A four-person Konoha squad was patrolling along the coast.
With the great battle against the Akatsuki Organization drawing near, the Five Great Shinobi Villages had all begun mobilizing their forces. The mobilized ninja couldn't simply sit around idle, so every village had increased the number of patrols. The Ninja Village Allied Forces had extended their reach to nearly every corner of the Shinobi World.
One of the Genin in the patrol squad suggested, "Captain, how about we take a break?"
Another Genin immediately chimed in, "Yeah. There isn't even a single wandering ninja left in the Land of Fire, let alone anyone from the Akatsuki Organization."
The Chunin captain nodded. "All right, let's take a break here."
"Long live the captain!"
The whole squad cheered.
Their routine patrol duty was incredibly dull and tedious. What's more, the stretch of coastline in the southern part of the Land of Fire bordered only the Wind Country, the River Country, and the Land of Tea.
Though the Wind Country was one of the Five Great Nations, this side of it consisted almost entirely of wasteland and desert. The River Country and the Land of Tea, meanwhile, were small nations. So while this area wasn't exactly a remote backwater, it was hardly a strategic stronghold.
The captain knew this full well, which was why he was so lenient with his team.
Rumble!
Just then, a rumble seemed to come from somewhere in the distance!
"What's going on?!"
The squad members, who had been sitting down to rest, sprang to their feet in alarm. Then they felt the ground beneath them trembling faintly!
"An earthquake? A tsunami?"
One of the squad members looked bewildered.
The Chunin captain pressed a hand to the ground and sensed the vibrations. His face immediately changed. "It's not an earthquake