Ninja Squad on the Border of the Land of Fire

On the border of the Land of Fire, a squad of ninjas was moving at high speed.

These ninjas wore uniform tactical vests and headbands engraved with the Konoha symbol, clearly marking them as shinobi from Konoha.

The Second Shinobi World War had ended some time ago, and the ninja world had enjoyed a brief period of peace. However, not long ago, the Third Kazekage suddenly went missing, and along with him, the genius puppeteer of Sunagakure, Sasori of the Red Sands, had also vanished. This incident immediately set the nerves of every power in the ninja world on edge once again.

In an instant, the five great ninja villages could no longer sit still. Sunagakure, in particular, mobilized a large number of ninjas to secretly search for the missing Third Kazekage and Sasori of the Red Sands.

Other villages, seeking to prevent trouble before it started, also deployed ninjas to fortify their borders. Some villages with designs on inciting war began making constant small moves; among them, a spy from Kirigakure was captured alive by Konoha ninjas while carrying out a mission on the border of the Land of Fire.

Leading this Konoha squad was a middle-aged man with long, dark gray hair tied into a ponytail. The man had a handsome face, a resolute expression, and a scar on the right side of his jaw.

He was the leader of this squad, the elite Konoha Jonin Shirokumo Hayama.

"Everyone, pick up the pace! We must get the prisoner back to the outpost as soon as possible!" Shirokumo Hayama shouted.

In the center of this six-man squad, one ninja carried a captive on his back. The prisoner's hands and feet were bound, and his chakra had been sealed; he was the very captive Shirokumo Hayama had spoken of.

The prisoner's eyes were vacant, as if he had already completely despaired of his current situation.

He did not expect anyone to come and rescue him at all. Kirigakure usually had only one way of dealing with their own captured ninjas: killing them to prevent the village's secrets from being leaked.

To him, perhaps successfully reaching the Konoha outpost was the best possible outcome.

A young boy in the squad, who looked to be about fourteen or fifteen years old, seemed unimpressed by Shirokumo Hayama's words. He asked, "Senior Shirokumo, we are already within the borders of the Land of Fire. Surely the ninjas from Kirigakure wouldn't dare to act too recklessly, would they?"

In the Second Shinobi World War, Konoha was the victor. Both Sunagakure and Amegakure, who had faced off against Konoha, had ended in defeat, with Sunagakure even lowering its stance to actively form an alliance with Konoha.

Furthermore, the reputations of the Sannin, the Yellow Flash, and other top-tier Konoha ninjas had been forged during this war. This period was currently the peak of Konoha's prosperity.

Although it could not compare to the dominance of the era when the First Hokage Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara presided over Konoha, its comprehensive strength far exceeded that of all other ninja villages.

Upon hearing this, a flash of worry crossed Shirokumo Hayama's eyes. Many Konoha ninjas now shared the same mindset as this young boy. While the victory in the war had greatly boosted the morale and sense of belonging among Konoha ninjas, the downside was that it had invisibly lowered their sense of crisis.

The outcome of a war sometimes hung by a thread. Although Konoha had won the Second Shinobi World War, the actual process had been incredibly perilous.

If the Sannin had suffered any mishaps in their battle against the demigod Hanzo the Salamander, or if the Yellow Flash had failed to complete the missions that relied solely on his Flying Thunder God technique, Konoha might have faced total collapse.

But even with Konoha's victory in the Second Shinobi World War, its own losses were still heavy. A large number of ninjas had sacrificed their lives, forcing the village to assign young ninjas to high-risk missions.

Just like the young boy who had spoken earlier—at his age, in times of peace, he should still be following his mentor on C-rank or D-rank missions around the village, not following him to the border to engage in direct combat with enemy ninjas.

No matter what, I must bring these children back to Konoha safely! Thinking of this, the already stern expression on Shirokumo Hayama's face grew even more solemn.

In this six-man squad, two were Jonin who had always followed him on missions, while the other three were young Chunin promoted due to the village's manpower shortage.

These three young ninjas had never experienced true battlefield slaughter. If they encountered enemy ninjas who had been baptized by war during their mission, there was no doubt that these green recruits would be killed before they could even display their true potential.

Shirokumo Hayama said in a deep voice, "Everyone, do not let your guard down. Intelligence reports mention that a Kirigakure assassination squad responsible for cleaning up their own prisoners has been active in the vicinity. If we encounter them, a major battle is inevitable."

A middle-aged male ninja following closely behind Shirokumo Hayama added, "The captain is right. I heard that there is an Ice Release user in the Kirigakure assassination squad with exceptional skills. Everyone, be careful."

Hearing the words of Shirokumo Hayama and the middle-aged ninja, the three young ninjas all looked more serious. However, the boy from before still grumbled, somewhat unconvinced: "Hmph, if we run into Kirigakure ninjas, I'll make sure they know the power of Hotta Kojiro!"

A young female ninja beside him raised her fist and tapped Hotta Kojiro on the head, saying half as a reminder and half as a tease, "Stop talking nonsense and focus on the road."

Just as Hotta Kojiro was about to protest, a sharp warning from Shirokumo Hayama suddenly reached his ears.

"Watch out, an ambush!"

No sooner had Shirokumo Hayama finished speaking than a series of piercing sounds followed. Seven ice spikes were seen flying rapidly toward the six Konoha ninjas and the Kirigakure prisoner.

These ice spikes were extremely fast. Shirokumo Hayama and the two Jonin who always followed him were fine and could react calmly. However, the three young ninjas who had just been promoted to Chunin were caught off guard and were a beat slow in their reactions.

Fortunately, Shirokumo Hayama was not only experienced but also possessed formidable strength. While moving forward at high speed, he forcibly reversed his body, used a Body Flicker Technique to appear in front of the three young Chunin, and quickly formed hand seals.

"Wind Style: Violent Wind Blades!"

Shirokumo Hayama opened his mouth and spat out forcefully. Dozens of wind blades erupted from his mouth, instantly shattering all the incoming ice spikes and clearing the path for the three young Chunin who had failed to react.

The three young Chunin had just recovered their senses, and Hotta Kojiro let out a long breath of relief, still shaken, while grumbling.

"Phew... cowardly ambushers, I'll make sure to—"

As Hotta Kojiro grumbled, he quickly drew a kunai and took a defensive stance. However, before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly saw that the fragments of the ice spikes that had been shattered by Shirokumo Hayama and scattered on the ground were rapidly extending into ice thorns, like branches sprouting, and were stealthily stabbing toward his companions.

"Watch out!" Hotta Kojiro cried out in alarm.

Just as he shouted, he felt a sharp pain in his chest. Looking down, he saw a piece of an ice thorn piercing through his own chest, the crystal-clear tip stained with scarlet blood.

Is my ninja career ending just like this?

This was the last thought in Hotta Kojiro's mind, just like countless other young ninjas who were full of ambition but unfortunately perished on missions shortly after stepping onto the path of a ninja.