Chapter 28: The Beginning of Chaos
"Alright, let's scout that location first," Black Hawk nodded firmly.
Regardless of the Mist's ultimate intentions, if they could confirm that the Sand's outposts—from the coastline all the way to this stronghold—had been entirely purged, then one thing was clear: the Mist were making a serious move in this region.
Black Hawk might not have the strategic mind of Nara Shikaku, but even he could read a map.
The Rōran–Land of Rivers corridor absolutely could not fall into the Mist's hands.
If it did, the entire southern coastal stretch—from Rōran and the southeastern Wind Country all the way to the Land of Tea and the Land of Waves—would be lost.
This wasn't like the days before the First Great Ninja War, when the Uzumaki clan still existed and the Village Hidden in the Whirlpools stood as an ally. Back then, the Uzumaki held the front line, and without breaking through their defenses, the Mist posed no threat to Fire Country's coastal borders. Even on the western front—towards the Land of Rivers and the Land of Spring—the Mist had only a limited reach.
At most, they barely held onto a slice of land near the Land of Crafts, and even that was a stretch.
But now, after Konoha's betrayal and the fall of Uzushio, the Uzumaki's territory was absorbed into the Water Country. Since then, the southern borders of Fire Country had never truly known peace. The Mist could strike from almost any angle with impunity.
At present, only the Land of Waves and the Land of Rivers stood as buffer zones. If those fell too, then the entire southern and southeastern region of Fire Country would become the Mist's playground. They could come and go as they pleased, without fear of being cut off from behind.
That made Rōran critical—absolutely non-negotiable—for Konoha.
That land either needed to remain independent, or if that wasn't possible, it was still preferable to let the Sand take control than let the Mist set foot in it.
Compared to the Mist, the Sand had less power, less ambition, and less aggression. That's exactly why Hiruzen Sarutobi had only dispatched elite units led by his top disciples to the northeast and southeast fronts, while the Sand's territory was left to small scouting teams like theirs.
The truth was plain to see.
Whoosh.
Whoosh.
Whoosh.
Whoosh.
Moving swiftly from east to west, the four-man squad maintained a heightened level of alertness, wary of encountering Mist-nin on the road. The terrain offered little cover—if they were spotted, there'd be nowhere to hide.
Fortunately, it seemed they'd either chosen the right route or the Mist hadn't launched their full offensive yet. By the time they crossed Rōran's short border and re-entered Wind Country—
"Hmm!? We've got movement up ahead," Black Hawk said sharply.
In the distance, silhouettes flickered against the sands.
With a signal from Black Hawk's hand, the team vanished into the rocky outcroppings on either side of the path. Had this been within Rōran's borders, they'd have been forced to hide underground—and hope their enemies didn't have mid-range detection capabilities.
Mist-nin—four of them. A standard squad, huh?
Captain, should we eliminate them? Foxhound signaled, miming a throat-slit.
No, not yet. Let's observe first, Black Hawk replied with a shake of his head.
Seeing a Mist patrol out here confirmed something: the Sand's stronghold ahead had almost certainly fallen. Which meant the Mist had deployed at least a hundred ninja in this area—likely with several jōnin among them.
Until they had a clearer picture of the Mist's numbers and troop distribution, engaging would be reckless.
The four crouched in silence, watching the Mist-nin pass by and head straight for Rōran's border.
At that moment, Black Hawk could confirm it with near certainty: Rōran was one of the Mist's primary objectives.
Now, the critical question was—how many troops had the Mist deployed?
The initial reports Konoha received had only mentioned two to three hundred. But looking at the spread of this front, that couldn't be right. A force that small couldn't possibly cover such a vast border region.
And if Rōran was the objective… were the Mist targeting the Sand—or Konoha itself?
The last remaining possibility was that this patrol was just standard recon.
But as the Mist-nin's figures disappeared into the distance, even that faint hope evaporated.
During wartime, even the great villages usually respected small nations' neutrality—so long as there was no strategic value or necessity to violate their sovereignty.
This wasn't one of those times.
"Shadow, follow them. Phosphor, stay here and maintain watch. Foxhound, you're with me," Black Hawk whispered quickly.
"Yes, sir."
The three nodded and immediately split off into separate directions.
Whoosh.
Whoosh.
Whoosh.
Three quick flickers—and the squad broke into three formations to pursue their respective objectives.
A standard ninja squad in any great village typically followed the 1+3 configuration—one senior, three juniors. But even within that setup, the actual combat strength could vary wildly.
Black Hawk sent Kakashi to tail the Mist squad because he recognized them for what they were—cannon fodder.
The three genin looked tense, young, and inexperienced. Even if they were older than Kakashi by three or four years, he was confident he could take all three out in a single strike.
The only potential threat was the leading chūnin.
Getting promoted within the Mist's brutal system wasn't easy, so that guy might at least have some real skill.
Kakashi kept his distance, shadowing them silently. The moment any of them showed signs of doubling back, he'd disappear underground. With his current abilities, short-term subterranean stealth was no problem at all.