The bizarre behavior of the Sand shinobi left Sakumo Hatake scratching his head. Over a thousand men were huddled together in a single, massive clump, inching forward. He didn't dare charge into a formation that dense, but moving at that pace was practically a suicide mission.
After being harassed by Sakumo for so long, there were very few fortified outposts left where the Sand could mount a stable defense. The distance between the second and third outposts on this route normally took three days to travel; moving in that huddled mass would stretch it to ten. They would likely run out of water for five days or more.
Running out of water in the desert was dangerous for a small ninja squad—for a large army, it was a death sentence.
Before Sakumo could figure out their logic, the Suna forces suddenly reverted to a standard marching formation and resumed their normal speed.
This is even stranger, he thought. Is there something happening up ahead that I don't know about?
Sakumo was a seasoned veteran who had come of age in the fires of war; no amount of confusion could cloud his tactical judgment. If there was an opening, he wouldn't hesitate. He moved in for the kill.
The White Fang led the Konoha shinobi in a second raid, followed shortly by a third. Facing the White Light Chakra Sabre without a top-tier ninja to parry it, the Sand forces were effectively helpless. Sakumo came and went as he pleased, striking however he wished. The more he fought, the more effortless his movements became.
By dusk, Sakumo launched his fourth raid. This time, he managed to incinerate a third of their supplies and landed a heavy strike on Sashin. It was a windfall of a victory.
Under the cover of complete darkness—that window of time when the sun has set but the moon has yet to rise—Sashin utilized the shadows to narrowly escape death once again, slipping away from the White Fang's blade for the third time.
In the pitch black, both the Sand and Konoha forces fell into a state of chaos. Continuing the fight would yield diminishing returns and risk unbearable casualties. Sakumo blew the signal for retreat, ending the day's skirmish.
As the moon began to illuminate the dunes, the scattered Konoha ninjas regrouped at the base of a large sand ridge to rest. Unlike Tetsumaru's Team 121, these were all seasoned adults. Without needing orders from Sakumo, they automatically organized themselves into squads. They dug shallow pits in the sand to shield themselves from the freezing desert night, huddling back-to-back while eating dry rations and rotating guard shifts.
Deep in enemy territory, they couldn't risk a fire. Sakumo used a glow-stone to read the newly arrived intelligence reports.
First were the combat statistics from the day: roughly 200 to 350 kills. The wide range was due to the inability to properly clear the battlefield; they had to rely on verbal accounts, which were particularly unreliable after the chaotic final raid. The number of kills was staggering, but the fact that the tally included at least nineteen Jonin was what truly made the report extraordinary.
Next was the report from the nearby theaters. When he saw the news from the Land of Rivers, Sakumo's eyebrows shot up, and he couldn't help but let out a boisterous laugh.
"Hahaha! And here I thought I did well today. It turns out our juniors are putting us to shame!"
Yakushi Tenzen curiously took the inch-long scroll and gasped. "Good grief... four kids didn't just hold off the Kazekage, they took down over three hundred men? Sakumo, are we getting old?"
The twenty-odd surviving ninjas began to whisper in amazement. Whose kids were these? Senju? Uchiha? Hyuga?
"Aburame Tetsumaru!?"
"The Aburame kid?"
"..."
As the glow-stone and the intel were passed around, the Konoha veterans fell silent.
Konoha never lacked geniuses; that was a fact accepted by the entire Shinobi world. The top three in a graduating class were "geniuses." Those who graduated early every few years were "geniuses." A ten-year-old Genin who could fight a Chunin to a draw was a "genius," and a twelve-year-old promoted to Jonin was a "top-tier genius."
In the ninja world, "Genius" was a title reserved for children. If a thirty-year-old were called a "genius," it would sound more like an insult.
The most important criteria for a genius was being stronger than their peers—oppressively so. But when a ninja's strength reaches a certain threshold, they stop being called a "genius" and start being called a "Powerhouse." Usually, the Jonin level is the dividing line.
For example, a certain Uchiha with a notorious younger-brother complex had shattered every chakra measurement record in history. He was a once-in-a-generation outlier, widely considered Konoha's greatest genius. But if that same person were to theoretically wipe out his entire clan—a feat even a Kage would struggle to achieve—the sheer scale of that power would move him far beyond the label of "genius."
Tetsumaru's feat of stalling the Kazekage didn't quite reach that level of infamy, but it was certainly something no ordinary Jonin could do. He had effectively leaped out of the "genius" category.
In a village like Konoha, where geniuses popped up like weeds, people were used to unknown names suddenly becoming famous. However, Tetsumaru had displayed the combat prowess of an Elite Jonin. Before this, he was either unheard of or known only as a standard Tokubetsu Jonin who was exceptionally good at keeping his subordinates alive.
The veterans felt a bit of a sting to their pride. It felt unprofessional to have overlooked someone this capable.
We need to go all out tomorrow, they thought collectively. Otherwise, we won't be able to look our juniors in the eye.
With a renewed determination to make a statement, the ninjas arranged their watch rotation, draped camouflage tarps over their pits, and went to sleep.
Meanwhile, far away in the Land of Rivers, Aburame Tetsumaru had finally regrouped with his three subordinates. Team 121 was a mess—covered in dust, soot, and looking utterly disheveled. The smug satisfaction of the previous day had vanished.
That afternoon, Tetsumaru had taken his team to observe the Suna main army from a distance. They had barely reached their vantage point when they were spotted by a Suna hidden sentry. A signal was sent out instantly.
Sunagakure was, after all, one of the Five Great Hidden Villages. Tetsumaru had played them for fools earlier only because they weren't familiar with his new tactics. After several days of continuous combat, Suna had collected enough data on Team 121 and the local geography to formulate effective countermeasures.
Long-range hidden sentries were an easy tactic to predict. Uchiha Hiro, Nara Yoshito, and Tetsumaru had already prepared a fallback plan. Team 121 immediately retreated toward their pre-set ambush point.
However, the unexpected happened. To the north of Team 121, an endless wave of Iron Sand erupted. It looked like a storm cloud rolling in before a torrential rain, blotting out the sun as it surged toward them. On the ground, the iron sand flowed like a churning, metallic tide.
Tetsumaru had planned for many things, but he never expected that the first pursuer to appear would be the Kazekage himself!
This is completely against the rules! Tetsumaru thought. You're the Kazekage! The commander of a massive army! You should be sitting in your command tent managing the big picture, not running to the front lines to play counter-ambush!
If the Kazekage were surrounded and killed while alone on the front lines, the war with Suna would effectively end that day. The man was being incredibly irresponsible.
But right now, he was coming for Team 121's lives. Their pre-set traps weren't designed to handle a Kage. It was like casting a net for a fish and catching a blue whale; the net would snap before the whale even noticed it was there.
The heavy Iron Sand was devastatingly powerful. Any insect—whether on the ground or in the air—was instantly crushed into a pulp the moment it was swept into the sand.
The Iron Sand wasn't moving incredibly fast, but Tetsumaru's beetles were just a fraction slower. That "just a little bit" of a gap was enough to make Tetsumaru want to spit blood.
Regardless of his frustration, he had to struggle. As long as his bugs were fighting, they would distract the Kazekage. Iron Sand was, after all, manipulated by ninjutsu; it didn't seek out enemies on its own.
"Hiro, Yoshito, O—get ready to split up!"
"Everyone, use the Clone Jutsu. Make three clones each and transform them to look like the others."
"On my mark, take your clones and scatter. Any objections?"
Uchiha Hiro, Nara Yoshito, and Inuzuka O shook their heads in unison.
It was the only logical move. The Kazekage was currently slower than them only because he was obsessed with crushing every single bug. Once he realized the trick, he would move. And since the Third Kazekage could fly, he was naturally faster than anyone on foot.
Splitting up meant not everyone would be caught. However, since a standard Clone Jutsu would destabilize if it got too far from the caster, they couldn't just rely on luck to get everyone out.
Tetsumaru immediately began spamming Earth Style to raise a series of walls to break the Kazekage's line of sight. Under the cover of the walls, the four of them cast their clones and transformations. After a flurry of white smoke, the four-man cell looked like four identical teams.
Tetsumaru raised one final, massive earth wall.
"Disperse! Hiro to the left, O and Yoshito to the right!"
"No matter what happens, don't look back and don't counter-attack! Rendezvous at Camp 6. Backup is Camp 11!"
As he ordered his three disciples to run, Tetsumaru continued running straight ahead.
Technically, Tetsumaru could use the Shadow Clone and Transformation to give the team a better chance of escape. But Shadow Clones divided his chakra, and he had a different plan: he was going to face the Kazekage head-on.
By staying behind, he guaranteed his students' safety and could finally test his own limits. He dropped the idea of Shadow Clones to keep his combat power at 100%.
The past few days of fighting had given him a growing, nagging feeling: The Kazekage doesn't actually seem that strong. I think I can take him.
The feeling grew until it became a conviction. To justify the gamble, he decided he was willing to reveal several of his "trump cards."
Seeing the Konoha ninjas scatter, the Kazekage decided he couldn't wait for his reinforcements any longer. He abandoned the bulk of his Iron Sand and took to the sky, pursuing them on wings of black grit.
The speed of flight was incredible. The Kazekage estimated the distance, preparing to unleash a wide-range Iron Sand Drizzle.
As a Kage standing at the peak of the Shinobi world, he saw through the Clone and Transformation trick instantly. To him, those clones were just fragile phantoms; a single spray of iron sand would pop them like bubbles. Once he identified the real targets, he would kill the three brats first, then hunt down the troublesome Aburame Jonin—excuse me, Tokubetsu Jonin.
The distance closed. The chakra fluctuations for a large-scale jutsu were so intense that the three Genin felt the cold hand of death on their shoulders. Despite their captain's orders, instinct screamed at them to fight back.
Hiro prepared a Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire, Yoshito prepared a Dust Storm to hide their tracks, and O began the Four Legs Technique to boost his speed.
Before they could finish, Tetsumaru exploded into action. His three clones vanished in puffs of smoke as he unleashed a barrage of wind.
Wind Style: Wind Blade Barrage!
The Kazekage, who had left most of his sand behind to gain speed and was mid-cast for an offensive spell, was caught off guard. The wind blades were incredibly sharp, shearing through his Iron Sand wings and sending him plummeting from the sky.
The lethal pressure vanished. The three Genin stopped their jutsus. Filled with a mix of grief and gratitude, they didn't look back. They knew Tetsumaru was risking his life to stall the Kage for them. They ran.
The Kazekage hit the ground, his mind instantly clearing. While he didn't have much offensive sand on hand, his defensive sand—the layer that always orbited him—was perfectly intact.
The fact that a single jutsu could penetrate his outer defense and clip his wings was shocking. That wasn't the power of a standard Jonin, let alone a Tokubetsu Jonin. And the fact that the user was an Aburame made it even more bizarre.
"Aburame... Tetsumaru..." the Kazekage growled, his voice thick with killing intent. "I finally have you. You will pay for the humiliation of the last few days in blood."
Talk is cheap, Tetsumaru thought.
He didn't say a word. Since the Kage wanted to monologue, Tetsumaru would take the initiative. He began a relentless cycle of Wind Style.
Wind Style: Blade of Wind!Wind Style: Wind Spear!Wind Style: Thousand Shearing Winds!Wind Style: Air Cannon!Wind Style: Breakthrough!Wind Style: Wind Blade Barrage!
The gale-force assault was unending. Faced with such a violent barrage, the Kazekage was forced to condense his limited Iron Sand into a curved shield. He focused entirely on defense, yet the impact was so great that sparks and sand flew in every direction.
Soon, the Iron Sand he had left behind caught up. He drew more from the earth beneath him. The crescent shield expanded into a perfect sphere, thickening by the second.
Magnet Style: Absolute Defense!
With his defense stabilized, eyes made of sand began to form on the surface of the sphere to track the enemy, and spikes of iron began to protrude.
Tetsumaru realized Wind Style wouldn't crack the "Absolute Defense," so he pivoted immediately to Earth Style.
Earth Style: Rock Pillar!
A massive pillar of stone erupted from the ground, launching the defensive sphere into the air. The impact shattered the sand-eyes and collapsed the forming iron spears. By lifting the sphere, Tetsumaru also slowed the rate at which the Kazekage could draw more sand from the ground.
Earth Style: Rock Bullet!Earth Style: Boulder Cannon!
He followed up with heavy-hitting Earth Style. Boulders ranging from the size of a head to the size of a dining table slammed into the iron sphere. The sphere rocked violently under the kinetic impact; cracks spider-webbed across the surface, and large chunks of iron sand fell away.
Earth Style was clearly more effective at siege work. The Kazekage was forced to abandon all offensive thoughts, focusing purely on reinforcing the sphere. The rate of sand accumulation accelerated.
Soon, the sphere grew to the size of a small house. The sheer weight crushed the rock pillar, and the Kazekage returned to the earth.
Once back on the ground, the replenishment speed tripled. Not only did the sphere grow denser, but walls of Iron Sand began to rise around it, making it harder for Tetsumaru to land a direct hit.
Seeing that his Earth Style was now being intercepted by the outer walls, Tetsumaru stopped his assault. He reached into his storage and performed a Summoning Jutsu, calling forth a Giant Broodmother Hive.
Tetsumaru quickly stripped off his standard gear and donned his Attached Insect Limbs Bio-Armor. He performed a quick Transformation Jutsu, returning to his signature look: the high-collared trench coat and dark sunglasses. He then dismissed the hive.
The Kazekage continued reinforcing his defense for two more seconds before realizing the pressure had stopped. He ceased his movements, and the battlefield fell into a heavy, eerie silence.
Finally, Tetsumaru broke the quiet. He adjusted his glasses and looked at the massive iron fortress.
"Hey, Kazekage... are you really that big of a deal?"