Hugging a thigh, gaining experience?

As expected, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist fell into Konoha's hands.

A large ninja force arrived by sea, deploying on an island closest to the mainland.

Konoha reacted immediately, dispatching a vanguard of three thousand led by one of the Sannin, the cold Lord Orochimaru.

Konoha's eastern coastline was long, and a force of three thousand could not possibly defend it all.

Orochimaru's approach was simple: he built a military fortress right on the coast, adjacent to the forest.

His objective was to plant a nail in the eastern part of the Land of Fire.

If Kirigakure wanted to bypass this nail and enter Konoha, they risked a surprise attack from behind at any moment.

Therefore, if Kirigakure wished to penetrate deep into the Land of Fire, they would have to remove this nail.

Konoha's stance was that if Kirigakure was merely deploying troops to intimidate, then the three thousand ninja would suffice.

However, if Kirigakure truly intended to go to war.

The five thousand ninja who had already assembled and were awaiting orders within Konoha would immediately reinforce the east coast.

Western Land of Fire, Sunagakure battlefield.

Tōka was practicing the Mystical Palm Technique in his tent when a dark shadow suddenly appeared at the entrance.

"Genin Tōka, new orders." As the voice spoke, a scroll was thrown in with a whoosh.

Tōka's palm flipped, catching the scroll steadily.

Three days. Finally, a mission?

His normally still heart fluttered with a little excitement.

Tōka quickly unrolled the scroll, revealing only a single line of text.

"Gather outside the North Camp tonight."

No specific time, no specific location?

Tōka's expression soured.

If he hadn't recognized the voice of the Anbu member, he would have thought it was an enemy trap.

Although he didn't know the Anbu's name, Tōka was sure.

This guy was one of the people from the group of ten Sannin he'd encountered in the forest during the stone rain.

The one who asked him if he was male or female!

Since he was sure it was "one of his own," the question arose.

"Go, or not go?" Tōka rolled up the scroll in his hand.

Night descended like a vast net, slowly enveloping the entire sky from all directions, spreading with ink-like freedom and joy.

The crescent moon hung like a hook, cicadas and insects chirped crisply.

A faint breeze stirred, rolling fallen leaves away into the distance.

To the west, yellow sand filled the air with a howling sound, like a roaring beast, like a furious storm.

Tōka traveled light, carrying only a kunai, a few shuriken, a few explosive tags, and a box of soldier pills.

After checking his equipment one last time and confirming everything was in order.

Tōka darted like a nimble ape, leaping onto the treetops and swiftly heading towards the North Camp.

Patrolling ninja came and went along the way. Tōka not only had to hurry but also avoid them.

The fact that neither the time nor the location was specified indicated that this was a top-secret mission, not to be disclosed to anyone.

Tōka's tent was located in the middle-rear of the camp. The disadvantage was the number of people he had to avoid.

The advantage was that he had his own small tent.

"The Hyuga clan's Byakugan can only scout externally, not internally. I just need to time the gaps in the guards' movements..."

Tōka dodged two patrols of ninja and stood in the shadow of a large tree.

A faint, eerie light flickered in his deep black eyes as he calculated the probability of success for his departure.

"Perhaps using genjutsu would be a good option."

With a swoosh, Tōka sprang out, disappearing into the darkness once more.

Genjutsu: Blinding Eye. This technique, applied to oneself, causes the user to vanish from the opponent's sight for a very brief period, making them seem to cease existing.

Any fluctuation in chakra or overly large movement will cause the jutsu to fail.

It is only useful for escaping, stealth, and reconnaissance; its effectiveness in combat is very limited.

If encountered by a ninja with strong sensory abilities or one skilled in genjutsu, this technique would be seen through almost immediately.

However, the patrolling ninja were only Chunin.

The moon hung high in the sky as Tōka bypassed the guards, successfully appearing outside the northern camp.

It wasn't that the Konoha camp's guards were lax; it was simply much easier to leave from the inside than to enter from the outside.

Firstly, attempting to infiltrate from the outside would mean facing the reconnaissance of the Hyuga clan's Byakugan.

With such an impenetrable defense, it was practically impossible to get within ten miles of the Konoha camp.

Furthermore, Tōka knew how to use chakra sensing, allowing him to detect the positions of patrolling ninja in advance.

It was the same principle as how it's hard to guard against a thief in your own home.

"Strange, why is no one around here?" Tōka's ears twitched slightly. The surroundings were eerily quiet, with no sound at all.

"Isn't the northern camp right behind me? Why is there no commotion?"

Tōka narrowed his eyes, pondering what could have gone wrong.

It wasn't until he looked up at the night sky that he realized...

"It's too quiet!"

Under the bright moon, he could usually hear the chirping of insects even within the camp.

Yet here, there wasn't a single sound?

A scene that shouldn't exist, yet it did. This left only one possibility!

He was caught in a genjutsu!

"Release!" Tōka formed hand seals and grunted.

Just as he expected!

The surrounding scenery flickered and blurred, then revealed its true appearance.

Three shadowy figures stood five steps away, arms crossed, staring at Tōka.

"Quite impressive!"

"A little faster than expected."

"Since everyone's here, let's go."

The leader, with silver hair, even though he wore an animal mask, Tōka recognized him instantly.

Konoha's White Fang, Sakumo Hatake!

The other three accompanying him also wore animal masks. It was clear that besides Sakumo Hatake, the other two were also Anbu members.

"Here." One of them, wearing a dog mask, handed him a fox mask.

"Where are we going?" Tōka's eyebrows rose slightly, but he still put on the mask.

"Don't ask what you shouldn't, you'll know when you need to," the dog-masked man said, his voice deepening coldly.

Tōka, hidden behind the fox mask, glanced at him. This guy was the one who had delivered the message earlier.

The other man, with a cat mask, didn't seem to recognize him. The genjutsu trap must have been set by him.

Whoosh!

The four leaped onto the treetops, disappearing into the distance with a few bounds.

Tōka followed last, observing the figures ahead and contemplating his role within the team.

Sakumo Hatake excelled in swordsmanship and ninjutsu. The cat-masked man specialized in genjutsu. The dog-masked man was strong and muscular, likely a taijutsu specialist.

Among the four, besides Tōka, Sakumo Hatake was undoubtedly a Kage-level powerhouse. The other two Anbu members were slightly weaker but still elite Jonin.

Tōka couldn't understand why he, a mere Genin, had been chosen.

Sakumo Hatake's missions were bound to be S-rank...

Just as Tōka's mind wandered, Sakumo Hatake ahead signaled, and the three quickly landed and concealed themselves.

Tōka was a beat too slow and was reprimanded in a low voice by the dog-masked man, "Kid, don't space out!"

Whoosh!

Tōka quickly darted into the shadows of the trees.

It was then that he noticed his surroundings.

To the west, no more than twenty steps away, lay the endless yellow sands of the Land of Wind. The forest where the three were hiding was far from the Konoha camp.

"Listen, this mission is classified as S-rank," Sakumo Hatake's voice sounded softly.

The four were not far apart, so Sakumo Hatake's voice was just audible.

The strong wind howled nearby, easily drowning out quiet conversations.

"However, the mission objective is not difficult," Sakumo Hatake changed tack, his voice deepening. "Besides the assassination activities targeting high-ranking officials of Sunagakure, there is one more person on the assassination list."

As he finished speaking, Sakumo Hatake flipped his hand, and three cards shot out.

Tōka's gaze sharpened, and he sighed inwardly at the incredible speed.

"Sunagakure's Scorch Release user—Pakura. She's only in her teens, yet her strength rivals an elite Chunin," Sakumo Hatake introduced in a low voice.

The three of them also looked down at the materials in their hands at the same time, all of which were about Scorch Release user Pakura.

She was just a cute little girl in her teens, yet they needed to dispatch the God of Death, Sakumo Hatake.

This was enough to show how much Konoha valued her.

The emergence of a powerful Kekkei Genkai would eventually lead to the formation of a powerful Kekkei Genkai clan, and the village itself was built with the major ninja clans as its pillars and civilian ninjas as its foundation.

"If you have any questions, ask them now." Sakumo Hatake's gaze swept over the three of them one by one, finally landing on Tōka.

"Why did you choose me?" Tōka's voice was very calm from beneath his fox mask, as if any answer would satisfy him.

The mission to assassinate a high-ranking official of Sunagakure was not difficult; perhaps this was just the mission on the surface.

Sakumo Hatake's real mission was to disrupt Sunagakure's supply lines and cause chaos in their rear.

As for the Scorch Release ninja Pakura, she was merely an incidental target.

Of course, none of this was important; what Tōka cared about was why he had been chosen.

The members of this squad were all elite Jonin; why bring along a dead weight Genin?

After a moment of silence, Sakumo Hatake glanced at the other two.

The cat-faced man and the dog-faced man immediately understood and disappeared from their spots with two whooshing sounds, moving to guard the surroundings from the left and right.

"You should have noticed the composition of our squad," Sakumo Hatake said in a low voice.

"As a supporting medical ninja?" Tōka cursed inwardly, unsure whether to be glad about his ability or to consider himself unlucky.

"That's right," Sakumo Hatake nodded. "And to bring you along to gain some experience."

As he finished speaking, Sakumo Hatake turned and headed west.

The other two noticed the commotion and quickly moved closer.

Upon hearing this, Tōka's small face twitched under his fox mask.

"Are you sure it's to gain experience, and not to offer myself as cannon fodder?" Tōka grumbled inwardly, adjusting his mask and following closely behind the three of them.

They left the forests of the Land of Fire and entered the Land of Wind.

A suffocating gale immediately hit them, and the swirling yellow sand made it impossible to open their eyes.

In the blink of an eye, the White Fang Squad disappeared into the depths of the sandstorm.

It is impolite not to reciprocate.

Since Kirigakure could dispatch the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist to cause trouble in Konoha's rear, Konoha could naturally send an elite squad deep into the Land of Wind.

To add a few fires to Sunagakure's supply lines.

The Land of Wind was barren, and its annual grain supply had to be purchased from the Land of Fire.

Now, with the war, the cost of food and supplies had skyrocketed to an astronomical figure.

Sunagakure had accumulated strength for years, intending to gamble everything on attacking the Land of Fire and seizing fertile land.

As long as the White Fang Squad destroyed Sunagakure's supplies, even a small part of it would be enough to cripple them.

Facing a single Sunagakure, Konoha could afford to drag out the war.

However, to the east was Kirigakure in the Land of Water, to the northeast was Kumogakure in the Land of Lightning, and to the northwest was Iwagakure in the Land of Earth.

Sending the White Fang Squad also showed Konoha's intentions from the side; they did not want to drag out the war with Sunagakure.

The sandstorm enveloped the entire world. In a broken valley deep within the sand, Sunagakure's military encampment was in an uproar. The news of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist's complete annihilation within Konoha spread like an eight-magnitude earthquake among the Sand Shinobi.

The strength of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist was already recognized throughout the ninja world.

They were undoubtedly very powerful, yet this elite unit, which had infiltrated the Land of Fire to cause destruction, had been wiped out!

Such news was extremely nerve-wracking. The Land of Wind and the Land of Water did not share a border.

Given the current continental structure, direct war between them was basically impossible.

In other words, for the sake of mutual benefit, Kirigakure and Sunagakure could be considered potential allies.

With their allies suffering a setback, the morale of the Sand Shinobi also took a hit.

In the conference room of the Sunagakure military fortress, several dark figures sat around a round table.

The atmosphere was oppressive and heavy. The wind and sand raged outside, mirroring the mood of everyone present.

"Konoha's logistical supplies are guaranteed; we simply cannot afford to drag this out," the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, said with a grim expression, dark circles under his eyes.

The stalemate in the war had kept him awake for many sleepless nights.

"Not just Konoha, but also the Daimyo. You know this," Ebizo said, his hoarse voice ringing out as he narrowed his eyes.

Hearing this, the expressions of everyone present changed again.

The Daimyo of the Land of Wind was already not very fond of Sunagakure. If this war ended in defeat, under the Daimyo's efforts to reduce the number of ninjas and the ninja village's funding in the Land of Wind, the future development of Sunagakure could be imagined.

"Have you forgotten the losses from our previous battle?" Chiyo asked sternly, her face grim.

To support the sneak attack by the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, they had dispatched an elite puppet force of one hundred men!

The result was total annihilation; not a single one returned. This was a devastating blow to Sunagakure!

"Furthermore, our war resources are dwindling," Ebizo added, his voice laced with deep worry. "We can hold out for another three months, barring any unforeseen circumstances."

Three months later would bring winter. While the climate wouldn't significantly impact the ninjas themselves, it would affect crop growth, making logistics even more challenging for the Sand Shinobi.

"Is there still no movement from the Land of Lightning or the Land of Earth?" Rasa asked through gritted teeth.

"Hmph, they're all a bunch of opportunists who won't act until they see a clear advantage!" Chiyo said coldly. "Ōnoki has been secretly amassing troops but refuses to make the next move. He's clearly waiting for us and Konoha to exhaust each other before he strikes."

"The movements of Kumogakure in the Land of Lightning are unclear; they seem to be observing."

"Damn it!" Rasa slammed his fist on the table.

Facing Konoha was like pouring water onto a sponge; no matter how much water was added, it would all be absorbed.

As the leading nation among the Five Great Shinobi Countries, Konoha's true strength had yet to be fully revealed.

If Sunagakure challenged Konoha alone, the outcome would be utter defeat!

"Send someone to contact Ōnoki immediately, and Kumogakure as well!" Rasa ordered, his face dark. He clenched his hands unnaturally, emitting a cracking sound.