Leaving the group, the three of them ran straight toward the Land of Wind.
After all, Sunagakure's operation was on a massive scale, and even the Vanguard's advance would take time.
Before long, they arrived at the border between the Land of Rivers and the Land of Wind, where they saw a vast army stretching across the desert.
"Wow, this is spectacular."
"It looks like Sunagakure is going all out for this."
Kazuyama Gekkō immediately activated his Hive Mind, observing from a distance. So far, they had only spotted the enemy's Vanguard, with more troops still stationed in the rear.
As faces flashed past his vision, a sense of confusion settled in—he didn't recognize a single one. These were supposed to be some of Sunagakure's strongest shinobi.
"Rokudenashi, what's the plan? Do we get closer, or wait for them to come to us?"
Haru, who knew Rokudenashi's true identity, asked directly. After all, if they wanted to complete the mission, they had to rely on the one among them who specialized in concealment.
"I'll leave a marker. Go check it out yourself—it won't be easy to escape if there are too many people."
Kazuyama handed Haru a set of kunai inscribed with a technique. Haru took them and nodded.
"Don't worry, as long as I'm here, your technique will remain intact."
Kazuyama nodded in return before sprinting toward the Land of Wind. For safety, he placed two additional markers as a precaution.
"Chōmei, lend me your power—I want to fly up there."
"Okay, just for flying? Want me to prepare some Scale Powder for you?"
"No need. I'm just scouting, not fighting."
Chōmei let out a disappointed sigh.
"Come on, if you're flying up there, why not spice things up with some Scale Powder?"
"I'll have you know, I recently improved it. That fight you had with Minato and that Uchiha kid really inspired me."
"I've specially formulated a Scale Powder that causes diarrhea—guaranteed to work! You won't stop pooping for at least ten rounds!"
Kazuyama shuddered at the thought. He was now extremely sensitive to the words "diarrhea" and "laxative." The agony of it, the weakness that followed… it was a nightmare he never wanted to relive.
"Chōmei, I've noticed you've been getting worse lately."
"But I can't do anything about it now. I still need to find out who the other team leader is."
"As for your diarrhea medicine, you can keep it for now."
"Oh, and don't let me catch you secretly stockpiling it!"
Hearing Kazuyama's firm, no-nonsense tone, Chōmei quickly dispersed the Scale Powder he had just congealed.
He wondered, How did this kid know I made some in secret?
Leaning on his wings, Kazuyama shot straight up into the sky, activating the Transparent Escape Technique.
A perfectly invisible reconnaissance aircraft was thus born—one unlike anything else in the entire Ninja World!
As the saying goes, the higher you stand, the farther you can see.
From above, he surveyed the battlefield, gaining a commanding view of Sunagakure's vanguard troops.
Something's off. There should be 200 soldiers in the vanguard, and nothing seems unusual…
But where are the strong ones? How is that possible?
Are they hiding?
"Chōmei, can you sense the emotions of the people below?"
A vanguard without a leader? Kazuyama didn't buy it. He was certain someone powerful was concealing their presence.
"Sensing? I'll give it a shot. There are quite a few of them, though."
"Release control of your body, and I'll use my chakra to scan them."
In the next instant, crimson-red chakra surged through Kazuyama's body. Under Chōmei's control, it dispersed evenly, forming a protective outer layer without overwhelming him.
It was clear that he had refined this technique specifically to help Kazuyama execute his "Rokudenashi tactics" more efficiently.
"Most of them are agitated. A few are a little afraid."
"But one person's emotions stand out—resentment and anger."
Kazuyama was taken aback. Resentment and anger?
While Sunagakure and Konoha had ongoing conflicts over resources, emotions like these typically only arose when a loved one or close friend was killed.
Ninjas accepted life and death as part of their duty. Missions took precedence over personal feelings—this mindset was what led to Sakumo Hatake's suicide.
So where did this intense resentment and anger come from?
"Chōmei, which one?"
"The one in the middle of the group. Not very tall, wearing a bamboo hat."
Kazuyama focused his gaze and spotted the individual. However, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't identify them—the conical hat was simply too large. From above, it looked like a giant hat covering the person entirely.
"Damn, I can't see their face at all..."
"Let's go back."
Since he couldn't confirm the target's appearance, further observation was pointless. With that in mind, Kazuyama folded his wings and activated the Flying Thunder God Technique.
"What's the situation?"
Haru and Rinkaku asked the moment he returned.
Kazuyama shook his head.
"There are 200 of them, but I couldn't locate the vanguard leader. They must be hiding. Sunagakure knows we have intel on their high-ranking combatants, so they've deliberately concealed their presence."
Haru nodded.
"If we really can't find them, there's nothing we can do. The numbers are too overwhelming, making it difficult to get close."
"Let's go report back. For now, we'll have to rely on the traps we've set."
The three swiftly retreated toward the rear, soon rejoining the larger ANBU unit.
After hearing Kazuyama Gekkō's report, Shinnosuke Sarutobi fell into deep thought.
A vanguard force of 200...
"Very well, that's enough. The traps should buy us some time."
"Retreat!"
At his command, the entire unit swiftly withdrew toward the Land of Fire, leaving behind a battlefield riddled with traps—waiting for Sunagakure's vanguard to step into them.
Though the ANBU were individually strong, they had no direct plan against an enemy several times their size. Their mission was reconnaissance and delaying the enemy's advance, meaning they had to retreat when the time was right.
At the same time, Konohagakure's main force had already crossed the Land of Fire's border and established a defensive line within the Land of Rivers.
"Lord Orochimaru, the ANBU should have already retreated."
"It will likely take another hour or two to complete our defensive fortifications."
Hamaki Mimura, the defense team leader, stood beside Orochimaru and reported on their situation. Orochimaru nodded, gazing into the distance, lost in thought.
Meanwhile, within the retreating ANBU unit, a figure suddenly vanished—Kazuyama. Something about the opposing vanguard felt off to him, and with lingering doubts, he chose to break away from the team for reconnaissance.
Shinnosuke Sarutobi had supported his decision but repeatedly warned him to be careful.
Did Kazuyama really need a reminder? When it came to escaping, no one was more proactive than him.
Using his Transparent Escape Technique, he slipped past the traps and fixed his gaze on the advancing Sunagakure vanguard. The area was riddled with ANBU-set traps—explosive tags, concealed pitfalls, kunai, senbon, and even poison gas. It had everything one could imagine.
As the vanguard stepped into the trap zone, the first set of traps was triggered. A barrage of kunai and senbon shot out, instantly cutting down several enemy shinobi.
"Stop! There are traps ahead!"
A warning echoed through the ranks, and hundreds of Sunagakure ninjas halted within the forest.
"Konoha's reaction was fast… They've already set up traps?"
"Damn it!"
The leader, a Sunagakure shinobi, scowled at the bodies of his fallen comrades, his face twisted in anger.
"Hmph, do you really think mere traps can stop us?"
"Move! Get out of my way!"
A chilling voice, dripping with killing intent, rang out from the ranks. A figure wearing a bamboo hat, whom Kazuyama had noticed earlier, stepped forward.
As the man removed his hat, Kazuyama's eyes widened in shock.
Damn it! Why is it him?!
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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