Late at night, at the watchtower of the Iwagakure outpost.
Two Iwa shinobi stood on the raised platform, gazing into the distance as they kept watch.
"I heard one of our patrols went out and never came back?"
Suddenly, one of the Iwa shinobi asked curiously.
"Not sure. People are always coming and going at this outpost. Who knows?"
The other Iwa shinobi shook his head, then added a warning.
"But we should be careful, too. Konoha is in Kirigakure. Who's there?"
Before he could finish speaking, the Iwa shinobi suddenly seemed to sense something.
But they had no time to cry out. A shadow suddenly darted right up to them.
The long blade gleamed coldly in the moonlight. They caught sight of a pair of crimson eyes, and then they were already lying on the ground.
After checking their heartbeats and confirming they were dead, the shadow slowly stood up.
Moonlight fell on the shadow, revealing his face.
The shadow was none other than Haori!
He cautiously checked the surrounding area again, then nodded to the crow beside him.
The crow immediately took flight and disappeared from the watchtower into the night.
"What a pain."
Watching the crow fly away, Haori muttered a curse under his breath.
Iwagakure had clearly learned from Kirigakure's mistakes. On their way here, they had run into several patrols, as well as all sorts of inconspicuous traps.
If not for the crow's warnings and the help of his Sharingan, it really wouldn't have been easy to get here without being noticed.
"Besides, there seem to be more people at this outpost than I expected."
From the raised platform, Haori had a clear view. He could make out figures flickering in and out of sight inside the camp.
By his rough estimate, counting the patrols outside that they hadn't taken out, there were at least fifty or sixty people here!
"Looks like they've got a lot of supplies stored here."
That gave Haori a bit of a headache. There were so many of them, and only three of his team.
Calling a surprise attack on this place anything less than wishful thinking would be generous.
If they managed to escape, that would be fine. But if they failed, even if they performed the highest courtesy of the French army, they probably wouldn't escape a Great Memory Recovery Technique afterward.
And if they were really unlucky, they might be taken straight away to be sacrificed as a battle offering.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
But before he could think any further, shouts suddenly rang out from beyond the outpost!
The cries were mixed with the sounds of fighting and Explosive Tags going off, especially jarring in the quiet night.
Clearly, Might Guy and the others had made their move as well!
Haori's team had a simple plan: Might Guy would draw the enemy's fire.
He wasn't good at stealth missions, and he was skilled in Taijutsu with a body that could take a beating. He could draw the enemy's fire, then lead them to the ambush point they had set up and make a quick escape.
Haori would head straight into the outpost and destroy the supplies. After all, he was good at Fire Release, and he could run fast, too.
Yamashiro Aoba was the team's only support, and he had already been using up a lot of his strength, so he had no combat duties.
His main role was to provide information and, whether the mission succeeded or not, cover their retreat when it was time to withdraw.
"Hope everything goes smoothly."
Seeing the Iwa shinobi inside the outpost spring into action, Haori could only grit his teeth.
He looked at one of the Iwa shinobi lying on the ground, then formed Hand Seals. Amid a puff of smoke, he transformed into the man.
He adjusted his voice, then immediately shouted in the same voice as the shinobi: "They're to the north! It's Konoha! Send reinforcements!"
The Iwa shinobi below didn't seem to doubt him. More of them ran out.
Haori immediately leapt down and, pretending to be injured, hurried toward the warehouse.
"Maeda, what are you—"
The Iwa shinobi who had stayed behind in the outpost watched him approach and asked in confusion.
But the next moment, they all fell silent. Several Kunai wrapped with Explosive Tags were already flying straight at them!
Boom! Boom! Boom—
A series of explosions rang out inside the Iwagakure outpost.
Taking advantage of the night and the smoke thrown up by the explosions, Haori gripped a long blade and charged forward.
"Damn it, we're under attack!"
"Watch out, someone's disguised!"
"Someone sneaked inside! Send reinforcements!"
"Protect the warehouse! Don't let the fire spread there!"
Blade light flashed as Haori pounced on the Iwa shinobi like a ghost amid the smoke.
The smoke did affect his vision, but it wasn't the Hidden Mist Technique. Without chakra interfering with his sight, he could still see the figures in the haze.
Besides, even the Hidden Mist Technique had its limits. Otherwise, back in the Land of Whirlpools, the grass on his grave would have grown several feet tall by now.
"Spread out! Earth Style: Earth Dragon Spear!"
Just then, an Iwa shinobi shouted and immediately formed Hand Seals.
A mass of earth spikes suddenly burst from the ground. Haori, hidden in the smoke, had no choice but to charge out.
But he didn't mind. The smoke wouldn't last long anyway, and his gaze had already turned toward the nearby warehouse.
He had heard someone shout, "Don't let the fire spread there!" That probably meant there was plenty of interesting stuff inside the warehouse.
"Uchiha?"
The Iwa shinobi stared at Haori and spoke coldly. Haori turned his gaze toward him as well.
"Sumashi?"
Haori recognized the man. He was the Special Jōnin stationed here!
"Pretty bold of you to come all the way here alone."
Sumashi gave a cold snort, his eyes full of disdain and amusement.
"Is Konoha really so short on people, or are you just too arrogant?"
"Whether I'm arrogant or Konoha's short on people, at least I wouldn't attack my own teammates."
Haori had never been afraid of trading barbs. He glanced down at the bodies impaled on the ground and the wounded Iwa shinobi, then smiled.
"But I really ought to thank you."
"Me?"
Haori's words first left Sumashi stunned, then his face darkened.
He had used Earth Release to force Haori out. His intentions had been good, but he had indeed hurt his own men.
He had controlled the technique carefully, so even those pierced by the Earth Spears should have been no worse off than corpses. But before he could explain, Haori had already struck first.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
A dense barrage of senbon shot from Haori's hands. He immediately formed Hand Seals.
"Ninja Art: Senbon Rain!"
If Shiranui Genma had been there, the senbon in his mouth would probably have dropped to the ground. This was his signature technique!
In an instant, the already dense senbon became a raging storm, covering everyone in front of him.
"Damn it! Earth Style: Earth Wall!"
Sumashi knew he had no chance to explain. He could only use a jutsu at once, hoping to save as many people as possible.
The senbon didn't do much damage, but Sumashi was sure that the kid in front of him was a ruthless little bastard.
His way of framing someone was particularly professional. Who knew whether he had smeared poison on the senbon?
"Isn't it too late to try saving them now?"
But as soon as the earthen wall rose, Haori's voice rang out again.
At the same time, a blue light spread across the sky, followed by the crackle of electricity filling the air!
"Lightning Style: Swift!"
"Damn, it's Lightning Release!"
Sumashi's face turned grim. Lightning Release had a huge advantage over Earth Release.
"Scatter!"
Sumashi shouted again and leapt to the side. The other shinobi, if they could still breathe, crawled away as fast as they could.
The senbon crackling with electricity pierced through the earthen wall and quickly cleared a path. Haori had achieved his aim.
He leapt backward, then formed Hand Seals again, aiming at the warehouse.
A moment later, he released a massive fireball, three meters tall.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
"No!"
Sumashi roared, but he couldn't stop it. He could only watch helplessly as the fireball plunged into the warehouse.
In an instant, everyone felt a force gathering.
The next second, a deafening roar erupted, accompanied by flames that shot into the sky.
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