Ch. 1A ninja unit called "Immortal"
Takahashi Yū’s Immortal Squad continued its destructive campaign in the Land of Earth, drawing Iwagakure’s defenders away from the Land of Rain to relieve pressure on Orochimaru and his companions. When thousands of Iwa ninja approached, Takahashi split his forces and led a flank attack, hoping to delay them while protecting his weaker teammates.
- Takahashi Yū defeated an Explosion Release ninja, while Yamanaka Ayano reported that the squad had intercepted and killed twenty-three enemy teams in the Land of Earth.
- Takahashi reflected on how his actions had escalated the war, reviewed his advancing attributes, and recalled that his original fifty-person squad had dwindled to sixteen.
- Hyūga Ryūhei spotted a mass of chakra signatures approaching, and Nara Yūma concluded that the squad’s first objective had succeeded and Orochimaru’s opportunity depended on the situation in the Land of Rain.
- Takahashi ordered the squad to delay the Iwa forces for up to three days, then split the team so Ino-Shika-Cho, Ryūhei, and five civilian ninja could check the ambush preparations.
- After Hyūga Gōshi reported that about three thousand Iwa ninja were approaching, Takahashi led the remaining squad to strike their flank rather than face them head-on.