Just as the flames were about to consume the vital supplies, a figure suddenly shot into the sky from the Sunagakure stronghold.
"Magnet Release: Golden Sand Wave!"
Dense golden sand poured out like ocean waves, rolling continuously as it surged toward the blaze.
In an instant, the fire that had lit up half the night sky was extinguished.
Although Sunagakure's provisions had suffered some losses, most of them had been preserved, so it was not a serious problem.
"Hmph, I've been waiting for you!" Rasa stood high above, looking down at Tōka and the others.
Two elderly people stood beside him. They were none other than Sunagakure's advisors, Chiyo and Ebizo!
Seeing all three appear at once, Tōka's little face changed repeatedly.
All three of these guys were here? Didn't that mean...
This stronghold was a trap?!
Tōka was startled by the thought that had suddenly popped into his mind. They had used their real strategic reserves as bait.
They had lured Konoha's elite forces into launching a raid, then planned to surround and annihilate them.
What a huge gamble by Sunagakure!
"Rasa, I'll leave this place to you!" Chiyo's wrinkled face twisted together as she sensed Konoha's White Fang's presence.
This time, she definitely would not let him escape!
She would avenge her son and daughter-in-law!
"I'll come over as soon as I finish off these little rats." Rasa answered indifferently, his gaze remaining fixed on Tōka and the others.
Chiyo used the Body Flicker Technique and left, but Ebizo remained still, seemingly with no intention of departing.
"Magnet Release: Great Burial of Sand Gold!" Rasa swung both hands, and an enormous mass of dense sand gold rose into the air, transforming into a golden tidal wave that crashed down wildly.
On Konoha's side, everyone's expressions changed drastically.
Against Sunagakure's Kazekage, their mission no longer had any chance of success.
"Retreat!" the leader immediately shouted.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!
Everyone desperately dodged at full speed. Even so, two unlucky men were a step too slow and were swallowed directly by the massive sand wave.
A flash of icy killing intent passed through Rasa's eyes as he pressed both hands downward.
The sand gold suddenly sank, and the terrifying pressure crushed their bodies directly into powder.
A miserable scream tore through the night sky, chilling everyone to the bone.
Tōka's scalp went numb as he fled with every ounce of strength he had.
Ten years from now, Tōka was confident he could kill Rasa, even instantly defeat him in one move. But right now, he did not have even the slightest chance of winning.
A person had to know his own limits. Trying to do what one knew could not be done was simply foolish!
Tōka turned and ran without looking back. As for his teammates? They could pray for their own luck!
Unexpectedly...
Ebizo, who had remained motionless all this time, suddenly moved. Locking onto Tōka's presence, he rushed past Rasa and gave chase.
Feeling a powerful presence drawing closer behind him, Tōka's heart tightened, and he glanced back.
Not looking was one thing. Looking nearly scared him to death!
Tōka had never expected Ebizo to give up supporting the eastern side of the stronghold and choose to hunt him down instead!
"Is he confident Chiyo can handle two Kage-level opponents, or does he have some other plan?" Tōka shook his head, throwing away the mess of thoughts.
This was not a place to linger. He had to leave first!
At once, Tōka poured chakra into his legs, then burst forward in a full-speed sprint.
His speed was absolutely no weaker than that of a Chunin skilled in taijutsu.
As one of the older generation's powerhouses, Ebizo was extremely strong. Perhaps he was an elite jonin, perhaps a Kage-level fighter.
His exact strength had never been displayed, but Tōka leaned more toward the latter, so he deliberately headed east.
That was not only Tsunade and Sakumo Hatake's retreat route, but also the only place where he could find help.
Suddenly!
Whoosh! A sharp sound tore through the air as something sped toward him. Tōka instinctively lowered himself and crouched.
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle...
A kunai carrying the smell of scorching heat flew over his head and plunged straight into the tree trunk ahead.
Boom!!
The Explosive Tag detonated, and the powerful blast sent Tōka reeling backward.
At the same time, Ebizo suddenly appeared at the edge of the forest, blocking his escape route.
"Kid, running this fast is really tormenting these old bones of mine!" Ebizo said with a smile that did not reach his eyes.
"Aren't you afraid Chiyo will get slaughtered?" Tōka raised an eyebrow and asked, mercilessly cursing Chiyo with his words.
"Ninjas dying on the battlefield is nothing unusual. I'm far more interested in you!" Ebizo narrowed his eyes at Tōka, making no effort to conceal the killing intent within them.
"A mere genin is worth Sunagakure's advisor taking an interest in?" Tōka said with a grim face and expressionless eyes. "Should I feel honored?"
"Genin? Heh heh..." Ebizo sneered repeatedly, as though he had heard some particularly absurd joke.
A village's foundation was not judged only by the present. Its future mattered even more.
Konoha already had enough geniuses. Sakumo Hatake and the Legendary Sannin alone gave them four Kage-level powerhouses.
The new generation's Kakashi and Shisui Uchiha had long since entered the kill-on-sight lists of the major nations.
And Tōka had been fortunate enough to tour the Land of Wind while riding Sakumo Hatake's coattails, earning himself the "honor" of being added to Ebizo's kill list.
It was called the Genius Suppression Plan, and there was even a bounty of one hundred million ryo on Tōka's head in the black market.
In Ebizo's eyes, Tōka posed a greater threat than Kakashi and Shisui Uchiha!
After several battles, Sunagakure had gained a certain understanding of Tōka's abilities and formed some guesses.
Ebizo was exceptionally intelligent and farsighted. If Tōka's abilities truly matched his deductions...
Then they were... far too terrifying!
Therefore, Ebizo had decided to strangle this genius in the cradle before he could grow up!
Boom!
A loud explosion suddenly came from the eastern side of the stronghold, and the two silently facing each other instinctively turned to look.
They saw that Chiyo had already unleashed the White Secret Technique: Chikamatsu Ten Puppets, her ultimate trump card and a masterpiece created by the Puppet Master ancestor Monzaemon.
"Big Sister is serious now. I need to hurry up too," Ebizo muttered to himself.
"Heh, you say that like you've already got me in the bag." Tōka secretly gathered chakra while deliberately stalling with words.
Ebizo's strength was overshadowed by the brilliance of his intellect. Tōka knew that this guy was incredibly strong, and he was not the kind of powerhouse who lacked brains.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!
"All-Killing Ash Bones: Bone Bullet Barrage!"
Tōka suddenly raised his hand, firing more than a dozen finger bones from his fingertips in a chaotic, unpredictable barrage toward Ebizo.
Ebizo seemed to have anticipated Tōka's sneak attack and used the Body Flicker Technique a step ahead of time to evade it.
When he looked up again, Tōka had already turned around and was racing toward the eastern side of the stronghold.
"You slippery little brat. Wouldn't it be so much easier if you just let me kill you peacefully?" As Ebizo spoke, his aged body erupted with powerful force.
He lowered his body, then sprang forward with borrowed momentum, shooting toward Tōka like a cannonball.
"You stubborn old fossil. Wouldn't it be better if you just let me escape peacefully?" Tōka retorted without backing down.
At the same time, he pointed a finger and fired another dozen or so bone bullets.
Ebizo did not slow down. His body twisted strangely, like a noodle, easily evading Tōka's sneak attack.
"His combat experience really is on a completely different level!" Tōka considered his options as he ran.
Every time he attacked, the other side seemed able to predict it in advance.
This fight can't be fought at all! After thinking it over repeatedly, Tōka felt an increasingly painful headache coming on.
No matter how powerful his attacks were, they were completely useless against dodges that felt like cheating.
Should he use a wide-range attack?
All-Killing Ash Bones: Earth Spear Pierce was currently Tōka's strongest ninjutsu and also his widest-ranging move.
However, as his final trump card, the chakra it consumed meant that at Tōka's current level, he could only use it once!
If he used All-Killing Ash Bones: Earth Spear Pierce and Ebizo still did not die, then Tōka would not be far from death himself.
Once his chakra was depleted, he would not even have the chance to run.
"No. Unless it's absolutely necessary, I definitely can't use that move." Tōka pressed his lips together, having made up his mind.
However, Ebizo gave Tōka no more time to think. He seemed to have grown tired of this chasing game as well.
He stretched out his two withered palms and flipped his hands. Two scrolls rolled from his sleeves and fell into his palms.
Bang! Bang!
Two clouds of white smoke rose from the scrolls, and two humanoid puppets suddenly appeared beside him.
Ebizo's ten fingers moved continuously as chakra threads connected to every part of the puppets.
The puppets instantly rose into the air, floating in midair.
Clack, clack, clack...
Their mechanical joints twisted with Ebizo's movements, producing a series of strange sounds.
"A Puppet Master?" Tōka's eye twitched. The moment he saw the two puppets beside Ebizo, his entire mood soured.
If Tōka's abilities were the bane of all taijutsu ninjas, then Puppet Masters were Tōka's bane!
At his current level, Tōka could not make everything decay along with his bones.
Only living humans, animals, or plants would be instantly killed by the properties of All-Killing Ash Bones.
Puppet Masters did not need to fight with their own bodies and were skilled in poison techniques. They were practically born to counter Tōka.
"Kid, let's see where you run now!" Ebizo swung both hands, and the two humanoid puppets rapidly swept over the ground, surrounding Tōka in the middle.
"Old man, three against one isn't fair!" Tōka abruptly stopped, bringing his charging body to a halt.
"This is Puppet Technique. Both puppets are controlled by my ten fingers. Theoretically, there's only one person here." Ebizo said flatly.
Of course Tōka knew about Puppet Technique. He had only said that to needle Ebizo.
"Are you still thinking of running?" Ebizo looked mockingly at Tōka, as though victory was already assured.
Tōka said nothing. His eyes darted around, seemingly searching for a flaw in the encirclement.
Unfortunately, Ebizo's combat experience surpassed Tōka's by countless miles. He would never make such a low-level mistake.
With a movement of Ebizo's hands, the two puppets attacked swiftly.
Clack, clack, clack...
The two puppets pincer-attacked Tōka from the front and rear, while the blades embedded in their arms glinted with dark green light.
Even from a great distance, he could sense the sour stench of corrosive poison.
"What powerful poison!" Tōka's heart tightened, and seven words flashed through his mind—I absolutely can't let them touch me!
Green light flashed as the two blades stabbed ruthlessly toward Tōka.
Puff!
"It hit? No, he escaped!" Ebizo controlled the puppets and pulled them back to his side.
Tōka's body burst into a cloud of white smoke with a bang.
As the smoke dispersed, the two crossed blades had only pierced a log.
"Substitution Technique?" Ebizo's gaze swept around as he searched for Tōka's figure.
He scanned the surroundings but did not find Tōka anywhere.
"He escaped?" Ebizo frowned slightly, then shook his head in denial. "Impossible. He couldn't have escaped! He must be hiding!"
And just as Ebizo had guessed, Tōka had used the Transformation Technique.
He had transformed into a pile of sand and hidden within the desert. Without the Byakugan, Sharingan, or some other special sensory ability, he would not be discovered for the time being as long as he did not move.
However, the Transformation Technique was not a long-term solution.
The chakra needed to maintain the Transformation Technique was not much, but pretending to be a pile of sand and remaining completely still was not easy.
Before someone as shrewd as Ebizo, even the slightest movement would be noticed.
Sure enough!
After barely more than ten seconds, Tōka was discovered simply because he took a deep breath.
Ebizo's gaze sharpened as his eyes settled on that strange pile of sand.
"Not a bad idea..." Ebizo praised him, then moved a finger. One puppet shot over with a whoosh.
"Damn it, I've been found!" Tōka's expression changed dramatically. No longer daring to maintain the Transformation Technique, he rolled away from the spot.
Their gazes collided in midair, like two currents of electricity crashing together violently.
With the distance opened up, the two stood ten steps apart, confronting each other coldly.
"Kid, if you die by my hand, you have nothing to complain about!" Ebizo shouted, waving both hands as all ten fingers moved.
The two puppets swung their sharp long blades, and dark green poison dripped onto the sand with sizzling sounds.
Even the sand could not withstand that terrifying corrosiveness, and strands of blackish-yellow smoke rose up.
A drop of cold sweat slid down Tōka's temple. He stood there blankly, as if he had been scared stupid.
Puff, puff!!
Two muffled sounds rang out as the sharp long blades pierced Tōka's body from the front and rear.
"Finally dead." After confirming again and again that he had indeed pierced the real body, Ebizo could not help letting out a sigh of relief.
How could an ordinary genin brat be this difficult to kill? Most would not even be able to move under his aura alone.
But in the next instant, Ebizo's expression suddenly changed!
"No, this feeling is wrong!" Ebizo took a swift step forward, arriving directly beside the corpse.
The sensation felt very real. There was blood and flesh, even a warm, soft, damp touch.
However, Ebizo's sixth sense told him that he had fallen under a genjutsu!!
"When did it happen?" Ebizo's face darkened. He had thought that taking action personally would surely let him capture that brat.
He had never expected that, in the end, he would be played!
"Had I been caught in a genjutsu from the very beginning? Or during the battle afterward...?" Ebizo formed hand seals and shouted.
"Release!"
The illusion collapsed, and the slain Tōka vanished like ripples on water.
Ebizo sensed the surrounding presences, yet there was not even the faintest trace of Tōka's aura in the air.
"Damn it! I'd been caught in a genjutsu from the start!"
Even someone as calculating as Ebizo could not help but curse aloud.
Anger flashed through Ebizo's eyes for only an instant. Before long, he calmed down and stared coldly toward the east of the outpost.
"That brat couldn't possibly return to Konoha Main Camp alone, so there's only one place he could go!"
Ebizo moved, vanishing from where he stood...
Before you continue