The Purpose of the Threat

More than a dozen Sand Ninja darted rapidly out of the forest.

Looking at the babbling brook before them, the leading jonin let out a sigh of relief.

As long as they crossed this point, they would enter the Land of Rain, and once there, the Konoha ninja would never be able to find them. Once the Konoha ninja were forced to retreat in frustration, they could then enter the Land of Rivers and infiltrate the Konoha-occupied zone.

Perfect!

Glancing back at the forest, the Sunagakure jonin curled his lips, his eyes filled with mockery.

This time, they had led that group of Konoha ninja around in circles; combined with the other teams operating separately from them, the Konoha command headquarters must be in total disarray by now.

"Keep your spirits up, don't let the Konoha ninja catch up!"

With that instruction, he took the lead, leaping across the stream to reach the opposite bank. Behind him, more than a dozen Sand Ninja followed suit.

But just as the last Sand Ninja crossed the bank, a Konoha ninja suddenly jumped out in front of them.

"Ambush!"

The Sunagakure jonin's expression darkened. Seeing the Konoha ninja before him forming hand seals and realizing he was about to unleash a jutsu, he immediately waved his hand and shouted, "Scatter!"

As he spoke, he immediately performed a Body Flicker Technique, dodging to the side.

"Fire Style: Ash Pile Burning!"

A massive amount of ash and soot spewed from Sarutobi Hakuba's mouth, engulfing several Sand Ninja before they could react.

The intense heat carried within the ash scorched the Sand Ninja. Just as they endured the pain and attempted to charge out of the cloud, a spark suddenly ignited within the ash.

The next second, the entire cloud of ash erupted in a violent explosion.

BOOM!

Accompanied by screams, those few Sand Ninja were directly swallowed by the blast.

"Damn it!" Seeing this, the Sunagakure jonin cursed under his breath, his face grim.

He hadn't expected the Konoha ninja to be lying in ambush here, which gave him a bad feeling: "Could it be that our plan has already been exposed?"

At this moment, a sensory ninja spoke up: "Captain, there are only three people blocking us."

"What?"

The Sunagakure jonin looked stunned, then, realizing something, he sneered, "Almost got played."

It seemed the Konoha ninja before them were likely just a squad that had stumbled upon them by luck—though, given the circumstances, one could hardly call that luck.

"Kill them and continue forward." Convinced he had seen through everything, the Sunagakure jonin immediately gave the order.

They didn't have time to waste here with these few Konoha ninja.

As the Sand Ninja heard the order and prepared to charge, dense cracks suddenly spread beneath their feet.

Before they could react, they lost their footing, and more than half of the Sand Ninja plummeted into the stream along with the collapsing earth.

At this height, the fall alone wouldn't kill anyone.

"So that's it, trying to stall for time?" The Sunagakure jonin drew his ninja blade and shouted, "Follow me! We cannot let these Konoha ninja succeed!"

Just as he was about to move, he heard a dull rumble in his ears, and the ground began to shake as if a thousand horses were galloping.

Following the direction of the sound, the Sand Ninja turned their heads, and their pupils constricted.

"Damn it!"

A massive torrent submerged both banks, kicking up waves several yards high as it roared down from upstream, swallowing the entire group of Sand Ninja in the blink of an eye.

At the same time, at the river bend downstream, one side had been shattered by Hyuga Hihi, causing giant boulders to tumble down and completely block the stream.

The moment the stream was cut off, the flood arrived, slamming violently into the "roadblock." The power contained within the floodwaters erupted instantly, the churning water forming waves and undercurrents. The pebbles at the bottom of the river collided with the unfortunate Sand Ninja, nearly grinding them to pieces.

Sen Chisato and Maruboshi Kosuke followed behind the torrent, sprinting across the surface of the water.

As the boulders blocking the stream were washed away and the water continued to drain—the volume decreasing now that there was no chakra sustaining it—the corpses of the Sand Ninja began to float to the surface.

"Oh ho, a bumper harvest!"

Sen Chisato's face was full of joy as he excitedly began to count the bodies. "One, two, three..."

Maruboshi Kosuke, standing beside him, couldn't help but glance at him, his brow relaxing significantly.

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

He had never seen a ninja with such talent for ninjutsu; that surging, tidal wave-like display had even made him feel as if he were seeing the Second Hokage.

"...sixteen!"

At this point, Sen Chisato finished counting, and the smile on his face gradually faded.

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

"The count doesn't add up." Sen Chisato slowly gripped the short blade at his waist.

Sarutobi Hakuba, who had arrived, heard this and looked around. Seeing no survivors, he said, "They must have been swept away by the current."

"Or they might be buried at the bottom of the river," Hyuga Hihi added.

Having witnessed the Water Style jutsu unleashed by Sen Chisato and Maruboshi Kosuke, he didn't believe anyone could have survived under such an onslaught.

Seeing Sen Chisato's expression remained tense, he activated his Byakugan and began to inspect the area carefully.

The next second, his eyes widened: "There is someone at the bottom of the water, and they're still alive!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the Sand Ninja, who had been playing dead at the bottom of the river, moved. He burst from the water in an instant, attempting to leap onto the bank and flee.

A bright flash of steel reflected off the water's surface as Sen Chisato drew his short blade, ready to charge, but someone was even faster than him.

"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"

Boom!

A water dragon surged from the river, turned its head in mid-air, and slammed the Sand Ninja back down.

The moment he hit the water, the Sand Ninja scrambled to his feet. Just as he assumed a defensive stance, a figure flashed right before his eyes.

Shing!

A blade of light flickered and vanished, and blood immediately sprayed from the Sand Ninja's throat.

The Sand Ninja clutched his chest, eyes bulging as he collapsed.

"Eighteen." Sen Chisato flicked the blood from his short blade and sheathed it, slowly reciting the final count.

Confirming that the last enemy was dead, the four of them finally relaxed completely.

Looking at the corpse floating on the water like a fallen leaf, Sen Chisato's eyes darted around as he pondered how to get his hands on these bodies.

Returning to the group, he remarked casually, "Old man, you're quick on the draw."

Maruboshi Kosuke maintained his gentle expression, chuckling as he said, "Because you said the numbers didn't match up, Chisato, I stayed prepared."

"Oh, I suppose this is what trust between comrades is all about." Sen Chisato gave a thumbs-up.

Sarutobi Hakuba's mouth twitched, and he instinctively took a step back.

Even though Sen Chisato wasn't looking at him, he couldn't shake the feeling that the brat was implying something.

He gave a dry cough, preparing to change the subject, but the moment he opened his mouth, Sen Chisato shot him a sidelong glance.

"Hey, Uncle, you should really learn from him. I honestly don't know how you became captain; don't tell me you just coasted into the position because your surname is 'Sarutobi'."

"You wretched brat!" The veins in Sarutobi Hakuba's forehead throbbed.

He knew it!

He flashed behind Sen Chisato, locking his arm around the boy's neck while his other hand formed a fist, grinding it forcefully into the top of Sen Chisato's head.

"My position was personally appointed by the Third Hokage himself. Are you questioning the Hokage?"

"Didn't you just expose yourself?" Sen Chisato struggled violently, shouting, "When I get back, I'm definitely reporting this to my teacher to have you stripped of your captaincy!"

"Let go already, it hurts!"

Sarutobi Hakuba sighed and released Sen Chisato, asking helplessly, "Out with it. What kind of scheme are you cooking up now?"

He didn't believe for a second that the brat was just annoyed with him or lacked trust. Based on his understanding, this kid was deliberately provoking him for a specific purpose.

Sure enough, a glint of cunning flashed in Sen Chisato's eyes the moment he heard that.

"Ahem, if you don't mind, leave these corpses to me to handle."