The Mangekyo Sharingan swept over several Sand Shinobi hidden in the desert. They were a six-person reconnaissance squad.
Fugaku vanished from where he stood and passed through their ranks. Two kunai sliced through the throats of two Sand Shinobi as he released Black Mist Invisibility.
He turned. His Mangekyo Sharingan spun, pouring powerful Pupil Power into the minds of the stunned Sand Shinobi.
His kunai flashed, killing three more. Only one Sand Shinobi remained, frozen in place, still trapped in Fugaku's genjutsu.
Fugaku buried the five bodies, then poured more Pupil Power through his Mangekyo Sharingan. The Sand Shinobi before him was completely under his control.
"How many shinobi has the Third Kazekage stationed in the desert? What's your plan?" Fugaku's voice reached the Sand Shinobi's ears, dreamlike and distant.
The Sand Shinobi stared blankly, showing no sign of resistance. Fugaku had completely hypnotized him, and the Mangekyo Sharingan had rewritten his will.
The Sand Shinobi said, "The Kazekage has stationed two thousand shinobi in the desert to hold you off until Kumogakure breaks through the Land of the Moon's defenses.
"Our only goal is to buy time by harassing the Konoha forces entering the Land of Wind without end."
"How many shinobi are still guarding Sunagakure?"
"More than a thousand remain in the village."
Fugaku nodded. Sunagakure had suffered heavy losses through several wars. If it had pushed another group through Early Graduation at the Ninja Academy, scraping together three thousand shinobi was plausible.
But in terms of strength, many were green recruits who had never seen war. On a battlefield, they would be nothing but cannon fodder.
Fugaku took out a map. "Of the three routes from the Land of Rain to Sunagakure, which has the most shinobi lying in wait? How are their forces distributed?"
The Sand