The yellow sand howled past, stinging like blades scraping against skin.
Sakumo Hatake and the other two exchanged brief glances and reached a conclusion.
One taken, one left. Since Pakura had already been captured, the remaining one naturally had to be killed.
After all, they were a team that had infiltrated enemy territory for sabotage and assassination. If they had not needed to extract intelligence from Pakura's mind, this battle would have been far more straightforward.
Sakumo Hatake grew serious, and a chilling killing intent spread through the surrounding air.
The terrifying, eerie aura seemed almost tangible, assaulting everyone's nerves.
Tōka, the weakest among them, found it somewhat difficult to breathe. Still, he forced himself to muster that still-unformed aura and resisted with difficulty.
So this was the true face of the God of Killing! Tōka sighed inwardly, knowing that Sakumo Hatake was about to get serious.
Still, Karura should have no problem escaping.
With sand defenses even faster than Gaara's, even Sakumo Hatake might not necessarily be able to take her down.
Receiving the hand signal, Tōka and Cat-faced man took Pakura and flickered away into the distance.
His gaze shifted from the center of the battlefield to the person beside him. "Pakura, Scorch Release..."
Countless thoughts raced through Tōka's mind. I really don't want Pakura to die, but what should I do?
Karura was very strong. Even in a one-on-one fight against Sakumo Hatake, she could hold out for a while.
But with another elite jonin joining the attack, Karura's defeat was already inevitable.
It only depended on whether she would flee or choose to "stay."
There isn't much time. Once that battle ends, they'll definitely invade Pakura's mind, Tōka thought silently.
Cat-faced man's genjutsu was very powerful and particularly suited for gathering intelligence.
Just as his thoughts turned, a pained cry suddenly came from the sandy ground not far away.
Tōka turned around and saw Sakumo Hatake holding White Fang, lightning flashing in his palm as he pierced straight through Karura's sand defense.
Blood gushed from Karura's shoulder. Her face turned pale as she struggled to lift her head and glance at Pakura.
"Konoha's White Fang truly lives up to his reputation." Karura had already made her judgment. She was gentle, but equally clever.
During their first exchange, Sakumo Hatake's attacks had deliberately or unconsciously avoided her vital points. Now, every strike was aimed to kill.
Had the sand not blocked him for a moment and given her time to shift her position, the one standing here now would have been a corpse.
A cold gleam flashed through Sakumo Hatake's eyes as he drew his blade and stabbed again.
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle...
A scorched, burning smell drifted over.
"It's an Explosive Tag! Captain, watch out!" Dog-faced man, who had been assisting Sakumo Hatake's attack, hurriedly warned.
Sakumo Hatake had naturally noticed it as well. The instant the warning rang out, he activated the Body Flicker Technique.
Whoosh!
Boom!
A massive explosion rang out. Yellow sand filled the sky where Karura had stood, and the sand blasted into the air fell like raindrops.
"She escaped."
His vision was obscured by the yellow sand, and his hearing drowned beneath the howling wind.
Yet Sakumo Hatake still sensed immediately that Karura had escaped.
At close range, Sakumo Hatake's perception was equally formidable—the strongest among the four.
"What now?" Dog-faced man glanced at the pitch-black sky. In Konoha, weather like this would certainly mean a torrential downpour.
But this was the Land of Wind, so it was definitely a sandstorm!
"It seems the plan has been exposed." Sakumo Hatake spoke lightly, his killing intent receding as he became an ordinary middle-aged man once more.
"The captain really is calm." Cat-faced man sounded rather helpless. Even if the plan had been exposed, he knew Sakumo Hatake would not give up.
"Find somewhere to hide first. We need to learn some information." Sakumo Hatake glanced at the unconscious Pakura and said gravely.
The four quickly departed as the wind grew even stronger.
The swirling yellow sand instantly erased their tracks.
Within a pile of abandoned, weathered rocks, the White Fang squad rested temporarily, taking shelter from the approaching sandstorm.
"Cat, begin." Sakumo Hatake personally stood guard and signaled Cat-faced man to invade Pakura's mind for intelligence.
Countless ideas flashed through Tōka's mind along the way, only for him to reject every one of them.
Undoubtedly, none of the schemes would work. Before absolute strength, any plot or trick was useless.
Tōka wanted to save Pakura, but he was powerless to do so.
"How about letting me do it?" Tōka suddenly blurted out in a moment of impulse.
"You?" Cat-faced man, who was forming hand seals in preparation, froze slightly before looking toward Sakumo Hatake.
Whether in the White Fang squad or the western Konoha garrison camp, Sakumo Hatake was the highest-ranking commander.
An unreadable look flashed through Sakumo Hatake's eyes as he stared at Tōka.
The atmosphere fell silent. Outside the rock formation, the wind roared, whipping up sand and hurling it against the stones.
Tōka regretted his words the moment they left his mouth, cursing himself for being too impulsive.
Still, if he could save Pakura, it would not be a loss. He knew that Pakura would eventually be betrayed by Sunagakure.
When that time came, hehehe...
"What are you standing around for? Move." Sakumo Hatake spoke coldly, clearly addressing Tōka.
Seeing this, Cat-faced man took a step back and made room for him.
Tōka extended his right hand and pressed his joined index and middle fingers against Pakura's forehead.
The method for obtaining intelligence was simple, yet also extremely difficult.
It was simple because one only needed stronger spiritual power than the target to directly invade their mind and search for the desired secrets.
The difficult part was that a forcible invasion would basically turn the target into an idiot, so Tōka needed to be a little more "gentle."
Tōka's precise control over chakra also allowed him precise control over spiritual power.
It was a talent he had been born with.
Pakura's Scorch Release was formidable, and her ninjutsu was equally powerful. Had she not encountered Sakumo Hatake, she absolutely would not have lost so quickly.
Yet the unconscious girl merely lay there with her eyes closed, her expression peaceful as she slept.
Like a tender little white rabbit, completely defenseless.
To Tōka, Pakura's mental defenses were like a sheet of thin paper.
Very quickly, he entered the depths of her mind...
Time passed like this, with everyone quietly standing or sitting nearby.
Suddenly!
"Found it! Information about Sunagakure!" Tōka withdrew his fingers, a flash of joy appearing in his eyes.
"Tell us." Sakumo Hatake, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them.
"Part of Sunagakure's food supplies is in the camp. She doesn't know where the rest is, but..." A smile curled across Tōka's lips.
"But what?" Dog-faced man asked impatiently.
"But I know why they appeared here." Tōka's eyes flickered. Sunagakure had actually sent people to seek aid from the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth.
In other words, the Sunagakure Shinobi would not be able to hold on for much longer.
On one hand, they faced pressure from food shortages. On the other, there was pressure from the daimyo.
A year into the war, the Sunagakure Shinobi had only scavenged in the Land of Rivers and the Land of Rain. They had not even crossed into the Land of Fire.
This had caused the voices opposing the war within Sunagakure to grow louder and louder.
If Chiyo, Rasa, and the others had not been suppressing them, they likely would have collapsed from within long ago.
"It seems we need to alter the plan." Sakumo Hatake considered it for a moment before speaking.
Everyone pricked up their ears and waited for what came next.
"The team will split into two groups. Cat and Tibetan Mastiff will take Pakura back. Fox will form a group with me and continue the mission," Sakumo Hatake said.
The corner of Tōka's mouth twitched beneath his fox mask. He was only a genin!
Grinding experience was not supposed to work like this. The enemy forces were too strong. If a group skill so much as grazed him, he would die!
"Captain, shouldn't I go with you while Fox and Cat take Pakura back?" Dog-faced man spoke up at the right moment.
Tōka's Medical Ninjutsu was very good, but he was still only a genin.
The three of them could manage carrying one person, but if only Sakumo Hatake remained, then...
"Tibetan Mastiff is right. I also don't think Fox is suited for an infiltration mission." Cat-faced man agreed with Dog-faced man.
Tōka secretly gave the two guys a thumbs-up. He truly had no desire at all to carry out sabotage and assassination.
"Execute the order!" Sakumo Hatake offered no explanation. The moment he finished speaking, he closed his eyes.
Among the four, aside from Tōka himself, only Sakumo Hatake knew Tōka's abilities.
That one-hit-kill ability was stronger than any ninjutsu.
And even Tsunade admitted that Tōka's Mystical Palm Technique surpassed hers. That was the true reason Sakumo Hatake wanted to bring Tōka along.
Cat-faced man and Dog-faced man exchanged a look before separating to their respective positions.
Even within a sandstorm, no one could afford to let down their guard.
Tōka was assigned to the nine o'clock position. While resting, he also had to watch for movement in that direction.
The other three occupied the twelve, three, and six o'clock positions.
Pakura, tied up like a rice dumpling, was personally guarded by Sakumo Hatake...
The camp fell into silence.
Yellow sand filled the sky, making it impossible to tell whether it was day or night.
Tōka only felt the air around him growing colder and colder. His breath turned to mist, clearly visible before him.
The desert was a strange place. It was scorching hot during the day, yet cold enough to freeze someone to death at night.
Just as Tōka wrapped his clothes tightly around himself and began to drift off, an unfamiliar yet familiar presence suddenly appeared.
"Who?!" Tōka cried out, snapping his eyes open.
Whoooosh...
The storm howled, filling his ears with a constant buzzing roar.
"Heh, you're quite alert." A Pitcher Plant slowly emerged from the sand.
"Black Zetsu?" Tōka raised an eyebrow. There had been no news from Black Zetsu for a year and a half, and he had thought the fellow would never come looking for him.
"It seems you've been doing quite well lately." Black Zetsu's hoarse voice sent chills crawling down one's spine.
"Need something?" Tōka calmly glanced toward Sakumo Hatake.
"Don't worry. They can't detect me." Black Zetsu was highly confident in his ability to hide, and he was indeed very skilled at it.
Tōka watched Black Zetsu in silence, knowing that he would not appear for no reason.
Moreover, at this point in time, Black Zetsu should have been staying by Uchiha Madara's side.
The two watched each other, their eyes gleaming with looks only they themselves understood.
The atmosphere was quiet and strange.
"I want to know what you think." Black Zetsu broke the silence first, speaking inexplicably.
"What do you mean, what do I think?" Tōka tilted his head and frowned. He wore a fox mask, so he was not worried that Black Zetsu would see his expression clearly.
"About Mother..." After several investigations, Black Zetsu still had not uncovered Tōka's identity.
However, the familiar aura surrounding Tōka—the aura belonging to Kaguya Otsutsuki—left Black Zetsu utterly convinced.
Furthermore, aside from Kaguya Otsutsuki, Black Zetsu had never seen anyone else use All-Killing Ash Bones.
During this time, Black Zetsu had secretly observed Tōka without showing himself.
"You should already have a plan..." Tōka said calmly.
"Do you intend to help?" Black Zetsu narrowed his eyes slightly, his words carrying more probing than anything else.
He did not want his thousand years of waiting to come to nothing. He believed in Tōka's identity, but not in Tōka himself.
"If I have to answer, then probably..."
Tōka paused, while Black Zetsu tensed.
"Yes."
"Now that's Mother's good child."
Black Zetsu gave a strange laugh, seemingly speaking of Tōka, yet also seemingly speaking of himself.
Tōka glanced at Black Zetsu, an idea forming in his mind.
The Akatsuki should not have been established yet, but Black Zetsu had Uchiha Madara beside him.
If he could have him save Pakura, then later make use of Kirigakure's connections...
"There's a small matter I need you to handle," Tōka said.
"What is it?" Black Zetsu neither agreed nor directly refused. As long as it did not affect his plan, Tōka was one of his own in Black Zetsu's eyes.
"See that girl Sakumo Hatake is guarding?" Tōka glanced toward White Fang.
"Yes. She is Pakura, the Scorch Release ninja of Sunagakure." When it came to intelligence, Black Zetsu was first-rate. Even the Five Great Nations combined might not be as capable as him.
"Tomorrow, Sakumo Hatake and I will go to the Land of Wind to carry out sabotage. The other two will take Pakura back."
"You're going to the Land of Wind? Are you looking to die?" Black Zetsu gave Tōka a disdainful glance. Perhaps Tōka would become very strong in the future, but right now, he was far too weak.
"You don't need to worry about me. You're responsible for letting her go." Tōka's mouth twitched as he replied unhappily.
"That won't be difficult." Black Zetsu did not know what Tōka was planning, nor did he want to know.
"Did you come to find me for something?" Tōka changed the subject and asked.
"I simply wanted to feel Mother's aura." Black Zetsu sniffed, as though Tōka's "body fragrance" had entered his nose.
Tōka immediately felt a chill run down his spine. Veins throbbed faintly on his forehead. I'm not your mother, you little bastard!
Black Zetsu had come without a sound, and he left just as silently, without a trace.
The next day, the sandstorm that had raged all night had buried more than half of the shattered rock pile.
When Tōka awoke, more than half his body was covered in sand. He struggled for quite a while before crawling out of the yellow sand.
The other three were in much the same state, half their bodies buried beneath the sand.
"The sandstorm's stopped. Let's split up," Sakumo Hatake said, tossing Pakura to the Dog-faced man.
"What are you going to do?" Pakura had already regained consciousness, unaware that the information had been leaked while she was unconscious yesterday.
"Hmph, behave yourself, little lady!" The Dog-faced man slapped Pakura's butt.
Pakura's small face flushed crimson with rage, blood rushing into her eyes. Gritting her teeth, she looked like she wanted to swallow the Dog-faced man whole!
"Let's go." Sakumo Hatake glanced at Tōka, then turned and headed deeper into the desert.
Tōka gave Pakura an indifferent look, as if he were looking forward to their next meeting.
Before you continue