry of slashes, after a lightning-fast exchange, Uchiha Feiyu retreated to his original position.

The Sand Shinobi Jonin's face cracked apart, chunks of facial skin clattering to the ground and turning into sand. A shell of sand had blocked Uchiha Feiyu's surprise attack.

Yet the Sand Shinobi's expression was extremely ugly. He turned around and looked at the three Chunin behind him.

All three Chunin had bloody gashes cut across their throats. Blood sprayed out like a crimson mist with a faint rustling sound. They clutched their necks, their throats convulsing twice as despair filled their eyes, before they collapsed limply to the ground.

"I underestimated you. I didn't expect you to be this fast!"

With a rustling sound, sand covered and filled in the cracked facial shell, restoring it to its original state. The Sand Shinobi pulled out the scroll strapped to his back and spoke coldly.

"Against a high-speed ninja like you, I truly can't keep you here by myself. But this time, you won't escape even if you grow wings!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Sand Shinobi unfurled the scroll in his hand. Several popping sounds rang out as several ninja appeared directly on the battlefield.

The scroll turned out to be a one-time item used to summon ninja. Clearly, the Sand Shinobi had made up their minds to eliminate Uchiha Feiyu, this grave threat, once and for all.

At the head of the summoned ninja stood a rather striking female shinobi.

Her green hair was tied into a bun, with two orange streaks at the front. She had orange eyes, a curvaceous figure, and wore a sleeveless, backless outfit.

Though there were subtle differences between the anime and reality, such a distinctive appearance made Uchiha Feiyu recognize her identity at a glance—she was Sunagakure's famous unlucky woman, the alliance gift sent to Kirigakure—meaning sent to die—Yōton User Pakura!

This Yōton User was likely the strongest ninja of Sunagakure's younger generation aside from the Fourth Kazekage. Having earned the title of Sand Shinobi Hero, she should have possessed strength close to, or even at, Kage-level.

Aside from her, the remaining three ninja also appeared to be at least Jonin-level from their bearing. Including the Sand Shinobi Jonin who had been transporting supplies, there were four Jonin and one Kage-level or Quasi-Kage fighter. Such a force would have been enough even to deal with a Village Kage.

"Yōton User Pakura of the Sand Shinobi? You people really think highly of me! Are you even disregarding the Kirigakure front?"

Contrary to his serious tone, Uchiha Feiyu still looked relaxed, without the slightest hint of tension.

"Those bandits from Kirigakure can at most ravage the coastline. They don't dare venture deep into the deserts of the Land of Wind. Compared to that, defeating Konoha is more important!"

Pakura replied calmly. At the same time, the other ninja had already moved soundlessly, surrounding Uchiha Feiyu.