"Word came from the base. That woman couldn't sit still any longer—she's left the camp."
Another night had passed. The four ninja behind "Plan Woodpecker" met once again. Their leader, the Bird-masked operative, brought news that was, for them, quite troublesome.
"We have to move fast."
"Heh, it's not all bad news. At least it proves the target hasn't reached the base yet, doesn't it?"
The Monkey-masked ninja seemed to have the best temperament of the four. While a heavy, grim atmosphere settled over the others at the news, he offered a light, comforting chuckle.
"Amegakure has already mobilized. Suna, on the other hand, has been silent ever since those two puppet-masters, Heihachiro and Shotaro, botched their ambush. Do you think they've realized the intel didn't actually come from their spies in the Leaf?"
The attempt at comfort fell flat. The bad news wasn't just that Tsunade was personally leading a Jonin squad out of the headquarters to find Nawaki; things were breaking down on the Suna side as well.
Despite their previous mockery of Suna's incompetence, the pressure on the four operatives spiked the moment Suna stopped moving. This concerned the Senju bloodline, after all. They had pushed the nerves of Suna and Ame as far as they could; having the Leaf's enemies do the dirty work was the limit of their reach.
If they were forced to take the field personally, they would leave a trail regardless of success or failure.
If discovered by other Leaf shinobi, they wouldn't just be facing death as rogue ninja; they would implicate the great "Lord" they served. If Suna or Ame caught them, it would be a massive political lever used to force the Leaf into a humiliating position.
Even the optimistic Monkey-mask fell into a brooding silence. They still couldn't fathom how a squad without a single Sensor-type had managed to detect Suna's paper bomb traps and puppet ambushes one after another.
At the Suna front-line headquarters, the two Suna Anbu—whose assassination plot had been stalled for nearly a day—immediately sought out Parashia after receiving fresh intel from their surveillance teams. They hoped to use this as proof that their information was genuine and convince Parashia to resume the hunt for Nawaki.
To their shock, they found Parashia already clad in full battle regalia, looking like a man ready for war. He didn't even blink at the news they brought.
Left with no choice, the two began their desperate persuasion again, inflating Nawaki's status and threat level until it sounded as if letting the boy go would mean facing a second Hashirama Senju in the future.
"Heh. You lot—cowards who don't even dare to show your faces, hiding in the dark like rats—it seems your courage and vision are just as small as a rodent's."
Parashia listened to their pleas with a cold sneer before unleashing a wave of unrestrained mockery.
"Slinking around to murder a brat fresh out of the Academy? That's petty. Tsunade—Princess of the Senju, one of the legendary Sannin—she is the only one worthy of my interest!"
The two Anbu stood there, dumbfounded. They never expected the previously cautious Parashia to hatch such a radical plan without the Kazekage's approval.
"If we kill Tsunade, we crush the Leaf's strength and morale in the Land of Rain in one blow. After that, we need only sweep forward to drive them out entirely. The Land of Rain will be Suna's for the taking! Hahaha!"
Parashia's laughter bordered on the manic, completely enthralled by the vision of glory he had painted for himself. He didn't stop to consider what would happen to Suna if he failed and died, taking his elite forces with him.
"Parashia! Without the Kazekage's command, how dare you privatey plot such a—"
One of the Anbu finally snapped out of his shock, shouting in alarm. But before he could finish, Parashia's gaze—bloodshot and brimming with thick killing intent—choked the words back into his throat.
"This is the collective decision of the twenty Jonin at this base. Suna will not end this war in such a pathetic, cowardly fashion!"
The Anbu felt their spirits sag at his words. In the pyramid structure of the shinobi world, a Jonin represented not just strength, but a faction of political influence. A coalition of twenty Jonin was a force that couldn't be ignored even back in the village, let alone here at the remote front lines.
Unless the Kazekage, Chiyo, or Ebizo personally arrived, no one could stop them.
Connecting the dots of Parashia's suspicious behavior before they arrived, a terrifying realization dawned on the Anbu.
"Parashia, you...! You were the one who leaked the news of Nawaki's disappearance to Tsunade?!"
"Hahahaha!"
Parashia laughed, admitting it without a shred of hesitation.
"That's right! It was me! If you want to catch the biggest fish, you have to use the tastiest bait, don't you? Hahaha!"
Without another look at the two Anbu, he strode out of the tent, laughing. Outside, eighteen Jonin stood waiting, ready to move.
Tsunade, of course, had no idea she had walked into a trap fueled by her own desperation.
Worried sick about her brother, she had formed a four-person squad consisting of herself, Dan Kato, the Genjutsu master Kurama Sei, and the Leaf-Style Kenjutsu specialist, Tokubetsu Jonin Gekko Kyofu. Based on intel "leaked" from Suna by a Leaf spy, they were racing east along the supply lines, searching for any trace of Nawaki.
They reached the site of Mimura-sensei's final stand just before dusk.
"This... this is..."
Even though they were prepared for signs of battle, the four of them couldn't help but stare at the small pond blocking their path.
Mimura-sensei had used his Fire Style and every paper bomb on his person to trigger a suicidal explosion, leaving not even a fragment of bone behind.
The critically injured Suna puppet-master, Shotaro, had survived by hiding inside a defensive puppet. He had managed to drag away the body of his partner, Heihachiro, along with the wreckage of their puppets. However, in his battered state, he had lacked the strength to fill the massive, meters-deep crater left by the blast.
Afterward, Parashia's refusal to let the Anbu use Suna's regular troops meant no one had returned to clean the battlefield. The crater remained. After a day and a half of relentless downpour, the hole had filled with rainwater, becoming a small, still pond.
"This was caused by a massive explosion," Kurama Sei reported. Aside from Genjutsu, he was an expert at tracking. After a cursory inspection of the water's edge, he gave a grim nod. "Despite the rain washing away the scent, I can confirm this crater was formed two or three days ago."
"Tsunade-sama!"
Gekko Kyofu, who had been scouting the perimeter and searching for clues, called out urgently.
The light had faded from Tsunade's eyes, but she immediately used the Body Flicker Technique to appear by his side, a spark of hope flickering in her chest.
But when she saw what Gekko Kyofu was holding, the world seemed to turn black. The strength drained from her limbs as if she had been hollowed out, and she began to sway on her feet.