Surprise Attack

Through the tempering of actual combat, Byakuya had developed a keen judgment for the battlefield situation.

He could ignore the situation and leave immediately, but that would expose his tracks. Regardless of whether the Iwagakure Ninja or the Sunagakure Ninja survived, both sides would report information about him.

It must be known that his current location was near the border of the Land of Wind, where the probability of being hunted down was extremely high.

After all, a mysterious ninja appearing in the Land of Rivers who belonged to neither side would inevitably have a sensitive identity.

Even if he were not a Konoha ninja, it would be worth it for them to attempt an encirclement just to verify Byakuya's identity.

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

Although he did not know where the four Sunagakure Ninja found the courage to counterattack while being hunted, Byakuya made up his mind.

"My orders were to act in secrecy, but I cannot stand by and watch companions be slaughtered by the enemy."

Shadow Clone Technique!

Three Byakuyas charged toward the seven Iwagakure Ninja.

The Sunagakure Ninja were hot-blooded, their expressions ferocious.

Since things had reached this point, only by risking their lives to annihilate all enemies would they be worthy of the benevolence shown by their companion!

"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet!"

A mud dragon head erupted from the ground in front of an Iwagakure Ninja, spitting mud bullets to attack Byakuya.

He was fast and his reactions were agile, allowing him to dodge the mud bullets.

"Earth Release: Earth Rising Spears!"

Dozens of sharp rock spikes suddenly burst from beneath the feet of the four Sunagakure Ninja, but they were prepared, either running to the side in advance or leaping high into the air.

Short-range combat ensued.

Byakuya's swordsmanship had improved; his moves were simple and decisive. Upon the first encounter, the Iwagakure Ninja closest to him, who was already exhausted and sluggish, was caught off guard as Byakuya's Ninja Sword severed his neck in a flash of light.

Blood sprayed out.

"Well done! Truly worthy of an Anbu ninja from our Sunagakure!"

The strength of this group of Iwagakure Ninja, according to Byakuya's estimation, was at the level of a Chunin.

And he found it not difficult to slay a Chunin.

A few breaths later.

A second Iwagakure Ninja died under his blade.

Dodging a Kunai with a light sidestep, Byakuya's Shadow Clone swatted away a thrown Shuriken, while the main body grabbed an Iwagakure Ninja's right arm, and a third Shadow Clone gripped a Kunai, driving it into the enemy's mouth.

"Retreat!"

Seeing the Anbu ninja supporting the Sunagakure forces kill three of their own in such a short time, the remaining Iwagakure Ninja threw Smoke Bombs to create an environment for their escape.

Byakuya immediately retreated.

He arrived behind everyone using the Storm Release: Body Flicker Technique.

He formed hand seals.

"Storm Release: Torrential Lightning Flash."

To maximize the power, he poured out his chakra.

A river of gathered lightning suddenly engulfed the Sunagakure Ninja and the Iwagakure Ninja who had not yet managed to retreat.

"Water Release: Water Wave."

"Lightning Release: Earth Flash."

Immediately after.

Byakuya ordered his two Shadow Clones to finish them off, slaughtering all the ninjas from both the Sunagakure and Iwagakure sides.

He took the opportunity to loot the corpses.

Unfortunately, because he had used his full strength, the items on the ninjas had been damaged.

He picked through the remaining usable ninja tools.

He dispelled the Shadow Clone Technique.

Byakuya immediately distanced himself, heading toward the Land of Fire.

"In my hometown, there is a saying: all is fair in war. You were wrong to trust me, an enemy, so do not blame me for being merciless."

He now understood his true combat strength.

He was approaching the level of a Jonin.

But the same principle remained: stay low, for the ninja world is full of formidable schemers.

Although the Root mission he was executing was unpredictable and dangerous, it was still better than the cruel front lines of the battlefield.

Byakuya truly did not believe that he would encounter a Kage-level powerhouse like Pakura on his next mission.

Two hours later.

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

Seeing the seven Iwagakure ninja who had been hunting the Sunagakure ninja all dead, and finding the Sunagakure ninja who had happened upon their trail also dead, he was momentarily at a loss as to what had transpired here.

He examined the battlefield and analyzed the intelligence.

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

"Hmm, strange. That person is not a ninja from Sunagakure. Could it be someone from Konoha?"

"But why would a Konoha ninja come here? Shouldn't they be defending against our forces and those of Kumogakure? Could it be that Konoha found out we intended to split off a portion of our elite troops to raid Sunagakure?"

Kitsuchi appeared simple and honest, yet his eyes flashed with sharp intelligence.

The intelligence was scarce, but a conclusion needed to be reached quickly.

He shook his head: "This matter is our classified secret. Konoha is already scrambling across two fronts; it is impossible for them to have the leisure to scout... No, I have heard that Shimura Danzō of Konoha leads a mysterious organization. If it were them, it would be possible."

"Lord Kitsuchi, what should we do next? Continue with the plan, or postpone it to be safe?"

"Let's go. We must report this matter to the Tsuchikage first."

"Understood."

Carrying the bodies of his companions, Kitsuchi frowned deeply.

The battlefield intelligence he could analyze indeed pointed to Lightning and Water Release, and the number of opponents was likely only two.

Yet, he felt something was wrong, as if he had overlooked something.

"Wait."

"Lord Kitsuchi, what is it?"

Kitsuchi inspected the wounds on the corpses: "Hand them over to the Analysis Squad."

In the ninja world, even the dead had value.

"The Analysis Squad has been urgently reassigned by the Tsuchikage to the front lines attacking Konoha."

"When did that happen? Why was I not aware?"

"Yesterday at noon, while you were scouting the route ahead of the main force."

"Why was it not reported?"

"I tried to report it twice, but you interrupted me both times. You said that unless Konoha ninja had reached the Land of Earth, nothing should disturb your judgment of the gathered intelligence..."

Kitsuchi scratched his head. "Judging by the timeline, even if Konoha had discovered our movements, they wouldn't have had time to deploy. Furthermore, Konoha is facing multiple fronts; their manpower is stretched thin."

Suppressing his misgivings, Kitsuchi led his two subordinates back to the surprise attack force currently invading Sunagakure in the Land of Wind.

Ever since Sunagakure began searching the world for the missing Third Kazekage, the first to lose patience was Kumogakure.

The Third Raikage led an elite force to invade the Land of Wind.

This, ironically, helped cement the reputation of Rasa.

To divert the village's dissatisfaction with the failure, Kumogakure declared war on Konoha.

Although the Third Raikage had sent word in advance to drag Iwagakure into the fray, hoping they would also declare war on Konoha.

Iwagakure had long coveted the fertile land and rich resources of the Land of Fire; how could they pass up such an excellent opportunity? They followed Kumogakure and likewise declared war on Konoha.

As for the plan to bypass the Land of Rivers and launch a surprise attack on Sunagakure, it was also the Third Tsuchikage who, through Kumogakure's assault on Sunagakure, saw through the village's true strength and weaknesses.

The disappearance of the Third Kazekage had led to an endless emergence of ambitious individuals within Sunagakure.

To resist Kumogakure, they had briefly united.

But for Rasa to become a hero and eventually secure his position as the Fourth Kazekage, he would need to conduct a massive purge of the power-hungry figures in the village, which directly weakened Sunagakure's strength.

Ōnoki had received accurate intelligence that the current high-ranking officials of Sunagakure were all in a state of panic, and their forces were scattered across the Land of Wind suppressing rebellions.

This gave birth to the surprise attack plan led by Kitsuchi.

Of course, it didn't matter if it failed; the hatred between Iwagakure and Sunagakure had already persisted for many years.

"I am worried that Konoha might use this incident to form an alliance with Sunagakure to deal with us together."

After writing this on a piece of stationery, Kitsuchi handed it to an Iwagakure ninja: "Deliver this to the Tsuchikage with all possible speed."

"Understood!"

Time waits for no one.

Kitsuchi packed his gear, stepped out of the tent, and shouted: "Assemble the troops! The latest intelligence within the Land of Wind has been gathered; it is our turn to attack!"

Heaven Rewards Diligence, Perseverance Leads to Success

Time limit 4 days: Wilderness survival for four days (4/4)

Reward: Minor increase in vitality

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

He recalled the important intelligence the Sunagakure ninja had mentioned.

That old bastard Danzō, I'm coming for Senju Tobirama's Water Release: Water Severing Wave!