The Proper Way to Slack Off

After someone discovered the deepest secret hidden within his body, Kakuzu was in a grim mood.

He stared motionlessly at Tōka in silence. The clone that had drawn away the Konoha group was destined not to hold them off for long.

There was little time. Should he end this quickly, or swallow his pride and leave at once?

He had to choose quickly...

Time dripped in his ears like water falling into a pool, tick-tock, tick-tock.

After hesitating again and again, Kakuzu finally took a deep breath and made up his mind.

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

"Brat, I look forward to seeing you next time!" With that, Kakuzu vanished in a Body Flicker, silently mouthing a sentence.

Tōka narrowed his eyes and saw it clearly.

One hundred million ryo—I'm taking it!

"Just as expected of a money-grubber. Even now, he was still thinking about the bounty." Tōka did not take Kakuzu's threat to heart at all.

In his view, if he could destroy one of Kakuzu's hearts, then he could destroy the second, the third...

Following the special hidden markings left by Konoha, Tōka caught up with the main force.

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

"Stop!" The moment Tōka stepped over the warning line, two Konoha shinobi dropped down and blocked his path from the front and rear.

"Konoha genin, Tōka." Tōka spread his hands to show that he was one of them.

The two shinobi exchanged a glance. After confirming that Tōka was not an enemy transformed with the Transformation Technique, the hostility in their eyes eased slightly.

However, as sentries, the two possessed exceptional discipline.

Especially during such a critical infiltration operation, they could not afford to be careless.

"Why did you arrive so late?" one of them asked in a deep voice.

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

"How could that be?"

"I see."

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

One of them quickly leaped deeper into the mountain, presumably to report to Sakumo Hatake and Tsunade, while the other retreated into the shadows and continued standing guard.

Sensing the departing shinobi's chakra, Tōka hurried after him.

Before long, he saw Sakumo Hatake and Tsunade sitting beside a large boulder. They used the boulder as a table and smaller rocks as chairs, speaking quietly about something.

Tōka's footsteps rustled against the ground, immediately drawing both of their attention.

"Tōka, come here." Sakumo Hatake spoke directly.

Calling him by name rather than by his Anbu codename meant Sakumo Hatake was addressing him as the highest commander of Konoha Main Camp.

Moreover, Tōka's current identity was that of a Konoha shinobi, not a Konoha Anbu.

"Lord Sakumo, Lady Tsunade." Without strength, one had to play the pig. Tōka's respectful attitude was utterly faultless.

Yet Tsunade still wore a cold expression, glaring at him with unfriendly eyes.

Tōka was slightly embarrassed. He scratched his cheek with his index finger, looking simple, cute, and completely harmless.

In truth, he was grumbling inwardly: All I did was refuse to study medicine with you. Was it really worth holding a grudge for this long? Even Jiraiya was more generous than you!

"I heard you encountered that bounty hunter, Kakuzu?" Sakumo Hatake went straight to the point. Their group had pursued Kakuzu and killed him.

Yet they had found nothing unusual. They had even placed the corpse inside a Sealing Scroll.

"Yes, the one you chased was only a clone." Tōka nodded slightly.

"Hmph, if you were going to lie, you should at least use your brain. A clone disappears when attacked, let alone after suffering fatal wounds!" Tsunade shot Tōka a cold glance.

"That corpse had blood and flesh. It did not look fake." Sakumo Hatake frowned.

"Kakuzu probably reinforced the technique. Take another look and you may understand." Recalling the traits of the Earth Grudge Fear monster, Tōka reminded them.

Sakumo Hatake and Tsunade exchanged a look. Both realized that Tōka had not been lying.

A liar would not be so calm and certain, without the slightest ripple even in his eyes.

"Take out the corpse!" Tsunade shouted coldly.

A shinobi immediately ran over from nearby. His hands flashed through seals, and he swiftly retrieved Kakuzu's corpse.

Only to discover...

"Bastard!" Tsunade flew into a rage and smashed the solid rock before her with a punch, her face shifting between green and red.

Green from anger, red from shame. She had actually been fooled by the enemy's sleight of hand without realizing it!

If not for this brat before her, she might not have known how long she would have been kept in the dark. If she never encountered Kakuzu again, she would have been played for a fool for the rest of her life!

It was not just Tsunade. Even Sakumo Hatake's expression darkened.

For a moment, the atmosphere became delicate. Every shinobi present had been fooled by one of Kakuzu's hearts.

There was no chance Tsunade would thank Tōka. Kakuzu was detestable, but Tōka was even more detestable!

"You did well to escape from that guy." Sakumo Hatake quickly calmed down and gave him a mild compliment.

"I was merely lucky. He was worried that too much commotion from the fight would draw Konoha shinobi's attention." Tōka smiled. "In the end, it was your prestige that forced him to retreat."

"Hmph, good that you know!" Tsunade followed his lead and huffed.

"Rest while there is still time. We move at midnight." Sakumo Hatake spoke with a gentle expression. When he was not drawing the White Fang blade, he looked more like an ordinary middle-aged man.

Tōka turned and left, finding a quiet place in Konoha's temporary hideout to close his eyes and rest.

Tōka knew Sakumo Hatake's plan.

Burn the grain supplies!

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

This war had nearly exhausted all of Sunagakure's military reserves. If they won, it would be manageable—they could obtain enormous benefits from Konoha.

War reparations alone would be enough to offset the war's costs.

But if they lost...

Sunagakure would only suffer even more miserably. It might even fall directly to the bottom among the five great nations.

Although Kirigakure of the Land of Water had remained embroiled in civil unrest, it had not entered the war on a large scale. It was unlike Sunagakure, which had practically sent out its entire force.

That night, the air in the mountains became bitterly cold.

Visible streams of freezing air drifted in from the north, coating the forest with a layer of white frost.

The cold dew of night dampened Tōka's hair. Although he rested with his eyes closed, he did not forget to refine chakra.

Chakra was the foundation of everything, and resting while refining chakra did not interfere with either task.

Suddenly!

Screech!~~

A sharp cry rang out—it was Konoha's assembly signal!

Tōka immediately opened his eyes, and a sharp gleam flashed through his dark pupils.

A moonless, windy night was made for killing.

The show...

Was finally about to begin!

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!

Dozens of black shadows darted through the night at high speed, adding several degrees of killing intent to the pitch-black, icy darkness.

North of Sunagakure's military fortress stood an outpost built in the desert of the Land of Rivers.

On the surface, it was Sunagakure's northern eye. In reality, it was a supply depot connected through the sands to Sunagakure shinobi in the Land of Rivers and the Land of Rain.

At present, Sunagakure was focusing most of its efforts on the Land of Rivers. Although shinobi had also been deployed to the Land of Rain, their numbers were not large.

Konoha's deployment against Sunagakure was similar.

The main army was stationed along the Land of Rivers border, at the boundary between forest and desert, while only a small number of shinobi were sent to the Land of Rain to monitor Sunagakure's movements.

Tōka was positioned toward the rear of the formation. His mission was simple; he did not even need to fight the enemy.

He only needed to burn the grain supplies. The task of drawing fire and Sunagakure's attention naturally fell to Tsunade.

Katsuyu was not as powerful in combat as Manda or Gamabunta, but she possessed the ability to split apart, making her practically immune to all physical attacks.

Combined with the visual spectacle created by Tsunade's monstrous strength, she was perfect for drawing Sunagakure's attention.

As for Sakumo Hatake, he hid in the darkness, responsible for striking like thunder to eliminate Sunagakure's elite.

Each person performed their respective duty as they rapidly approached the desert outpost.

"Stop!" Tsunade, at the front, raised an arm and signaled everyone to conceal themselves.

Twenty paces ahead, Sunagakure's outpost had been built within a desolate Valley.

There was only one visible sentry in each of the southeast, northwest, and northeast directions, but there was no telling how many Hidden Sentries there were.

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

"Alright." Sakumo Hatake nodded slightly. The instant his hand gripped the hilt of the White Fang blade, his entire aura abruptly changed.

Like a treasured sword about to leave its sheath, a spring of frigid killing intent burst forth.

"Follow me!" Sakumo Hatake shouted softly before darting into the darkness.

Several black shadows followed close behind...

At the Sunagakure outpost, Night Patrol Guards walked back and forth. Even in the desert, Sunagakure shinobi did not dare let down their guard.

After all, this was the main supply dispatch outpost on the front lines!

The desert night was especially cold. Wrapped in thick clothing, the patrol guards moved back and forth in orderly fashion.

A dark cloud drifted over from afar, covering the already dim crescent moon.

The night was black as ink, so dark one could not see a hand before one's face...

Thud!!

A kunai cut through the night sky and silently sank into the neck of the sentry standing high above.

A spray of blood burst forth, warm, soft, and wet.

Sakumo Hatake flashed beneath the sentry and reached out to catch him, preventing the corpse from hitting the ground with a dull sound.

"Dispose of the body. Do not alert the enemy." Sakumo Hatake narrowed his eyes and gave the order quietly.

One Konoha shinobi took out a Sealing Scroll and stored the Sunagakure shinobi's corpse, while another used the Transformation Technique to assume the Sunagakure shinobi's appearance.

In less than three breaths, the visible sentry on the southern side of the Sunagakure outpost had been replaced.

"You, you, the two of you deal with the nearby Hidden Sentries." Sakumo Hatake pointed at two Konoha shinobi. One of them had a pair of white pupils.

The Byakugan of the Hyuga Clan, one of Konoha's great clans, possessed extremely powerful scouting and support capabilities.

It granted an almost all-around field of vision, allowing its user to see the flow of chakra in the surrounding environment.

It also possessed telescopic vision capable of seeing faraway objects, penetrating vision capable of seeing through objects, and the ability to see an opponent's meridians, nerves, and chakra points.

By channeling chakra to multiply the eyes' abilities, they could see things more than a kilometer away.

Before the Byakugan, the Hidden Sentries of the Sunagakure outpost had nowhere to hide!

"Yes!"

The two quickly departed and vanished into the darkness.

Sakumo Hatake paused briefly before leading the remaining people toward the eastern side of the outpost, where the main battlefield lay.

At the same time, through the secret technique of the Yamanaka Clan, Tsunade learned that Sakumo Hatake had completed the first half of his task.

The southern sentries had been dealt with. Now...

The battle began!

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!

Leading more than a dozen Konoha shinobi, Tsunade charged toward the Sunagakure outpost and forced her way in from directly east!

Black shadows flickered through the desert, arriving silently like ghosts.

A silver flash streaked across the outpost's watchtower, and the sentry fell in response.

Tsunade looked up and saw that Sakumo Hatake's team had already reached the agreed location and dealt with the visible sentry on the eastern side of the outpost.

"Let's go!" Tsunade lowered her body and suddenly leaped into the air, jumping directly onto high ground.

She let out a sharp cry and bit her thumb with her pearly teeth.

Boar, Dog, Rooster, Monkey, Ram.

"Summoning Technique!"

Bang!

A massive creature with a white belly and blue back emerged from a huge cloud of white smoke—a slug!

In the darkness, Tsunade's body trembled slightly. She cursed under her breath, gritted her teeth, and gathered chakra in her palm.

The Mystical Palm Technique could heal wounds in an extremely short time.

Even though she could not see blood in the darkness, Tsunade's hemophobia still made her heart tremble.

However, it had only been the Summoning Technique. The wound on her finger was shallow, and it healed before long.

Only then did Tsunade breathe a sigh of relief. She did not need to fight; she only needed to cause destruction, draw Sunagakure's attention, and cover the wounded.

Meanwhile, Tōka followed three other Fire Release shinobi to form a four-man squad, silently approaching the outpost from the south.

"Why am I the team's medical ninja again?" Tōka curled his lips, looking thoroughly unwilling!

Other than Tōka, the other three members of the arson squad were all shinobi proficient in Fire Release.

Tōka had been assigned to the arson mission not only because Sakumo Hatake and Tsunade intended to look after him, but also because they valued his medical talent even more.

There were only three Fire Release shinobi in this operation.

Everyone else was an expert in assassination and infiltration, so the squad Tōka belonged to absolutely could not suffer any mishap.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!

The four leaped onto the outpost watchtower. A Konoha shinobi who had been waiting there immediately led them inside.

The Visible Sentries and Hidden Sentries on the southern side had already been silently dealt with. The group of five infiltrated the outpost interior without obstruction.

The large number of shinobi within the Sunagakure outpost had all been drawn east by the slug's enormous body, while Tsunade's monstrous strength was demolishing the eastern Valley like a bulldozer.

Tōka and his group narrowly avoided the Sunagakure shinobi and arrived at the place where the outpost's grain supplies were stored.

Nearly half of Sunagakure's strategic war supplies and provisions for supporting the front lines were stored here.

As for the nearby Sunagakure Shinobi, aside from the two elite squads left to guard the granaries, there was no one else!

"So many supplies and weapons—enough to sustain an army for over a year!"

"Quit talking and set it on fire!"

"Fire Style..."

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!!

The three Fire Style ninja desperately gathered the chakra within their bodies, took deep breaths, and then suddenly exhaled.

Several Fire Style jutsu erupted in succession. Fireballs, fire dragons, and curtains of flame blotted out the sky and moon, converging into a towering sea of fire that swept toward the Sunagakure granaries.

The flames in the night lit up half the sky, dyeing the pitch-black heavens crimson.

At once, the Sunagakure Shinobi realized that Tsunade at the eastern side of the stronghold had merely been bait. The true trump card had come from the vast south!