Border Outpost

The border of the Land of Fire.

Rain hammered against their conical hats with a dull thud.

Water ran off the brims and dripped onto their already soaked shoulders.

Orochimaru stopped first. Hiroki, Kushina, and Nawaki came to a halt behind him.

They had reached their destination: a village enclosed by tall wooden walls.

The walls were a damp, dark brown, with crude watchtowers built atop them. Several flags bearing Konoha's emblem hung limply in the rain.

This was the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain.

Two Konoha Ninja in rain capes stood by the gate. Their expressions were as gloomy as the weather, likely the result of spending so long in such a miserable place.

This was Outpost 99, the outpost closest to the Land of Rain along the Land of Fire's border.

Beyond it lay the Land of Rain.

"Konoha Ninja?" One of the guards stepped forward, keeping his spear raised as his eyes swept over the four of them, especially the three children.

It was rare for a Jonin leading a team to come to the front lines.

Orochimaru took a scroll from his robes and handed it over. "I'm Orochimaru, leader of Team 7. We're here under orders from the Third Hokage."

The guard relaxed as soon as he heard Orochimaru's name, but he still carefully inspected the scroll. Only after confirming the Hokage's seal did he lower his weapon and step aside.

"Go on in. Captain Kitagawa is waiting for you at the command post. It's the building at the very back of the village."

His voice was weary, and deep circles shadowed his eyes.

The four entered the village.

The dirt road beneath their feet was muddy, and each step sank into it a little.

The houses lining the road were crude, mostly built from wood and thatch. Tools and medicinal herbs hung beneath the eaves. The village was quiet, with hardly any civilians in sight. Every so often, a Ninja hurried past beneath the eaves. They glanced at the newcomers but said nothing. The air smelled of rain, earth, and a faint trace of herbs.

Nawaki walked in the middle, curiously looking around. There was no sign of nervousness in his eyes beneath his hat; if anything, he seemed excited. He whispered to Kushina beside him, "So this is the border? It doesn't look like anything special."

Kushina ignored him. She pulled her hat low and kept her hands in her pockets, warily observing their surroundings. She didn't like the atmosphere here. It reminded her of her homeland, the Land of Whirlpools.

That was also why her mother had sent her to the Land of Fire.

Hiroki brought up the rear. His gaze passed over the tightly shut doors and windows, the sandbags stacked beneath the eaves, and the numb expressions on the Ninjas' faces.

His hand rested on his weapons pouch, never relaxing.

And it wasn't just him. Almost every Ninja kept one hand hanging loose, ready to draw a Kunai at any moment.

This was the front line!

He looked at Nawaki walking ahead of him. The boy was kicking a small stone along the road, seemingly oblivious to the danger that awaited them.

He was already twelve years old, and he would die this year.

He wondered if it would happen this time.

Hiroki drew a deep breath, making himself even more alert. To be honest, he wasn't particularly close to Nawaki. Still, if he could save him without paying any price, he would. But if it meant putting himself in danger...

Then he'd rather let Nawaki die on his own.

The thought entered Hiroki's mind without stirring any emotion.

After all, no one knew whether the circumstances that would kill Nawaki might also drag Kushina and him into danger.

They entered the command post.

It was the only stone-and-brick building in the village.

As they opened the door, a damp, musty smell mixed with tobacco smoke washed over them. The room was small, with a huge map spread across the table at its center, covered in lines and symbols drawn in different colors.

A tall, broad-shouldered middle-aged man stood in front of the map. He wore a Konoha Jonin vest, though it was worn and old. A scar ran from his forehead to his chin, and a nearly spent cigarette dangled from his mouth.

This was Kitagawa.

He was in charge of the command post.

"Lord Orochimaru." Kitagawa merely nodded when he saw Orochimaru, acknowledging him with a greeting.

He pointed at the map. "You've arrived at just the right time. Things are worse than we expected."

Orochimaru walked over to the map, and Hiroki and the others gathered around him.

"Three days ago," Kitagawa said, tapping a red circle near the border, "our Third Patrol Team went missing here. Three people: two Chunin and one Genin. No survivors, no bodies."

"Missing?" Nawaki couldn't help asking. "Were they captured by Amegakure Ninja?"

Kitagawa glanced at him but didn't answer. Instead, he continued, "We sent people to investigate the site. There were no signs of a struggle, no blood, nothing at all. It was as if the three of them had simply vanished into thin air."

"The only lead came from local villagers who witnessed multiple Amegakure Ninja teams passing through the forest. So far, we don't know how many there were."

"There have been at least five sightings, but we haven't found anything. Even the Hyuga Ninja can't keep their eyes on the entire defense line at all times."

"We've searched more than a dozen times for the Amegakure teams, but still haven't found any trace. This Ninja from the Inuzuka Clan can vouch for what I'm saying." As he spoke, Kitagawa pointed to a Ninja in the corner.

The man nodded. "We haven't found any traces so far, but we still can't conclude that the reports are false. The rainfall here is too heavy. Scents don't last long."

Kushina frowned. "No traces? That's impossible. Even if they were overpowered and subdued instantly by an enemy they couldn't resist, there'd still be some trace left behind."

"That's right. You're correct." Kitagawa nodded, then stubbed out his cigarette in an ashtray beside him. "But this is already the second patrol team to go missing from our outpost this month. The same method, the same result."

"There's only one elite Jonin at this outpost—me. I might be able to fight back against an enemy like that, but I can't lead a team far from the outpost for long. Otherwise, the enemy could wipe it out, and the supply teams wouldn't be able to deliver supplies here for a long time."

"We also tried contacting the other nearby outposts, but unfortunately, these disappearances aren't limited to ours. All seven nearby outposts have been attacked recently."

"That's what we know so far."

Hiroki had remained silent. He hadn't sensed any WiFi in the outpost. That was strange. Unlike in the village, it didn't feel as though there were Anbu and Root Ninja constantly keeping watch.

"Have there been any other abnormalities besides the missing patrol teams?" Orochimaru asked calmly.

"Yes." Kitagawa's expression grew even graver. "Amegakure Ninja have been growing more active along the border, and their numbers have increased. Before, we only saw scouting teams of two or three. Now, teams of ten or more show up regularly. They don't cross the border, but they remain within our sensory range, as if they're provoking us—or searching for something."

He picked up a document from the table and handed it to Orochimaru. "These are the intelligence reports from the past week. Take a look."

Orochimaru accepted the document and skimmed through it quickly, but soon put it down.

There was a lot of information, but Kitagawa had already summarized the most important points. The rest was either irrelevant or offered no clear clues.

That was only to be expected. If they could figure everything out from intelligence reports alone, wouldn't that mean the troops stationed here were incompetent and had contributed nothing?

Orochimaru considered the situation, then looked at the three children from Team 7.

"Hiroki, Kushina, Nawaki, stay at the outpost."

The three children fell silent at once and looked at him.

Orochimaru stood before the map, the firelight casting wavering shadows over his face. His golden, snake-like eyes looked especially cold. "For this mission," he said slowly, his voice devoid of emotion, "since we don't know how strong the enemy is, you're better off staying here. Don't go anywhere!"

"I'm not sure I can protect you under the current circumstances. Besides, I'll be handling most of this mission myself."

Orochimaru paused, his gaze moving from one child to the next.

"Your mission is to keep yourselves safe."

In the Land of Rain, at the border, four Jonin teams stared at a map in a village devoid of living people.

"How many teams have we taken out?" Scar frowned at the map. "Why are these Konoha Ninja patrolling so diligently?"

"Three teams," the thin Ninja replied. "Who knows why they're so serious? Maybe Konoha pays them well."

Scar pursed his lips but didn't argue.

If he could earn as much as the people of Konoha, he wouldn't have defected either. Scar changed the subject. "That client isn't trying to trick us, is he?"

"Probably not. I just saw the target enter the outpost."

"Oh? He's already inside? Then, just as the client said, he'll feed Orochimaru false information so we can draw him away, right?"

"That's what the client said. He also told us there's an insider in the outpost. We don't have to worry about the elite Jonin there. We just have to break through the gate, and the insider will make a move!"

"Then get ready. It's time to act. Monkey, you're responsible for assassinating the target."

"Understood."

"Black Bear, you and Rattlesnake will draw Orochimaru away."

"Understood."

"Understood. I'll notify you as soon as the mission is complete. Once you get my message, I recommend you withdraw, whether or not you've completed your mission."

"I know." Scar nodded. "I'll take care of all the Ninja near the outpost. Rattlesnake, make sure your chakra signature isn't too obvious!"

"There are a lot of Hyuga Ninja here. We could be exposed at any moment."

"But—"

"No buts. Trust my sensory abilities!" Scar took a deep breath, then put one hand on the ground and the other against his forehead, rapidly spreading his chakra!

"Get ready! I'm going to sense out their Ninja and prepare for the assassination!"

[Ding-dong~]

[New WiFi signal detected: "Scar_Soma Benigaki," signal strength: weak. Connect?]