Harassing the Sand Ninja Stronghold

Inside a forest, at a Sunagakure encampment, Baki summoned everyone together.

"Elder Chiyo has sent word that we were ambushed by Kumogakure ninja at the border between the Land of Rain and the Land of Wind, but fortunately, we emerged victorious."

Baki offered a faint smile, sharing the news of the triumph with those in the tent.

"That's wonderful! Rasa is truly powerful!"

"Incredible! To think Rasa single-handedly repelled the Kumogakure army; he is truly worthy of being a disciple of the Third Kazekage!"

This victory left everyone in the tent incredibly excited, and they vied to praise Rasa for his outstanding performance in the battle.

"Everyone! Elder Chiyo is very satisfied with the report we sent back. The village has nominated Rasa to be the Fourth Kazekage, and we are to mobilize the entire village to attack Konoha! We shall avenge the Third Kazekage!"

Baki slammed his fist onto the table, announcing their resolve to strike at Konoha.

Just then, a blood-stained Sunagakure ninja burst into the tent.

"Baki! The west! The western outpost has been ambushed by the enemy! They are incredibly strong!"

The ninja gasped for air, speaking with an urgent tone.

"Speak clearly! How many enemies are there? Do you have any specific intelligence on them?"

Before Baki could speak, another Sunagakure ninja nearby chimed in.

"There are only two enemies! Their identities are unknown. When I led a team to provide support, the enemies moved too fast, and we couldn't catch them."

After hearing the report, Baki signaled for the ninja to go and rest, then gathered two squads and set off toward the western outpost to investigate.

Not long after Baki departed, Uchiha Shisui and Jiraiya sprang from the treetops.

The two exchanged a glance; Jiraiya drew a kunai, while Uchiha Shisui unsheathed his ninja blade. As they stormed the outpost, it was like tigers entering a flock of sheep, and the Sunagakure ninja were left completely defenseless.

"Who are you people!?"

"Enemy attack!"

As flames rose, one of the Sunagakure outposts was completely wiped out.

"Damn it! The enemy is too cunning!"

Having arrived at the western outpost, Baki looked at the thick smoke rising behind him and cursed his bad luck.

After finishing off the outpost, Jiraiya and Uchiha Shisui sped through the eastern mountain forest, their agile figures moving like ghosts.

Their feet tapped lightly against the lush branches, causing them to quiver slightly as the leaves rustled, as if masking their movements.

"Kid," Jiraiya panted, a look of appreciative amusement on his face as he turned to look at Uchiha Shisui beside him, "your plan is actually quite effective! You've got those Sunagakure ninja running in circles."

Uchiha Shisui tilted his head slightly, a rebellious curve forming at the corner of his mouth: "Of course. I couldn't exactly count on your old brain to come up with anything decent."

"Oh my, oh my," Jiraiya sighed dramatically, lowering his head in feigned dejection, "there's no helping it. I, the great Toad Sage Jiraiya, don't have any authority in your eyes at all?"

The two continued to bicker while leaping rapidly through the branches, racing toward their next destination.

"It's just ahead, the Sunagakure outpost in the east!"

Uchiha Shisui pointed to the area ahead and said to Jiraiya.

"Then, let me handle this one alone this time, otherwise you'll think my reputation as the Toad Sage is just for show."

Jiraiya finished speaking and jumped down, leaving Uchiha Shisui to wait in the trees.

"Boom!"

Not long after, an explosion rocked the camp, followed immediately by Jiraiya running out with his white hair singed.

"Damn it! The intelligence said she wasn't supposed to be here!"

Jiraiya muttered to himself while dodging the high-temperature fireballs flying toward him.

"Don't think you can escape! Scorch Release: Fireball Barrage!"

Pakura shouted, launching the fireballs orbiting her toward Jiraiya.

"Are you in trouble?" Uchiha Shisui stood on a distant tree, whispering as he watched Jiraiya flee in a sorry state.

While chasing Jiraiya, Pakura noticed Uchiha Shisui in the distance and speculated to herself: Is he here for backup? Then I'll find an opportunity to take him out first!

Uchiha Shisui watched the cat-and-mouse game quietly, though it seemed the cat had also marked him as a mouse, intentionally or otherwise moving in his direction.

Just as an explosion rang out and dust filled the air, Pakura leaped up, attacking Uchiha Shisui where he stood on the branch.

"Scorch Release: Extreme Steam Killing!"

As Pakura neared Uchiha Shisui, three fireballs appeared around her, capable of vaporizing almost everything in their vicinity.

Uchiha Shisui leaped backward, dodging the fireballs while throwing two explosive tag-laden kunai.

"Useless!"

Pakura instantly blocked with her fireballs, and the moment the kunai and explosive tags touched them, they were reduced to molten iron and ash.

"Kid! Don't go head-to-head with her! She is the Scorch Release ninja of Sunagakure, Pakura!"

Seeing Uchiha Shisui's intention to engage in close combat from afar, Jiraiya hurriedly warned him.

"Rest easy! He is no match for me!"

Uchiha Shisui used the cover of the trees to dodge the incoming fireballs.

"Underestimating me is an unwise choice! Scorch Release: Scorch Kill Leg!"

Pakura struck in an instant, her heel carrying a wave of heat as she kicked toward Uchiha Shisui.

"You're wrong! Didn't your seniors ever tell you not to look into the eyes of an Uchiha clan member before fighting them?"

The Three-Tomoe in Uchiha Shisui's eyes rotated slowly as he smiled at Pakura, who had been staring directly at him.

"This is... Genjutsu!"

Pakura's body froze in place, her gaze dull, her expression flickering between pain, fear, and triumph.

"Yo! You finished it already? Not bad!" Jiraiya ran over, patting Uchiha Shisui on the shoulder as he spoke.

"Yeah, though it seems someone was running away in a sorry state earlier?"

As Uchiha Shisui pulled out a rope to bind Pakura, he muttered in a voice loud enough for Jiraiya to hear.

"If I hadn't warned you, you'd be a dried-up husk by now! And yet you say such hurtful things."

Upon hearing this, Jiraiya's eyes widened sharply; his already large eyes now resembled copper bells as he stared straight at the other man.

"I am merely stating the facts."

Uchiha Shisui sealed Pakura's chakra, hoisted her onto his shoulder, and signaled that it was time to retreat.

"..."

Jiraiya was speechless for a moment before slapping his forehead and saying, "Well, I'm truly afraid of you."

With those words, Uchiha Shisui and Jiraiya retreated rapidly toward the Land of Fire, effectively concluding their multi-day mission of harassing enemy strongholds.

Looking back, the Sunagakure outposts they had destroyed along the way were now nothing but a scene of devastation.

The Sunagakure ninjas in these outposts were merely scouts sent by the village. They were few in number, scattered across various makeshift camps.

The teams consisted almost entirely of greenhorns—Genin and Chunin with little combat experience or real strength.

With tension and unease etched onto their youthful faces, they had no way to parry the surprise attacks from Jiraiya and Uchiha Shisui. The battles often ended quickly after brief exchanges, which was the primary reason this mission was completed so rapidly.