Outside the Forest in the western part of the Land of Fire, yellow sand blanketed the sky as fierce winds howled.
It was not hard to make out a heavily guarded military fortress hidden within a canyon deep inside the massive sandstorm.
The sandstorms of the Land of Wind were a natural defensive force. Konoha could not possibly send large forces into such territory to fight.
The Land of Wind offered Konoha no advantage; entering such a battlefield meant losing its geographical edge.
Thus, on every battlefield, Konoha would always be the defending force resisting the Sand.
Suddenly.
The flickering sandstorm flashed...
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
The fierce wind howled in rapid succession, mixed with the roar of the storm, as though something could be heard within it.
Yet the canyon was like an iron barrel.
Large patches of black shadows rushed out like swarms, turning into ghostly silhouettes that swiftly vanished into the sandstorm.
The sandstorm became the most natural cover, perfectly concealing the Sand's movements.
Konoha camp, western Forest.
A cordon had already been set up within a radius of ten miles, with a forward position about a mile away in the direction of the Forest's border.
It was one of the alert outposts targeted by the Sand ninja invasion.
"Prepare the explosive tags!"
"One, two, three..."
"Fire!"
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!
After a series of preparations, shuriken rained down in dense waves.
Boom!!
The earth shook violently, as if the sky were collapsing. The fortress trembled, and the surrounding earthen walls collapsed in an instant.
The Sand's objective was direct and clear.
They would seize an outpost immediately as a foothold, then dispatch a steady stream of troops to attack Konoha!
Bang, bang, bang!
A large number of explosive tags detonated. In the first battle, Sunagakure had committed considerable