A large number of Sunagakure shinobi lay hidden in a valley west of Kikyō Mountain. Scorpion was among them.
As Sunagakure's newly risen puppet prodigy, this war was his chance to make a name for himself. But Scorpion wanted to leave Sunagakure and continue pursuing his art.
Squad after squad of Sand Shinobi passed the ambush site and headed toward the Land of Fire. They were all bait.
Their purpose was to lure out Konoha's forces. After their crushing defeat in the Land of Rain, Sunagakure had grown much smarter.
In overall strength, Sunagakure was no match for Konoha. It had to rely on ambushes.
Sunagakure's strengths lay in puppets and poisons. Its concealed weapons were better made than Konoha's.
On the other side of Kikyō Mountain, the Ninja Corps led by Dan Katō advanced rapidly.
Konoha's strong scouting abilities let its shinobi detect enemy movements even from far away.
"Captain, we've spotted a large Sunagakure force ahead. It looks like their Vanguard Force."
Dan Katō nodded. "Take cover. We'll ambush them here and teach them a lesson."
"Yes."
The Ninja Corps vanished into the forest. Barely half an hour later, the Sand Shinobi drew near.
A Sand Shinobi at the front watched his surroundings closely, sniffing the air as he went.
He had no connection to the Inuzuka clan. Born with a keen sense of smell, he had become a scout for Sunagakure.
The Sand Shinobi raised an arm to halt the column, then approached its captain. "I can smell a lot of people. The scent of human bodies stands out from the natural smells here.
"A large number of shinobi passed through recently. There's an enemy ambush."
The Sunagakure captain looked at the empty forest. "Fire Release users, assemble. There's a large force lying in wait ahead. Hit