Iwagakure's retaliation came quickly, just days after its representatives left the village.
The Iron Fang Group attacked Amegakure's outposts across the land. They not only looted vital supplies, but also killed the Rain Ninja stationed there in an extremely cruel manner.
They seemed to be venting their dissatisfaction, and this thoroughly enraged Hanzō.
Before long, Amegakure's ninja located the Iron Fang Group's hideout.
Amegakure immediately decided to launch an all-out attack.
The good news was that Hanzō had decided to take action personally and wipe out the Iron Fang Group once and for all.
The bad news was that Aoki Tsuki's squad had been assigned to the vanguard. That was the value of an outer guard.
The operation was being conducted in secret. Ordinary Amegakure ninja were not taking part, or rather, they were not qualified to participate.
All the guard squads participating in the operation assembled in an underground space. Aoki Tsuki and more than thirty other elite Chunin stood at the back, with over a dozen Jonin in front of them.
Most of Amegakure's core strength was gathered here.
Those who were both capable and unpopular had mostly been sent to sit at major outposts along the border. Perhaps one day, when they could no longer endure it, they might have a chance to return by writing a tearful letter of repentance.
Everyone focused on the figure standing on the raised platform ahead.
Amegakure's leader-Hanzo of the Salamander.
He wore a breathing tube over his mouth and a brown raincoat. A deep scar ran across his right cheek, and his eyes radiated killing intent.
His speech was short and forceful, with an iron-blooded ruthlessness.
"According to reliable intelligence, the Iron Fang Group's headquarters is hidden in Sumida Mine, near Hasegawa. The passages inside form a maze, and the enemy consists of ninja skilled in Earth Release.
"Each vanguard squad is tasked with scouting out the enemy's situation. Ideally, you will drive them out, and I will lead the others in killing them."
Hanzō certainly would not risk entering an underground mine himself. That would be far too dangerous.
What if it collapsed?
The Land of Rain could not lose Lord Hanzō.
"Move out!!"
The group quietly left Amegakure through a secret exit and headed straight northwest, arriving at their destination unnoticed that afternoon.
It was a long-abandoned mine, with a few collapsed houses nearby.
They set up a temporary camp on the highest mountain nearby, where they could overlook the entire mine at a glance.
The Iron Fang Group guards on the mountain were killed on the spot.
Led by their Jonin captains, six vanguard squads forced their way into a mine tunnel, killing everyone they encountered.
The Iron Fang Group fought as they retreated, leaving corpses in their wake as they fled deeper into the mine.
There were too many branching tunnels inside, so the squads each chose a different route and split up. They also had to clear Explosive Tags and poison gas traps along the way, making their progress slow.
Aoki Tsuki's squad soon reached another fork.
Satō Ichirō said, "We'll split into two teams. Umatsu, you're with me. Kurokawa and Aoki Tsuki, you're together. Kill any enemies you can, and if you can't, drive them out with poison gas bombs."
"Yes!"
Aoki Tsuki and Kurokawa exchanged a glance, put on their gas masks, and proceeded down the tunnel on the right.
It was pitch-black underground, severely limiting their visibility.
They each took out a small flashlight and fastened it to their heads. After moving at top speed for a while, they slowed down in unison.
They were very much in sync.
To avoid an awkward silence, Aoki Tsuki made conversation.
"Brother Kurokawa, do you think we can wipe out the Iron Fang Group this time?"
"We should be able to handle it. We have to trust in Lord Hanzō's power." Kurokawa's tone was calm, and he did not look the least bit afraid.
Aoki Tsuki had to admit that when it came to mental fortitude, he had lost completely.
"Of course I trust in Lord Hanzō's strength. I'm mainly worried about the two of us."
"What do you mean?"
"Think about it. Iwagakure's people are pulling the Iron Fang Group's strings from behind the scenes. We're already at a disadvantage fighting on their turf. If this is a trap, couldn't they just bury us alive?"
It was such an obvious attempt to lure them in deeper that Aoki Tsuki did not believe Kurokawa had failed to notice.
"Then what should we do?"
Seeing Kurokawa continue to play dumb, Aoki Tsuki simply shook his head. "I don't know either. You're knowledgeable and experienced, Brother Kurokawa. Surely you have an idea?"
Kurokawa shook his head. "What can I do? Our mission is to drive the enemies inside out. If they escape through a secret mine tunnel, we'll have a serious problem."
"True. This mine is so big, and the Iron Fang Group has been operating here for a long time. There's no way they don't have a secret escape route. The key is finding it."
Aoki Tsuki kept feeling that they could not just keep blindly pushing farther in like this.
But they could not retreat now either. What would Lord Hanzō think if he saw them?
If they got a reputation for being afraid to fight, they would be finished!
Did they still want to get ahead or not?
As he agonized over it, Kurokawa suddenly said, "We've been walking for a while, and I'm tired. Why don't we stop and rest?"
"Right, right! Let's take a break and eat some soldier pills to replenish our strength for the battle ahead." Aoki Tsuki was all for it.
Damn, this guy's a genius. How did I not think of such a great idea?
They switched off their flashlights and silently ate their soldier pills.
The two rested for five minutes. From time to time, they could feel vibrations coming from the depths. Clearly, other squads had fought their way deep into the mine.
Suddenly, a flurry of hurried footsteps sounded ahead.
Someone said, "Those damn Rain Ninja. This time, we'll bury every last one of them in the mine."
"For the Land of Rain and Lord Tetsuga, we must not let them leave alive."
"Right. We need to lure more of them in this time, or the Explosive Tags we set up will go to waste."
As they spoke, the group of four came right up to Aoki Tsuki and Kurokawa.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
Aoki Tsuki and Kurokawa attacked almost simultaneously, throwing shuriken.
There was hardly any room to dodge in the narrow tunnel. Whoever struck first had the advantage.
Pfft, pfft...
The man at the front was clearly caught off guard by the sudden attack, and several shuriken lodged in his body. His sacrifice was not in vain.
The three behind him escaped the attack under the cover of their companion's body, and one of them quickly formed hand seals.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
An earthen wall rose swiftly, sealing off the tunnel in an attempt to create a temporary defense against the enemy's follow-up attack.
Whoosh...
Aoki Tsuki immediately threw a shuriken carrying an Explosive Tag, blasting the Earth-Style Wall apart. Almost simultaneously, Kurokawa followed up with a support ninjutsu.
"Water Release: Black Rain Technique!"
Black oil sprayed toward the enemy like rain, spreading fiercely with the flames from the explosion.
Whoosh...
Thick smoke billowed through the tunnel, stinging their eyes so badly they could not open them.
One of the men opposite accidentally caught some of the burning oil on his body and fell to the ground, rolling about. Within a few breaths, he fell silent. The remaining two were also left dizzy and choking.
"Cough, cough... cough, cough..."
"Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"
Kurokawa spat out another stream of water at the enemy. In a mine tunnel like this, the technique was incredibly effective.
The violent current engulfed the enemies in an instant. Before one of them could catch his breath, he found himself trapped in a sphere of water.
"Water Release: Water Prison Technique!"
Aoki Tsuki pressed one hand against the surface of the water prison, releasing it only a moment before his captive suffocated. Meanwhile, Kurokawa knocked the other man unconscious.
The two had never trained together, but they worked together surprisingly well.
"Talk... What's the situation inside? Where's your leader?"
"I... I don't know either. We were just ordered to lure you all inside."
Not everyone in the Iron Fang Group was unafraid of death. The man before them, for instance, answered everything he was asked.
"Did you already know we were coming here?"
"I'm not sure, but I heard Lord Tetsuga planned to abandon this place. The supplies inside were all quietly shipped out some time ago."
"Where were they taken?"
"We really don't know. Lord Tetsuga personally led the escort."
Seeing that he could get nothing else useful out of him, Aoki Tsuki knocked him unconscious.
"This is bad. The Iron Fang Group has abandoned this place, and even these ordinary ninja. There's nothing but an empty shell in there."
"That's important intelligence. We need to tell Lord Hanzō."
The two exchanged a glance, threw several poison gas bombs deeper into the tunnel, then immediately turned around and retreated the way they had come, taking their captives with them.
Now they finally had a reason to run.
They were only halfway back when a series of thunderous rumbles and violent tremors came from deep underground.
Someone had detonated a large quantity of Explosive Tags inside, immediately setting off a chain reaction. The rumbling grew louder and spread farther.
It was like a giant beast of darkness devouring everything.
Aoki Tsuki and Kurokawa ran for their lives, grateful only that they had started early enough. Vanguard squads like theirs were nothing but cannon fodder.
They finally escaped just before the mine collapsed completely. When they looked, they saw that their captain, Satō Ichirō, had already brought Umatsu out ahead of them.
Several others had also escaped. More than twenty people had gone in, and half had been lost, including two Jonin.
Whether they had been killed by enemies or crushed to death was unknown.
That guy Shioame had actually survived too. He stood beside Tsunodahara and gave Aoki Tsuki a slight nod when he looked over.
Both of his old teammates were dead.
"What's the situation inside?" Hanzō asked.
"My lord, we killed some members of the Iron Fang Group along the way and forced some information out of them. Apparently, they quietly moved their supplies out some time ago, and there are traps everywhere inside."
The Jonin who spoke was blackened with soot and had burns on his legs. He was the only one from his squad to make it out alive.
What he said was highly credible.
Satō Ichirō turned to look at the captives held by Aoki Tsuki and Kurokawa, signaling for them to share what they had found.
He was giving them a chance to distinguish themselves.
Aoki Tsuki and Kurokawa hurriedly woke their respective captives.
One of them said, "We learned much the same thing. The enemy only wanted to lure us into their trap. Their main force probably escaped through a secret passage."
Boom!
A tremendous explosion came from the forest not far away, as if confirming Aoki Tsuki's words.
Before the assault, Hanzō had already stationed people in the surrounding area to prevent the enemy from escaping through secret passages.
Hanzō glanced at the two captives and said coldly, "Kill them."
Whoosh...
His figure turned into a mass of clear water and vanished.
His core guards followed close behind, using the Body Flicker Technique to catch up.
Aoki Tsuki swung his blade and killed his captive, then quickly caught up with the main force. Kurokawa was slower, trailing far behind at the rear.
When they reached the site, all they saw was the corpse of a Rain Ninja, killed in a single blow. He had been taken out after raising the alarm.
Hanzō was very fast in the Land of Rain. Judging by the sounds of fighting ahead, he had already caught up.
By the time the Chunin arrived, Amegakure's Jonin were brutally slaughtering the Iron Fang Group. Its so-called elites were no match for Amegakure's elite.
A burly figure was fighting Hanzō.
More precisely, Hanzō was beating him back, and he had not even summoned Ibuse.
It was Aoki Tsuki's first time watching Amegakure's leader in action from so close.
With nothing more than his masterful Water Body Flicker and the chained sickle in his hand, Hanzō suppressed Tetsuga, the Iron Fang Group's leader.
It showed him the control over a battlefield that extreme speed could provide, strengthening his resolve to keep grinding his Body Flicker Technique.
"Hanzō, you're old! The future of the Land of Rain belongs to us! The Iron Fang Group is the Land of Rain's hope!" Tetsuga shouted.
"Still trying to mislead these young people when death is at your door?"
Hanzō's attacks grew fiercer. With its chain, the sickle in his hand could strike from several meters away, and its blade was coated in a deadly poison.
Even a slight scratch would quickly paralyze his opponent.