The next three days were a blur of forced marches and high-intensity drills. Makima, though reserved, dedicated herself to optimizing her teammates' skills with clinical precision. She offered sharp, technical pointers, treating their abilities like tools to be sharpened.
For Minato, she focused entirely on maximizing the deceptive speed of his Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique) within confined spaces. She forced him to practice instantly striking a target and deploying a regular kunai for misdirection in one fluid, exhausting movement.
"The enemy will react to the flash, not the strike, Minato-kun," she instructed, her gaze fixed on his feet. "You must make every step invisible. Use the Flash Bomb not just for blinding, but to mask the chakra signature of your Shunshin. Maximum speed is useless without maximum deception. Optimal deployment is paramount."
Kushina was tasked with mastering her explosive tag control. Makima didn't critique her raw power, only her lack of finesse.
"Kushina-san, your chains are chaos. Chaos is power, but it must be targeted," Makima explained calmly. "You must focus the chakra surge through the wire, not around it, to achieve simultaneous detonation. If you hesitate, or if the chain's energy bleeds out, your tag placement is useless. Control the chaos."
On the second night, resting beneath a silent sky, the gravity of the mission was momentarily eased by a shared field meal. Jiraiya had managed to cook some nourishing desert reptiles.
Kushina groaned dramatically. "My hands still ache from trying to make that chakra not fly all over the place, Makima. Is there a trick?"
Makima paused her eating. "It is not a trick, Kushina-san. Your chakra output is vast. Imagine your chain is a focusing lens, not a fire hose. Direct 85% of your energy to compression, 15% to release. You achieved a 7.2% improvement in directional stability today."
"See, she's trying to be nice!" Minato said, managing a tired but genuine smile. "She's just making sure we survive. And she's right; my movement is much cleaner now."
Jiraiya watched, recognizing the necessary balance. Makima was cold, but she was calculating their survival.
"We go at dawn," Jiraiya announced, his voice low. "We will win this, and we will do it as a team."
Makima's eyes, while still intensely focused, confirmed the strategy. "Yes, Minato-kun. And when the dust settles, the enemy will know that even the youngest leaves of Konoha are forces of absolute control."
...
The silence of the Hidden Canyon of the Hawk was shattered by a deafening, throbbing chakra presence. Jiraiya, high above the canyon entrance, achieved Sage Mode. The toad markings were stark against his skin, and his chakra felt ancient and immense.
"Showtime," he muttered, slamming his palms together.
KUCHIYOSE NO JUTSU!
The resulting smoke cloud was massive. When it cleared, the immense, scarred form of Gamabunta materialized, his mighty pipe jutting out. The Suna vanguard, consisting of sensory ninja and scouts, immediately halted, convinced they had stumbled upon a major Konoha forward base.
"Focus artillery fire! We are pinned! That is a major summoning!" a panicked Suna Jōnin screamed.
Jiraiya didn't give them time to think. He inhaled deeply, drawing on the immense power of nature chakra.
SENPŌ: GŌKA MEKKYAKU (Sage Art: Great Fire Annihilation!)
Jiraiya combined his Sage power with a massive fire jutsu. The resulting inferno was a roiling wall of orange and black smoke that sealed the canyon entrance. It didn't aim to kill, but to terrify and force the vanguard to deal with an artificial bottleneck of heat and smoke.
Two miles down the canyon, Makima watched through a scope. "The feint is active. Vanguard secured. Minato-kun, you are clear for insertion. Target the third vehicle—that is the main strategist. Go."
Minato stood poised on a high ridge, his face a mask of focus, his chakra coiling, ready to explode. He simply vanished.
SHUNSHIN NO JUTSU!
Minato was a surgical blur, a sudden shift in the air pressure that marked the demise of anyone too slow to react.