In a quiet town on the border of the Land of Fire, Darui and Samui sat quietly in a rather shabby room.
The room was sparsely furnished, with only a wooden table and a few battered chairs.
Time passed quietly, and several days had gone by. During that time, they had carefully probed Konoha in various ways.
But the results were disappointing—Konoha seemed to be doing nothing and had yet to send any ninjas to support the border of the Land of Fire.
At that moment, Darui's long, strong fingers tapped the tabletop in a slow, steady rhythm, as if venting his frustration and restlessness.
After a while, he seemed to give up. He suddenly leaned back, slumping lazily into his chair, then tilted his head up and stared at the ceiling as he muttered.
"This is so boring! We've been probing them for days and haven't gotten anything out of it. Konoha hasn't reacted in the slightest. Looks like they really can't spare anyone."
Samui gave a slight nod in agreement.
She slowly rose to her feet, took a deep breath, and said,
"In that case, there's no point wasting any more time probing them. I say we launch the attack at noon today."
With that, she rubbed her shoulder, which had grown somewhat sore for some reason, and strode resolutely toward the door, ready to face the fierce battle that awaited them.
Time trickled away, grain by grain, like sand in an hourglass.
At last, after a long journey, Shi Xiu led Kakashi and Nara Luling to the camp of the squad stationed along the border of the Land of Fire.
A tall, stern-faced jonin hurried over to meet them. He bowed slightly and said,
"Hello! I'm Heimu Wu, captain of this stationed squad. Are you the reinforcements from Konoha?"
Heimu Wu's question prompted Shi Xiu to nod in confirmation.
However, seeing how few of them there were, Heimu Wu frowned, a trace of confusion in his eyes, and asked, "Could it be... that only you few have come to help?"
Shi Xiu did not answer him directly.
He simply stood where he was, his gaze slowly sweeping over the other members of the stationed squad.
There were three men and one woman. Some looked solemn, while others seemed curious, but all had their eyes fixed on Shi Xiu and the others.
The three men were built differently. One was burly and muscular, like a small mountain; another was leaner, with eyes sharp as an eagle's; the third was of average build and seemed quite steady. The sole woman had a graceful figure and long, glossy black hair that fluttered in the breeze. She was beautiful, yet carried herself with a warrior's air.
Before Shi Xiu could speak, his keen senses alerted him to large numbers of ninjas approaching at astonishing speed in two groups.
The twenty people in front were likely a reconnaissance unit, while the thirty or so behind them were probably the main force.
Just then, the lean, nimble man whipped around and called out gravely,
"Captain! A large group of ninjas is approaching fast. Based on my initial estimate, there are at least twenty of them!"
Heimu Wu's expression changed abruptly. He knew they had no chance of winning in a direct fight and would have to ambush the enemy.
But they had little time. He gave his orders without hesitation.
"Fusen, Noma, come with me to the front and set the traps as quickly as you can! Suzuna, you and Wagiri set up an ambush here with these people!"
Before he had even finished speaking, the burly man and the steady-looking one responded at once and dashed forward like arrows loosed from a bow.
The woman called Suzuna was the only female member of the squad.
Nimble and sure-footed, she worked in perfect coordination with the lean man named Wagiri. Together, they led the others up into the nearby treetops, where they swiftly concealed themselves among the thick foliage.
Shi Xiu stood quietly to one side without offering an opinion, wanting to take the opportunity to see how strong they were.
After all, no matter how many enemies came, he could take care of them with one slap from his Perfect Susanoo.
One second after another passed. Before long, Heimu Wu and the others returned after completing their task.
They slipped back to their positions without making a sound, hid themselves, and held their breath as they waited for the enemy to arrive.
The whole area sank into tense silence, as if even the air had frozen...
However, the silence did not last long.
Just as Heimu Wu's nerves were stretched taut, a series of deafening explosions suddenly erupted not far ahead.
The blasts rang out like thunder, instantly shattering the surrounding quiet.
"Attack!" At Heimu Wu's sharp, decisive command, several dark figures shot out of the dense undergrowth like arrows loosed from a bow.
Heimu Wu moved with the speed and agility of a ghost, reaching the Kumogakure reconnaissance unit in the blink of an eye.
Fortunately, Heimu Wu had already planted a large number of powerful Explosive Tags.
The reconnaissance unit, which had numbered around twenty, had suffered devastating losses. Smoke filled the area, and severed limbs lay scattered everywhere. Only seven or eight people remained standing.
They were all injured to varying degrees. Some were covered in blood, while others limped, looking utterly battered.
Caught off guard by the ferocious ambush, the surviving Kumogakure ninjas panicked.
They tried to fight back, but Heimu Wu and his team worked together so well that they were completely overwhelmed in no time.
In the end, Heimu Wu's side captured two prisoners, while all the other enemies were wiped out.
But just as Heimu Wu focused on how to interrogate the prisoners for vital information, something unexpected happened again.
A commotion rose from behind, followed by a flood of ninjas dressed as merchants.
Seeing the situation turn against him, Heimu Wu knew they would be in serious trouble if they kept fighting the newcomers.
He made a split-second decision and shouted to Reina behind him, "Retreat! Fusen, Noma, and I will hold them off!"
At that moment, lightning crackled all over Darui as he poured a surging torrent of Lightning Release chakra into the weapon in his hands.
The massive blade was instantly enveloped in dazzling lightning, as if it had turned into a bolt of lightning itself.
Darui roared, gripped the hilt with both hands, and brought the blade down on Heimu Wu with the force of a thunderclap.
In that life-or-death instant, Shi Xiu, who had been standing to one side, moved like a phantom. The next moment, he was in front of Darui.
Without changing expression, Shi Xiu simply raised his right hand and caught Darui's blade, holding fast despite its tremendous force and Lightning Release chakra.
Darui's eyes, which had been half-lidded, flew wide open in shock.
Samui was even more horrified. She cried out to Darui in alarm, "Darui! Get back! It's dangerous!"
Samui's shout jolted Darui back to his senses. Realizing the danger, he used all his strength to try to wrench his blade free.
But to Darui's utter shock, no matter how hard he pulled, the blade Shi Xiu held was rooted in place.
Seeing this, Samui panicked. Without wasting a moment, she drew the twin swords at her waist and rushed at Shi Xiu like a sudden storm, trying to sever the hand holding Darui's blade and save him.
Everything happened in a flash, so quickly that the others present had not even had time to react.
But at that critical moment, Kakashi and Nara Luling were the first to recover, thanks to their keen battle instincts and quick reflexes.
Kakashi darted forward in an instant. A sharp clang rang out.
Holding a Kunai, Kakashi precisely blocked Samui's powerful strike with her twin swords, sending sparks flying.
At the same time, Nara Luling rushed forward without hesitation, raised her right leg high, and kicked Samui with a force that could topple mountains.
Seeing the danger, Samui kept her head. She swiftly grabbed Darui's clothes and yanked him backward, pulling him free.
Shi Xiu looked at Samui and Darui, his expression calm, and said, "Do you want to dance too?"