The Correct Posture for Paddling

After his deepest secret was discovered, Kakuzu's heart grew heavy.

He stared motionlessly at Tōka, remaining silent. The clones he'd sent to distract the Konoha forces wouldn't hold them off for long.

Time was running out. Should he fight to a swift conclusion, or endure the pain and leave immediately?

He had to choose quickly...

Time ticked by like the sound of falling water, echoing in his ears.

After much hesitation, Kakuzu took a deep breath, his mind made up.

As a monster who was infinitely close to immortality, he had plenty of time.

"Brat, I look forward to our next meeting!" With those words, Kakuzu vanished in a shunshin, his lips forming a silent message.

Tōka narrowed his eyes, seeing it clearly.

One hundred million ryo, it's mine!

"As expected of a greedy guts, thinking about bounties even at a time like this." Tōka didn't take Kakuzu's threat to heart at all.

In his eyes, if he could destroy one of Kakuzu's hearts, it meant he could destroy a second, a third...

Tōka followed the special markers left by Konoha and caught up with the main group.

Sakumo Hatake, Tsunade, and the others were hiding in a large mountain.

"Halt!" Tōka stepped over the perimeter, and two Konoha ninja immediately appeared, blocking his path from front and back.

"Konoha Genin, Tōka." Tōka spread his hands, indicating he was one of them.

The two ninja exchanged glances. Sensing that Tōka wasn't an enemy disguised by a transformation jutsu, their hostile gazes softened slightly.

However, as sentries, their professionalism was extremely high.

Especially during a critical infiltration mission, caution was paramount.

"Why are you so late?" one of them asked sternly.

"I ran into the real body of that bounty hunter from before." Tōka raised an eyebrow, giving them a playful look, and told the truth.

"How could that be?"

"So that's how it is."

Their reactions were vastly different, but they let him pass.

One of them quickly leaped into the mountain, presumably to report to Sakumo Hatake and Tsunade. The other retreated back into the shadows, continuing his watch.

Tōka sensed the departing ninja's presence and quickly followed.

Before long, he saw Sakumo Hatake and Tsunade sitting beside a large rock, using it as a table and smaller stones as chairs, deep in quiet conversation.

Tōka's footsteps rustled, immediately drawing their attention.

"Tōka, come here quickly." Sakumo Hatake said directly.

Calling him by name instead of his Anbu codename indicated that Sakumo Hatake was addressing him as the highest-ranking commander of the Konoha camp.

Furthermore, Tōka's current identity was that of a Konoha ninja, not a Konoha Anbu.

"Lord Sakumo, Lady Tsunade." Without strength, one must act meek. Tōka's respectful demeanor was impeccable.

However, Tsunade's expression remained cold, and she glared at him unpleasantly.

Tōka felt a slight awkwardness, scratching his cheek with his index finger, looking endearingly naive and harmless.

In reality, he was grumbling inwardly: Is it because I refused to learn medicine from you? Do you have to hold a grudge for so long? Jiraiya is more generous than you!

"We heard you encountered that bounty hunter? Kakuzu?" Sakumo Hatake got straight to the point. Their group had pursued and eliminated Kakuzu, but found nothing unusual. They had even sealed the body in a scroll.

"Yes, you were chasing a clone." Tōka nodded slightly.

"Hmph, if you're going to lie, at least use your brain. Clones disappear when attacked, let alone when they suffer fatal wounds!" Tsunade glanced at Tōka and said coldly.

"That body had flesh and blood; it didn't seem fake." Sakumo Hatake frowned.

"Kakuzu must have strengthened his jutsu. You might know if you examine it again." Tōka recalled the characteristics of the Earth Grudge Fear monsters and reminded them.

Sakumo Hatake and Tsunade exchanged glances, realizing Tōka wasn't lying.

A liar wouldn't be so calm and certain, their eyes wouldn't even flicker.

"Bring out the body!" Tsunade commanded coldly.

A ninja nearby immediately ran over, forming hand seals rapidly, and retrieved Kakuzu's body.

But they discovered...

"Bastard!" Tsunade fumed, punching the stone in front of her to pieces. Her face flushed with a mixture of anger and shame, having been deceived by the enemy's illusionary tactics without realizing it!

If it weren't for this brat in front of her, she might have been fooled for who knows how long. If she never encountered Kakuzu again, she would have been played for a fool her entire life!

Not only Tsunade, but even Sakumo Hatake's expression darkened.

For a moment, the atmosphere became delicate. All the ninjas present had been deceived by Kakuzu's heart.

It was impossible for Tsunade to thank Tōka. Kakuzu was detestable, but Tōka was even more so!

"It's very good that you could escape from that guy," Sakumo Hatake's mood quickly calmed down, and he praised faintly.

"It was just luck. The opponent was worried that the commotion from the fight would attract the attention of Konoha ninjas," Tōka said with a smile. "Speaking of which, we relied on your prestige to drive them back."

"Hmph, it's good that you know that!" Tsunade seized the opportunity and snorted.

"Let's rest while we still have time. We'll take action at midnight," Sakumo Hatake said with a kind expression. When he wasn't wielding the White Fang short sword, he looked more like an ordinary middle-aged man.

Tōka turned and left, finding a secluded spot at Konoha's temporary hiding place and began to rest with his eyes closed.

Tōka knew Sakumo Hatake's plan.

Set fire to the grain!

For the barren Land of Wind, food was as important as water.

This war had almost depleted Sunagakure's entire war reserve. If they won, it would be fine; they could gain immense benefits from Konohagakure.

The reparations alone would be enough to cover the cost of the war.

If they lost...

Sunagakure would only become more miserable, perhaps even falling to the bottom of the Five Great Nations.

Although Kirigakure in the Land of Water had been in internal strife, it had not participated in the war on a large scale, unlike Sunagakure, which had sent out almost all its forces.

That night, the mountain air became extremely cold.

Visible streams of cold air came from the north, coating the trees in a layer of frost.

The cold dew at night dampened the tips of Tōka's hair. He rested with his eyes closed but did not forget to refine his Chakra.

Chakra was the foundation of everything, and refining Chakra while resting did not interfere with each other.

Suddenly!

Screech!~~

A high-pitched cry – it was Konoha's assembly signal!

Tōka immediately opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing in his black irises.

A dark and windy night, perfect for killing.

The show...

Was finally about to begin!

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!!

Dozens of dark figures streaked through the night at high speed, adding a touch of grimness to the dark and cold night.

To the north of Sunagakure's military fortress was a stronghold, built in the desert of the Land of Rivers.

On the surface, it was Sunagakure's northern eye, but in reality, it was connected to the granaries of Sunagakure and the Sand Ninjas of the Land of Rivers and the Land of Rain through the sandy terrain.

Currently, the Sand Ninjas' main focus was on the Land of Rivers. Although the Land of Rain had also dispatched ninjas, their numbers were not large.

Konoha's deployment to counter the Sand Ninjas was similar.

The main army was stationed at the border of the Land of Rivers, at the junction of forest and desert. In the Land of Rain, only a small number of ninjas were dispatched to monitor the Sand Ninjas' movements.

Tōka was positioned in the middle to rear of the formation. His mission was simple, not even requiring him to fight.

He only needed to set fire to the grain. The task of attracting firepower and the Sand Ninjas' attention naturally fell to Tsunade.

While the summoned slug Katsuyu's combat power was inferior to Manda or Gamabunta, it had the ability to split, making it immune to all physical attacks.

Combined with Tsunade's monstrous strength, it would be perfect for creating a visual spectacle and drawing the Sand Ninjas' attention.

As for Sakumo Hatake, he would hide in the shadows, responsible for striking like lightning to eliminate the Sand Ninja elites.

Each person fulfilled their role, swiftly approaching the stronghold in the desert.

"Stop!" Tsunade, in front, raised her arm, signaling everyone to conceal themselves.

Twenty paces away on the desert, the Sand Ninja stronghold was a structure in a desolate valley.

There were only four visible sentries, one to the southeast, northeast, southwest, and northwest, but the number of hidden sentries was unknown.

"Sakumo, it's up to you," Tsunade whispered to Sakumo Hatake beside her.

"Alright." Sakumo Hatake nodded slightly. As he gripped the hilt of the White Fang short sword, his entire aura changed drastically.

Like a sword about to be unsheathed, a chilling aura erupted.

"Follow me!" Sakumo Hatake grunted and shot into the darkness.

Several dark figures followed closely behind...

In the Sand Ninja stronghold, patrolling guards walked back and forth. Even in the desert, the Sand Ninjas dared not be careless.

This is the main base for coordinating supplies on the front lines!

The desert night was exceptionally cold. Patrolling guards, wrapped in thick clothing, moved back and forth in an orderly fashion.

A mass of dark clouds drifted in from afar, obscuring the already dim crescent moon.

The night was as dark as ink, making it impossible to see one's hand in front of one's face...

Thwip!!

A kunai sliced through the night sky, silently embedding itself in the neck of a sentry standing guard high above.

A spray of blood shot out, warm and wet.

Sakumo Hatake used Body Flicker, appearing beneath the sentry and catching him to prevent his body from hitting the ground with a dull thud.

"Dispose of the body quietly and don't alert the enemy," Sakumo Hatake narrowed his eyes and ordered in a low voice.

One Konoha ninja took out a sealing scroll and stored the Sand Ninja's body, while another used the Transformation Technique to disguise himself as the Sand Ninja.

In less than three breaths, the visible sentry on the south side of the Sand Ninja base had been replaced.

"You two, take care of the hidden sentries nearby." Sakumo Hatake pointed to two Konoha ninja. One of them, remarkably, had a pair of white eyes.

The Byakugan of the Hyuga clan, a prominent Konoha clan, possessed extremely strong reconnaissance and support capabilities.

It offered an almost all-encompassing field of vision, capable of observing the flow of Chakra in the surrounding environment.

Furthermore, it possessed a far-seeing eye that could observe distant objects and a penetrating eye that could see through things, as well as the ability to see the opponent's meridian nerves and acupoints.

By using Chakra to amplify the eyes' abilities, they could see objects up to a kilometer away.

The hidden sentries of the Sand Ninja base had nowhere to hide from the Byakugan!

"Yes!"

The two quickly departed, disappearing into the dark night.

Sakumo Hatake paused for a moment before leading the remaining people towards the eastern part of the base, where the main battlefield was.

Meanwhile, through a Secret Technique of the Yamanaka Clan, Tsunade learned that Sakumo Hatake had completed the first half of the mission.

The southern sentry had been dealt with, and now...

The great battle began!

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!!

Tsunade led over a dozen Konoha ninja, charging rapidly towards the Sand Ninja base and forcing their way in from the east.

In the desert, shadows flickered, arriving silently like phantoms.

On the high platform of the base, a silver light flashed, and a sentry fell.

Tsunade looked up and saw that Sakumo Hatake's team had already appeared at the agreed-upon location, having also dealt with the visible sentry on the east side of the base.

"Let's go!" Tsunade's body sank, and she leaped forward, jumping directly onto the high ground.

She let out a sharp cry, biting her thumb with her teeth.

Kai, Shin, I, Wu, Mi.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

Bang!

A large cloud of white smoke revealed a massive creature with a white belly and blue back – a slug!

In the darkness, Tsunade's body trembled slightly. She gritted her teeth and gathered Chakra in her palm.

The Mystical Palm Technique could heal wounds in a very short time.

Even though she couldn't see the blood in the darkness, Tsunade's hemophobia still made her heart pound.

However, it was just a summoning jutsu, and the wound on her finger healed quickly.

Only then did Tsunade breathe a sigh of relief. She didn't need to fight; her role was to cause destruction, attract the attention of the Sand Ninja, and provide cover for the wounded.

Meanwhile, Tōka, along with three other Fire Release ninja, formed a four-person squad and quietly approached the base, entering from the south.

"It's the medical ninja in the squad again?" Tōka pouted, looking very unwilling!

Aside from Tōka, the other three in the arson squad were all ninja proficient in Fire Release.

The reason Tōka was assigned to the arson team was not only because Sakumo Hatake and Tsunade intended to take care of him but also because they valued his medical talent.

There were only three Fire Release ninja in this operation.

The rest were all masters of assassination and infiltration, so Tōka's squad absolutely could not afford to make any mistakes.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!!

The four leaped onto the base's high platform. Konoha ninja who had been waiting there immediately guided the four inside.

The visible and hidden sentries on the south side had already been dealt with secretly, and the five of them infiltrated the base's interior without any hindrance.

The large number of Sand Ninja in the base were all drawn to the east by the slug's massive body, while Tsunade's immense strength was like a bulldozer, destroying the eastern valley.

Tōka and his group narrowly avoided the Sand Ninja and arrived at the place where the food supplies were stored in the base.

The strategic supplies for the front lines, nearly half of Sunagakure's provisions, were stored here.

Besides two elite squads left to guard the granary, there wasn't a single other Sand Ninja nearby!

"So much food and weapons, enough for the army for over a year!"

"Stop blabbering and set it on fire!"

"Fire Release..."

Puff puff puff!!

Three Fire Release ninja desperately condensed the Chakra within their bodies, took a deep breath, and then suddenly exhaled.

Several Fire Release Ninjutsu burst forth in succession. Fireballs, fire dragons, and curtains of flame that blotted out the sun and moon converged into a raging sea of fire, rolling towards the Sand Ninja's granary.

The flames in the dark night illuminated half the sky, casting a crimson glow across the pitch-black expanse.

Instantly, the Sand Ninja realized that Tsunade to the east of the outpost was merely a decoy; the real trump card was coming from the vast south! (To be continued)