The Draw

On the western side of the Land of Rain, under the rain, within the dense forest and barrier, and behind the chakra spreading like a mist, this area of space had been temporarily cut off.

Even the Byakugan could not easily see through to what was really happening here.

Squads of elite Sunagakure ninja were concealed in the area. As long as they remained silent, Konoha's reconnaissance network would be completely unaware of their movements.

Taking advantage of the enemy's unpreparedness, Sunagakure had made the first move. Seizing the initiative on the battlefield also meant gaining an intelligence advantage for their next move.

Whether this intelligence advantage could truly produce a surprise attack was another matter... If Konoha was strong enough, there was actually a simple, brute-force way to respond.

Overwhelming strength could overcome any trick. Strategy and intelligence were nothing compared to raw stats.

A hawk's piercing cry cut through the rain, and an urgent message came back from farther ahead.

"Lady Chiyo, Konoha has made a move. Shimura Danzō is personally leading a large force of ninja to the Land of Rivers."

The intelligence ninja gave the latest news to Chiyo, the operation's commander. His words carried unmistakable excitement and elation.

So far, the plan had gone very smoothly.

"It seems we're coordinating well with Iwagakure." Chiyo nodded silently.

For some reason, although everything was going smoothly, Chiyo still felt vaguely uneasy.

Unexpected things always happened in war. They could be big or small, early or late. The actual course of events differed somewhat from Chiyo's intuitive expectations.

"How many ninja has Konoha deployed?"

"The latest intelligence indicates that at least a thousand Konoha ninja have left their camp."

"A thousand? Impossible. If they're only reinforcing the battlefield in the Land of Rivers, why deploy so many ninja? There's only the aging Second there!"

Konoha's large-scale deployment was certainly welcome news for Chiyo and her forces. Yet things were going so smoothly that it only made Chiyo suspicious.

Did Konoha have any reason to overreact like this? Chiyo suspected Shimura Danzō was trying to turn the tables on them.

"Now that you mention it, there is something odd about it... Could Danzō simply be too cautious?"

"Cautious? This is more than caution. You could even say he's afraid to die."

A ninja being afraid to die—even a ninja of the commander's rank—sounded like a joke.

Chiyo shook her head, driving away her muddled thoughts. She would assume that the Second Kazekage's reputation across the Shinobi World had forced Shimura Danzō to commit all his strength.

Whatever she thought, Chiyo could not back down now. The stakes were already on the table, and she had no choice but to raise them further... The plan would go ahead.

"Lady Chiyo, should we begin?" asked an unremarkable Sunagakure jōnin standing beside her.

Chiyo glanced at her younger brother. He was used to addressing her by her title when they were working, though he did seem a little impatient.

"Wait. There's no rush."

"..."

They could afford to wait, but it remained to be seen whether the Second Kazekage, serving as a lure in the Land of Rivers, could hold out.

Chiyo's judgment was correct. She couldn't afford to act on emotion now. Even sacrificing the Second Kazekage's life to bring about Konoha's defeat would be worthwhile... After all, once they had a new Kazekage, the former one could be used as a disposable asset.

The heart of this operation was to ambush the enemy at their weakest point, so they had to make sure the Konoha ninja who had gone out couldn't return in time.

More than half an hour later, another report came from the front. Once Konoha's movements had been fully confirmed, Chiyo finally made up her mind:

"Move out."

At her command, the Sunagakure ninja emerged from their hiding place and charged at full speed toward the Konoha camp without a word.

Sunagakure's plan was sound, and the ambush force's strategy was effective. But the weather was unpredictable, as the saying went. What awaited them wasn't the planned encounter, but an accidental meeting.

Before leading the Konoha ninja to surround and attack the Second Kazekage, Shimura Danzō had naturally sent new orders to the ninja scattered across the battlefields throughout the Land of Rain. He ordered them to abandon their ongoing attacks and retreat to the camp, where they would take up defensive positions.

The order was perfectly reasonable. When one hand throws a punch, the other should pull back.

At that moment, a Konoha squad was returning from deep within the Land of Rain after receiving the order.

On the one hand, ninja had keen senses, whether or not they had sensory abilities. On the other, the movements of a large group of ninja were difficult to conceal—unless they used Space-Time Ninjutsu to teleport.

So, as luck would have it, this Konoha squad noticed the Sunagakure ninja.

Under normal circumstances, once the Sunagakure ninja had launched a major attack, they wouldn't be afraid of being discovered... If they ran into a Konoha squad in the Land of Rain, they could simply charge in and slaughter them.

That made sense in theory, but the reality was different.

The leader of the Konoha squad abruptly stopped. Looking somewhat surprised, he turned toward the direction the Sunagakure ninja were coming from.

"Sunagakure ninja... so many of them? This is bad. A diversion—they're targeting the camp."

Thinking of the order that had come from the camp, the squad leader immediately guessed what had happened.

"With Lord Danzō and the others, the camp's strongest ninja have probably all gone to the Land of Rivers. Sunagakure..."

The other squad members had also figured out Sunagakure's plan. It was downright devious.

This wasn't the time to analyze the situation. The squad leader had to make a decision, and make it quickly.

But there was nothing for him to hesitate over. Acting on instinct alone, he immediately said:

"I'll hold them off. You take the message back first!"

"Captain, that's impossible. There are too many of them!"

"Everyone, carry out the order."

"...Yes!"

The captain's order was simple: he would take on the whole group, while his three teammates escaped on their own.

Just as the Konoha squad split in two, three squads of Sunagakure ninja charged toward them!

The Sunagakure ninja knew exactly what the Konoha squad was trying to do. But how could they let them get away with it? One of them would stay behind and sacrifice himself, while the rest fled? Dream on. Sunagakure could drown all four of them in sheer numbers.

But as the Sunagakure ninja charged in, before their cruel smiles could even spread across their faces, a bloody line had already been carved across their throats.

Before they could send the Konoha ninja to their deaths, they met a headless end themselves.

Because the Konoha squad leader who had stayed behind had drawn his sword.

And because the ninja who had drawn that sword had a name that was anything but ordinary... Hatake Sakumo.

There were always ninja who could effortlessly kill those weaker than themselves in a single blow. The Yellow Flash would be one such ninja in the future, and the Konoha White Fang was already one now.