"Stop!"
Miozawa, at the front of the team, halted his steps. His feet were deeply embedded in the sand.
The fifty ninjas of the trap squad stopped as well. Their gaze fell on the front.
In the boundless desert, strangely shaped stones rose. These stones were scattered haphazardly, without any pattern, and at the end of this stone forest was the famous Gale Gorge of the Land of Wind.
Haruki, who was flying in the air, slowly descended beside Miozawa.
Miozawa pulled out a scroll from his pouch, and as he opened it, a map of the Land of Wind appeared before his eyes.
"We are still one kilometer away from our destination, Gale Gorge, and our traps will be set up within this stretch of road."
Miozawa's gaze swept over the ninjas of the trap squad before him.
"We have officially gone to war with Sunagakure, and the Sunagakure camp located in Gale Gorge ahead is very likely to set up an ambush along this path."
"Therefore, we need three people to scout ahead."
As Miozawa finished speaking, the trap squad fell into a dead silence. Everyone knew the danger of a scouting mission. It was almost a near-certain death.
"I'll go!"
Suddenly, a ninja stepped out from the trap squad.
"I'll go too!"
"I'll go! Samaru, your wife is still waiting for you, let those of us with no attachments go."
"…"
More and more people stepped out, smiling and vying for the three scouting spots.
Miozawa felt heavy-hearted. Although everyone was smiling, they all knew in their hearts what this meant.
"Brother Miozawa, let me go." Haruki's clear childlike voice was exceptionally distinct.
Miozawa frowned and immediately rejected him without thinking, "No! You can't go."
"That's right."
"It's too dangerous."
"How can we let a child like you charge to the front?"
"…"
The ninjas of the trap squad smiled as they looked at Haruki.
Haruki looked at Miozawa seriously and said, "I can fly high in the sky to observe, and let the puppet test the sand on the ground."
Miozawa paused, he had to admit that this was indeed a solution.
Haruki continued, "This way, no one will be in danger."
[Ding!]
[System detected Miozawa's Gratitude Value + 3000]
[Ding!]
[The System detected Samaru's Gratitude Value + 3000]
[Ding!]
[System detected Takeshi's Gratitude Value + 3000]
…
[A total of 150,000 Gratitude Value has been collected, and your Cursed Spirit Land God's rank has increased to 91.3%.]
"But…"
Miozawa looked at Haruki with some hesitation.
Haruki immediately interrupted him, assuring him, "Don't worry. Brother Miozawa, once I sense danger, I will immediately fly back."
Miozawa looked at the broom in Haruki's hand, it would indeed be difficult for Sunagakure ninjas to catch Haruki if he was high in the sky.
"Leave it to me. You all wait for me here."
After speaking, Haruki didn't give Miozawa a chance to hesitate. He mounted his broom, and soared into the sky.
Upon seeing Haruki fly forward, Number One unhesitatingly followed behind him, running towards the strange rock formations ahead. They were was extremely fast, and soon only two black dots remained in Miozawa's eyes. In a short while, even the two black dots disappeared.
"I believe in Haruki, he will definitely be fine." The ninja behind Miozawa comforted him.
Miozawa looked into the distance and nodded firmly, but his eyes still held an lingering worry.
One thousand meters, eight hundred meters, six hundred meters…
Haruki was getting closer and closer to the Sunagakure camp ahead.
For safety, he flew extremely high, ensuring that people on the ground would have difficulty spotting him before he felt at ease.
Number One carefully traversed the strange rock formations under Haruki's guidance. Around it, several crows, swift as black lightning, streaked through the air. Their dark pupils swiveled around, transmitting everything before them into Haruki's mind.
The sound of the wind in Haruki's ears grew louder, and the nearby gorge came into his view.
Gale Gorge was as if it had been violently split open by a giant axe, forming a natural, massive gorge.
The wind passed through the gorge, emitting sharp wails.
The cliff walls on both sides were steep and rugged, and Sunagakure's camp was like a parasite on the edge of this massive wound.
The camp clung to a relatively gentler cliff on one side of the gorge, expanded from natural caves, and the cave entrance was cleverly disguised with materials of the same color as the rock. If the crows hadn't approached for a closer look, it would have been almost impossible to discover.
Several watchtowers stood on the most prominent rock formations with the best views, and crows flew over the tops of the watchtowers.
"Crows?"
The Sunagakure ninja in the watchtower looked up at the crows circling in the sky.
"No Chakra detected, they're just ordinary crows." The Sunagakure ninja beside him lowered his hand, sighing in relief.
Haruki's gaze, using the crows' perspective, swept inch by inch over the layout of the Sandstorm camp.
"Don't worry. If Amegakure ninjas dare to come, they will only find death."
The Sunagakure ninja in the watchtower patted his companion's shoulder, a sneer forming beneath his mask.
"You're right."
The Sunagakure ninjas in the watchtower exchanged smiles.
The crows circled above their heads once and gradually flew away.
Among the grotesquely shaped wind-eroded rocks, high temperatures distorted the air, and a figure wavered in the scorching heat waves. The wind picked up fine sand, adding a touch of mystery to the figure.
Beneath the boundless yellow sand, pairs of eyes revealed themselves.
"Who is that?"
The Suna ninjas in the watchtower stared at the distant figure, blurred by the wind and sand.
"Did Amegakure only send one person to scout ahead?"
The whispers were covered by the wailing wind.
"It seems this person's strength should be considerable."
"Strike first!"
The figure gradually emerged from the rock surface. At the same time, yellow sand suddenly exploded into the air.
Several figures burst out from the yellow sand. These figures rapidly formed hand seals in front of their chests. Low roars erupted from their mouths.
Wind Release: Violent Wind Palm!
The ninjutsu performed simultaneously by ten ninjas had astonishing effects. And in the desert, where there was already a lot of wind and sand, this justu could unleash even greater power.
Violent winds swept up from the ground, and walls of wind pressed from all directions towards the dark figure in the center.
The powerful pressure seemed to crush that person into pieces.