Sneak Attack and Warning

"The target: every Konoha outpost along the Land of Rivers border."

Maki spoke in a low voice, his tone carrying unquestionable resolve.

"We must coordinate with the other assault units and break through the border in the shortest time possible. We cannot give Konoha a chance to react."

"Understood, Lord Maki!"

The ninjas answered in unison, their voices full of confidence in the mission.

Hidden Sand had been planning this war for a long time... preparing for it well in advance.

Even during peacetime, they had secretly practiced how to storm into the Land of Fire and reclaim what they had lost in the First and Second Shinobi World Wars.

Especially the hatred accumulated during the Second Shinobi World War. Advisor Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law, along with many Hidden Sand ninjas, had all died in that war.

Now, it was time to collect that debt.

Hidden Sand had deployed six thousand elite troops here, divided into three groups to launch surprise attacks from the south and north of the Land of Rivers, as well as from the direction of the Land of Rain.

But the true elite force was in the north of the Land of Rivers: four thousand ninjas led by Rasa, an elite jonin of Sand Village.

The other two forces, each with one thousand men, were led respectively by Hidden Sand hero Yekura and the tagalong Maki. They would feign attacks to draw Konoha's attention and cover the main force's rapid assault straight into the heart of the Land of Fire!

The night was as black as ink as the Hidden Sand ninjas approached Konoha's outpost like ghosts within the darkness.

The Konoha ninjas at the outpost had not noticed the approaching danger. They sat around a bonfire, chatting about trivial daily matters, completely unaware that death was silently closing in.

"Move!"

At Maki's command, the Hidden Sand ninjas charged at the outpost like a raging storm.

Quick and agile, they crossed into the outpost's perimeter in an instant.

Maki rushed at the very front, gripping an invisible blade of wind in his hand. It was also his signature ninjutsu.

"Who's there?! Damn it, enemy attack!"

"Wind Release: Wind Blade!"

Maki shouted, and a powerful blade of wind instantly formed in his hand, sweeping toward the Konoha ninja who had raised the alarm.

The wind blade was incredibly fast. The Konoha chunin on the watchtower had no time to react before they were struck, crying out as they were sent flying, blood spraying through the air.

"Wind Release! Watch out, they're Hidden Sand ninjas!"

A Konoha ninja came to his senses and shouted loudly.

He rapidly formed hand seals, preparing to unleash a ninjutsu, but it was already too late.

One Hidden Sand ninja after another vaulted over the fence and rushed before him, their kunai and shuriken flashing like lightning as they stabbed straight for his heart.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

At the final moment, the Konoha ninja unleashed his ninjutsu. The air before him was instantly engulfed in flames, forming a massive fireball that blasted the charging Hidden Sand ninjas away.

But his body had already been pierced by kunai and shuriken. Blood gushed out like a spring as he fell to the ground, his eyes filled with unwillingness.

The Hidden Sand ninjas surged into the outpost like a tide. Working in perfect coordination and moving swiftly, they cut down the Konoha ninjas one after another.

Very quickly, a slaughter began—many against few.

Maki stood in the center of the outpost, his gaze cold and resolute as he watched the fighting around him.

He knew that the surprise attack had already succeeded halfway.

The remaining half depended on whether Konoha would take the bait.

Amid the endless mountains and forests, a figure in a green flak jacket leaped and darted through the trees.

Hyuga Sanpo clutched his wound without making a sound. Even with his chakra nearly depleted, he did not slow down.

But those Hidden Sand ninjas had left many wounds on his body, some deep and some shallow. The most serious had undoubtedly been inflicted by their leader, Maki.

That terrifying wind blade had nearly cut him in two.

The constant blood loss was making Hyuga Sanpo weak.

Even his lips had begun to turn pale. His prized Byakugan throbbed in waves, and his mind was starting to grow dizzy.

Yet the guilt and regret in his heart drove him onward, refusing to let him fall.

If he had not run into several Hidden Sand ninjas during a reconnaissance mission a few days ago, had his eyes accidentally been stung by poison mist, and had then accidentally ended up recovering in a hospital bed—

With Hyuga Sanpo's Byakugan, the Hidden Sand ninjas would never have been able to ambush them last night!

It could be said that his negligence had caused the deaths of dozens of comrades at that outpost. And if not for his comrades' cover, he would never have been able to fight his way out of hundreds of Hidden Sand ninjas.

Thinking of this, the regret and hatred in his heart grew even stronger.

Hidden Sand: No, brother, are you sure those were accidents? We carefully arranged a chain of traps, and you summed it all up as one accident after another?

Maki: No, brother, do you hear yourself? Do you think you're Yan Shuangying? If we hadn't deliberately let you go deliver the news, could you have escaped the encirclement of a thousand of us?

Whenever Hyuga Sanpo began to feel sleepy, the scene of the outpost being ambushed replayed endlessly in his mind.

The faces of those familiar comrades flashed before his eyes one by one. Their smiles seemed as though they had been there only yesterday, yet now they were separated by life and death.

He clenched his teeth, a low roar rumbling from his throat. His hands tightened into fists, his nails nearly digging into his palms.

"Can't fall... can't fall!"

He repeated it to himself over and over, but his steps grew heavier, each one feeling as if he were carrying an enormous weight.

Finally, he saw Konoha's Land of Rivers garrison camp not far ahead.

"Emergency! Hidden Sand has attacked the western border outpost!"

He used the last of his strength to shout.

His voice echoed through the dawn light, deafeningly loud.

Then his body could no longer hold on, and he crashed heavily to the ground.

Blood poured from his wounds, staining the earth around him red.

His vision began to blur, but his consciousness was unusually clear.

I can't die here. I still have something to do... revenge!

He painfully stretched out a hand, trying to grasp something, but it eventually fell limply to the ground.

At that moment, several figures appeared in his field of vision. They were Konoha ninjas who had heard his shout and rushed over.

They saw Hyuga Sanpo lying on the ground, the wounds across his body, and the unwilling light in his eyes.

"It's a Hyuga Clan ninja! Quick, call the medical ninjas!"

"I think he said Hidden Sand launched a surprise attack! Report to Lord Nara immediately and verify the intelligence!"

One ninja shouted as they quickly lifted Hyuga Sanpo and ran toward the tents.

At the same time, several chunin from the Nara Clan rushed toward the command center at the heart of the camp.

Hyuga Sanpo's consciousness gradually faded, but he could still hear footsteps in the distance.

He knew that he had not betrayed the trust of those comrades who had died. He had completed his mission.

"Sorry... everyone... reporting it to the village... counts as atonement..."

His voice grew softer and softer before he finally sank into darkness.