Two days passed in a blur of activity.
In the early hours of the third day, Nagato led a large group of heavily ard Akatsuki ninja as they quietly approached the border of the Land of Earth.
"These border guards are really lax."
Under the moonlight, Nonō could clearly see the Land of Earth's soldiers patrolling the border.
They moved in small groups, chatting and laughing without the slightest hint of vigilance.
"That's normal. No one would ever think we'd dare to attack the Land of Earth."
Nagato's words carried a double aning—on one hand, the Land of Rain was just a small country; on the other, the Land of Earth was still a nominal ally.
Perhaps the Land of Earth's Daimyō and Ōnoki never even considered the possibility of Akatsukigakure initiating war.
"Lord Nagato, should we attack directly?"
Daiki Nakamura stood behind Nagato, his face filled with excitent, completely unafraid.
After so many years, finally taking the initiative to strike the Land of Earth felt like a long-awaited mont of vindication.
Back when he served under Hanzō, he had suffered plenty at the hands of the Iwa ninja.
"Search!"
Nagato's finger twitched slightly as he pointed forward, a faint smile at the corner of his lips.
"Yes!"
Daiki Nakamura nodded firmly, then grinned nacingly before charging ahead.
"Daiki is really excited today."
Nonō covered her mouth and laughed lightly. Before long, only the two of them remained standing there.
"Daiki nearly got into a fight with Yuichi over this spot."
"Looks like they really don't enjoy the job of guarding the area."
Nagato's slightly teasing tone made Nonō laugh even harder.
Since Nagato had personally handled the selection, she hadn't been aware of this.
"Do you think Ōnoki will be so mad he jumps up and down?"
Nonō imagined Ōnoki's furious reaction and burst into laughter.
That short old man must hit pretty hard when he gets angry.
"Haha~ that has nothing to do with ."
"How long do you think it'll take for Iwa's reinforcents to arrive?"
Nagato had no intention of stepping in—he had complete confidence in leaving these Land of Earth soldiers to his subordinates.
"The border garrison has a special way of contacting Iwagakure."
"They shouldn't keep us waiting for long."
Nonō knew exactly what the goal of this operation was—to lure so of Iwagakure's forces out of the village.
"That's good."
The sounds of battle ahead grew louder, and as Nagato spoke, his gaze had already shifted to the front.
"Don't kill them all."
Nonō suddenly felt concerned as she watched the one-sided slaughter unfold.
These soldiers from the Land of Earth were too weak. If they were all wiped out, who would report back to Iwagakure?
"Don't worry, I've already given instructions."
Nagato was completely confident. Of course, he had already reminded Daiki Nakamura of this.
The two continued their conversation, but the battle ahead was already nearing its end.
"So weak, so weak."
"None of you are worthy of having Lord Nagato fight you."
Daiki Nakamura wiped the blood from his cheek with the back of his hand. Holding his long sword, he stepped closer and closer to a soldier who sat on the ground in a daze.
"Don't kill , don't kill ..."
The soldier had completely lost the will to resist. He scrambled backward on all fours, his face full of terror.
"Wimp."
"Scream 'grandpa,' and I'll spare your life."
Daiki Nakamura seed to develop a sudden taste for cruelty. He rested his long sword on his shoulder, a creepy grin spreading across his face.
"Grandpa~ grandpa~"
The soldier from the Land of Earth didn't hesitate for a second, bowing his head like a dumpling.
"Haha~ what's the point of sparing a coward like you?"
Daiki Nakamura laughed loudly before kicking the soldier to the ground. Without another glance, he turned to chase down another soldier.
One ssenger might not be enough to spread the news. That night, he gained plenty of grandchildren.
"Well done."
Nagato praised Daiki Nakamura with a restrained smile. No matter how good his act was, the objective had been achieved.
"No, it's all thanks to you, Lord Nagato, for your teachings."
In front of Nagato, Daiki Nakamura was as clumsy and honest as a big, foolish bear.
"Okay, okay, let's wrap this up."
"Let's keep moving."
Nonō, clearly unimpressed by their business-like exchange of praise, cut in with visible irritation.
According to the plan, they still needed to make it seem like they were invading the Land of Earth's interior.
"Whatever you say, Lady Nonō."
Nagato's tone was respectful, but his exaggerated bow made it clear he was being playful.
"Idiot."
Nonō shot Nagato a glance, but the smile on her face betrayed her amusent.
Daiki Nakamura watched the exchange between the "young couple" and chose to stare up at the sky, pretending not to see anything.
"Let's go."
With a single command from Nagato, the Akatsukigakure force set off at a steady pace toward the Land of Earth's heart.
They walked boldly, neither hurried nor fearful.
anwhile, Ōnoki, who had just received the news, was beside himself.
"Worthless! All of you are worthless!"
"Can soone tell what's going on?"
"Why didn't you notice anything?"
"You, you, you, you, you, you, you, you—"
He jabbed his finger at people one after another, his anger boiling over.
In recent years, he had focused little attention on the Land of Rain. It had never even crossed his mind that this small ally country would dare to use force against the Land of Earth.
"Shut up!"
The mont soone opened their mouth to speak, Ōnoki's fury exploded further.
To him, this was a complete failure on the part of the intelligence departnt.
"Yes."
The person who had barely raised his head quickly lowered it again, anxiously awaiting Ōnoki's verdict.
"Father, please don't be angry."
"The most urgent task now is stopping the Akatsuki ninja in their tracks."
A tall, broad-shouldered man spoke in a steady tone, looking down at Ōnoki.
His large nose was identical to Ōnoki's—Kitsuchi.
During the Second Shinobi World War, he had been young and weak, but now, his strength ranked among the best in all of Iwagakure.
"Hoo~"
Hearing his son's voice helped Ōnoki take a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
The others in the room shot grateful looks at Kitsuchi. An enraged Ōnoki was truly terrifying.
"According to intelligence from the border,"
"This Akatsukigakure force is led by Nagato, and they have a significant number of troops."
"Their objective remains unknown, but this is clearly an outright invasion."
"I have only one stance toward invaders—"
"They must be eliminated. Without exception."
Ōnoki slamd his hand on the desk in anger.
The solid wooden desk shattered into pieces, sending docunts flying across the floor.
"Who among you wants to go?"
After venting so of his frustration, Ōnoki's anger subsided slightly.
But the hesitant expressions on everyone's faces sent his blood pressure soaring again.
"What?"
"Is my Iwagakure full of cowards?"
"A re teenager makes you afraid to fight?"
He knew exactly what they were thinking.
Nagato, the one who had defeated Tsunade, was undoubtedly a formidable enemy.
None of them had any confidence that they could survive a direct battle with him.
And self-preservation was a basic instinct.
"I'll go et this Nagato myself. Let's see if he's really as strong as they say."
Rōshi, who had always disliked Ōnoki, refused to be labeled a coward—especially by this infuriating old man.
"Not enough."
"Han isn't in good condition right now, so Kitsuchi will go with you."
Though Ōnoki called Nagato a young brat, he didn't underestimate him in the slightest.
If he had to face Tsunade, who had transford into a complete Tailed Beast, he wouldn't dare claim he had much of a chance.
And if he couldn't take on Tsunade, then facing Nagato was even more uncertain.
"Yes, Father."
Kitsuchi nodded, his expression composed as ever.
"You two lead the team imdiately."
"And the rest of you—get out of here. I'll deal with you later."
After Rōshi and Kitsuchi left, Ōnoki dismissed the remaining subordinates with a wave of his hand.
"What a troubleso Akatsukigakure. What a troubleso Nagato."
Looking at the shattered desk, Ōnoki's eyes were filled with murderous intent.
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