"The sensory ninjas have all been dealt with. Pick up the pace!"
"Yes, sir!!"
Minato and Nawaki didn't seem surprised; they gritted their teeth and kept pushing the carts, while the others were left in a daze.
The sensory ninjas have all been dealt with?
But the captain didn't seem to have made a move...
How were they taken out?
Was the captain just joking?
Without those sensory ninjas, the team's pace quickened considerably.
Meanwhile, some who had planned a midnight ambush were still waiting for news.
Among them was a Sand Village squad specifically tasked with intercepting Leaf Village's supply lines.
Staring out at the pitch-black sky, the rain dripping steadily down, Masa and his team hid in a cave, waiting for the latest intel from their sensory ninja.
From the information they had gathered during the day, a Leaf Village supply convoy was passing through the area they were responsible for.
That convoy had the audacity to stop and rest along the way.
If it weren't for the sensory ninja's advice to hold off and wait for further updates, Masa would have already led his team to attack.
"Could that idiot Kuromoku have fallen asleep?"
"It's been over three hours without any response."
Masa grumbled, irritated, before ordering one of his subordinates,
"Iwato, go check if that fool Kuromoku has dozed off. Why hasn't he reported anything?"
"Yes, Masa-sama."
Iwato braved the downpour, disappearing into the pitch-black night.
It didn't take long for him to reach the spot where Kuromoku had been hiding and keeping watch.
Looks like we've got a problem...
Seeing Kuromoku's corpse lying on the ground, his throat slashed open, blood mixing with the muddy rainwater in a grotesque blend, Iwato froze in shock.
Without even checking on his fallen comrade's body, he turned and fled back to the cave.
"Masa-sama, it's bad! Kuromoku's been killed!"
"What?" Masa shot to his feet.
They had all been waiting for Kuromoku's report, and now they learned he was dead!
"This is bad!"
Masa suddenly realized what was happening and slapped his thigh in frustration.
"It must be the Leaf ninja! They discovered Kuromoku's surveillance, so they pretended to stop and rest to deceive us, making us think they were an easy target for a midnight raid. Meanwhile, they killed Kuromoku and slipped away."
"Those Leaf ninja are so cunning!!"
Masa cursed furiously.
If that supply convoy reached the front lines, it would mean his mission was a failure.
And failing this mission wouldn't just mean a blot on his record-he'd likely lose a significant amount of battle credit.
The thought of failing, especially now that Lady Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law had been killed in the Land of Fire, made Masa panic. Lady Chiyo's hatred for the Leaf was at a boiling point, and failing this mission and letting the supplies reach their destination would earn him nothing but trouble.
"Pursue them!!"
....
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