Surprise Attack

By tempering himself in real combat, Byakuya had learned to assess the situation on the battlefield.

He could leave without a second thought, but that would reveal his presence. Whether the surviving shinobi were Iwa or Suna, they would report what they knew about him.

The place where he was now was near the border of the Land of Wind, so there was a high chance he would be hunted down.

After all, a mysterious shinobi had appeared in the Land of Rivers, and he belonged to neither side. His identity was bound to be a sensitive matter.

Even if he wasn't a Konoha shinobi, it was worth trying to surround him and verify who he was.

He straightened the Shuten-dōji Mask on his face and drew his Ninja Sword.

He didn't know where the four Suna shinobi had found the nerve to fight back while being pursued, but Byakuya made up his mind.

"The mission I received is a covert operation. But I can't just watch my comrades get killed by the enemy."

Shadow Clone Technique!

Three Byakuyas charged toward the seven Iwa shinobi.

The Suna shinobi were fired up, their expressions fierce.

After saying all that, the only way to honor their comrade's noble loyalty was to risk their lives and wipe out every enemy!

"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet!"

A dragon's head burst from the ground in front of the Iwa shinobi and spat out mud bullets at Byakuya.

He was fast and quick to react, dodging the mud bullets.

"Earth Release: Earth Rising Spears!"

More than a dozen sharp stone spikes suddenly shot up beneath the four Suna shinobi. They had been ready for it: some ran aside in advance, while others leaped high into the air.

They clashed at close range.

Byakuya's swordsmanship had improved. His moves were simple and decisive. At their first meeting, the Iwa shinobi closest to him was already badly exhausted, and his movements were slightly sluggish. Byakuya seized the opportunity and slashed through his neck in a flash.

Blood spurted everywhere.

"Nice work! Just what you'd expect from an Anbu Ninja of Sunagakure!"

Byakuya estimated that these Iwa shinobi were around Chunin level.

And he didn't find it difficult to kill Chunin.

A few breaths later,

a second Iwa shinobi fell to his blade.

He nimbly dodged a Kunai, and his Shadow Clone knocked away a thrown shuriken. Byakuya's real body seized an Iwa shinobi by the right arm, while a third Shadow Clone gripped a Kunai and drove it into the man's mouth.

"Retreat!"

Seeing the Anbu Ninja who had come to support the Suna shinobi kill three of their men in such a short time, the remaining Iwa shinobi all threw Smoke Bombs to cover their escape.

Byakuya immediately pulled back.

Using Storm Release: Body Flicker Technique, he appeared behind them all.

He formed Hand Seals.

"Storm Release: Torrential Lightning Flash."

To maximize its power, he unleashed his chakra.

A river of gathered lightning abruptly swallowed the Suna shinobi and the Iwa shinobi who hadn't managed to escape.

"Water Release: Water Wave!"

"Lightning Release: Earth Flash!"

Then,

Byakuya ordered his two Shadow Clones to finish them off, slaughtering every shinobi on both sides.

He searched the bodies as well.

Unfortunately, he had gone all out this time, and the items carried by both sides had been damaged.

He picked out the Ninja Tools that were still usable.

Then he released the Shadow Clone Technique.

Byakuya immediately put distance between himself and the scene, heading for the Land of Fire.

"Back home, we have a saying: 'All is fair in war.' You made the mistake of trusting an enemy like me. Don't blame me for showing no mercy."

He had also learned how strong he really was.

Close to Jōnin level.

But as the saying went, he had to keep his head down. The Shinobi World was full of powerful, crafty old foxes.

Though missions for the Root Division were dangerous and unpredictable, they were still better than the brutal front lines of the battlefield.

Byakuya really didn't believe he'd run into another Kage Level powerhouse like Pakura on his next mission.

Two hours later,

Kitsuchi, a Jōnin from Iwagakure, arrived with two subordinates.

When he saw that all seven Iwa shinobi who had been pursuing the Suna shinobi were dead, and that the Suna shinobi who had happened to discover their movements were dead too, he had no idea what had happened there.

He examined the battlefield and analyzed the intelligence.

"Lord Kitsuchi, it was Lightning Release and Water Release Ninjutsu."

"Mm. Strange. That person wasn't a Sunagakure shinobi. Could they have been from Konoha?"

"But why would a Konoha shinobi come here? Shouldn't they be holding off our forces and those of Kumogakure? Could Konoha have learned that we plan to send part of our elite force to attack Sunagakure?"

Kitsuchi looked honest enough, but a sharp glint shone in his eyes.

There wasn't much information, but he needed to reach a conclusion quickly.

He shook his head. "This is classified. Konoha is overwhelmed on two fronts; they couldn't possibly have time to spy on us too... No, I heard that Shimura Danzō of Konoha founded a mysterious organization. If it was them, then it's possible."

"Lord Kitsuchi, what should we do now? Continue with the plan, or hold back to be safe?"

"Let's go. First, we'll report this to Lord Tsuchikage."

"Understood."

As he carried his comrades' bodies, Kitsuchi furrowed his brows.

The battlefield evidence suggested the enemy had used Lightning Release and Water Release, and there had probably only been two of them.

But something didn't feel right. He had a nagging sense that he'd overlooked something.

"Wait."

"What is it, Lord Kitsuchi?"

Kitsuchi examined the wounds on the bodies. "Send them to the Analysis Squad."

In the Shinobi World, even the dead had value.

"The Analysis Squad was urgently sent to the front lines to attack Konoha on Lord Tsuchikage's orders."

"When did that happen? Why didn't I know?"

"Yesterday at noon, when you went ahead of the force to scout the route."

"Why didn't you report it?"

"I tried to tell you twice, but you interrupted me. You said that unless Konoha shinobi had reached the Land of Earth, we shouldn't distract you from judging the intelligence you'd gathered..."

Kitsuchi scratched his head. "Given the timing, even if Konoha had learned about our operation, they wouldn't have had time to deploy anyone. Besides, Konoha is fighting on several fronts at once and is short on manpower."

Suppressing his doubts, Kitsuchi led his two subordinates back to the surprise attack force heading for Sunagakure in the Land of Wind.

Ever since Sunagakure began searching everywhere for the missing Third Kazekage, Kumogakure had been the first to lose patience.

The Third Raikage led an elite force in an invasion of the Land of Wind.

Instead, this made Rasa's reputation.

To divert the village's anger over its defeat, Kumogakure declared war on Konoha.

The Third Raikage had already sent people to contact Iwagakure, hoping to drag them into the conflict and have them attack Konoha too.

Iwagakure had long coveted the fertile land and abundant resources of the Land of Fire. How could they pass up this perfect opportunity? They followed Kumogakure's lead and declared war on Konoha as well.

As for the plan to circle through the Land of Rivers and launch a surprise attack on Sunagakure, the Third Tsuchikage had seen through Sunagakure's weakness after watching Kumogakure's invasion.

The disappearance of the Third Kazekage had caused one ambitious figure after another to emerge within Sunagakure.

To resist Kumogakure, they had briefly united.

But for Rasa, now hailed as a hero, to secure his position as Fourth Kazekage in the future, he would have to purge the power-hungry figures who controlled the village. This directly weakened Sunagakure.

Ōnoki received accurate intelligence: Sunagakure's leaders were now all on edge, and its forces were scattered across the Land of Wind to suppress rebellions.

That was what gave rise to the surprise attack plan led by Kitsuchi.

Of course, even if it failed, it didn't matter. The hatred between Iwagakure and Sunagakure had been going on for many years anyway.

"I'm worried Konoha might use this incident to form an alliance with Sunagakure and join forces against us."

After writing this sentence on a sheet of paper, Kitsuchi handed it to an Iwa shinobi. "Get this to Lord Tsuchikage as quickly as possible."

"Understood!"

There was no time to waste.

Kitsuchi adjusted his gear, walked out of the tent, and called, "Assemble the troops! We've gathered enough recent intelligence from within the Land of Wind. It's time for us to attack!"

Heaven Rewards Diligence, Perseverance Leads to Success

Limited-time, 4 days: Survive in the wilderness for four days (4/4)

Reward: Slight increase in vitality

Byakuya felt the subtle changes in his body as he lit a campfire inside a cave.

He recalled the important intelligence the Suna shinobi had mentioned.

"Danzō, you old bastard, I'm about to get Senju Tobirama's Water Release: Water Severing Wave!"