Soloing the Command Headquarters! Earth Dragon: Open the Door, the Community's Here to Bring Some Warmth (Physically)!

Shikaku Nara lightly tapped the table with his fingers, and the atmosphere inside the tent froze at Kamizuki Yu's proposal.

"Before launching a surprise attack on Bird Slope Passage, we first remove Hidden Rock's frontline command center?" Minato Namikaze repeated, scrutiny in his azure eyes.

This undoubtedly raised the risk level even further.

Shikaku Nara pondered. "Hidden Rock's frontline commander, Earth Dragon, is an elite jonin with extensive experience. The defenses around his headquarters are bound to be formidable."

Kamizuki Yu's lips curled slightly. "I'm rather interested in the place."

[Ding! A special mission environment has been detected. New sign-in location refreshed: Hidden Rock Frontline Command Headquarters. Mission objective: Kill Hidden Rock frontline commander Earth Dragon.]

The system prompt sounded at just the right moment, confirming his suspicions.

"You're going alone?" Minato Namikaze frowned.

"Too many people would just get in the way." Kamizuki Yu's answer was blunt and simple.

Shikaku Nara stared at him, trying to find even the slightest hint of hesitation on that young face. Yet all he saw was turbulent undercurrents beneath perfect calm.

"Fine." Shikaku Nara finally made his decision. "The mission is yours. Remember, your own safety comes first."

Minato Namikaze looked as though he wanted to say more, but in the end, it became only one sentence. "Be extremely careful."

Kamizuki Yu nodded faintly, and with a flicker, vanished without a trace.

Kamizuki Yu raced through the mountain forest, [Flying Thunder God Technique] operating with virtually no downtime under the immense chakra reserves of his Sage Body.

[Ding! Approaching Hidden Rock's alert zone. Host, proceed with caution.]

He paused within the shadow of a towering tree. His Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan silently opened, scarlet light flowing through his eyes.

Ahead, several concealed chakra signatures stood out clearly.

Hidden Rock sentries.

He vanished again.

One Hidden Rock sentry was intently watching every rustle in the darkness, completely unaware that death already stood behind him.

A chill ran down the back of his neck, and his consciousness sank into darkness.

Kamizuki Yu lightly rotated his right hand. The faint spatial fluctuation of [Kamui] had already snapped the target's neck.

Without stopping, he headed for the next marked point.

Hidden Rock patrols along the way, whether in groups of three or squads of five, were silently erased before they could issue a single warning.

Some were directly swallowed by [Kamui], leaving not even a trace behind. Others had their throats precisely slit by kunai at extreme speed.

The terrifying endurance granted by his Sage Body allowed him to lavishly expend chakra, pushing the combination of [Flying Thunder God] and [Kamui] to its limits.

This is rather convenient.

Soon, the outline of the Hidden Rock frontline command headquarters entered his field of vision.

The defenses here were more than a level tighter than those of the outer sentries.

An imperceptible sensory barrier covered the entire area. Linked explosive tags were hidden beneath the ground, while several well-equipped sensory squads patrolled intersecting fixed routes.

Commander Earth Dragon was clearly no easy opponent.

With defenses like these, even an elite jonin squad launching a frontal assault would inevitably pay a terrible price and alert the entire camp.

But before Kamizuki Yu's Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, every arrangement was as good as useless.

The energy flow of the sensory barrier, the weak points in its chakra nodes, the exact locations of every explosive tag, and the patrol routes of each squad were all clearly reflected in his mind.

"Nothing special."

His figure became a nearly uncatchable streak of golden light, landing precisely in a tiny gap within the sensory barrier's circulating energy.

The next instant, he appeared in a gap less than half a foot wide between two explosive tags, landing without a sound.

The patrolling sensory squad only felt an almost imperceptible disturbance in the air and noticed nothing unusual.

The command tent was already in sight.

Four Hidden Rock jonin stood solemnly at the entrance, their auras steady. They were clearly Earth Dragon's personal guards.

Kamizuki Yu did not hesitate in the slightest.

[Flying Thunder God]!

He abruptly appeared behind one of the guards.

The guard only felt a chill rise up his spine. Just as he was about to react, a palm had already pressed against the center of his back.

[Kamui: Distortion]!

After a soundless ripple, the guard's body caved inward and warped. Without making the slightest sound, he was sucked into another dimension and vanished completely.

Almost at the same moment, Kamizuki Yu flicked out two specially made kunai marked with [Flying Thunder God] formulas, aimed directly at two other guards.

The kunai tore through the air.

The remaining two guards reacted quickly enough, immediately assuming defensive stances.

Yet before the kunai could reach them, Kamizuki Yu appeared before the fourth guard.

Pure taijutsu erupted, his speed reaching the absolute extreme.

The guard's pupils reflected only a rapidly expanding fist.

[Bang!]

A dull impact rang out.

The fourth guard's breastbone shattered completely. He flew backward like a rag doll, slammed heavily into one of the tent's support poles, then slid to the ground without moving again.

Only then did the other two shaken guards barely manage to deflect the two special kunai.

They looked around in horror, only to discover that their attacker had vanished.

"Looking for me?"

A cold voice sounded between them.

Kamizuki Yu had appeared there at some unknown moment. Both hands shot out simultaneously, each pressing toward one of their heads.

[Kamui]!

Two more nearly imperceptible spatial distortions followed, and the two heads separated from their bodies as blood geysered forth.

From the first move to the end, only an instant had passed.

All four jonin guards had been wiped out.

Kamizuki Yu pushed aside the tent flap and walked in.

The tent was brightly lit, with a massive sand table in the center. A burly, stern-faced Hidden Rock ninja was studying the troop deployments on it with complete focus.

He was Earth Dragon, the frontline commander of Hidden Rock's current offensive.

He seemed troubled by some tactical point, his brows tightly furrowed.

Kamizuki Yu's footsteps were extremely light, but Earth Dragon was an experienced elite jonin, and his senses were extraordinarily sharp.

The instant Kamizuki Yu stepped into the tent, Earth Dragon suddenly looked up.

An extreme sense of danger from the depths of his soul instantly seized his heart.

He saw Kamizuki Yu.

An apparently ordinary youth, with even a hint of casual indifference on his face.

But those eyes...

Earth Dragon's pupils suddenly constricted.

Scarlet and eerie, three tomoe slowly revolved within them, radiating a chillingly sinister aura.

The Sharingan! And it was... the Mangekyo Sharingan!

Since when had Konoha possessed such a young Mangekyo wielder?

Earth Dragon had no time to think further. His battle instincts drove him to strike back.

But all he saw was the eerie Mangekyo pattern in the other's left eye suddenly begin spinning faster.

An irresistible force of distortion instantly enveloped his head.

"This..."

One final thought flashed through Earth Dragon's mind, leaving behind only endless shock and despair.

[Kamui]!

Pfft.

With a soft sound, Earth Dragon's head completely separated from his body and rolled onto the sand table. Warm blood swiftly soaked the meticulously crafted mountains and rivers.

The expression on his face froze forever in the final moment before his death.

Kamizuki Yu quietly watched the scene as though he had merely done something insignificant.

[Ding! Successfully killed Hidden Rock frontline commander Earth Dragon. Sign-in mission complete!]

[Calculating sign-in reward...]

[Congratulations, Host! You have received a special sign-in reward: Hidden Rock Secret Art: Weighted Rock Technique (Upgradeable)!]

[New sign-in location updated: Hidden Rock Supply Line Hub—Bird Slope Passage.]

Kamizuki Yu shifted his gaze away from the head on the ground, then glanced at the updated sign-in location on the system panel.

"Bird Slope Passage."

He turned and slowly walked out of the tent. Moonlight spilled down, stretching his shadow long behind him.