At the end of June, Iwagakure's rugged fortress welcomed merchant caravans coming and going. Beneath the massive earthen walls, Chunin at the gates lazily carried out routine inspections.
"Seriously, vegetable prices have gone up again lately. Why doesn't the village do something about those profiteers?"
"We can still get by on our missions, but life is getting hard for the Genin."
"Lord Tsuchikage should make a decision soon!"
"..."
Unlike Konoha, Iwagakure had very little greenery. Looking across the landscape, only small patches of green could be seen among the spired buildings, creating an oppressive feeling.
The middle-aged man leaving with the caravan chatted with his companions while keeping a careful eye on his surroundings. Only after they were far from the fortress did he use the excuse of relieving himself to temporarily leave the group.
"Pick up the pace! There are several more urgent shipments lately, so stay sharp!"
The leader shouted from the front, and scattered responses soon followed.
Rock walls several people high lined both sides of the straight road leading out of the village. The road looked more like it had been carved out of a plain, with no cover anywhere around it.
"Captain Shikaku, the target has reached the designated location."
Several kilometers away from the main road, Hideichi Hyuga reported from behind a rock wall. Beside him, Shikaku Nara let out a long breath and quietly instructed, "We'll act after nightfall. Once we get the scroll, we withdraw immediately."
Ever since they had arrived near Iwagakure, the situation had steadily worsened. The village's undercover personnel had failed to appear.
If the Byakugan had not discovered that the enemy was appearing relaxed on the outside while secretly tightening security, then according to the original plan, the four-man team would have been surrounded by Iwagakure ninja stationed on the outskirts.
Several squads had been lying in wait at the western gate outpost. Thinking of what they had encountered over the past few days, Shikaku Nara even suspected that there was a traitor within the mission.
The coded jutsu they had obtained beforehand had also become useless. Shikaku Nara had no intention of trying to pass through the sensory barrier. As the captain, he had already prepared himself for the mission to fail.
"What about Lord Jiraiya?"
Worried about the mission's failure, Kakashi spoke up again. Shikaku shook his head without offering much explanation.
"My priority is getting all of you out safely."
"..."
Shu Furukawa was still extending his senses. Seeing that the Iwagakure pursuers had not appeared again, he immediately gave a quiet reminder.
"We should have shaken off their sensory ninja. Captain Shikaku is right. If we don't leave now, the ninja stationed on the outskirts will close in and surround us."
The Byakugan and sensory ninja were enormously useful in this situation. After a moment of thought, Shikaku Nara was still uneasy and continued to warn them.
"Take the secret medicine after we obtain the scroll tonight. Be prepared for an ambush."
Night fell, but the lights of distant Iwagakure were nowhere near as brilliant as Konoha's.
Hideichi Hyuga arrived at the designated location and successfully obtained the intelligence scroll. When the Byakugan spotted the signal Shu Furukawa made in the distance, he immediately sprinted at full speed.
The Iwagakure sensory ninja lying in ambush had not expected their presence to be detected. Their sensing range had far exceeded expectations, ruining the plan.
The square-faced Jonin captain did not blame his subordinate. He fired a signal flare and immediately ordered, "Catch up to them and keep them here."
Unlike the "small fry" hired through the black market, the two squads accelerated in silence, charging faster and faster.
Noticing the light behind them, Shikaku Nara cursed inwardly. He had not expected the enemy to value this intelligence so highly, and for the moment, he could only grit his teeth and run.
The plains were highly favorable terrain for Iwagakure. With the help of their sensory ninja, they quickly locked onto the Konoha team.
When they reached a low rock wall, Hideichi Hyuga did not even have time to warn the others before the ground beneath their feet began to crack apart. With a thunderous boom, broken stones flew everywhere.
"Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall!"
The combined ninjutsu was terrifyingly effective with the terrain's advantage. When the four of them regained their footing, Shikaku Nara's head was bleeding, clearly having been struck by a stone.
"Kakashi!"
Shu Furukawa gave a low warning. Kakashi activated his body at tremendous speed, squeezing out his Chakra for a second time.
As lightning appeared around their short blades, a piercing chirping sound began to echo through the night.
Ignoring the injury to his head, Shikaku Nara swallowed the secret medicine and unleashed his shadow completely. The instant the enemy approached, he seized control of both squads.
"Bang..."
Gravel burst from the ground as Shu Furukawa and Kakashi, sprinting at full speed, split up to attack. The moment the Iwagakure ninja halted, screams rang out in rapid succession.
"Ugh! Ah! ..."
Sharp Chakra short blades sent sprays of blood flying. By the time Shu Furukawa reached the burly Iwagakure Jonin, the man had already begun struggling.
"No!"
Shu Furukawa's Chakra erupted again. The Iwagakure Jonin let out a desperate roar as a brilliant blue blade swept across his waist.
Blood splattered everywhere. The upper half of his body fell to the ground, struggled briefly, then went completely still.
"Rotation!"
Hideichi Hyuga spun like a top, and his erupting Chakra knocked away the incoming shuriken. The protected Shikaku Nara was half-kneeling on the ground.
Before Shadow Possession Jutsu could activate again, the square-faced Iwagakure Jonin seized the opening and completed his ninjutsu.
"Earth Style: Earth Core!"
A stone pillar suddenly erupted and launched Shikaku Nara into the air, interrupting his jutsu. The Iwagakure squad immediately launched another attack.
"Earth Style: Flying Gravel!"
"Rotation!"
After successfully killing three squad members and severely wounding the leading Jonin, Kakashi heard the huge noise behind him and hurriedly accelerated back.
Blood continued to pour from the enormous wound at his waist. Having narrowly escaped death, the Iwagakure Jonin clutched his wound and took deep breaths, his face filled with terror.
He had intended to use the terrain to continue launching ninjutsu, but with Shu Furukawa and Kakashi joining the battle, the Iwagakure squad's formation was immediately thrown into disarray.
The square-faced Iwagakure Jonin kicked Kakashi away and hastily retreated. Shadows rapidly chased along the ground, forcing him to widen the distance.
The separated squad on the other side also faced a crisis. Hideichi Hyuga closed in and rapidly attacked one Chunin, while Shu Furukawa darted between the two of them as his short blade and kunai collided again and again.
An Iwagakure Chunin attempting to create distance had just leaped backward when Shu Furukawa lowered his body and moved first, before he could launch his ninjutsu.
"Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall!"
The earth rapidly split apart, and shattered rocks flew in every direction. The two Iwagakure Chunin hurriedly retreated, but they were ultimately still caught within the jutsu's range.
Shikaku Nara seized the opportunity to fire an explosive-tag kunai. The violent explosion made the square-faced Iwagakure Jonin, who had tried to rush back to assist, curse under his breath.
"Damn it!"
A huge cloud of dust rose over the plains. By the time the Iwagakure squad regrouped, Shu Furukawa and the others had vanished from sight.
The other severely wounded Jonin had lost every trace of color from his face. The moment he reached his companion's side, he collapsed weakly to the ground.
The square-faced Iwagakure Jonin noticed the terror in his team members' eyes and did not order them to continue the pursuit. Looking at the scene before him, he murmured softly, "That kind of power... from an Earth Style used by a child..."
--
As dawn gradually broke, the four who had successfully escaped were already nearing the border. Other than Shu Furukawa, the three who had repeatedly taken the secret medicine could no longer hold on.
Kakashi and Hideichi Hyuga were covered in injuries and gasping heavily. Shikaku Nara, leaning against a shattered rock wall, had blood and grime all over his face.
After noticing Shu Furukawa form hand seals and sense the surroundings, Shikaku nodded. Only then did he give a bitter smile and murmur, "I hope the intelligence is useful..."