"Reporting to Matsuda-sama, Konoha's poison specialist is named Renya!"
The reporting Sunagakure ninja pulled a portrait from his robes and presented it to Matsuda.
"This is his likeness!"
Commander Matsuda didn't hesitate as he took the portrait, eager to know what Konoha's poison specialist looked like.
But the moment he saw the drawing, he froze.
"How can he be so young?!"
The silver-haired girl beside him quickly leaned over at his words.
Soon, the same shocked expression appeared on her face as well.
The young man in the portrait was clearly no older than fourteen or fifteen.
Commander Matsuda looked grimly at the Sunagakure ninja and asked in a low voice,
"Are you sure this is Konoha's poison specialist?"
"Absolutely certain. I heard the Konoha ninja say it with my own ears!"
Receiving such a firm answer, Matsuda stared at the boy in the portrait in silence, deep in thought.
After an unknown length of time, he finally spoke slowly…
"Post this portrait all around the camp. Inform everyone—this is Konoha's poison specialist. If encountered on the battlefield, kill him at all costs!"
"Yes, Matsuda-sama!" The Sunagakure ninja took the portrait and left the tent.
"Do you really believe he's the poison specialist?" the silver-haired girl suddenly asked.
It wasn't that she didn't want to believe—it was just that the boy in the drawing looked far too young.
She couldn't accept that this boy had cracked the poison she had painstakingly developed.
"If Sunagakure can produce a poison genius like you, why couldn't Konoha produce a genius at detoxifying poisons…"
Commander Matsuda looked at the girl and warned,
"Remember this—never underestimate your opponent. That will only get you killed faster!"
The silver-haired girl lowered her head, hiding the expression on her face.
Matsuda didn't bother with her any further and began drafting the next phase of the battle plan.
...
Before killing Konoha's poison specialist, the effectiveness of Sunagakure's poisons was almost negligible.
In that case, the only option was to revise their strategy.
Reinforcements from the village were about to arrive on the battlefield. Once they did, a full-scale assault on Konoha could begin.
At present, Konoha's forces were far fewer than Sunagakure's.
Once they launched an all-out attack, Konoha wouldn't stand a chance!
Even without using poison, he was confident they could achieve final victory.
Of course, poison would still be used…
He planned to find an opportunity to send someone to assassinate this so-called poison specialist named Renya.
As long as that guy was dead, Sunagakure could resume using poisons freely.
To be honest, Matsuda didn't really believe Konoha's poison specialist was a teenager.
It was just too hard to believe someone so young could have such ability.
But he had no other choice.
Only by killing him could he determine if the intel was true…
————————
That night, the command tent of Konoha's forces was brightly lit.
"Sunagakure has launched three offensives recently, all of which failed. I believe they won't strike again in the short term. This is the best time for us to counterattack!"
Nara Mikage spoke solemnly as he looked at the dozens of ninja before him.
These were all jōnin stationed on the southwestern front—elite forces of the battlefield.
Everyone present wore serious expressions, and no one interrupted.
Konoha was finally about to counterattack!
They had been enduring repeated raids from Sunagakure for some time now, and the frustration had built up.
It had always been Sunagakure on the offensive—but now, finally, it was Konoha's turn!
Especially after coating their weapons with poison, they were all eager to try them out on Sunagakure ninja.
Whether Renya's poisons were truly effective—they'd only know after testing them in battle!
Standing by the sand table, Nara Mikage's gaze swept across the jōnin in front of him. His fingers traced over the Sunagakure camp marked on the map.
"Now, I'll assign the battle plan…"
————————
The night was as black as ink, and the wind carried a mournful howl through the sand.
Using his Sharingan's dynamic vision, Renya easily took down the sentries near the battlefield.
This was the task Nara Mikage had given to their team.
With the sentries eliminated, Konoha's jōnin took advantage of the darkness to stealthily approach the front-line Sunagakure camp.
Their mission: launch a surprise attack.
They would only get one shot at this.
Once the attack began, Sunagakure would definitely tighten their defenses.
So they had to make the most of this chance—before Sunagakure could fully react, they needed to kill as many as possible.
They exchanged glances, each seeing the barely contained excitement in the others' eyes.
Renya's katana sliced a silver arc through the moonlight as he charged forward to initiate the assault.
The rest didn't hesitate and followed close behind.
In the darkness, a wave of Konoha jōnin surged into the Sunagakure camp.
"Enemy attack!" The sentry's cry hadn't even finished before several shuriken pierced through him.
In an instant, chaos erupted inside the camp.
Screams and wails filled the air—none of the Sunagakure ninja had expected Konoha's shinobi to infiltrate their camp so silently.
As Renya burst into a tent, his katana was already swinging with lethal force at a shadow inside.
The Sunagakure ninja inside had just grabbed a weapon but didn't even get the chance to retaliate before the blade sliced clean across his neck.
Caught off guard by the ambush, Sunagakure's forces were overwhelmed.
Especially after Konoha's jōnin applied poison to their blades—they fought like madmen.
To their shock, the poison Renya had developed was absurdly potent.
Just a cut on the skin was enough to sentence the enemy to death.
No need for a finishing blow…
As long as they were injured, they would collapse from the poison within moments!
Barely into the battle, over thirty Sunagakure ninja were already dead.
They had never seen anything like this before.
...
In the rear command tent of the Sunagakure forces—
Upon hearing that the front-line camp had been ambushed by Konoha ninja, Matsuda furiously kicked over the sand table in front of him.
"Immediately deploy the Third Puppet Battalion to reinforce the front lines!"
"Leave fifty men behind to guard the camp. The rest, all of them, head to the front!"
Following Matsuda's orders, the Sunagakure ninja in the camp quickly mobilized.
They readied themselves to depart for the battlefield.
Watching the troops leave, Matsuda turned to the deputy standing beside him, who was trembling in fear, and roared,
"What the hell were you doing?! How could Konoha ninja sneak in here without a sound?!"
It was the deputy's responsibility to manage patrols around the battlefield.
Faced with Matsuda's fury, the deputy lowered his head, not daring to speak.
It was indeed his negligence.
Sunagakure had always taken the initiative, attacking the Land of Fire as invaders.
They had never imagined that Konoha—usually on the defensive—would suddenly strike back.
Seeing the man remain silent, Matsuda's anger flared.
He grabbed the deputy by the neck, his eyes flashing with murderous intent.
"What about the sentries? That many Konoha ninja sneaked into the camp and only then was the alarm sounded—were you just waiting to get your throat slit?!"
Confronted with his commander's wrath, the deputy turned pale with fear and stammered, unable to form words.
Matsuda threw the deputy to the ground, his voice cold.
"Go to the front now and stop the Konoha ninja. If the casualties are too high—don't bother coming back alive."
"Yes! Matsuda-sama!" The deputy hurriedly left the command tent.
Watching his departing figure, a trace of worry flickered in Matsuda's eyes.
"Let's hope the casualties aren't too severe…"
If the losses were significant, he—being the commander—would be held directly responsible.