Iwa-nin wanted to choose—but Hajime never gave them the chance.
Yami, a master of Earth Release who reminded him of Kurotsuchi's father Kitsuchi from the Fourth Shinobi World War, was taken out without hesitation.
"Captain!"
"Lord Yami!"
The Iwa-nin shouted in anguish, but nothing could change the fact—Yami was dead.
Having eliminated such a powerful opponent, Hajime didn't linger. He leapt into the air and retreated at high speed through the skies.
The Iwa-nin forces were already converging from all directions.
Nearly a hundred enemies, attacking in perfect coordination both inside and outside—he wouldn't be able to hold out under that kind of pressure.
The Iwa-nin rushing in to provide reinforcements could only watch helplessly as Hajime disappeared in a blur through the air.
Too fast!
Many of them gave chase, but Hajime had no obstructions while moving through the sky, whereas even for shinobi on the ground, the terrain presented limitations that slowed them down.
And with everyone having different speeds, their formation gradually stretched into a long, trailing line.
Hajime took full advantage of this, doubling back in a surprise counterattack to slay several pursuers, before dashing off again as others caught up.
After several cycles of this hit-and-run, the Iwa-nin were exhausted. They finally gave up the chase and chose to regroup for a coordinated operation instead.
But by then, Hajime was long gone.
Relying on his ability to travel through the air, he changed directions multiple times.
He even used Wood Clones to confuse the Iwa-nin sensory units, dragging the pursuit out all the way until dusk—before finally regrouping with Crow and the other Root members near the Wind Country's border.
...
At the same time—
In Iwagakure, inside the Tsuchikage's office, Ōnoki stared blankly at the intel freshly delivered from the front lines.
Yami was dead!
Killed by the Wood Release user.
He had been one of Iwa's great generals, a veteran who had risen to prominence as far back as the First Great Ninja War.
A pillar of strength in modern-day Iwagakure, someone capable of leading an entire front.
Ōnoki's expression wasn't just grim—it was heartbroken.
"The Wood Release user…"
Ōnoki gritted his teeth, looking at the intelligence file on this mysterious enemy.
Still no clue about his true identity.
But there was a lot more information now about his abilities.
Wood Release that could absorb chakra.
A previously unknown and powerful Wind Release proficiency.
And most critical of all—he could move at high speed through the air.
That was the main reason the mission had failed.
Reading over the new intel, Ōnoki realized: this was no enemy you could surround with numbers alone.
Unless they could trap him somewhere that cut off his escape by air.
Or—use someone with similar aerial mobility.
"Unless… I go myself…"
Ōnoki murmured internally, weighing that possibility.
As the Tsuchikage, his direct involvement would trigger serious political repercussions.
For example, Hanzō, who had long holed himself up in Amegakure—what would his reaction be?
And Konoha's Hokage probably wouldn't sit still either.
The intensity of the conflict would spike dramatically in a short time—something Ōnoki didn't want.
"I must have solid intelligence first—or set up a trap and end it in a swift, decisive strike."
He thought to himself.
He could leave the village by using a clone in his place, and then disguise himself with the Transformation Technique to remain hidden for a while.
Ōnoki lowered his gaze, countless intel reports from the front line flashing through his mind.
After a long pause, he stood up and flew over to a massive map, staring at the red arrows marked on it.
Supply lines.
According to frontline intel, Konoha had been probing these areas continuously.
It made sense—disrupting supply chains was a classic wartime tactic.
Not just Konoha—Iwa was doing the same thing too.
"Konoha's kept that Wood Release user in the rear to wreak havoc on our logistics… If that's the case—then it's time to pick a place where he'll meet his end."
"Let's see how he compares to Lord Hashirama himself!"
...
Wind Country Border.
After a night of rest, Hajime was approached by Crow, who came to report that headquarters had sent new intelligence and orders.
Taking the scroll, Hajime read it carefully.
First, Sunagakure had finally made a move—their advance unit had entered the Land of Rivers and begun engaging Amegakure forces.
But the scale of the operation was still small.
It was foreseeable that large-scale battles involving Sunagakure in the Land of Rivers would only begin next year.
They might even decide to attack Amegakure directly, forcing Hanzō to withdraw his troops.
The scroll also contained information about Iwa-nin supply lines.
Currently, they had identified three separate routes.
Headquarters' order was for Hajime to further verify the accuracy of the intel—
—and then cooperate in an assault on the Iwa-nin supply lines.
"So Tsunade and her team really are here, and of course… they're being given this kind of mission."
Hajime raised an eyebrow.
Still, he didn't find it unreasonable for Tsunade and the others to be assigned such a dangerous task.
Missions like this inherently required high-level squads, and all three—Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru—were jōnin, with Tsunade being an exceptionally powerful medical-nin.
Their team was well-suited for extended operations.
"If nothing changes, they'll walk straight into Iwa's trap and be surrounded… Jiraiya nearly died…"
Hajime chuckled to himself.
"Now that Root is involved, it shouldn't go that badly… right?"
He looked away, handed the scroll back to Crow, and had him destroy it with Fire Release.
"Pass the word. We move out in half an hour—heading into the Land of Rain."
"Understood!"
Crow nodded and left to notify the others.
...
Half an hour later, everyone was assembled.
Only six Root operatives remained.
One had died during yesterday's breakout.
Even so, the six remaining ninja now looked at Hajime with reverent awe, treating him like a god.
"Move out!"
After burning down the wooden cabin, Hajime gave the command, and the group headed straight toward the Land of Rain.
...
At the same time—
Border of the Land of Rain, in Konoha's front-line base.
Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru had just stepped out of a tent after receiving their mission.
"When do we move out?" Tsunade asked.
Jiraiya looked toward Orochimaru.
Orochimaru replied,
"Tonight. It's best we loop around the northern border, avoiding the main battlefield."
Jiraiya nodded with a smile.
"Exactly what I was thinking."
The conflict between Konoha and Iwa hadn't yet escalated, but the frontline was densely packed with forces. Passing through would risk exposure. It was safer to bypass it entirely.
"Shouldn't we wait for updated intel from Root?" Tsunade asked.
Jiraiya responded,
"It takes time for intel from the rear to reach us. We don't know if Iwa might intercept something on the way."
"That's why it's better to head directly into Iwa's rear lines, link up with the Root team there, and maybe even work together."
Orochimaru nodded in agreement.
Tsunade didn't press further.
"Then it's decided."
...
That night—
The three of them finished their preparations, left the base, traveled north, then turned west, bypassing the battlefield between Konoha and Iwa, and arrived at the border between the Land of Rain and the Land of Earth.
By then, they had already disguised themselves as Iwa-nin.
...
Meanwhile—
Hajime, along with six Root operatives, had also disguised themselves as Iwa-nin, appearing in the same region.
When gathering intel, stealth is paramount.
If the enemy is alerted, any intel gathered would quickly become obsolete.
Battlefield intelligence is extremely time-sensitive—especially in fast-changing war zones.
For Hajime, the hardest part wasn't obtaining the intel—it was infiltrating the Iwa-nin ranks without being discovered.
Actual intel gathering was relatively easy.
Because he had the DreamWalker Technique.
"If only I had a transformation technique like White Zetsu's, which could mimic even chakra signatures—things would be much simpler."
After three days—and several close calls—Hajime finally led the Root team to scout all three of Iwa's supply routes.
Overall, everything checked out.
Under normal circumstances, this would be the time to report back to headquarters.
But Hajime remembered the incident where Jiraiya and the others were ambushed by Iwa-nin, and a sense of unease lingered.
"How can I be sure there's no trap?"
He frowned, deep in thought.
If Iwa had set a trap, ordinary shinobi probably wouldn't know about it.
Only high-ranking jōnin were likely to be in the loop.
But silently using the Dream Walker Technique to control a jōnin wasn't easy.
"If I can't sneak in and verify directly, then I'll have to test it another way…"
Just as he was contemplating, Crow entered the cave.
"Captain, we've located the squad sent by headquarters for this mission."
"Oh?"
Hajime raised an eyebrow and stood up.
"Tell the others to stay hidden for now. You—take me to them."
(End of Chapter)