Root...

The border between the Land of Earth and the Land of Grass shifted from dense forest to desolate rocky mountains.

The area was sparsely populated, with nothing but weathered rocks and dry riverbeds. Here and there, a few clumps of stubborn thornbushes clung to life.

Jingxin and his two teammates were concealed in the shadow of a rocky peak. They had been waiting for two hours.

Their mission was to intercept a group suspected of posing as wandering ninja. According to intelligence, there were eight of them, heading into the Land of Earth from the Land of Grass.

Yeying's senses picked up something first. "They're here. Southeast. Eight people. They're deliberately suppressing their chakra, but they're well-trained—not ordinary wandering ninja."

Shifeng nodded. His eyes were sharp as an eagle's beneath the Wolf Mask. "Stay hidden. Wait until they enter the ambush zone."

Jingxin activated his Sharingan. His scarlet eyes pierced through the rock and distance, clearly seeing the chakra flow of all eight people.

It was orderly, efficient, and carried a certain cold discipline.

Their equipment was uniform, too. Although it looked worn, the designs of their weapons and protective gear were faintly recognizable.

Konoha's style.

Root, or some other Anbu unit from Konoha?

Whoever they were, they couldn't be up to any good sneaking into the Land of Earth.

The eight-person squad entered the valley.

They moved cautiously: two in front scouting the way, four in the middle, and two bringing up the rear.

Every step landed in the safest spot, and their eyes constantly swept the surroundings.

Almost too professional.

"Move," Shifeng said under his breath.

Yeying vanished into the shadows, then appeared behind the two ninja bringing up the rear.

Her eyes were cold beneath the Owl Mask as she thrust out both kunai at once.

But the enemy reacted quickly.

One of them instantly twisted aside. The kunai grazed his ribs, drawing a streak of blood.

The other drew a ninja sword and parried Yeying's second strike.

The clang of metal rang out twice, especially sharp in the silent valley.

"Enemy attack!" the lead ninja shouted. His voice was steady, without a hint of panic.

The eight immediately formed a defensive formation, standing back-to-back.

Their movements were perfectly synchronized, clearly the result of long-term team training.

Shifeng leaped down from the rocky peak, forming hand seals in midair.

"Earth Release: Rock Pillar Technique!"

Three enormous pillars of rock roared up from the ground, splitting the eight apart.

The lead ninja formed hand seals. "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

A fierce gust slammed into the rock pillars, sending fragments flying.

He leaped backward with the momentum and shouted, "Groups of three! Scatter and break through!"

Well-trained, with clear tactics.

Jingxin appeared from the other side, his Sharingan locking onto the nearest group of enemies.

There were three of them, all at Chunin level, with Fire, Wind, and Earth chakra natures. When they saw Jingxin, they immediately changed course and charged at him, evidently planning to take out the one who looked weakest first.

Jingxin created two Shadow Clones, the Sharingan in their eyes spinning rapidly.

The original and both Shadow Clones formed hand seals at the same time.

He had mastered the shape transformation and nature transformation of Fire, Earth, and Wind chakra. Now, for the first time, he used a bloodline-like technique.

The original spat out a Great Fireball, three meters in diameter and rolling with heat.

A Shadow Clone raised an Earth Style: Earth Wall directly in the fireball's path.

But the Earth Wall wasn't made to be a solid defense. It was loose, porous rock.

Boom!

The moment the fireball struck the wall, countless tongues of flame burrowed into its pores.

The flames burned inside the rock, expanding as the temperature soared.

The minerals in the rock heated to their limit.

Then the last Shadow Clone unleashed Wind Style: Great Breakthrough, scattering the scorching, loosened wall and driving it forward with terrifying force.

Then—

Bang! Bang-bang-bang!

The wall exploded.

Countless burning fragments shot in every direction, each carrying scorching heat and tremendous force.

The three ninja had been about to attack Jingxin, but then they saw him unleash a strange combination of techniques.

They were already dodging.

They scattered, looking for cover.

But the rain of scorching fragments covered an enormous area, and the Wind Release stretched the flames on the rocks several meters farther.

The three techniques combined into a net with no gaps.

Its strands were made of flame, its knots of rock fragments, and it moved with incredible speed, reaching even behind cover.

Their screams were brief and piercing.

When the smoke cleared, only three charred corpses remained, riddled with burning fragments.

"Nicely done," Shifeng called out.

He had already dealt with the lead ninja, his sword driven through the man's chest.

The fighting on Yeying's side was over, too.

She had picked up a few shallow wounds, but all her opponents were down.

Silence returned to the valley, broken only by the crackle of flames burning the rocks and the mournful wind whistling through the cracks.

"Search the bodies," Shifeng said in a low voice. "Confirm their identities."

The three of them began searching.

Jingxin went to one of the corpses and opened the man's ninja tool pouch.

Along with the usual kunai, Shuriken, and Explosive Tags, there were several unusual items.

A bottle of weapon-maintenance oil bearing Konoha's mark.

A mission briefing written in Konoha's code. Its contents were encrypted, but its format was standard for Konoha's Anbu.

Last of all, a specially made kunai.

There was a tiny groove in its handle, a distinctive feature of Konoha's standard kunai. It was designed to hold a trigger for an Explosive Tag.

"Standard-issue weapons from Konoha." Yeying came over, holding an identical kunai. "These people belong to Root."

Jingxin narrowed his eyes slightly.

Root, Danzo's personal force.

Why had they infiltrated the Land of Earth?

Were they after him, or did they have some other mission?

"Dispose of the bodies and bring back all the evidence," Shifeng ordered. "We'll need to give Lord Tsuchikage a detailed report about this mission."

Yeying nodded and began using the Sealing Scroll to deal with the bodies.

Jingxin looked at the Konoha kunai in his hand.

Sunlight spilled between the rocky peaks, glinting coldly off the blade.

Konoha hadn't given up.

Or rather, Danzo hadn't given up.

He put the kunai in his ninja tool pouch and turned to join the cleanup.

The wind kept blowing, sweeping dust across the ground and covering the bloodstains and traces of the battle.

The atmosphere in the Tsuchikage Office was more formal than usual.

Ōnoki sat with his hands clasped on the desk, his expression stern.

Shifeng, Yeying, and Jingxin stood before the desk. They had just finished giving a detailed report on the mission.

Ōnoki listened closely to the account of Root disguising themselves as wandering ninja to infiltrate the Land of Earth, but he showed no particular surprise.

"I see," Ōnoki said slowly when the report was over. "That old bastard Danzo really hasn't given up."

"But after losing eight Root operatives this time, he should keep his head down for a while."

He paused, his gaze passing over the three Anbu members before settling on Jingxin. "Blood Gold, you've done remarkably well during your time in Anbu. You've grown faster than I expected."

Jingxin lowered his head slightly. "That's thanks to the Captain and Vice-Captain's guidance."

Shifeng shook his head. "It's your own hard work. I've been in Anbu for many years, and I've never seen anyone perform like this at such a young age."

Yeying said nothing, but nodded slightly in agreement.

Ōnoki smiled, then turned serious. "So, I've decided to disband the Anbu squad today."