They returned to camp faster than they had left, with Kawakaze carrying Nawaki on his back. A Konoha ninja on duty approached to inquire, his deanor noticeably warr than when they first arrived. After a quick confirmation of their identities, he allowed them in.
Kawakaze headed straight for the small thatched hut, where Sakumo and Duy were still discussing the theory behind the Eight Inner Gates. Without the ti to practice, the two had shifted their focus to refining their understanding of the technique.
"What happened to Nawaki?" Sakumo asked with concern, seeing Kawakaze carrying him. Being future relatives, his tone reflected genuine worry.
"He's a little injured," Kawakaze replied, placing Nawaki gently on a bed. "It's his first ti seeing blood, but he'll be fine after so rest."
Minato quietly sat down on one side of the room, listening.
"How many did you deal with this ti?" Sakumo asked, confident in Kawakaze's capabilities. For him, Kawakaze's involvent almost always guaranteed results.
"One Jōnin and two Chūnin. Overall, a standard team," Kawakaze responded calmly, as though it were routine. An ordinary Jōnin posed little challenge to him.
"Minato, good job," Duy said, giving Minato a thumbs-up and a warm smile.
"Haha," Minato chuckled, scratching the back of his head with a sheepish grin.
"Since you're already back, stay and keep watch over the camp," Sakumo suggested. "Just one Jōnin—seems like the Agakure ninja still don't understand pain. Duy and I will head out again. Let's show them the strength of Konoha."
Sakumo, ever eager for action, couldn't stay idle. Protecting the camp didn't suit soone with his assassin-like skills.
"Yes! Kawakaze, Big Brother Sakumo and I will handle this," Duy added enthusiastically, excited to prove himself in battle.
"Alright, go," Kawakaze said without adding a word of caution. He trusted that no one in Agakure, short of Hanzō of the Salamander, could challenge the combined might of Sakumo and Duy.
"Let's go. See you later," Sakumo said as he stood up, with Duy following closely behind.
The two Jōnin-level ninjas moved far quicker than Kawakaze, who had been slowed by the younger mbers earlier. Sakumo's extensive combat experience also made him adept at tracking and finding their targets.
Not long after, Sakumo and Duy located a group of five ninjas led by a Jōnin. The twenty Agakure ninjas accompanying them were utterly annihilated—none could withstand Sakumo's blade or the raw destructive power of Duy's Eight Inner Gates. Their deaths were swift and brutal.
With the addition of Kawakaze's earlier efforts, Agakure had suffered catastrophic losses. The mission to attack and delay, initially orchestrated by Hanzō of the Salamander, now faced a severe setback due to the limited forces he had committed.
The leader of the remaining Rain ninja, Yamaru, had no choice but to pull back and restrict their movents. He also sent word to Hanzō, who was still locked in battle with Chiyo of Sunagakure.
When Hanzō received the report, his fury erupted. In a fit of rage, he tore the ssage to shreds. He had underestimated the Konoha ninja's speed and wrongly assud this group was part of Konoha's main force.
Little did he know, the chaos was caused by Kawakaze and his small team, who had arrived well ahead of the main army.
"Send reinforcents to Yamaru and keep him vigilant," Hanzō ordered. "For now, avoid direct confrontation with the Konoha forces. If their main force begins advancing, delay them at all costs until I return."
The kneeling ninja acknowledged the command and swiftly retreated to carry out his orders.
At this ti, Hanzō was deep within the Land of Wind. Rather than taking a defensive stance, he had boldly led a Surprise Attack Division to strike at Sunagakure. His audacity was undeniable.
In response, Sunagakure dispatched Chiyo to lead a formidable force against him. The two sides had already clashed several tis, with heavy losses on both sides.
Hanzō's poison had wreaked havoc among Sunagakure's troops, inflicting devastating casualties. Conversely, Chiyo's puppets had taken a heavy toll on the Agakure forces, her precision and ingenuity making her a fearso adversary.
"Damn that old hag and her puppets," Hanzō muttered bitterly. Without Chiyo, Sunagakure would have been no more than a band of weaklings in his eyes.
anwhile, in the Sunagakure camp, Chiyo ticulously studied the effects of Hanzō's poison. Renowned for her expertise in poison, she worked tirelessly to neutralize its effects. However, Hanzō's poison was exceptionally potent, even for a master like Chiyo, proving difficult to counter.
"That old man in the gas mask is truly detestable," Chiyo muttered, her frustration evident as she continued her research. She estimated it would take a long ti to crack Hanzō's poison. Thinking about the Sand ninja who would die in the anti, her brows furrowed even more deeply.
"Mother, you've been at this for a day and a night. Take a break," said a man with striking red hair and a handso face—Sasori's father.
"Yes, sister, if you push yourself too hard, your health will suffer," Ebizō chid in, echoing the concern.
"I won't rest until I solve this," Chiyo sighed, rubbing her aching eyes. Inwardly, she vowed to dismber Hanzō into eight pieces when the opportunity ca.
Before long, a ninja arrived with urgent news—Hanzō was launching another attack. Chiyo had no choice but to set aside her research and lead her younger brother and son to counter the assault.
anwhile, fierce battles continued to rage in the Land of Wind between the Agakure and Sunagakure forces.
Kawakaze and his team had been traveling north for several days without encountering any Agakure ninja. They speculated that the enemy was planning a retreat. The days passed peacefully at their camp.
A week later, Orochimaru arrived with a large army. News of the reinforcents quickly reached Kawakaze, who led Sakumo and the others out to greet him.
With Orochimaru ca substantial supplies—food, dicine, and essential ninja gear—all unloaded and distributed with precision. Under Orochimaru's leadership, the camp expanded significantly. Tents and buildings were laid out according to a ticulous plan, an area of logistics that Kawakaze admittedly knew little about.
Once the camp was organized, Orochimaru invited Kawakaze and the others to a newly constructed earthen house. The simple room had a low table surrounded by seating cushions. Fresh lons and fruits from the supply convoy were laid out on the table. Nawaki and Minato knelt quietly to the side like obedient students.
"Sensei," Nawaki greeted, his joy evident as he saw Orochimaru.
"I heard from Kawakaze that you perford well," Orochimaru said, stroking Nawaki's head with a cold smile.
Nawaki bead with pride, his grin so wide that his eyes nearly closed.
"Kawakaze, do you have any recent intelligence?" Orochimaru asked, his tone becoming serious.
The room fell silent as Kawakaze began his report. "The Agakure ninja currently operate in small units, focusing on assassinations and hit-and-run tactics. My assessnt is that Hanzō's main focus is not us, Konoha. He's simply buying ti. Over the past few days, their raiding force seems to have been deterred by our actions—they haven't appeared in three days."
Kawakaze shared his observations and theories with clarity, confident that Orochimaru would easily piece together the larger picture.
Sakumo and Duy remained silent throughout, letting the exchange between Orochimaru and Kawakaze take center stage.
"Kawakaze's analysis is reasonable," Orochimaru said after a mont of thought. "Next, I'll deploy scouts to locate the Agakure forces. We'll feign a large-scale attack to gauge their reaction. That will reveal their intentions."
"Agreed," Kawakaze said without hesitation. He had no desire to command troops himself and saw no reason to challenge Orochimaru's strategy.
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