Temari stood before the three Konoha genin, her arms crossed, expression unreadable. The desert wind blew faintly behind her, carrying fine grains of sand through the open door of the oasis house.
As she dropped the barrier, her gaze drifted over the trio one last time.
The Aburame boy looked calm and steady, insects humming faintly beneath his cloak. His chakra was measured, precise—chūnin-level, as expected.
She wasn't a sensor by nature, but she'd taken the classes and could now do some basic leg work.
Which is why it surprised her when she found that she couldn't sense anything about the other genin. The dark-haired orphan. But something, a sixth sense honed from countless life and death battles told her that the boy was the strongest among these genins.
Which, once again, was a surprise onto itself as the boy was an orphan, which meant that he didn't have the resources, and training that's given to clan shinobi since birth. So the only way he could've become that strong was if he was a true prodigy.
Then there was the girl.
Yakumo Kurama.
Temari frowned slightly. The girl's chakra felt unstable—too delicate in some places, too sharp in others. Physically weaker than the others, yes, but something about her was… unsettling. There was an undercurrent to her chakra, faint but dangerous, like glass that looked smooth until you touched it and bled.
Temari thought for a moment, searching her memory. The name Kurama tugged at something.
Right—the genjutsu clan. Now she remembered it. Konoha's Kurama were said to be born with terrifying illusion abilities, though most of their line had faded into obscurity.
If this girl carried even a fragment of that bloodline's power, then she wasn't as harmless as she appeared.
Still, potential or not, potential alone didn't survive Gates.
Temari's fingers tapped against her folded fan. She wanted to see them under pressure—real pressure. Not the kind of sanitized tests given to academy graduates, but the kind that forced instinct and growth.
Only by going through hell do shinobi emerge stronger.
She believed that. She had lived that.
Most people looked at her, at her strength and believed her to be a nepobaby. One who was fed a steady diet of cores and high tier monster beast since birth.
And while that was true, they did not know of the way her father threw her into dangerous situations again and again with the intention of forging a sharp blade for the sake of the village. They didn't see the countless times she dodged death by a hair's breath. They didn't know of all the comrades she'd lost along the way.
They didn't know that she was six when she got thrown into her first gate. They didn't know the countless hours she'd spent training under Pakura Sensei. The countless times she kept pushing herself till she dropped from exhaustion.
They didn't know anything. They just saw her as the Kazekage's daughter, and thought, of course she'd be strong.
Maybe it was childish of her, but she hated the fact that no one ever truly acknowledged her. But she was fine with that, as long as she got what she wanted. And what she wanted this time, was for the exchange program to succeed.
Because despite what most of her peers whispered, the exchange program wasn't a fool's errand. It was necessary.
As an Elite Jounin of Suna, she had been beside her father when they entered the S-class gate. She'd seen what true despair looked like—the moment when even Suna's strongest realised they were one breath away from extinction.
When her father, arguably the strongest shinobi Suna has ever produced, even stronger than the Third Kazekage, chose to run with his tail tucked between his legs.
And that's how she knew…
No single village could stand alone anymore.
Not Kumo, not Iwa, not even Konoha.
The Land of Water had proved that much. Once powerful, and then… gone. Swallowed whole by monsters they had no hope of fighting.
'And if we don't change,' she thought grimly, 'we'll all share their fate.'
This exchange was a step forward. Shinobi learning to trust outside their own walls. If it succeeded, it could lay the foundation for something greater than village loyalties.
But if it failed—if even one of these Konoha genin died here—relations would crumble. And Suna couldn't afford another enemy.
Her eyes followed Ken as he talked about scouting the area, winked at the Kurama girl and stepped forward first. Vanishing within the shimmering light of the Gate a moment later.
Temari's brow creased at the sight. Reckless.
He hadn't even consulted his teammates. No formation, no communication, no plan. He simply announced his intention and went.
Wouldn't the Aburame have made a better scout? His insects could move unseen, map terrain, sense chakra. It was basic tactical logic.
So why did the boy go in himself?
Arrogance? Overconfidence?
Or maybe he just didn't trust his team.
Temari's jaw tightened. So much for Konoha's famous teamwork.
Behind him, Yakumo looked uncertain, eyes flicking toward the portal as if it might swallow her whole and spit out her bones. If she truly thought that, then she was right.
The Aburame rested a hand briefly on the girl's shoulder—an almost imperceptible gesture—then they followed, vanishing one after another into the red glow.
Temari exhaled slowly, staring at the now-empty threshold.
Her orders were clear: observe, evaluate, and intervene only if absolutely necessary. And then report their abilities to her father. She was supposed to let them handle it. Let them learn.
But she'd been in too many Gates to trust orders over instinct.
Her hand brushed the metal ribs of her fan. The faint hum of the monster core embedded within it pulsed beneath her fingertips—a reminder of what kind of world they now lived in. A world where one mistake could get you eaten alive by something born of nightmares.
So, she moved. One step forward, and the world of the desert vanished behind her.
She entered the Gate silently, the air around her thick and damp. Rain fell in slow, steady sheets through a canopy of colossal trees. The smell of moss and wet soil hit her at once. The noise was constant—water striking leaves, insects chirping, distant shrieks of unseen things.
Temari paused, adjusting her breathing. The shift from dry desert to rainwater forest was jarring. But most gates were like this. One moment, you could be standing in the hot desert of Suna, the next, you'd be in a pocket world of icy tundra.
Her senses spread out, searching. She could sense the Kurama girl and the Aburame boy perched atop the branch of a giant tree. See the way he opened the gourd on his back and let out a swarm of insects to scout the place.
But… she could not sense the orphan boy. Ken. She could not sense him at all.
She kneeled down to the ground at the point where his footsteps had suddenly vanished. He hadn't jumped on a tree or anything. The footsteps wasn't indented enough for that. One moment, he was here, the next, he was gone.
How had he accomplished that? Some sort of technique that let him glide on the ground without leaving any footsteps?
Then, her thought were cut off as she heard an explosion in the distance.
BOOM!!!
Seeing that the other two genins were still scounting and had no intention of moving from their location, she decided to check up on their teammate. To see if the boy was still alive or if his youthful arrogance had already gotten him killed.
When she arrived at the location where the explosion had come from, all she found was a smoking crater, and a few bits and pieces of burnt off remains of one of the monsters inside this gate.
So… the boy had killed the monster and stored its corpse within the storage scroll. Had he come across the monster by luck while he was scouting or had he deliberately went after it?
Her answer came in the form of another explosion.
She followed immediately. But once again found the same thing. Another monster corpse remains along with a smoking crater.
Then, another explosion. Too far away. How had the boy moved there so quickly?
She followed after him but before she could even reach the next location, there was another explosion. She changed her destination and went there instead.
Once again, she arrived too late. Aside from a few charred remains, nothing remained of the monster.
Worst part was that there was no sign of the boy either. No footsteps, no lingering scent. Nothing that she could use to track him down.
How was the boy doing this?
By now, the forest was starting to come alive. The Druid monsters that called this Rainforest their home beginning to move. Beginning to spread out their senses in order to find the intruders. And she suddenly found herself facing two choices.
Either she continues chasing the boy in a wild goose chase. Or… she could return back to protecting the two other genins who might suddenly find themselves trapped within a living forest.
After a brief contemplation, she decided to go back to protecting the two genins, frowning as she heard another explosion in the distance and choose to ignore it.
She arrived in time to see the Aburame boy and Kurama girl being besieged by all the branches and vines around them while a druid monster stood in the distance with its arms raised toward them.
For a moment, she saw the image of her two younger brothers imposed on the two genins and almost intervened. But then she came to her senses and decided to watch a little more before making any move.
And the two genins proved that she had been right with not intervening. Because the very next moment, the Druid stopped attacking the two genins and started attacking a giant tree on the other side instead. Courtesy of the Kurama girl's potent genjutsu.
The Aburame boy followed a moment later, swarming the druid with a variety of bugs.
The druids themselves weren't very tough creatures, their strength lay in their ability to manipulate the vast forest around them. So, when faced with a swarm of bugs, it grew flowers over its own body that released poisonous spores in the air in an effort to kill the swarm of bugs.
Quite a few of those bugs died, but many others seemed impervious to its poison. And soon… the druid found itself eaten from inside out by countless tiny bugs, dying a rather painful death.
It took almost a minute from when she arrived here to when the druid died, and during this time, she'd heard half a dozen more explosions in the background. Getting faster with each kill.
If each explosion led to the end of a druid monster… then Ken must've killed over twenty of them by now. And it's only been a few minutes since they had entered the gates.
Just how strong was that boy?
Then… just as suddenly as those explosions had come, they suddenly went away.
The forest that was usually chirping with millions of insects was silent now. As if everyone collectedly held their breaths… waiting for the next explosion.
A minute passed, and no more explosion came.
Worried, and believing that the two genins should be capable of protecting themselves, she went over to check up on the boy. Going to the last place where the explosion had taken place.
She found bits and pieces of the charred remains of a druid but nothing more. No clue to where the boy had gone next.
So she decided to do a block by block search of the nearby forest. Unsure of how much it'd help considering how large and dense this pocket world was.
It took her almost five minutes to find the next battlefield, and understand why the explosions had stopped.
The intel on the boy using Wind Release Jutsu were true, if the deep lines on the ground and the roots were any sign. She recognised the Jutsu. A basic D-class Wind Release: Wind Blade Jutsu.
The boy must've run out of Explosive tags, and decided to use his Wind Release Jutsu to kill the monsters instead. That's why she hadn't heard any more explosions.
If the cuts were any indication, the boy was pretty proficient with the jutsu but she could also see that he had a long way to go before he could become a true Wind Release Master.
She could teach him that at least. Because she was confident that she had no way of teaching him anything about stealth, or movement techniques.
If she, an Elite Jounin, could neither find, nor track him despite all the ruckus he'd been causing earlier, then what hope did these monsters have.
Eventually, she decided to return back to the entrance of the gate, and paused as she saw Ken waiting alongside his two teammates.
"You're back." She said as she landed atop the branch they'd been perching on.
The boy nodded, looking quite satisfied with himself, and tossed the scroll over to her. "Here. D-class gate. Complete, within the time limit of one day. Do we pass your test or what?"
Her lips twitched at his blasé attitude regarding the entire situation. Especially because of how many fellow shinobi she'd seen die in D-class gates.
A part of her was tempted to fail them and grounds on him being so reckless. Or because he hadn't worked as a team. But… she wasn't a hypocrite like that and so simply gave a nod.
"Yes. You three pass."
—————
MC POV.
"Yes. You three pass." Temari said before looking over to the forest. In the direction where he could sense the sealed up Boss of this gate. "Now wait here for a while."
With that, she leapt away into the trees, heading deeper into the Gate. Probably to inspect the boss's seal and make sure it wasn't about to break loose.
That kind of paranoia was understandable—D-Class or not, a Gate boss breaking free from its bindings was dangerous and could prove lethal for the next team sent here to harvest these monsters.
Frankly, he had no idea how valuable these monsters were as they didn't have flesh that could be consumed by humans. Most likely, the wood in their body had some value to puppeteers.
Once Temari had vanished from sight, he leaned back against the tree trunk, hiding some of the exhaustion that was finally starting to hit home due to that Chakra Replenishing pill usage.
His teammates sat nearby in silence, catching their breath. The insects in the forest were buzzing loudly once again, with little drops starting to pour down on their head.
He took the lull as a chance to open his System.
A familiar transparent screen flickered to life before his eyes.
53 Druid monsters killed!
You've gained 176 experience points!
Level 2 (Next level up: 370/300)
You've gained enough experience. Do you want to Level Up?
-Yes-
-No-
A small part of him wasn't truly happy with the end result. 176 exp points for 53 monsters. That's a little over 3 exp points per monster.
Yes, the fight had overall been pretty easy for him. But these were still monsters from a D-class gate, and he had expected more exp points from them.
Alas, there was really nothing he could do about this, so in the end, he simply grinned and mentally clicked on the 'Yes'.
A level up was a level up and it was worth celebrating.
Level 2 (370/300) → Level 3 (Next Level up: 70/400)
Congratulations!
You've gained +100% to Active Growth
You've gained +1 slot to Passive Growth
He exhaled slowly, letting the warmth settle.
Three passive slots now. That opened up new possibilities.
He thought for a moment, wondering what to use this slot on. He could put something defensive there… or something that improves control.
After a few seconds of contemplation, he finally decided on: Wind Blade Jutsu.
He'd been relying on it heavily in this battle after he ran out of explosive tags and had found it to be pretty inefficient.
There was too much chakra wastage, making the hand seals took too long. And the wind blade just wasn't damaging enough at times to kill the monster in one go.
He needed it to be more lethal, more chakra efficient, and most importantly, be able to fire it with a single finger gesture.
How else was he going to cosplay as Sukuna?
He focused on the thought, and the System responded.
[Passive Slot 3 Assigned: Wind Blade Jutsu.]
Perfect.
He closed the screen and finally glanced toward his teammates.
Yakumo and Toji sat a short distance away, both looking… less than thrilled with him. Toji's expression was its usual neutral calm, but the faint twitch in his jaw said enough. Yakumo, on the other hand, looked openly irritated—her brows drawn tight, lips pressed thin.
He sighed quietly. Yeah, that's fair.
He hadn't meant to outshine them that badly. They'd barely had a chance to fight, and he'd basically turned their first real mission into a solo performance. But he couldn't help it either.
He'd created his entire build for solo takedowns of entire gates. And he wasn't about to change his entire style because of two random strangers that he got slotted into a team with.
Especially when he needed the experience points for his level up.
But also because there was already such a vast gap in between their abilties. It might seem cruel to say this, but teaming up with them would only slow him down at best, and put his own life in danger at worst.
He still felt a little guilty about the entire thing though, and decided to make it up to them somehow. Maybe take them shopping in Suna's market, or help them with training.
But before he could say anything to them, Temari returned, landing lightly ont he same branch as him.
"The boss is still secured to its location," she said, her tone curt as she glanced at him wth a sharp and assessing gaze. "And you really did kill all the druid monsters in here. Well done."
Unsure of how to reply to her praise, he just gave a shrug.
Her eyes narrowed slightly at his nonchalant attitude. Her jaw twitched and it looking like she was wondering whether to scold him or not. But after a long pause, she just said, "Time to head back to Suna."
And that was the end of his first D-class Gate.
—————
Author's Note
For those that want to know how strong MC currently is. He's stronger than an average Chunin. But due to the other Techniques he knows (Kagura's Mind Eye, Mayfly and Dustless), he's currently in the same situation as Minato Namikage.
Yes, even without the Hiraishin, Minato is strong enough to fight S-class shinobi. But add Hiraishin to the mix, and he becomes a complete monster.
MC is the same. He's Chunin level, technically. But the top tier Jutsus he knows makes him far stronger than that. Hope that explains MC's performance in this chapter.Last edited: Oct 29, 2025 Like Quote ReplyReport Reactions:Noctus, Sasha1, Puru and 586 othersUnfortunate_SoulOct 29, 2025Reader modeAdd bookmark Threadmarks SeliasWell worn.Oct 29, 2025Add bookmark#956Unfortunate_Soul said:1. In case you've forgotten, Sasuke's Reincarnation of Indra perk really didn't do much in his early years. Yes, he was at the top of the class. But that's really not much of an accomplishment when you compare him to his brother who'd become an Anbu captain by that time.You mean to tell me that the heir of the Uchiha clan who's been training non-stop since he was four years old advanced more quickly than the spare that was ignored by his father in favor of his prodigious brother (unless said brother forced him to spend time with him), wasn't trained by his brother (aside from a few pointers now and then), and then was stuck with academy teachers and training himself after his entire clan was slaughtered? I'm shocked. Shocked, I say.
Also, I'm pretty sure that early graduations are only allowed during war time (Mikoto says "times have changed since then" when Sasuke complains that Itachi graduated in only one year. Chapter 221.
Six months later.
He lounged lazily atop a sturdy tree branch, one leg swinging idly in the dry breeze while Temari sat beside him, her massive fan propped against the trunk.
Four weighted seals were strapped around his arms and legs—his attempt to conceal just how much faster and stronger he'd grown over the past few months. Though, judging by Temari's sharp eyes during their spars, he doubted that he'd fooled her completely.
From their perch, they had a clear view of the clearing below — where Yakumo and Toji were busy fighting and harvesting the last of the monsters.
The thick smell of blood and other unmentionable fluids drifted upward from the forest ground. Despite that, this forest pocket world had a pretty pleasant weather, all things told. The kind of place where he wouldn't mind raising a family himself.
Alas, this location was within a gate, so such a thing was merely fantasy and nothing else.
He tilted his head slightly, watching Yakumo conjure an illusion that caused a vine-beast to turn and attack its own reflection. Toji's swarm descended on another target, stripping its flesh to the bone before sealing the remains into a scroll.
He yawned. "They're getting better," he said casually.
Temari followed his gaze, chin resting in her hand. "You sound bored."
"With a girl as pretty as you by my side. No chance." He shot her a grin before he sighed. "Okay, I am a little bored. Hard to stay entertained when the monsters here are so weak. Plus, those two take so much time. Don't tell them I said that though."
She gave him a sideways glance — one of those flat, unimpressed looks she'd mastered. "Perhaps this would go faster if you started helping once again. You might even gain some combat experience."
He placed a hand dramatically over his chest. "Ah, so you are worried about me, Temari-chan."
"Don't flatter yourself. And don't call me that. It's Sensei to you." she said, rolling her eyes, but he caught the faint twitch of her lips before she looked away.
He smirked and leaned back against the trunk. "You're blushing, Sensei."
She gave him a warning look. "Do you want me to beat you up?"
He chuckled and decided to stop teasing her for now, watching as Yakumo's illusion faded and Toji finished sealing another monster.
Truth was, he hadn't stopped fighting because he was lazy. He'd stopped because there was no point.
Literally.
In the past six months, his team has entered five more D-class gates. And after the first three, he'd stop gaining any experience points from killing the monsters.
After all, he'd grown so strong that cutting down these Chūnin-tier monsters has become completely effortless—no challenge, no danger, nothing.
And that, it seemed, was the core rule of his system: he only gained experience points when his opponent posed a real threat to him.
It came as a surprise—he hadn't expected his growth to accelerate so quickly. And while reaching solid Jōnin level strength was something most would celebrate, he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. D-class gates no longer offered him any real challenge—or profit.
And Temari has refused to take him to any C-class gates no matter how much he asked her.
It was almost funny how much things had changed.
A year ago, fighting even one E-class monster had been a nightmare. He could still remember that fight with that Kobold vividly. And now, here he was. Lamenting not being able to enter C-class gate.
"You know," he said lightly, glancing at her fan, "I've been meaning to ask. Are you really this quiet during your off-hours too, or are you saving all your words for when you yell at me later?"
Temari arched an eyebrow. "I'm just going to ignore you now."
He chuckled. "Ouch. You wound me, Sensei."
"Then go help them," she said, pointing toward Yakumo — who, as if on cue, stumbled backward from a lunging beast.
He sighed dramatically, raised a finger, and said, "Cleave."
The blade of wind that shot from his fingertip was so sharp it sliced through the air in utter silence—too thin to be seen by anyone without a dōjutsu, and so fast that it struck before he'd even finished saying the word cleave.
The monster didn't even have time to react before its body split neatly in two, collapsing to the ground with a wet thud.
Yakumo blinked, startled. While Toji merely turned his head and nodded in acknowledgment before he went back to harvesting.
Beside him, Temari crossed her arms. "Do you actually have to say that word whenever you use your wind blades?"
"Shush. I'm Aura farming. You won't understand because you're not as cool as me."
She groaned, dragging a hand down her face. "You're insufferable."
"Yet you keep me around," he teased.
"Because I'm your Sensei."
"We can change that if you want." He said, excessively waggling his eyebrows at her with a shit eating grin.
He didn't mean to take this flirting anywhere. He still had Anko back home after all. But he was bored, and teasing Temari, as he'd found it, was pretty fun.
Maybe it was because she was the princess of Suna and no one else had ever dared to flirt with her. Because her expressions to her teasing were always priceless. Well, not as much anymore as she'd started to adapt after half a year. But it was still a fun pastime.
"I still don't get how you mastered that technique so fast," she said, completely ignoring her earlier words. "Even the Wind Masters of Suna take years—no, decades—to reach your level of precision and lethality."
He just smiled. "It's something we call natural talent in Konoha. I understand that you Suna shinobi don't have that."
"Fuck off," she muttered.
He leaned closer, lowering his voice. "If you want, I can give you some night lessons Sensei. Teach you how to 'feel the flow of wind' properly."
Her eyebrow twitched. "Keep talking, and you'll find out how hard I can swing this fan."
He raised his hands in surrender, chuckling to himself. "Alright, alright. No night lessons. Got it."
Below them, Toji finished dealing with the final corpse, and Yakumo gave a tired thumbs-up.
"Looks like they're done," Temari said, standing and dusting off her hands.
"Finally," he said, hopping down from the branch and landing soundlessly beside the others. He helped them load the last few scrolls into the storage case, and together they stepped out of the Gate.
The blue shimmer of the Gate pulsed faintly, the sealing pillars around it coming back to life as Temari reengaged the Fuinjutsu seals.
This Gate will now remain like that till the next year when another team will be sent to clear and harvest it.
It was something he'd quickly noticed about Suna—they had far more harvestable Gates than Konoha.
They also used everything the monsters had to offer—hide, bone, blood, even organs—nothing went to waste.
Konoha might've been bigger. But they way he saw it, Suna was hungrier.
Comparing the two major villages felt like comparing Japan to America. Except, instead of stagnating, this Japan was slowly turning into China.
"Alright," Temari said, snapping open her fan and letting a gust of wind sweep over the clearing, scattering the leftover debris. "We're done here. Let's move."
"Yes, Sensei." His two fellow genins replied while he just gave her a wink.
She rolled her eyes at his teasing and started leading the way back to Suna village.
—————
The S-Class Gate stood silent and monstrous in the heart of what was once a forest — a scar on the world that refused to heal.
Once, this place had been vibrant. Towering pines had stretched for miles, the ground covered in moss and soft needles, the air alive with the songs of birds and wind.
Now, it was barren.
The trees had been cut and burned. The land flattened, carved into concentric rings of stone and reinforced earth. Walls rose in layers, circling the Gate like a fortress built to contain a god.
And at the very center, beneath the constant hum of chakra seals and barrier runes, pulsed the Gate — an circle of swirling, abyssal light the size of a football field. Every few seconds, it emitted a low, pulsing sound that vibrated through the ground — like the steady heartbeat of a monster waiting in its sleep.
No one stationed here ever forgot what lay beyond that gate.
After the tragedy six months ago — the day the S-Class Gate first opened and annihilated the joint shinobi army — Kitsuchi, now the Fourth Tsuchikage, had ordered the site converted into a military outpost.
So they built the walls — thick as fortresses, inscribed with layer upon layer of Fuinjutsu barriers, powered by refined monster cores and chakra conduits that was charged each and every day by the shinobi posted here.
Hundreds of shinobi patrolled the perimeter at all times, divided by allegiance but united by necessity.
Because no matter how proud the Great Villages were, they all understood one thing after the S-Class incident:
If the monsters inside ever broke containment, no single village could stop it alone.
To Minoru, a Jōnin from Sunagakure, the outpost had long stopped being terrifying.
Now, it was routine.
He woke up before dawn in his stone barrack, the air inside cool and stale. He brewed himself a cup of bitter tea from the small supply of herbs he'd brought from home. He washed his face with cold water, fed the messenger bird in its cage — a small brown kestrel bred to fly long distances over desert and mountain alike.
Then he put on his armour and walked out to take over the morning watch from his night-duty counterpart.
The Gate was visible even from the barrack doorway — that eerie, rippling oval of darkness. It was always there. Always humming. Always breathing in that creepy way that made it seem almost alive.
He walked up the path to the observation tower, nodding to the Iwa shinobi on guard. The Iwa shinobi nodded back, tight-lipped, his expression weary but calm.
Minoru wasn't alone. There were observers here from Konoha, Kumo, and even minor villages like Taki, Kusa, and Ame. The minor villages weren't allowed to interfere with the defences — their only role was to observe and report.
The political equivalent of "If we all die, everyone should at least get the memo."
By midmorning, Minoru sat cross-legged inside the tower, a deck of worn playing cards in hand. Across from him sat Riku, a Konoha Chūnin with cunning eyes and an easy grin.
Riku had been suspicious of him at first, and the same could be said for him — old rivalries died hard. But after a few months of monotonous guard duty, distrust turned into small talk, and small talk turned into... a sort of friendship.
They played cards often to pass the time. The outpost commander didn't mind; in fact, the higher-ups encouraged interaction between villages.
The tragedy of the S-Class Gate had shaken everyone. Now the focus was on cooperation, unity — whatever the heck that meant between shinobi.
Minoru threw down a card and smirked. "You lose again, you tree hugger."
Riku groaned. "You're cheating. You've got to be. How the fuck do you keep winning so much."
"I'm just better."
"You're Suna," Riku said, smirking. "Cheating's your village specialty."
Minoru snorted. "And losing wars is yours."
"Hah! Joke's on you. Konoha has never lost a war."
"Keep telling yourself that."
They both laughed. Outside, the wind picked up, whistling through the stone walls. The morning sun painted everything in a soft yellow light.
It was almost peaceful.
Almost.
And then, a ripple passed across the surface of the Gate — faint at first, like a shimmer of heat above sand. Riku noticed it first, his grin fading. "Hey… do you see that?"
Minoru followed his gaze.
The Gate's surface rippled again. Once. Twice. Then stopped.
"Probably just chakra resonance," Minoru said, though his tone was uncertain. "The seals fluctuate sometimes."
"Yeah…" Riku murmured, still staring. "But that looked different."
They waited. Nothing happened for a few seconds.
Then, something moved inside the Gate.
A shadow — fast, thick, and heavy — rushed forward and slammed into the barrier.
The explosion of force was like a thunderclap. The entire wall shook beneath them, the sound echoing through the mountains. Minoru flinched, clutching his ears as dust rained down from above.
When his vision cleared, he saw it — a crack.
A jagged fracture spiderwebbing across the surface of the outermost barrier layer.
"Oh shit," Minoru whispered, his heart sinking to the bottom of his stomach.
The Gate pulsed again — once, twice — and another impact followed, harder than before. The crack widened, glowing red from the strain.
They locked eyes, both pale.
"Go!" Minoru barked. "Send the report!"
Riku was already running, leaping off the tower toward his communication post. Minoru sprinted in the opposite direction — toward the Suna bunker.
Inside the bunker, the atmosphere was calm. The few Suna shinobi within were already preparing their gear when Minoru burst through the door.
"Barrier's cracking!" he yelled. "Something hit it!"
Everyone froze. They had heard the loud sound, but they hadn't known what that sound was about. Now they did.
The sound came again — BOOM! — a deafening impact that made the floor tremble.
Mugs spilled. Chairs scraped. Panic rippled through the small barrack.
Minoru rushed to the communication table, grabbing parchment and ink. His hand trembled slightly as he began to write.
[Message to Sunagakure Command]
Subject: Urgent — Barrier under assault.
Status: Visual confirmation of breach activity. Gate shimmered before impact. Source unknown.
Another impact. Louder this time. The air vibrated with a low, animalistic roar that didn't sound human.
Addendum: Multiple impact recorded. Barrier showing structural cracks. Recommend immediate alert to allied command posts—
BOOOOOM!
The ink jar tipped over. The sound was closer now — impossibly close.
He swallowed, his ears ringing, and forced himself to keep writing.
Update: Barrier breached. Monsters emerging.
Behind him, one of his comrades — a tall shinobi with a scar across his cheek — asked, "How bad is it?"
"I don't know," Minoru said. "But if the barrier's gone, and I don't think we can stop whatever's coming out."
Another shinobi cursed under his breath.
Outside, the sound of battle erupted — jutsu detonating, metal clashing, people screaming.
Minoru's blood ran cold.
"Go check," he said to the scarred shinobi. "Tell me what's happening. I'll send the next report."
The man nodded and rushed out.
Minoru sat back down, dipping his brush in ink again. The strokes came faster now, his handwriting shaky.
Situation worsening. Sounds of battle. Allied forces engaging. Awaiting confirmation on threat—
Then came the silence.
No more explosions. No more screaming. Just quiet.
Too quiet.
Minoru froze mid-stroke.
He waited. Thirty seconds. A minute. Two.
The scarred shinobi never returned. Nor did anyone else.
He looked toward the stone door — thick, reinforced, and glowing faintly with chakra. The only thing separating him from the outside world.
Then something hit it.
A low, heavy thud, followed by the screech of claws against stone.
The wall cracked slightly and the creature outside cackled.
That sound… it wasn't human.
He grabbed the parchment again, hastily scrawling the final line.
All defenders dead. Perimeter breached.
He tied the message to another bird, muttering a desperate sealing command. The bird hesitated for half a second — then took off, darting into the sky through the narrow release vent.
The moment it was gone, the door exploded inward.
The impact threw Minoru across the room. He hit the wall hard, his ears ringing, his vision blurring.
Through the dust and shattered stone, he saw them — shapes crawling into the room.
At first glance, they looked human.
And then his mind registered the wrongness.
Skin that stretched like melted wax. Eyes glowing faint green. Limbs fused with metal and bone.
He recognized one of them — a shinobi from Iwa he'd shared rations with the day before. Now its jaw hung loose, teeth black and jagged, fingers twisted into claws.
"Wh–what…" he whispered.
The creature tilted its head, bones cracking audibly. Its lips peeled back in a soundless grin.
Then it moved.
Too fast. Too strong.
He didn't even have time to scream before the claw came down.
A flash of pain, a spray of warmth, and then—
Darkness.
—————
High above the chaos, the small brown kestrel soared into the sky, flapping its wings desperately. Behind it, the forest burned. Smoke rose in thick plumes as the outpost fell to ruin.
The Gate pulsed again — brighter now, glowing like a wound torn open in the world.
And from within that impossible light, six silhouettes emerged.
Massive, inhumane creatures, crawling on giant tentacles.
Each stood nearly twenty meters tall, their distended bellies pulsing like sacs of molten glass. Tentacles unfurled from beneath their flesh, dripping with black fluid that sizzled where it fell.
With every step, their tentacles lashed out to an impossible length, and captured the corpse of a shinobi before dragging them brought it back to its mouth where the corpses were consumed whole.
With each step the monsters took, they laid a human-sized egg upon the ground, leaving behind a glistening trail of slime-covered shells.
Every few moments, one of the eggs at the end of the line split open—and from within crawled something that had once been human, but was no longer.
The kestrel flew faster, wings beating furiously against the wind. As behind it, the nation known as the Land of Bears, rang its death knell.
By dawn, its message would arrive.
And with it, the beginning of a new war.
His arm snapped up, intercepting the sweep of Temari's giant fan with a clang that echoed across the training ground. The heavy iron weights wrapped around his forearms groaned from the strain, the sand beneath his feet cratering slightly from the force.
Temari jumped back, her blonde hair swaying in the morning light as she spun her fan in a smooth, practiced motion. She looked graceful as always— but her rhythm was off.
"You're distracted" he said, lowering his stance with an annoyed look.
"Maybe you're just slow today," she shot back, though her smirk didn't reach her eyes.
He grinned, then blurred forward, appearing behind her in a gust of wind. She twisted just in time to block, the fan opening with a sharp snap that sent a burst of wind straight into his chest. He slid backward several meters before regaining his balance, laughing quietly.
"Still fast," she muttered, closing her fan.
"Still distracted," he replied, raising his hand and showing a lock of her hair in his grip.
Temari didn't answer. She simply sighed and walked over to the nearby shade of a stone wall. She leaned back against the wall and then slid down, plopping unceremoniously on the ground.
He followed, and took a seat beside her.
A moment later, a shadow clone appeared on their side, holding a small wooden tray stacked with two bentos and a pot of steaming tea.
"Breakfast delivery," his shadow clone announced cheerfully before dispersing into a puff of smoke.
He handed her one of the bentos and stretched his sore arms.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
They ate quietly, the sounds of the desert wind and the occasional cry of a messanger hawk filling the silence. Temari picked at her bento absentmindedly, her usual confidence replaced by a distant look.
"So… what's wrong?" He asked.
"Why do you think something is wrong?" she asked softly, without looking up.
"You're not yelling at me, for one." he said with a soft chuckle.
That earned a small, forced smile. But it vanished just as quickly.
"Temari," he said, more seriously this time. "What's going on?"
She exhaled slowly, eyes fixed on the rising sun in the horizon. She was silent for a long moment before she sighed and spoke up. "…It's Kankurō."
That caught his attention. "Your brother?"
She nodded, setting her chopsticks down. "He's… I don't even know how to say it."
He shrugged "Take your time. I don't have any missions today. And neither do you."
Temari placed the bento down and closed her eyes. "Fuck. Might as well tell you. Kankurō's been modifying himself," she said finally, her tone low.
"Modifying himself?" He asked.
"Replacing parts of his body with puppet components." Temari explained. The sharp pain in her emotions told him that this was a very sensitive topic for her.
He blinked as the realisation hit him. "He's… turning himself into a puppet?"
"Yes," she said, voice sharp with frustration. "He says it'll make him stronger — faster, more durable. That it'll let him transcend his limitations, and help him stand shoulder to shoulder with us."
He stayed quiet, letting her continue.
She clenched her fists. "Kankuro always been the weakest among us siblings. Gaara is… Gaara. And I trained directly under Father and Pakura-Sensei. Kankurō had potential, and he also trained under Chiyo-sama, the head of the Puppeteering Division. But despite that, he has been stuck as a Jounin."
Her eyes darkened. "A while ago, father made the decision that Kankuro lacked talent and was not worth any future investments. After that, Kankuro stopped receiving any monster meat or cores from him." Her fists clenched at that. "Kankuro has already been under a lot of pressure till then. That declaration from father was the last straw, and he snapped. He locked himself in his workshop and started… changing himself."
He frowned. "Didn't you try to stop him?"
"Of course I did," she said bitterly. "I told him he doesn't need to mutilate himself to be strong. That even if Father doesn't see his worth, we do. But he wouldn't listen."
Her voice cracked slightly — the first time he'd ever heard that from her.
"He said I wouldn't understand. That I was born with a natural talent that he doesn't have. And he's not completely wrong there. But…" She trailed off, pressing her lips together.
He reached out, hesitating for a second before gently pulling her into a hug.
Temari stiffened at first, but after a moment, she relaxed — just slightly — her forehead resting against his shoulder.
"He's still your brother," He said quietly. "You'll get through to him. I believe in you."
"I don't know," she muttered. "He's not the same anymore. There's something cold in his eyes now. Like he's… disappearing piece by piece."
He tightened his hold, then released her slowly. "Then make sure he doesn't disappear completely. You're his sister. You're the only one who can reach him."
Temari looked at him then, her eyes softened. "You make that sound easy."
He smiled faintly. "It's not supposed to be easy. But it would be worth it, yeah?"
They stayed like that for a moment — the air heavy, but comfortable.
Then, he sensed something. A Suna shinobi coming in their direction. Fast. And if his emotions were anything to go by, bringing an urgent message.
He straightened immediately.
"What is it?" Temari asked, confused by his sudden movement.
He stepped back, putting a bit of distance between them — just before a figure landed nearby in a swirl of sand.
"Temari-sama!" the shinobi said, bowing slightly. "You've been summoned to the Kazekage Tower immediately."
Temari blinked, momentarily thrown off. "What's happened?"
The shinobi hesitated, clearly unsure how much to say. "A message arrived from the northern border outpost. It's… serious. The Kazekage requires your presence right away."
Her eyes narrowed. "Understood."
The shinobi vanished a second later, leaping away in a burst of sand.
Temari turned back to him, her expression set but uneasy. "Whatever it is, it's not good."
He nodded. More than aware that an urgent summon these days usually meant a gate break, or something equally worse "Want me to come with you?"
She gave a small shake of her head. "No. But thanks for the offer."
He smirked faintly. "Of course. What would you do without me?"
Temari rolled her eyes but didn't respond. She grabbed her fan and started rushing toward the Kazekage tower.
He watched her disappear into the distance, her fan glinting once under the harsh desert sun before she vanished behind a dune.
Then, silence.
He exhaled and closed his eyes. His chakra spread outward in a slow, deliberate wave — spreading through the streets of Sunagakure.
In the past half a year, his Kagura's mind eye had grown in leaps and bounds. It's range increasing from a radius of 3 kilometres to a radius of 10 kilometres.
And thankfully, Suna was nowhere near as large as Konoha was, so he could sense the entirely of it with his power.
He followed the familiar pattern of Temari's chakra, tracing it all the way to the Kazekage Tower — only to hit resistance.
A Fuinjutsu barrier, dense and multi-layered, pulsed faintly around the structure like a heartbeat. He'd sensed it before, but never at this level of alertness.
Whatever they were talking about inside, it must be important because they really didn't want anyone else learning about it.
He frowned, wondering what it could be. But without enough information, it could be anything. The 4th shinobi war could've broken out, and he won't know.
For a moment, he about using Mayfly technique to infiltrate the barrier and listen in on the meeting. But he wasn't 100% sure if it would work and decided not to risk it.
He stayed there, focused, waiting. Five minutes passed. Ten minutes. Fifteen.
Then — a flicker. A few dozen powerful chakra signatures emerged from the Kazekage tower, including Temari's.
He felt her emotions and his frown deepened.
Fear. She was afraid— no, terrified. The other shinobi who came out with her were hardly better. Many of them were some level of afraid or uneasy.
He sensed her return to her home, and moved immediately.
He found her in her bedroom, kneeling beside an open trunk, hurriedly packing scrolls, blades, and sealing tags. Her usual calm precision was gone — replaced by rapid, frantic movements.
"Temari."
She froze for a moment, then looked up. Her face was pale, her eyes wide and unfocused.
"Ken…" she whispered. "Why are you in my house?"
He stepped closer. "I sensed your emotions. What happened?"
She swallowed, looking down as if saying it out loud would make it worse.
"The S-Class Gate," she said finally. "It's… the containment around it… it's breached."
He felt his heart stop, fear flooding him before everything calmed down. The S-class gate was two nations away. It shouldn't be a problem for Suna, right?
"Tell me what you know." He said.
"Six monsters came out," she said quickly, her voice trembling despite her effort to stay composed. "Three went East, toward Iwa. The other three… went South. They're moving fast. And if they keep going in that direction, they'll reach the Land of Wind within a week."
She closed the trunk and stood, strapping her fan to her back. "Father's assembling a vanguard force to intercept them before they reach the border. I'm part of the advance unit — we're leaving immediately."
He stared at her, processing the words. "You're going after them? Aren't they like… mid-tier S-class monsters."
"Yes. But we have to," she said. "If those things reach the Land of Wind, it'll be a massacre. The desert villages won't stand a chance. Plus…"
"Plus what?"
"Plus… these monsters use the corpses of the dead to create an army of their own. If they're left alone for long enough, then they could create an army in hundreds of thousands. In millions. At that point, no shinobi village would be able to stop them."
His eyes widened at her words, his face paling at the realisation of what that meant. "What?"
"Yes. It's as terrifying as it sounds." Temari said, her hand shaking in fear.
He was silent for a long moment, digesting this information before he stepped forward. "I'm coming with you."
Temari shook her head immediately. "No. You can't."
"The hell I can't."
"I'm serious, Ken!" she snapped, her voice sharp, panicked. "If something happens to you, it could damage the relationship between Suna and Konoha. This alliance — it's still pretty fragile. You're a representative. If you die under our command, it'll be seen as negligence. Months of hard work could be lost."
"I don't care about politics!" he said, louder than he meant to. "You're going into a fight against S-Class-level monsters, Temari! You're my friend. If you think I'll just sit here and wait while you risk your life, then you don't know me!"
Temari looked away, her fists tightening. "I know what I'm doing. I've faced these monsters before."
"You mean that time you went into the S-class gate with the rest of Suna elites and barely escaped with your lives," he countered. "Don't act like this is the same."
Silence stretched between them.
Her jaw clenched. "I can handle myself."
He sighed. "Look. I know you can," he said quietly. "But this isn't just about handling yourself. It's about not dying."
She turned her back to him, shoulders trembling slightly.
He sighed, stepped closer. "Listen. I can help you."
"Ken—"
"I'm not just another genin," he said firmly. "You know that. My sensing range has increased. I can feel everything within ten kilometers now. You'll need that kind of awareness in the field."
Temari hesitated.
He pressed the advantage. "You're scouting monsters that no one's ever seen before. You don't even know how fast they are, or how many lesser creatures might be with them. You need someone who can detect them before they get close."
She finally turned around, staring at him with narrowed eyes. "This is not fair. You're manipulating me."
He smiled faintly. "Yeah. But I'm right. You know I am."
For a long moment, neither of them said anything. The only sound was the rustle of fabric as she finished tying her pouch.
Finally, she sighed. "…You're infuriating."
"I've been told that before."
She gave him a glare that didn't carry much venom. "Fine. But you stay close. You follow my orders, and if I say retreat, you retreat. Understood?"
If only she knew that his chances of surviving the upcoming battle were far higher than her own, she would not be saying that. In fact, with his bullshit stealth abilities his chances of surviving were even higher than that of other S-class shinobi.
And if he went all out, using all the 6 gates that he was currently capable of opening, then his power was no less either.
"Understood, Sensei," he said with mock seriousness, offering a small salute.
Temari rolled her eyes, but he saw the way her expression softened, her fear lessening — just a little.
Then, she straightened, her composure snapping back into place. "We leave in ten minutes. Pack what you need. And don't slow me down."
He grinned. "Wouldn't dream of it."
—————
They reached the edge of the village in minutes.
The dunes ahead had been flattened, carved into a wide plateau where about a hundred shinobi stood assembled. Rows upon rows of Suna's best — all jōunin, and few elite jounins. Their tan cloaks rippled in the wind, the metal forehead guards glinting under the morning sun.
At their head stood a tall, broad-shouldered man with sharp features and a calm, commanding presence.
Baki.
In the canon timeline, Baki had been a strong elite jōnin — competent enough to be placed as the Jounin Sensei of the Sand Siblings, but otherwise unremarkable. Here, though, as he extended his senses, he felt the difference immediately.
This Baki was strong.
S-class strong.
Not quite at Gaara's level, but close.
When Baki's gaze swept across the crowd, conversations fell silent. The faint wind was the only sound left.
"Thank you all for coming on short notice," Baki began, his voice carrying clearly over the wind. "You've all been briefed on the general situation, but I'll repeat what we know — and what we don't."
A low murmur passed through the ranks as Baki unrolled a large scroll in front of him. A rough map of the border between the Land of Bears, the Land of Mountains, and the northern edge of the Land of Wind.
He watched as Baki cast an illusion over the map, creating six glowing dots crawl across the map — three heading east, and three drifting south.
"The containment around the S-class Gate in the Land of Bears has been broken," Baki said. "Six monsters, codenamed Ahramoths — have escaped. Each one is confirmed to be of at least mid-S class power."
A sharp intake of breath rippled through the gathered shinobi.
Baki continued. "Three of them are moving east, toward Iwagakure territory. The other three have taken the southern route. Based on their trajectory, they will reach the border of the Land of Wind in less than two weeks."
Baki gave them a moment to let that sink in before his expression hardened. "But that's not the worst part."
He pointed at the glowing map. "These creatures… they do not travel alone. They create armies."
The murmurs grew louder at that bit of information.
Baki's eyes narrowed, his tone grim. "The scouts report that each Ahramoth is followed by thousands of undead. Mutated, strengthened versions of shinobi, animals, even civilians. Every living being they consume is turned into another weapon for their ranks. Some of these undead have begun fusing, creating larger and stronger monsters that can level towns on their own."
He felt the faint prickling of dread along his spine.
Baki's hand tightened around the map scroll. "The good news is that these undead creatures, while powerful, are scattered and lack coordination. They act on primal instincts — attack, kill and bring the corpse back to the Ahramoths so that they can multiply. If we act fast and keep their numbers down, we can prevent them from forming a cohesive army before the main force arrives."
He looked across the shinobi gathered before him. "Our mission is simple — delay and contain. You will not engage the Ahramoths directly unless ordered to do so. That is far above your pay grade. What you will do, is thin their armies, disrupt their growth, and buy time for reinforcements to arrive."
"All of you will be divided into three divisions. Each in charge of dealing with the army of one of the Ahramoths. Understood?"
One stepped forward slightly. "Baki-sama. Who's leading each division?"
Baki nodded toward him, then turned to the crowd. "We will divide into three vanguard forces — one for each Ahramoth. Each group will consist of roughly thirty shinobi, led by an Elite Jōnin or higher."
He unfurled three marked scrolls and began calling names.
"First Division — led by Captain Ibara. You'll intercept the westernmost Ahramoth near the Spine Ridge."
"Second Division — led by Temari. You'll head east of the Tansen Plateau. Intel suggests a large concentration of undead in your area. So be careful."
"Third Division — I'll lead this one personally toward the southern border of the Land of Mountains."
As Temari's name was called, she straightened, her fan clutched tightly in one hand. He could sense the spike of fear and nervousness her chakra.
He knew why.
The last time she went into the S-class gate… she'd seen friends, comrades, entire squads torn apart by these same monsters
It wasn't a memory that faded easily.
He reached out quietly and caught her hand.
Temari blinked, surprised.
He gave her a small, reassuring smile. "You'll do fine, Temari."
For a moment, her eyes softened — but then she caught herself and quickly looked away, pulling her hand free. "Call me Sensei in front of others," she muttered, though her tone lacked its usual bite.
"Of course," he murmured, smirking.
Baki's voice broke through their quiet exchange. "We move immediately. Travel light and conserve chakra. Remember, these things turn corpses into their army — so burn any you come across. Understood?"
A chorus of voices answered in unison. "Yes, sir!"
Baki gave a curt nod and turned toward the horizon. "Then let's move out." Like Quote ReplyReport Reactions:Noctus, Sasha1, Puru and 596 othersUnfortunate_SoulOct 31, 2025Reader modeAdd bookmark Threadmarks GetRektNuub~Guts and Honor~Oct 31, 2025Add bookmark#1,102Damn. I can smell some good shit is coming. He also has Eight gates upto 5 Gates mastered. And he's as strong as a Jonin probably, combined it might be enough to solo these S-rank monsters? Like Quote ReplyReport Reactions:Revanchist131, The Voids Eternal Consort, Twista and 31 othersTikkyMikkVicky Dallon SimpOct 31, 2025Add bookmark#1,103FINALLY!!!! GLORIOUS XP IM COMING!!!! Like Quote ReplyReport Reactions:Angarac, Twista, Dante197 and 21 othersTRmConnoisseur.Oct 31, 2025Add bookmark#1,104These interactions with Temari are pretty dam cute
Spoiler
edit: also, I'm curious what is going to happen to his "teammates"; I guess they'll be shuffled to another Jonin, probablyLast edited: Oct 31, 2025 Like Quote ReplyReport Reactions:nirmtheworm, Minars90, Zeus and 30 othersvtkunWell worn.Oct 31, 2025Add bookmark#1,105thanks for the chapter Like Quote ReplyReportstadsWell worn.Oct 31, 2025Add bookmark#1,106nice chapter thx for writing it
fun seeing monster going zombie
wonder if that will push konoha for more research into edo tensei ? Like Quote ReplyReport Reactions:Dante197, rmrehfeldt and StoneForge99oscar e Sampedro LopezExperienced.Oct 31, 2025Add bookmark#1,107Thanks for the chapter Great story as always Like Quote ReplyReportmestatueWell worn.Oct 31, 2025Add bookmark#1,108Why the hell is Ken so emotionally invested in Temari, but not his other two teammates? I can't quite identify what about it that irritate me so. Maybe its the 'My fellow Konoha nins? Who gives a fuck! Hot suna kunoichi. Hubba hubba.' attitude. Can't wait for everyone to see how strong he is and the report Konoha will get about Ken from Suna.