Shiyi: If we kill everyone, no one will know we infiltrated.

At high noon, several days later.

A four-man squad sped across the border of the Land of Fang.

For Nawaki, a Chunin, a forced march was no easy task. Having been overly lax for the past half-year, his Nintaijutsu training had fallen significantly behind, and the mere few days of rapid marching had left him utterly exhausted.

Fortunately, Sakuya had spoken with him a few nights prior and had taken good care of him during the march, which left Nawaki feeling quite grateful toward him.

Perhaps because of the care shown to Nawaki, the resentment Tsunade had harbored toward Sakuya had diminished somewhat.

Though her attitude remained cold and distant, nonetheless.

If converted into a gal-game, her favorability rating would be roughly negative 35.

By dusk, the group stopped at the edge of a cliff.

Below the cliff lay a dilapidated and desolate port.

At a glance, broken doors lay slanted on the ground, houses had collapsed into ruin, and the walls were covered in the marks of blades and fire. Many structures had been incinerated, leaving only charred skeletons standing in the wind, while the exposed walls were riddled with crisscrossing cracks and scorch marks—a testament to the brutality of the raid that had taken place there.

"This is our Konoha port. We have arrived; let us prepare ourselves."

Looking at the ruined port, Orochimaru said.

Their mission was to eliminate the rogue ninjas and reclaim the port, but as it stood, the port had been burned to the ground. Even if they were to rebuild it, it would take a considerable amount of time. The rogue ninjas had likely left it unoccupied for that very reason.

Sakuya glanced toward the west of the port and saw a village in the distance, with faint signs of human activity drifting from it.

"The Third Hokage said the sugar refinery was near the port. It should be over there, right?"

He pointed toward the west as he spoke.

"About ten miles from here. If nothing goes wrong, that is the place."

Orochimaru nodded. "Intelligence reports say that after the rogue ninjas raided the port, they set up camp in the sugar refinery. I imagine that inside right now..."

He shook his head.

"Then it's simple."

In Sakuya's pupils, three tomoe slowly rotated. "We have been very careful to cover our tracks along the way; those rogue ninjas likely haven't sensed our presence."

He looked at Orochimaru and Tsunade. "Therefore, if we launch a surprise attack under the cover of night, we can annihilate these rogue ninjas without any effort."

"A surprise attack... Heh heh."

Hearing this, the corners of Orochimaru's mouth curled upward. "A decent proposal, though I think we could split our forces."

"To prevent anyone from realizing something is wrong and escaping in the night?"

Tsunade understood the implication in Orochimaru's words.

"Correct."

Orochimaru nodded. "After all, a sugar refinery is a village, with paths leading in every direction. We must act quickly, and it would be best to capture a few prisoners to interrogate later and see who they really are."

"Leave that to me when the time comes."

Sakuya also agreed with Orochimaru's approach.

A member of the Uchiha clan with three tomoe was a natural master of Genjutsu, and Genjutsu was the best method for interrogating prisoners.

This was one of the reasons he had been sent on this mission.

"I will take Nawaki, and Tsunade, you take Sakuya. We will attack from the east and west to ensure total annihilation."

Orochimaru divided the squad simply.

"Wait, I should be the one with Nawaki!"

Tsunade glanced at Sakuya and said.

"Tsunade, you must remember: I am the captain of this mission."

Orochimaru emphasized his status.

His grouping was actually quite logical. Sakuya was an Uchiha with three tomoe and great strength, but unfortunately, he lacked recovery methods. Tsunade, as a healer, could compensate for Sakuya's weaknesses to a certain extent. At the same time, with her by his side, Sakuya could unleash his Fire Release without worrying about sneak attacks from behind.

As for himself, he possessed chakra of all natures and knew a little of every type of Ninjutsu. A genius among commoners, he was the "Konoha 50/50" of this era. It was more appropriate for him to lead his disciple, Nawaki, as he could teach him according to his aptitude during the battle, allowing him to gain insights through real combat while keeping him safe—impartial and fitting.

Tsunade understood this logic as well; though she was dissatisfied, she agreed.

"Let's move."

Orochimaru looked at the night sky. "Within two hours, annihilate all the rogue ninjas in the sugar refinery."

Orochimaru and Nawaki chose to go to the west side, while Sakuya and Tsunade went to the east.

They had agreed to strike simultaneously as night fell.

They would sandwich the rogue ninjas like a piece of cheese between two slices of bread.

Standing in the woods on the east side of the sugar refinery, Tsunade raised her hands to tie back her blonde hair. As she pulled a mask from her sleeve, she glanced at Sakuya. Seeing him standing motionless, she frowned.

"What are you just standing there for?"

"What are you doing?"

Sakuya gave her a strange look.

"Preparing for a surprise attack."

?

The question mark isn't because there's something wrong with me, but because there's something wrong with you.

"Let me ask you."

Sakuya sighed and said, "What is our mission this time?"

"To wipe out the rogue ninjas."

"Since we're wiping out rogue ninjas, why are you wearing a mask?"

Sakuya asked, "To hide our identities?"

"I..."

Tsunade froze.

"We aren't conducting a stealth raid this time. On the contrary, we are here to openly wipe out the rogue ninjas to show everyone Konoha's furious stance regarding the port raid. What is the point of hiding our identities?"

Sakuya rolled his eyes at her: "You blockhead."

"No, we still have to wear masks!"

To save face, Tsunade stubbornly insisted: "Aren't we supposed to be sneaking in? Naturally, we should hide our identities to infiltrate..."

"There are only a few dozen rogue ninjas. If we make a big scene here, we can draw some fire away from Orochimaru and Nawaki."

Sakuya rolled his eyes at her again, leaping out while forming hand seals.

Snake-Ram-Monkey-Boar-Horse-Tiger!

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

Accompanied by intense heat, a massive fireball erupted from Sakuya's mouth, slamming directly into the wall of a western house in the Sugar-Making Village. The surging flames instantly burned a massive hole through the wooden wall. Simultaneously, amidst the spraying flames, over a dozen shuriken glinted with silver light, precisely slicing the throats of the bewildered rogue ninjas inside.

Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson!

"It's an enemy attack!"

"Someone help!"

"We're being invaded!"

The rogue ninjas' screams lasted only a brief moment before the scorching flames completely swallowed them.

Following the screams of the rogue ninjas and the groaning of the collapsing houses, more rogue ninjas began to pour out from within the village as if they were spawning.

Watching them, Sakuya turned his head back, his scarlet pupils reflecting Tsunade's wide-eyed gaze.

"Besides, even if we followed your plan, there's no need for masks. As long as we kill everyone, no one will know we ever infiltrated, right?"