Within the Land of Earth.
A figure walked calmly across the land. He wore bright red armor and a bamboo hat, with the lower half of his face covered and a cold look in his eyes.
He was Han, Iwagakure's Five-Tails Jinchuriki.
Unlike other Jinchūriki, Han had performed countless meritorious deeds for Iwagakure and earned the fearsome name of "Steam Ninja" throughout the Shinobi World. He was a pillar of Iwagakure.
As such, he was not normally kept under watch and enjoyed a degree of freedom.
That had not changed even after Roshi, the Four-Tails Jinchūriki, left the village after his stubborn nature put him at odds with the Tsuchikage.
This time, for instance, he had just completed an S-rank mission and was returning alone.
Nothing unexpected had happened along the way, and he had already entered the Land of Earth, which left him somewhat less vigilant.
Little did he know that someone high above his head had been watching him for a long time!
A shadow swept rapidly across the ground. Han raised his head and glanced at the sun but noticed nothing. His thoughts were on how much longer it would take to reach the village.
Just then, a strange noise suddenly came from beneath his feet.
Before he could react, four oddly shaped puppets burst out of the ground and seized his arms and legs as quickly as possible. Blades coated in deadly poison then sprang from various parts of their bodies and stabbed straight at him.
Despite the sudden attack, Han did not panic. Instead, he calmly surveyed his surroundings while ignoring the puppets' attacks.
The next second, every poisoned blade snapped with a crack!
The armor Han wore was no mere decoration. It had been custom-made from numerous precious materials to let him unleash the