With the arrival of winter, the days grew increasingly cold.
Under the gloomy sky, the sun released its residual heat, looking rather listless. Even the desert had become bitterly cold.
On a sand dune, a young man and woman walked slowly.
The man had reddish-brown short hair, regular features, wore black Shinobi attire with a beige windproof cloak over it. The woman had long pink hair tied into a single ponytail at the back, a delicate face, smooth skin, wore a low-cut fishnet Shinobi outfit, also covered with a beige windproof cloak.
Truly, a handsome man and a beautiful woman.
This was Senki Ryuji and Chie Kana, having left the Mechanical City.
After bidding farewell to Ebizo, he didn't take a mechanical bird directly to Konoha but traveled on foot towards Sunagakure.
Aside from needing to replenish Chakra for the Scarab puppets serving as signal stations, there was another important matter forcing his return.
That was, Bunpuku was nearing his end.
This monk, who didn't want to cause others worry and fear because of him and voluntarily stayed in the dungeons, was approaching his limit. A new Jinchuriki needed to be prepared quickly.
But currently, Sunagakure had no suitable candidate. The Third Kazekage hoped Ryuji would return to see if he could help Bunpuku hold on a bit longer, at least until a new Jinchuriki candidate was born before he passed.
Although Ryuji knew Bunpuku still had a few years left, to reassure the village, he decided to return.
Moreover, it had been a long time since he last saw Bunpuku and Shukaku.
"My lord, some people are following us."
Suddenly, Kana said without changing her expression.
Ryuji didn't look at her, his footsteps didn't pause, as if he hadn't heard. But the girl walking beside him heard the young man's low voice: "How many, what positions?"
"Below us and all around. Twenty-one people."
"Flush them out."
"Yes."
Upon receiving the order, Kana's hands hidden under her cloak subtly formed seals. Pale yellow mist quietly seeped into the sand beneath their feet.
Plop plop plop...
Figures emerged one by one from the sand.
They clutched their own throats, faces twisted in agony, snot and tears streaming uncontrollably, emitting painful sounds.
"Huh?"
Looking at the emerging individuals, Ryuji uttered a sound of surprise.
He had thought those following them were White Zetsu, but they turned out to be a group of Anbu's members wearing animal masks.
"Which village are you from?"
Ryuji asked curiously.
Of course, no one answered.
Not only could those in a poisoned state not answer, but even if they could, as Anbu, they wouldn't answer.
One member clad in a white cloak injected himself with an antidote, and his poisoned state immediately improved.
The others followed suit, each pulling out antidotes and injecting themselves.
Then, everyone let out sighs of relief as if having survived a disaster.
Seeing this, Ryuji narrowed his eyes, "You're Konoha's Anbu, right?"
The Anbu's members who had just relaxed tensed up again, looking at him with shock and fear, but still no one answered.
Ryuji couldn't help but smile, "It's fine if you don't say. I already know."
Kana's Charm-Poison was ever-changing, each type highly potent. Even though the poison used was for 'flushing out' not 'killing them', and thus not fatal, it wasn't something just anyone could counter, let alone with pre-prepared antidotes.
In the entire Shinobi World, only two people could achieve this.
One was naturally Konoha's Tsunade, the other Sunagakure's Chiyo.
Chiyo couldn't, nor had the ability to secretly mobilize this many Anbu to track Ryuji, leaving only Konoha as the option.
"Kill him."
As a captain-level Anbu issued the command, everyone sprang into action. Seven or eight Anbu hurled projectiles at Ryuji and Kana, while the rest drew weapons and charged forward.
Most wielded standard Anbu longswords, but there were also broad cleaving swords and kusarigama-type weapons.
Both jumped back simultaneously, dodging the projectiles. Ryuji watched the charging figures and said to the girl, "These guys are yours. Let me see the power of the Charm-Poison Body!"
"Mm!"
Kana nodded, took a step forward, blocking the front.
In the past, she was only a Chunin. Even if relatively strong among Chunin and could fight Tokubetsu Jonin relying on Hawk Eyes, that was it.
But now it was different.
With Ryuji's help, she could now utilize the power of the Charm-Poison Body.
How strong she was now, she herself didn't know.
So...
"I'll use you to test my power!"
Kana formed hand seals, began taking deep breaths, inhaling large amounts of air.
"It's Wind Release, scatter!"
The charging Anbu's members clearly had rich combat experience. Seeing the signs, they predicted the Ninjutsu type, and over a dozen people immediately scattered, jumping apart.
[Wind Release: Fierce Poison Assault!]
Kana violently exhaled breath, like a hurricane blade. As she turned her head, it swept horizontally, tracing a long arc in the air.
If these Anbu hadn't predicted the Ninjutsu type and evaded in advance, this attack would have bisected them all.
However,
This wasn't pure Wind Release; it was a kamaitachi wind laced with deadly poison.
Though these Anbu barely dodged the cutting attack, as the wind blades dispersed, the poison mixed within exploded outward with the wind's dissipation, instantly enveloping a hundred-meter radius.
At close range, so sudden, unless one possessed Space-Time Ninjutsu, avoiding it was absolutely impossible.
The Anbu enveloped by the poison mist, though they promptly covered their mouths and noses, were powerless to stop the poison penetrating their skin. Their bodies visibly shriveled, like withered plants, gradually dying.
Moments later, a gentle breeze dispersed the poison mist, leaving only withered, skeletal corpses on the ground.
"How was that?"
Kana turned back to Ryuji, seeking praise, a hint of pride on her face.
"Not bad."
Ryuji impassively assessed, then went to examine the corpses.
Kana pouted behind him, somewhat dissatisfied.
Twenty Anbu, instantly killed.
Such an achievement would be a point of pride at any time, yet it only earned a 'not bad' evaluation.
However, dissatisfied as she was, she knew Ryuji had the right to say that.
Whether it was single-handedly facing ten Elite Jonin and achieving an overwhelming victory, or repelling enemies with three shots, single-handedly defeating a powerful Uchiha, purging Sunagakure's higher-ups, reversing the outcome of the Amegakure's battlefield... compared to these achievements, instantly killing twenty Anbu indeed could only be considered 'not bad'.
...
"Muscle atrophy, skin shriveled, all biological cells necrotized..."
Ryuji examined up to this point, then directly opened a corpse's mouth, finding a Cursed Seal on their tongue.
With his extensive knowledge and discerning eye, he immediately recognized this as the Tongue Eradication Seal preventing information leakage, a Cursed Seal to stop secrets from being divulged. In Konoha, only Danzo's Root had such seals implanted.
"So they really are from the Root."
When guessing they were from Konoha, Ryuji had thought of the Root.
After all, Konoha's current situation meant they absolutely dared not offend Sunagakure. Even if they sent assassins after Ryuji, they wouldn't leave evidence.
And the Root was a department even more hidden than the Anbu. Even within Konoha, only a very few knew about it, let alone other villages.
Sending Root's members for assassination meant that even if they failed, no evidence would remain, and no one would suspect Konoha.
Unfortunately, Ryuji had read the script.
"I just don't know if it's Danzo's personal intention or the Third Hokage's order..."
Ryuji pondered slightly.
Although Konoha's ranks followed the Hokage's orders, the Root had long become Danzo's private force, so who knew how many things they had done secretly behind the Hokage's back.
"Does it matter whose intention it was?"
Kana asked from the side.
She didn't know the relationship between Danzo and the Third Hokage, nor what the Root department was. She simply asked Ryuji this question, not offering any insight.
But it reminded Ryuji.
"No, it doesn't matter."
Whether it was Danzo's personal intention or the Third Hokage's command was unimportant.
What mattered was these people came from Konoha, he happened to know this, and Konoha currently dared not offend Sunagakure.
He just needed to hold Konoha accountable through diplomatic channels and demand compensation.
Whether they admitted it or blamed it on individual actions was irrelevant.
After all, it was your Konoha's people who did it. The specifics, we in Sunagakure don't understand nor wish to. We only know a Sunagakure's key figure was assassinated and threatened by Konoha. You breached the alliance by attacking an ally first.
Since you act without honor, don't blame us for being ruthless.
If you wish to continue our alliance, then show sincerity.
Yes, this was leveraging power to pressure others.
Never mind that this was Konoha's fault; even if it weren't, Sunagakure could still extort them, just like how Kumogakure would later kidnap Hinata and then blame Konoha instead.
This is the so-called 'weak nations have no diplomacy'.
Storing the corpses as evidence in his Personal Space, Ryuji and Kana resumed their journey.
En route, he informed the Third Kazekage and the Sunagakure's delegation about this incident via their mental link, telling them to negotiate with Konoha's higher-ups.
...
Konoha.
Hokage Tower, Hokage's Office.
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was discussing frontline war matters with Danzo and two advisors.
"If the frontline could freeze, perhaps we could seize the opportunity to break the enemy," Danzo said.
The frontline war had stalemated.
This was normal.
Generally, Shinobi had high mobility and didn't line up and fight like ordinary soldiers. Unless both warring sides were determined for a decisive battle, it was hard for a single engagement to end the war.
Just like the initial war between Kumogakure and Konoha, even Konoha, at an absolute troop disadvantage, could engage them for months relying on familiar terrain advantages.
If not for later planning and preparations being complete, they could have dragged on even longer.
Neither Iwa-Kusa alliance nor Konoha had absolute confidence in victory, so both sides needed to gradually gain advantage through constant small-scale guerrilla warfare.
Both sides continuously scouted and harassed on the frontline.
The war thus reached a stalemate.