The Shocking Explosion at the Supply Station and the Diplomatic Note's Brazen Counteraccusation

The Southern Border's night wind carried sand.

The captain of the Sunagakure Decapitation Squad, codenamed "Sand Scorpion," was crouched behind a dune less than three hundred meters from Konoha's Third Supply Transfer Station.

Through his binoculars, the transfer station's lights appeared sparse. Several Konoha Chunin dozed against the walls, the patrols' footsteps were sluggish and lazy, and faint clamor could even be heard from the direction of the kitchen.

Everything was exactly as the intelligence had described.

Their defenses were lax, utterly vulnerable.

"This is going too smoothly," the vice-captain whispered beside him, a trace of unease in his voice.

"This operation was personally planned by Lord Rasa. How could those Konoha fools possibly have anticipated it?" Sand Scorpion lowered his binoculars, his gaze cold.

He disliked this feeling of unease, but the arrow was already on the string.

"The targets are the grain stores and ninja tool depot. Our priority is to create chaos and shake Konoha's military morale along the Southern Border." Sand Scorpion issued his final order. "Move."

Twelve shadows slipped into the night like ghosts.

They bypassed every sentry, silently vaulted over the walls, and infiltrated the transfer station's courtyard.

The process went so smoothly it was outrageous.

Sand Scorpion led his men straight toward the largest warehouses. They pried open the locks, and a wave of stale paper and moldy odor hit them in the face.

There were no expected sacks of rice or Soldier Pills, only rows of neatly stacked wooden crates.

One squad member pried open a crate. It was filled with orderly rolls of yellowed paper that looked like discarded official documents.

"Captain, something's wrong."

Sand Scorpion's heart sank.

He grabbed a handful of paper rolls and, by moonlight, his pupils suddenly contracted.

These were not official documents at all, but discarded