When the ANBU scout, bloodied and battered, stumbled back with his report, even Hatake Sakumo—the famed "White Fang of Konoha"—couldn't help but show a look of shock.
Two Iwagakure assassination units had slipped past their lines and infiltrated deep into their territory. That could only mean one thing—their targets were either key figures of Konoha or its most elite combat units.
Each of the Three Great Ninja Villages had their own stationed camps in the Land of Rain, and the areas within those camps were, without a doubt, the safest places to be.
Yet two enemy units had managed to penetrate unnoticed. That was a dagger aimed straight at the heart.
If this was ignored, the consequences could be disastrous.
If the ambush succeeded… if even one of Tsunade, Orochimaru, or Jiraiya—the Third Hokage's own disciples—were to fall, it would shake the entire front line and might even turn the tide of war.
Without hesitation, Sakumo gathered sensory and intelligence-nin to discuss the situation. Their decision was unanimous—a rescue mission must be launched immediately.
But just as he was preparing to move out, a shadow entered the command room. The man's stride was sharp and commanding.
Anyone who dared to intrude on a wartime meeting like this was clearly no ordinary individual.
It was Shimura Danzo, adviser to the Hokage, commander of Root, and one of the strategists overseeing the Rain Country front.
Danzo rarely involved himself in open warfare. His methods were covert—espionage, assassinations, psychological manipulation. The main battlefield was always under the direction of Sarutobi Hiruzen and Hatake Sakumo.
"Sakumo, you must not move out lightly," Danzo said coldly, his eEXPression unreadable.
"If I don't go," Sakumo replied, his tone firm, "no one else can rescue Orochimaru, Jiraiya, or Tsunade. They are the Third's disciples—they cannot be lost. Their presence is crucial to our war effort."
Danzo's brows furrowed. "We're still in the standoff phase. The higher command has yet to commit its top forces. If you, one of our main commanders, rush to the front, won't that make us appear desperate? Weak?"
Sakumo's gaze hardened, and a faint killing intent radiated from him.
"I'll act under another identity," he said flatly. "I'll strike with overwhelming force and make it look like the work of a new Konoha powerhouse. It'll boost our morale—and no one will know it was me. So drop it, Danzo."
Silence.
After a long pause, Danzo finally nodded, but the glint in his eyes betrayed a flicker of displeasure.
He and Sarutobi Hiruzen were of the same generation—equals in rank. Yet Sakumo, a younger shinobi, had become indispensable to Konoha's war effort. It grated on Danzo's pride.
"Damn it…" he muttered inwardly. Always giving orders—he wasn't used to being the one overruled.
But Sakumo paid him no mind. Gathering a small strike team, he departed the camp at once.
With the Byakugan of the Hyūga clan and the tracking hounds of the Inuzuka, Sakumo's squad moved swiftly toward the area suspected of harboring the ambush.
Rain continued to pour over the Land of Rain, washing away scents and chakra traces alike.
At first, they couldn't sense any trace of Jiraiya's group. So they followed the only clue left—the heavy, metallic tang of blood.
The closer they came, the thicker the stench became.
Then they found it.
A battlefield so gruesome it made even seasoned ANBU hesitate.
"Captain!" a Hyūga shinobi called out. "We've found the site!"
Through the Byakugan's monochrome vision, the devastation was clear—broken limbs, shattered armor, and the unmistakable remains of Iwagakure's elite.
Even the rain couldn't wash away this much blood.
Sakumo's face darkened. The ground was littered with corpses—almost all Iwa-nin. Not a single one had died cleanly. Some were missing limbs, others heads entirely.
Every few steps, their boots nudged something round and hard—human heads, their faces frozen in terror, pupils dilated to their limits.
"These wounds…" said the Hyūga softly. "They were caused by a single, clean slash—from a very sharp blade."
Sakumo nodded. "A master swordsman did this."
As a kenjutsu eEXPert himself, he could tell instantly. The strikes were too precise, too lethal—swift, merciless.
And judging from the style, the killer wasn't from Konoha.
If this mysterious figure was an enemy, then Konoha had a dangerous new problem.
"Captain," the Hyūga continued, crouching beside a corpse, "these bodies were handled using Konoha ANBU techniques. The markings too—they're ours. But other than you, sir, I can't imagine anyone capable of slaughtering this many elite Iwa-nin alone… including two jōnin."
Sakumo paused, considering.
"…Then that's some good news amid the bad," he said finally. "If one assassination team has been wiped out, the other should be manageable for Jiraiya and the others. If we can't locate them nearby, we'll return to base and reassess."
The others nodded. "Yes, sir!"
"Finally back at camp."
At the outer perimeter of the Konoha encampment, Leo's Team Nine returned, weary from battle.
At the gate, they were halted by ANBU guards who quickly verified their identities.
"Captain Hatake is not currently in camp," the ANBU at the gate informed them. "Lord Danzo is temporarily in charge. By his order, all returning squads must report directly to him—for debriefing and verification. Enemy infiltration precautions."
"…Understood," said Tsukikage Jihuo (Moonlight Jihuo).
Behind his mask, Leo frowned.
Something felt off.
There hadn't been such a rule a month ago. Why now?
It reeked of Danzo's paranoia.
Elsewhere in the camp, a masked Root operative knelt on one knee.
"Lord Danzo, an ANBU squad has returned."
"Send them in," Danzo said with a nod.
Most of the ANBU had gone with Hatake Sakumo, leaving Danzo to manage internal matters himself.
Moments later, Leo and his three teammates stood before him.
Leo wore his Rakshasa mask, silent and still as ever. He had never interacted with Danzo directly before—and preferred to keep it that way.
Danzo hadn't planned to interrogate them deeply, but the moment the four entered, his sharp senses caught something.
A thick, suffocating aura of blood.
He frowned slightly, eyes narrowing on the masked youth in front. That mask… why did it seem so familiar?
"You've been in battle," Danzo said, his tone low and probing. "Where did all this blood come from?"
Under that oppressive stare—the legendary cunning of the "old fox of Konoha"—Tsukikage Jihuo broke into a cold sweat. He dared not lie.
"L-Lord Danzo," he stammered, "we were ambushed… by an elite Iwagakure assassination squad!"
Leo's heart tightened.
Not good.
The old schemer had caught the scent.
Danzo had noticed something.
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