In the blink of an eye, a week passed.
During that week of relentless training, Arata Itsuki's strength had risen dramatically.
If he were to fight Hatake Sakumo again now, at the very least he wouldn't be completely overwhelmed by raw power.
But there was still a sizable gap between them—enough that Arata didn't dare relax for even a moment.
Every day, he continued to train as if his life depended on it.
His speed, too, had climbed to yet another level.
With greater mastery over the Thunder Fruit, he was confident that, within Konoha—and perhaps the entire shinobi world—his speed now ranked easily within the top three.
The only reason he didn't claim first place was simple:
he still didn't know how fast the Third Raikage truly was.
That man had refined Lightning Armor to its peak.
His speed was not something anyone could take lightly.
Of all the things Arata improved this week, his Mind Net range had increased the most.
This ability naturally scaled quickly—after all, Enel's half-trained version could sense everything within dozens of kilometers on Skypiea.
Arata's innate talent wasn't inferior.
By now, he could monitor nearly two kilometers around him.
That range did not lose to the Hyūga's Byakugan at all.
Throughout the week, the system had sent no notifications.
Which meant Shizune was still alive.
As long as she lived, the Hyperbolic Time Chamber reward was still attainable.
But Arata couldn't figure out why Danzō would keep a two-year-old girl alive after Katō Dan's death.
Then he remembered—Katō Dan had died early even in the original timeline, yet Shizune survived and was taken in by Tsunade.
So her fate probably hadn't changed.
She likely wasn't in any immediate danger.
Setting aside Shizune's situation, Arata still didn't neglect his patrol duties.
With his Mind Net, he constantly monitored the area for any Suna-nin.
This quest was tied to Kamui, after all—and that was something he absolutely refused to miss.
He'd already decided:
if he didn't encounter the enemy by the final three days, he would go searching for them himself.
One way or another, he had to get Kamui.
Just as he was about to begin another day of intense training—
Arata sensed something unusual through his Mind Net.
Beneath the ground, several heartbeats pulsed.
Someone was using Earth Style to move deep underground.
And not just anyone—these individuals were nearly four hundred meters below the surface.
For most sensory types, that depth was a complete blind spot.
Not to mention, such depths exerted crushing pressure.
Without expert-level earth manipulation, they would've been flattened long ago.
Which meant this team had been specifically selected for this role.
"So… my targets have finally arrived."
On the border near the Land of Wind, only Suna-nin would be this good at Earth Style.
They were unlucky to encounter Arata—
his Mind Net had no blind spots, not even two kilometers underground.
Deep below, several Suna-nin advanced silently.
Their mission: map Konoha's patrol routes and locate the logistical supply lines along the border.
Such information was crucial to the upcoming war.
This infiltration unit had been carefully selected—every member was specialized in Earth Style.
Their purpose was secrecy above all else.
Everything had gone smoothly so far.
According to memory, they should have already crossed the border and entered the Land of Fire.
Suddenly—
From the sky, a massive blue pillar of lightning crashed down.
The electrified blast melted earth into molten slurry, drilling downward at terrifying speed—
plunging hundreds of meters into the ground.
The roar of lightning was deafening.
Panicked, the Suna-nin were forced to flee upward—if they stayed underground, they would die instantly.
Moments later, five Suna-nin burst from the ground's surface.
They all understood immediately:
their cover was blown.
Standing before them was a young man—17 or 18—black tousled hair, a short blade at his waist.
Arata looked at the five and noted they were sharp enough to escape upward.
Had they stayed underground, his earlier attack would've killed them without fail.
That technique was one Enel had once used—God's Judgment.
It required no shaping seals, so Arata had mastered it easily.
The five Suna-nin were strong.
One of them—judging by the enormous chakra reserves equal to Sakumo's—was a Kage-level fighter.
The other four were Jōnin-level.
With the enemy revealed, Arata had no interest in talking.
The two nations were currently enemies—not allies as they would be years later.
The Suna-nin were veterans.
Upon being discovered, they immediately formed battle formation.
Four Jōnin took the front line, and the Kage-level shinobi stood behind them—clearly protected.
The Kage-level shinobi then pulled out ten scrolls.
He opened them, performed a sequence of hand seals, and slammed his palms onto the scrolls.
In the next instant, ten wooden puppets appeared—
each wearing white cloaks and wielding different weapons.
Arata saw the puppets—
and the red hair of the Kage-level shinobi—
and instantly remembered a certain notorious puppet master.
"Could he be… Sasori's father?"
Now that he thought about it, the man's facial features indeed resembled Sasori's.
Digging into his memory, Arata recalled the name.
"Zōshirō. Son of Elder Chiyo of Sunagakure…
A new-generation prodigy of Sunagakure.
He has fought Sakumo many times without falling behind."
A big fish, indeed.
Zōshirō was the commander of the Sunagakure's border forces.
If Arata killed him, his status in Konoha would skyrocket.
Knowing his opponent's identity, Arata felt no fear.
In fact, he welcomed the chance to test the results of his training.
Zōshirō, on the other hand, sensed that Arata's chakra was only that of a Tokubetsu Jōnin.
He couldn't help but underestimate him slightly.
But he was a seasoned battlefield veteran.
He understood that deep inside enemy territory, even a weak opponent must be eliminated quickly.
Otherwise, being surrounded would mean certain death.
"Move out!"
At his command, the four Jōnin immediately began forming seals.
Zōshirō himself directed his "Ten Puppet Brigade," modeled after his mother's signature jutsus, sending them charging at Arata to buy time for his team to complete their jutsu.