Wasn't This Supposed to Be Easy Experience?

In the Land of Wind, Tōka had only one impression: sand!

There was nothing but sand. Everywhere he looked was an endless expanse of yellow, with no other color in sight.

No, there were other colors besides yellow.

Dark yellow? Shit yellow?

"Captain, where are we going?" Tōka was parched. Water was extremely important in the desert.

He took off the canteen hanging at his waist and shook it beside his ear. There was not much water left inside.

Sakumo Hatake's back was always ramrod straight, just like his personality—unbending even if broken.

Hearing Tōka's listless voice, Sakumo Hatake turned and glanced at him.

"We're naturally heading to the outpost along our route," he said blandly.

Sakumo Hatake took out a map. It contained the latest intelligence compiled from information previously gathered by Konoha shinobi and the memories searched from Pakura's mind.

"Didn't a Sunagakure shinobi escape? Why are we still risking it and carrying out the original plan?" Tōka asked, confused.

"Since even you think we shouldn't continue infiltrating, the Sunagakure shinobi will definitely think the same," Sakumo Hatake said as if it were obvious.

Knowing there was a tiger on the mountain, yet deliberately walking toward it?

A row of black lines appeared across Tōka's forehead. Wasn't this just courting death? Wasn't this supposed to be easy experience?

"Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to my comrades." Sakumo Hatake patted Tōka's shoulder, his eyes full of sincerity.

"Oh." Tōka nodded without a shred of sentimentality, indicating that he understood.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!!

A cluster of shadows flickered rapidly in the distance, sweeping through the air toward them.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Eight shadows appeared one after another. Two elite squads suddenly emerged and landed on the sand.

In an instant, they surrounded Tōka and Sakumo Hatake.

Good omens never came true, but bad ones always did.

"See? We got ambushed, didn't we?" Tōka spread his hands helplessly, though his tone was strangely relaxed.

"Karura's ability to control sand is more impressive than I imagined," Sakumo Hatake muttered, not taking the eight Sunagakure shinobi seriously at all.

There had been such a massive sandstorm yesterday, and Karura had been injured. Yet she had still used the cover of night to return to the Sunagakure military fortress.

The two elite squads consisted of two Jonin and six Chunin.

While Tōka assessed the enemy, they were assessing him and Sakumo Hatake as well.

The silver-haired man holding the White Fang short blade was practically Sakumo Hatake's signature. It was even more famous than his name.

"The intelligence was correct. It's Konoha's White Fang."

"Sakumo Hatake is the supreme commander of Konoha Main Camp. Kill him, and we win this war!"

After Karura returned to the Sunagakure military fortress, she immediately sent the intelligence back.

Rasa and Chiyo had then dispatched several teams to conduct a carpet search.

If Sakumo Hatake, the supreme commander of Konoha Main Camp, died in the Land of Wind, it would definitely deal Konoha a crushing blow!

"Be careful. He's Konoha's White Fang!"

"Don't let your guard down. We carry the heavy responsibility of Sunagakure!"

Only the Sunagakure shinobi who had participated in the Second Shinobi World War knew how terrifying Sakumo Hatake was.

That White Fang short blade had built its prestige upon the blood and lives of countless Sunagakure shinobi!

Countless streams of blood and countless ghosts—the killing intent of the White Fang short blade seemed to spill into reality.

It was as though miserable screams echoed in their ears, while blood-red specters appeared before their eyes!

"Don't let White Fang's killing intent affect your minds!"

"Move! Stop him!"

Feeling their side's momentum being suppressed by White Fang alone, the two Jonin immediately attacked.

As the main attackers, they shot toward Sakumo Hatake with two whooshes.

The six Chunin were responsible for support. Upon receiving the order, they immediately scattered, retreated ten paces, and began forming hand seals to provide long-range assistance.

The short kid standing beside White Fang, Tōka, was spectacularly ignored by all eight of them.

"Being underestimated really pisses me off!" Tōka curled his lips. Although his chakra had yet to reach Chunin level.

Even the Third Hokage would not dare underestimate Tōka's offensive power!

Sakumo Hatake also knew how terrifying Tōka's attacks were.

Even the White Fang short blade needed to strike a vital point for a one-hit kill.

But Tōka did not need that. As long as he landed a hit, it was an instant kill!

All-Killing Ash Bones: Earth Spear Stab!

Tōka stomped on the sand, and the ground beneath a Puppet Master Chunin in the distance began to tremble.

Pfft!!

A dead gray bone as thick as an arm burst from the ground.

The Puppet Master's close-combat ability was weak. Tōka had attacked suddenly, and he did not need to form hand seals at all.

The ash bone pierced straight through the Puppet Master's foot and emerged through the top of it.

As a simplified version of All-Killing Ash Bones: Earth Spear Pierce, All-Killing Ash Bones: Earth Spear Stab could be cast instantly, was fast, consumed little chakra, and emerged from underground without warning.

The Puppet Master whose foot had been pierced was nailed to the ground.

Then, a bizarre and horrifying scene unfolded.

The injured Puppet Master Chunin's foot did not bleed. Instead, it crumbled apart like scraps of torn paper.

Starting from his foot, it spread upward to his calf, then his thigh, and continued climbing...

Until his entire body disintegrated into a pile of worthless paper scraps.

Bang! Bang!

Sakumo Hatake drove back the two Jonin attacking him with two consecutive moves.

He happened to turn his head and witness the scene.

Though he had learned of Tōka's ability from the intelligence reports, Sakumo Hatake was still shocked when he saw it with his own eyes.

In an instant, eight against two became seven against two.

"What exactly happened?"

"How did he disappear just like that?"

The Sunagakure shinobi cried out in alarm, either unable to react in time or unwilling to believe what they had seen.

"It was that brat!"

"It may be some kind of Kekkei Genkai. Everyone, be careful."

The Sunagakure Jonin quickly calmed down and shouted.

The terrifying atmosphere eased at once, and the Sunagakure shinobi recovered some of their momentum.

"Looks like bringing you along was the right choice after all." Sakumo Hatake stood beside Tōka with a smile.

Although he wore a mask, no one could see Sakumo Hatake's face.

Behind his fox mask, Tōka rolled his eyes. He truly had not wanted to make this trip through the Land of Wind.

While the two spoke quietly, one Sunagakure Jonin raised his arm, and the remaining six swiftly moved away.

In the blink of an eye, only Sakumo Hatake, Tōka, and the Sunagakure Jonin remained within a hundred-meter radius.

The Sunagakure Jonin did not retreat, clearly because he was a taijutsu Jonin.

"Planning to stall for time until reinforcements arrive?" Tōka raised an eyebrow, instantly seeing through the Sunagakure shinobi's plan.

Faintly, Tōka sensed several auras locking onto him.

Earlier, these guys had completely ignored him.

That was impulsive. Tōka cursed inwardly. But although that Puppet Master had only been a Chunin, he had posed the greatest threat to him.

Puppet Masters specialized in poison and hidden weapons. Tōka's Medical Ninjutsu could not detoxify poison, because he had yet to master the shape transformation of the Mystical Palm Technique.

Even if he had mastered the shape transformation of the Mystical Palm Technique, he would only be able to remove most poisons.

To fully detoxify someone, he would still need medical knowledge. Medicine was what involved learning about herbs, antidotes, and poisons.

Among the remaining seven, their movements and coordination during the first wave of attacks made it easy to roughly guess Sunagakure's lineup.

One taijutsu Jonin and one Wind Release Jonin.

The five Chunin had not had a chance to attack yet, so Tōka did not know what they were capable of. Still, there probably were no more Puppet Masters.

The two sides widened the distance between them and faced each other coldly.

A strong gust swept through, rolling up yellow desert sand and carrying it away in spirals.

The wind lifted the corners of everyone's clothes, and a grim killing aura blanketed the entire area.

"You take care of that one. I'll deal with the other six?" Sakumo Hatake said softly, his voice very quiet.

Yet everyone present heard him clearly.

The taijutsu Jonin's expression darkened. He felt deeply insulted by Sakumo Hatake.

He admitted that he was no match for Konoha's White Fang, but he was not someone a mere brat could handle!

Though this brat was somewhat strange...

"That's a Jonin!" Tōka tilted his head up, his eyes narrowing behind the fox mask.

"His taijutsu is strong. His ninjutsu is probably average, and his genjutsu should be weaker than yours." Worthy of being a Kage-level expert, Sakumo Hatake had seen through the enemy's strengths and weaknesses after only one exchange.

Tōka fell silent. Sakumo Hatake's arrangement was indeed reasonable.

All-Killing Ash Bones practically hard-countered taijutsu shinobi. Even if Tōka could not win, he could make ash bones cover his entire body and turn himself into a spiky hedgehog.

Besides, that taijutsu Jonin's genjutsu was weaker than his!

"Will three minutes be enough?" Seeing Tōka silently agree, Sakumo Hatake asked again.

"Three minutes? Do you think I'm you?" Tōka roared. "That's a Jonin, a Jonin, a Jonin! Not some cabbage or tofu!"

"I know. That's why I'm giving you three minutes!" Sakumo Hatake replied as if it were obvious.

It felt as though ten thousand beasts were galloping through Tōka's heart, kicking up billowing smoke...

But Sakumo Hatake gave Tōka no chance to say more. He used the Body Flicker Technique and appeared a hundred paces away.

"So fast!" The Sunagakure shinobi's hearts skipped a beat as they sensed an intense threat.

"Watch yourselves!" the taijutsu Jonin shouted, then fixed his gaze on Tōka.

He trusted his teammates. Even if they were no match for Sakumo Hatake, they could hold him off for a while.

Three minutes? The taijutsu Jonin decided that one minute would be enough to kill this brat!

He held up one finger, making his meaning obvious!

Pfft! The taijutsu Jonin stomped hard enough to blast a pit into the sand, transforming into an afterimage as he charged at Tōka.

"You're fast!" Tōka raised an eyebrow. Though he could not match the other man in taijutsu, at least it would not become his weakness!

Whoosh!!

His fingertip twitched, and a finger bone shot out as Tōka raised his hand.

At the same time, Tōka leaped backward, opening a distance of three paces.

"Hmph, don't underestimate me!" the taijutsu Jonin bellowed, spittle flying.

His body sank, and the finger bone whistled past above his head as chakra surged and gathered in his legs.

Bang!

He stomped on the soft sand, unleashing terrifying force.

Using the rebound, the taijutsu Jonin's speed suddenly doubled.

The three paces Tōka had opened were closed by the taijutsu Jonin in a single breath.

"He didn't even slow down while dodging, and he can actually speed up?" The little face beneath the fox mask changed slightly as Tōka cursed, What a freak!

Tōka immediately responded as chakra surged and gathered in his arms.

Crack! Crack! Crack!!

The sound of twisting bones rang out.

Tōka crossed his arms in front of himself and bent slightly, assuming a basic defensive stance.

There was no longer enough time to dodge. He could only hope to minimize the damage.

The taijutsu Jonin suddenly appeared directly before Tōka.

Bang!

A plain, heavy punch crashed down onto Tōka's arms.

A tremendous force struck him, and his body sank abruptly, as though a mountain were pressing down upon him.

The terrifying power surged endlessly like towering waves, crushing him without pause.

With a thud, Tōka could no longer bear the pressure and dropped to one knee in the sand.

His speed and strength are both incredible! A thought flashed through Tōka's mind as the rapidly growing bones in his hands tore through flesh and pierced outward.

The taijutsu Jonin had been prepared. The force in his arm erupted once again.

With a bang, he blasted Tōka away.

Those scalp-numbing ash bones that tore through flesh and protruded outward were dodged by the taijutsu Jonin.

Tōka felt an immense force pushing his body backward, utterly beyond his control.

Bang!

Tōka's body traced an arc through the air before slamming viciously into a sand dune.

The advantage of the desert was that the ground was soft, allowing Tōka to avoid the damage of a second impact when he landed.

"Bones?" At that moment, the taijutsu Jonin looked astonished, as though he had discovered Tōka's secret.

"Are you from Kirigakure's Kaguya Clan?"

"Heh... take a guess?!"

Ten paces away, Tōka rubbed his numb arms and climbed out of the sand.

Even after strengthening the bones in his arms, they had nearly been shattered by that one punch.

Although broken arms or legs were not a major problem for Tōka, the thought of having his limbs broken by someone was far too humiliating!

"Hmph, arrogant brat!" The taijutsu Jonin could not be bothered to trade words with Tōka. He wanted to end the battle as quickly as possible.

He had thought he could finish it in a single move, but to his surprise, the other man had blocked it.

Suddenly!!

The taijutsu jonin's expression abruptly turned ugly, because Tōka's figure vanished as strangely as a reflection in water.

"Genjutsu?!"

"This brat knows genjutsu too?"

"When did he cast it?"

What the taijutsu jonin hated most were genjutsu users. Mastering genjutsu required not only Yin Release chakra, but also intelligence beyond that of ordinary people.

Clearly, the taijutsu jonin possessed neither.

Clap!!

The taijutsu jonin brought his hands together, formed a seal, and shouted, "Release!"

When he looked up again, he still could not find Tōka.

"Did the genjutsu not break? Or did he hide?" The taijutsu jonin felt a headache coming on. As expected of the brat Konoha's White Fang kept by his side.

Very troublesome!

Whoosh!

A fierce gust whistled past, and the taijutsu jonin felt a warning flare in his heart.

"He's here! Behind me?!"

Bending at the waist, the taijutsu jonin's body folded like a boneless quilt, his upper and lower halves bending in opposite directions.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle...

A kunai carrying an Explosive Tag skimmed past the taijutsu jonin's clothes.

Boom!!

The massive explosion completely engulfed the taijutsu jonin.

The power of a single Explosive Tag was not enough to kill a jonin, especially one who specialized in taijutsu.

However, Tōka knew that the other man had been injured.

Drip...

Drip, drip...

The taijutsu jonin rose to his feet, clutching his bleeding arm. Because of Tōka's attack, the genjutsu had also been dispelled.

"Damn brat!" The taijutsu jonin stared coldly at Tōka, wishing he could swallow him alive.

"One minute is up!~" Tōka held up a finger and wagged it, saying in an infuriatingly smug tone. (To be continued)