Do you also want to dance?

In a quiet town on the border of the Land of Fire, Darui and Samui sat silently in a somewhat crude house.

The room was furnished simply and plainly, containing only a wooden table and a few dilapidated chairs.

Time passed quietly, and several days had already gone by. During this period, they had been carefully probing Konoha in various ways.

However, the results were deeply disappointing—Konoha seemed completely unmoved, delaying the dispatch of ninjas to reinforce the border of the Land of Fire.

At this moment, Darui's long, powerful fingers were tapping rhythmically against the tabletop, as if venting his inner dissatisfaction and restlessness in this manner.

After a while, as if giving up, he threw his body backward, slumped lazily into the chair, and tilted his head to stare straight at the ceiling, muttering to himself.

"How boring! We've gained nothing from all these days of probing. Konoha Village hasn't even reacted in the slightest; it seems they really are unable to spare anyone."

Hearing this, Samui nodded slightly in agreement.

She stood up slowly, took a deep breath, and said.

"Since that is the case, there is no need to continue wasting time on probes. I think we should set the attack for this noon."

After speaking, she rubbed her shoulder, which had become sore for some reason, and walked toward the door with firm steps, preparing to meet the fierce battle to come.

Time flowed away silently, like fine sand in an hourglass.

Finally, after a long trek, Shi Xiu led Kakashi and Nara Luling to the camp of the garrison squad located on the border of the Land of Fire.

At this moment, a tall, determined-looking jonin walked quickly to the front of Shi Xiu and his group. He bowed slightly and said.

"Greetings! I am Heimu Wu, captain of this garrison squad. May I ask if you are the reinforcements from Konoha Village?"

Hearing Heimu Wu's inquiry, Shi Xiu nodded slightly to confirm.

However, looking at the mere handful of people before him, Heimu Wu could not help but frown. A look of doubt appeared in his eyes as he asked again, "Could it be... that only the few of you have come to provide support?"

Facing Heimu Wu's question, Shi Xiu did not respond directly.

Shi Xiu simply stood quietly in place, his gaze slowly sweeping over the other members of the garrison squad.

There were three men and one woman, their expressions ranging from serious to curious, all focusing their attention on Shi Xiu and his companions.

The three men were of different builds; one was burly and sturdy, like a small mountain; another was lean, with eyes as sharp as a hawk's; and the third was of medium build, looking quite steady. The only woman had a graceful figure, her long, black, shiny hair fluttering in the wind—beautiful and moving, yet not lacking in heroic spirit.

Before Shi Xiu could even speak, his keen perception allowed him to instantly detect a large number of ninjas, divided into two waves, approaching their location at an astonishing speed.

The twenty people in the front were likely a reconnaissance unit, while the thirty-plus people in the back were surely the main force.

Just then, the lean, agile man turned his head abruptly and shouted with a grave expression:

"Captain! A large group of ninjas is approaching rapidly. Based on my preliminary judgment, there are no fewer than twenty of them!"

Hearing this, Heimu Wu's expression changed drastically, and he cursed inwardly. He knew full well that his few men would be no match for them in a head-on fight; they could only ambush the enemy.

But there was little time left for them, so he gave a decisive order.

"Fusen, Noma, you two come with me to the front and set up traps as quickly as possible! Suzuna, you and Wagiri lead these people and set an ambush here!"

Before the words had even faded, the burly man and the steady-looking man responded without hesitation, dashing toward the front like arrows released from a bow.

The woman called Suzuna was the only female member of this team.

She was agile and coordinated perfectly with the lean man named Wagiri, leading the others in a leap to the nearby treetops, where they quickly hid among the lush branches and leaves.

Shi Xiu stood quietly to the side, offering no opinion, wanting to take this opportunity to observe just how capable they were.

After all, no matter how many people came from the other side, for him, it was just a matter of a single slap from a Complete Body Susanoo.

Time ticked by, and before long, Heimu Wu and the others successfully completed their task and returned.

They slipped back to their original positions, found their hiding spots, and held their breath, waiting for the enemy to appear.

The entire scene fell into a tense silence, as if the air itself had frozen...

However, this silent scene did not last long.

Just as Heimu Wu's nerves were stretched to the breaking point, a series of deafening explosions suddenly erupted not far ahead.

The roar was like a thunderclap, instantly shattering the surrounding tranquility.

"Attack!" Following Heimu Wu's decisive and sharp command, several black shadows darted out from the dense bushes like arrows.

Heimu Wu moved with agility and speed, rushing toward the Cloud Village reconnaissance unit in the blink of an eye like a ghost.

Fortunately, Heimu Wu had meticulously laid out a large number of powerful explosive tags beforehand.

At this moment, the reconnaissance unit, which had originally numbered around twenty, suffered heavy casualties from this blow.

The scene was filled with smoke and fire, with severed limbs scattered everywhere, leaving only seven or eight people barely standing.

But they were all injured to varying degrees; some were covered in blood, while others limped, looking utterly wretched.

Faced with such a sudden and fierce ambush, the surviving Cloud Village ninjas were thrown into a panic.

Although they attempted to resist, they were completely routed before long under the coordinated attacks of Heimu Wu and his men.

In the end, Heimu Wu's side successfully captured two prisoners, while the rest of the enemies were wiped out entirely.

But just as Heimu Wu focused his attention on how to interrogate these two prisoners to obtain important intelligence, an unexpected situation occurred once again.

A clamor erupted from behind, followed immediately by a tide of ninjas dressed as merchants surging forward.

Heimu Wu saw the situation turn dire and cursed inwardly. He knew that if they continued to entangle themselves with this new wave of enemies, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Heimu Wu made a split-second decision, turning to shout at Reina behind him, "Retreat! Fusen, Noma, and I will hold them off!"

At that moment, Darui's entire body crackled with lightning as he poured a surging torrent of Lightning Release chakra into the weapon in his hands.

The great blade was instantly enveloped in dazzling electricity, appearing as if it had transformed into a bolt of lightning.

With a thunderous roar, Darui gripped the hilt with both hands and swung down at Heimu Wu with the force of a crashing storm.

No sooner had it happened than, at this critical, life-or-death moment, Shi Xiu, who had been standing to the side, moved with the speed of a phantom, appearing before Darui in the blink of an eye.

Without a change in expression or a skipped heartbeat, Shi Xiu simply raised his right hand and steadily pinched the blade of Darui's sword, which was imbued with immense power and lightning chakra.

Darui was taken aback, his usually half-lidded eyes widening in sheer disbelief.

Beside them, Samui's face drained of color, her expression one of pure horror as she shouted at Darui, "Darui! Get back! It's dangerous!"

Hearing Samui's cry, Darui snapped out of his stupor and realized the gravity of the situation, exerting all his strength in a desperate attempt to pull his blade free.

Yet, to Darui's utter shock, no matter how hard he pulled, the sword held by Shi Xiu remained as immovable as if it had taken root.

Seeing this, Samui was frantic. Without a moment's hesitation, she drew the twin blades from her waist and charged at Shi Xiu like a gale, attempting to sever the hand holding the sword to rescue Darui.

This series of events unfolded with the speed of lightning, leaving the others present unable to even mount an effective reaction.

But at this crucial juncture, Kakashi and Nara Luling, relying on their keen combat instincts and exceptional adaptability, were the first to recover.

Kakashi's figure flickered, and in the blink of an eye, he arrived at the scene. With a crisp, resounding "clang," he blocked Samui's fierce dual-blade strike with his kunai, sending sparks flying in every direction.

Simultaneously, Nara Luling did not back down; she lunged forward, raised her right leg high, and delivered a crushing kick toward Samui with the force of an overwhelming tide.

Seeing the danger, Samui remained composed under pressure. She grabbed Darui's clothing with lightning speed and yanked him backward, successfully pulling him to safety.

Shi Xiu looked at Samui and Darui, his expression indifferent as he said, "Do you wish to dance as well?"