The next day.
Konoha's stronghold.
Everyone had donned their gear and was ready.
The force had been divided into two groups: the elite troops and the follow-up troops.
During the initial assault, the elite troops would pick off Sunagakure's experts or clear out traps and fortifications, throwing Sunagakure's defenses into disarray.
The follow-up troops could then move in and mop up.
Although Konoha's forces had largely assembled, they had no intention of launching a full-scale attack together.
Only two people went out in the first wave: Gaara and Deidara.
Deidara's assigned mission was to bomb the Sunagakure gathering point west of the city.
Intelligence indicated that nearly a hundred Sunagakure ninja rotated off duty to rest there every afternoon.
Bombing runs with such detailed intelligence were Deidara's favorite.
Without another word, he returned to his old trade, grabbed a large amount of Exploding Clay, and flew toward the designated location.
Gaara, on the other hand, could not make Clay Bombs, but all he needed to do was throw the Flying Thunder God Kunai in his hand into suitable locations.
Neither of them wasted any time, and they soon flew above Suna City.
Though they were flying at a great altitude, Sunagakure still spotted them.
After all, there was not a cloud in the sky here. It was not easy to hide.
But spotting them did not mean they could hit them. Both Gaara and Deidara were beyond the range of their attacks.
"What's going on? What does Gaara want?"
A Sunagakure intelligence officer looked through his binoculars and recognized the Desert Shura at once.
It could not be helped. Gaara's methods of killing were too brutal. Sand would force its way into the victim's mouth and nose before exploding inside their skulls, leaving them to die horribly. Any Sunagakure ninja