Uzumaki Kuming led his team toward Sunagakure in the Land of Wind. Along the way, they encountered a few battles, big and small, but their opponents were no great threat, and the team dealt with them without much effort.
However, surprise attacks rarely went according to plan. Though the Sunagakure shinobi were taken care of, several squads still managed to get word of the enemy back to Sunagakure.
On the second day of Kuming's march toward Sunagakure, their frontline commander, Mitokado Homura, sent them new orders.
In the Land of Rivers, Kuming and the others rested in a forest. A Ninja Hawk swooped down from the sky. Kuming, who had been resting, heard it coming and raised his arm for the bird to land.
"Jiuming, what's the news?" Uchiha Fugaku sat beside Kuming. Seeing him take a message from the hawk's leg and read it, he asked curiously.
"Just as I expected, Elder Yan rejected my proposal. He ordered us to patrol the Land of Rivers and forbade us from crossing into the Land of Wind."
"He also sent the information I'd reported earlier to Konoha. It should have arrived by now."
Kuming handed Fugaku the small note. After reading it carefully, Fugaku frowned and asked, "So we're just going to search the Land of Rivers?"
"I think your proposal is a good one: we invade Sunagakure. With you there, we should be able to pull it off."
"That would cause major problems within Sunagakure and definitely affect their campaign in the Land of Rivers."
"Why wouldn't they accept such a good plan?"
Fugaku couldn't understand. He was young and eager to prove his worth, longing for a major accomplishment. Kuming's plan was risky, but if it succeeded, their team would become Konoha's greatest heroes. Fugaku craved that glory—not just