The Purpose of the Threat

More than a dozen Sand Ninja burst out of the forest.

Looking at the rippling stream before them, the Jonin leading the group breathed a sigh of relief.

Once they crossed here, they could enter the Land of Rain. The Konoha Ninja would never find them there. When the Konoha Ninja had no choice but to withdraw, they could enter the Land of Rivers and slip into Konoha-occupied territory.

Perfect!

Glancing back at the forest, the Sunagakure Jonin curled his lips into a smirk, his eyes full of mockery.

This time, they had run those Konoha Ninja in circles. And with the other teams that had split off from them, Konoha's command center was probably completely at a loss by now.

"Stay sharp. Don't let Konoha catch up!"

After the reminder, he led the way across the stream and reached the opposite bank. The more than a dozen Sand Ninja followed close behind.

But just as the last Sand Ninja crossed the riverbank, a Konoha Ninja suddenly appeared in front of them.

"It's an ambush!"

The Sunagakure Jonin's expression darkened. Seeing the Konoha Ninja form hand seals, he realized the man was about to use a jutsu and immediately waved his hand. "Scatter!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he used the Body Flicker Technique and dodged to one side.

"Fire Style: Ash Pile Burning!"

A huge cloud of ash poured from Sarutobi Hakuba's mouth. Several Sand Ninja failed to react in time and were swallowed up by it.

The intense heat carried by the ash scorched them. Gritting their teeth against the pain, they had just begun to force their way out when a spark suddenly flared inside the cloud.

The next instant, the entire cloud of ash exploded violently.

Boom!

Amid their screams, the several Sand Ninja were consumed by the blast.

"Damn it!" Seeing this, the Sunagakure Jonin cursed under his breath, his expression grim.

He hadn't expected Konoha Ninja to be lying in ambush here. A sense of foreboding gripped him. "Could our plan have been exposed?"

Just then, a sensory ninja said, "Captain, there are only three of them blocking our way."

"What?"

The Sunagakure Jonin stared in astonishment. Then, as if he'd realized something, he sneered. "I almost got fooled."

The Konoha Ninja before them were probably just a squad that had run into them by sheer luck. And what terrible luck it was.

"Kill them and keep moving," the Sunagakure Jonin ordered, convinced he had seen through everything.

They didn't have time to waste here with a few Konoha Ninja.

At his command, the Sand Ninja were about to charge when cracks suddenly spread beneath their feet.

Before they could react, the ground gave way beneath them. More than half the Sand Ninja plunged into the stream along with the rocks.

It wasn't high enough to kill anyone from the fall.

"So that's it. You're trying to buy time?" The Sunagakure Jonin drew his Ninja Blade and shouted, "Follow me! We can't let these Konoha Ninja succeed!"

He was about to move when a deep rumble reached his ears. The earth began to shake, as if an army of thousands were charging toward them.

The Sand Ninja turned toward the sound. Their pupils contracted.

"Damn it!"

A massive torrent flooded both banks, raising waves several yards high as it roared down from upstream. In the blink of an eye, it swallowed the entire Sand Ninja squad.

At the same time, at a bend downstream, Hyuga Hihi smashed apart one side of the riverbank. Boulders tumbled down, completely blocking the stream.

The moment the stream was cut off, the flood arrived and slammed into the "roadblock." The force of the water unleashed itself in an instant. The backwash formed waves and undercurrents, while the pebbles on the riverbed collided with the unlucky Sand Ninja, nearly grinding them to pieces.

Sen Chisato and Maruboshi Kosuke followed behind the torrent, racing across the water's surface.

Once the boulders blocking the stream were swept away, the water poured through. With no chakra sustaining it, the water level began to drop, and one by one, the Sand Ninja corpses floated to the surface.

"Oh, nice! A huge haul!"

Sen Chisato beamed and eagerly started counting the bodies. "One, two, three..."

Maruboshi Kosuke, beside him, glanced his way, his brows relaxing.

Remembering the power of the jutsu Sen Chisato had unleashed, the old man let out a breath.

He had never seen a ninja with such talent for ninjutsu. The raging waves had even made him feel as if he were looking at the Second.

"...Sixteen!"

Sen Chisato finished counting. The smile gradually faded from his face.

"Hmm? What's wrong?" Maruboshi Kosuke asked, puzzled.

"The numbers don't add up." Sen Chisato slowly gripped the short sword at his waist.

Hearing this, Sarutobi Hakuba looked around but saw no one who had escaped. "They were probably swept away by the current."

"They might have sunk to the bottom, too," Hyuga Hihi said.

After seeing the Water Style jutsu Sen Chisato and Maruboshi Kosuke had unleashed, he didn't think anyone could have survived being caught in them.

But seeing that Sen Chisato still looked tense, he activated his Byakugan and carefully scanned the area.

The next instant, his eyes widened. "There's someone underwater, and he's alive!"

As soon as he spoke, the Sand Ninja who had been playing dead underwater sprang into action. He burst from the surface, trying to jump onto the bank and escape.

Bright steel flashed across the water. Sen Chisato drew his short sword and was about to charge, but someone else was even faster.

"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet!"

Boom!

A water dragon surged from the surface. It twisted its head in midair and slammed the Sand Ninja back into the water.

The moment he hit the water, the Sand Ninja sprang to his feet and assumed a defensive stance. A figure had already flashed in front of him.

Shing!

A flash of steel vanished in an instant, and blood spurted from the Sand Ninja's neck.

Clutching his chest, the Sand Ninja stared wide-eyed as he fell.

"Eighteen." Sen Chisato flicked the blood from his short sword and slowly gave the final number as he sheathed it.

Once they confirmed the last enemy was dead, the four of them finally relaxed completely.

Looking at the corpses floating on the water like fallen leaves, Sen Chisato's eyes shifted as he wondered how he could get his hands on them.

Returning to the others, he casually remarked, "You were quick on the draw, old man."

Maruboshi Kosuke still wore his kindly expression. Smiling, he said, "You said the numbers didn't add up, Chisato, so I was ready the whole time."

"Oh, so that's what trust between comrades looks like." Sen Chisato gave him a thumbs-up.

Sarutobi Hakuba grimaced and instinctively took a step back.

Sen Chisato wasn't looking at him, but he still felt like the kid was hinting at something.

Clearing his throat, he prepared to change the subject. But the moment he opened his mouth, Sen Chisato shot him a sideways glance.

"Hey, old man, you should learn from him. I really don't know how you became our captain. Did you get the job that easily just because your surname is 'Sarutobi'?"

"You brat!" Sarutobi Hakuba's veins bulged.

He knew it!

With a quick step, he appeared behind Sen Chisato. He hooked one arm around his neck and pressed his other hand into a fist against the kid's head.

"My position was personally assigned by the Third. Are you questioning Lord Hokage?"

"Didn't you just expose yourself?" Sen Chisato struggled and shouted, "When we get back, I'm reporting you to my teacher and getting you stripped of your captaincy!"

"Let go! That hurts!"

Sarutobi Hakuba sighed, released Sen Chisato, and asked helplessly, "All right, what scheme are you up to now?"

He didn't believe the kid simply disliked him or didn't trust him. In his experience, if the kid was deliberately threatening him, there had to be another reason.

Sure enough, a sly glint immediately flashed in Sen Chisato's eyes.

"Ahem. If you don't mind, could you leave these bodies to me?"